Want to Help Support Women?

As some of you may remember from one of my earliest blog posts, there is a project through New Light that helps to create jobs with sustainable income for women who are leaving or preparing to leave their jobs as sex workers. It is known as the Anchal Project. Women meet a few times a week to sit on the floor of a room and embroider old sarees in a way that is very popular in India. Some of the smallest scarves can take up to one month to make and most of the products have the woman's name who embroidered them. This makes each piece so very special on multiple levels.

With regards to the scarves and blankets:
These products are double sided as they are composed of two or more sarees. The scarves are not typical scarves you would wear in the US but they are definitely still beautiful. In my opinion, I would use them more to make decorative throw pillows (which is what I am actually going to do) or as those decorative pieces of fabric at the base of your bed like you see in hotels. The possibilities really are endless with a little creativity. The sizes and prices of these are :
12 x 78 ($26)
16 x 80 ($28)
Twin blanket ($45) -->pretty sure there is only 1-2 available
Full blanket ($72) -->pretty sure there is only 1-2 available
If you let me know your top 2-3 favorite color preferences, I will try to find you what best correlates.

As for the bags, I have posted pictures of the different sample styles and the prices. The styles range from a clutch all the way to a tote and are bound with leather. They really are a nice quality. I will be rocking them when I get home for sure. With these, if you let me know which style you are interested in as well as your top 2-3 favorite colors, I will do my best to match based off of availability.

If you are interested, please be aware that I might have to tag on 5-10$ for shipping since I  will be traveling throughout India for my last week with nothing but a big backpack. I will therefore mail home the boxes so please be patient with me. Also, include your address!!
ALL ORDERS MUST BE GIVEN TO ME BY  WEDNESDAY MORNING since thursday is my last day here.

You can message me on Facebook or whatsapp with requests. If you want to help but dont want the products, look below my picture in the top right for ways to contribute. And thank you so very much in advance. You truly are making a difference in the lives of these beautiful women.

The Diary Pages of my Heart

What originally felt like an eternity now feels like sand slipping through my fingers. When I arrived to Kolkata, the first two weeks were extremely difficult. Everyday I would struggle with myself to stay positive and stay focused. Still, the desire to quit and go home was one that was constantly creeping into my mind. A desire that really disturbed me. I did not come all of this way to quit and give up. Yes, it is the hardest experience I have ever had to endure. But how awful is it to feel such a way when this is people's permanent way of life?...With accommodation and amenities a mere fraction of what I am utilizing here. So every day I would repeat over and over in my head "Find your happiness. Find your purpose." I know that God didn't pull my heart to India for no reason.

Last night I joined the volunteers at the Mother house for adoration in the evening. In the Catholic Church, this is an hour dedicated to praying, praying the rosary, singing, and sitting in silence with God. And as I sat there, I had a feeling of clarity. It was a feeling very much like the one that brought me here. Every Sunday when I was in church, I would pray for the Lord to guide me and use me to do his will. I was feeling so stuck and confused until one Sunday, months later, I just had this overwhelming feeling telling me to go to India. It's hard to describe but it was so clear that I just smiled and said in my head "India...well alright then."

I had the same such feeling at adoration. This time, it was the revelation that my purpose in coming to Kolkata was because God wanted to bring me back to him. To bring me closer to him. And being in the home of Mother Teresa could not have been any more inspiring and overwhelming in order to do just that.

There was a time in high school when we were so tight (me and JC). I would attend mass every day and prayer was huge part of my life. I was so close that I was my best self then and probably the happiest and most selfless I have ever been. I had such trust and faith in the lord that everything, be it good or bad, just made sense. So when I sat there I felt it. I felt him calling me back to him. Because when you are close with him, your perspective of the world changes. Suddenly your values shift from yourself and material goods, to people and their needs.

And now, as of today, I realized that Kolkata has officially sucked me in. I have developed such a passion for these people that the thought of leaving the city next week is almost too much to bear. While my level of comfort has increased, so too has the burden on my heart to do more. My days start at 6am and end at 8/9pm and yet I still feel as though there is so much more I can be doing. I just loaded up on a crazy amount of protein bars to keep in my backpack to give to those I pass who are in need. My days are equally amazing and devastating.

But I suppose Mama T had a point when she said "let us do small things with great love." We alone can't change the world. Alone we can't solve world hunger or make everyone feel loved and worthy. But I guess if we do the best we can each and every day, it will start to add up. And maybe, just maybe, we might help to ignite a fire in other people's hearts to do the same. I don't know if it will burn super bright like we hope, but I do know that it won't burn at all if we don't try. "Begin every day as if it were on purpose."

.....and yes, I mayyyy have just quoted Hitch in the last line. Get at me.

Keeping Busy

These past few days have really been exhausting. Now that I have a better feel for Kolkata, better relationships with the staff and children, and a closer connection with the Mother Teresa home, my days are jam packed. 

Sometimes in the mornings I have been attending mass at 6am with the sisters & volunteers. Otherwise I have been heading straight to Nirmal Hrday which is the original home Mother Teresa established. It is for the dying and destitute with the translation meaning "pure heart." I was very fortunate to be able to sort it out where I could formally register as a volunteer to provide my services in the mornings. It is also perfect since it is located right in Kalighat about 3 minutes from New Light.

The home is divided up into male and female sections and is comprised of people who are dying, abandoned, severely wounded, or just found to be in extreme need. One of the doctors who I have gotten to know gave me the link for this YouTube video which shows the quarters I am in. The home has had some slight modifications but overall everything in the video is as it is in real life. It is 
https://youtu.be/3ZWhlNgrUZM

The doctor reminded me of a very important lesson. He was telling me that each person there had a story. They were each a parent, a child, a friend, a spouse, etc and that we must really learn to see them as that person and not just someone who is in need of shelter or help. For example, the woman I was exercising with was not even 50 years old, a mother of two teenage sons, and a wife who had been cast out of her home once she had a stroke. Losing the strength in her left side would have been something she could have received therapy for and regained strength for the most part. However, she was cast aside for 3 to 4 years before receiving the care she needed thus leading to very bad contractures. Still, with a lot of therapy, she will be able to walk again with a least a crutch. Her main struggle now is finding the will and motivation to do so. Which, I can't blame her. Still, I encourage and push her in hopes that one day she will find the strength to go and be with her children again. It was very difficult as she would often yell at me out of exhaustion or frustration. But I knew she did not mean it to be personal as she would also hug me and hold my hand as if to say she was sorry.

Though everyone in that home has their own struggle, it really is such a wonderful place. The volunteers there are from all over the world and are all such amazing people with bright spirits. And the sisters are the kindest people you will ever meet. Even as a volunteer I feel surrounded by such love...which is exactly what Mother Teresa had hoped for. There are even several locals who are permanent staff members there or volunteers which is very helpful as they can all work as translators (for the most part).

After we tuck the women in bed for their afternoon nap at 12, I walk on over to New Light to visit with the children. I think they have all finally warmed up to me since now they all run and pull me in every other direction to play games, patty cakes, draw tattoos on them, and they love when I give them some of my purell. They are obsessed with it! The only worry I have is that I am noticing that a lot of them are covered with lice. Needless to say, my buns have never been so high or tight.

Once the children eat and head off for their naps, I take an uber over to the boys or girls shelter. This week I educated them on basic first aid. They learned what to do is someone is bleeding very bad, how to treat basic cuts or scrapes, infections, and how to treat burns. The lessons go very quickly as they are all so anxious for the worksheets and games at the end which quiz them on the material. This week I made a bingo board with all of the relevant words on it. They went HAM. Bingo was a foreign game to them so between getting the opportunity to pull and say the word from the hat while racing to see who wins the Kit Kat bar, they were crazy excited. After we had our 5 winners, they all said "auntie, auntie we like this game! You bring this game again next time." The boys also taught me how to play soccer which was a muddy disaster but still loads of fun. And as always, the teenage boys and girls all love taking pictures with my phone and looking through my personal pictures. The selfie obsession is a worldwide epidemic.

Anyways, I believe I have bored you all enough for one entry. I will check back in again soon! Thanks for reading!

Week 2

Week number two has been off to a pretty good start. On Monday I got to go to the boys home and educate them on what to do if someone is choking as well as how to care for themselves during any stomach illnesses. They were so quick to learn everything and really enjoyed the worksheets I made for them which was great. Afterwards, things got pretty intense over a game of limbo. I had not played limbo in years and my back and groin sure did feel it. But I ended up coming in 3rd place so I am not a complete old bafoon just yet.

Tuesday morning we got to join the sisters for mass and breakfast again. Afterwards we stayed to tour the museum, see Mother Teresa's tomb, and view her bedroom. It was all pretty surreal and just incredibly inspiring. She is such an amazing person and it was just so overwhelming to be able to be present in the same places that she lived, died, and is buried.

Some moments here can be pretty difficult...between the heat, the language barrier, and other various trials I face with the work I am doing. However, I am really using this time to focus on my faith and mental strength. Keeping focus and optimism isn't always easy but I am trying to take it one day at a time. Attending mass at the Missionaries of Charity as often as possible and having the constant support of my friends and family has been epically huge in keeping my mind focused and at ease. Thank you to all of you who have been that support system for me!

On the other side of things, Korah and Iona have headed back home. So it is just me now. I was supposed to head to the Soma Home (girls home) today to teach them a lesson but the rain was too bad. Instead I got to spend the morning and afternoon with the children of New Light. I taught them how to play Indian chief (a game we used to play in elementary school) only I called it "chief." Haha. They were obsessed with it. I think it was the first time I saw each one of the kids participate in the same game cooperatively. When it came time to stop and eat lunch they all ran to me saying "auntie, tomorrow?...you come play tomorrow?" It was so cute.

As a side note, I figured I would mention some of the interesting things I have seen so far that don't quite fit into my blog postings as easily. I've included some pictures so you can get a better visual .

▪people riding bikes with 20+ chickens hanging from their feet by the handlebars or back rack
▪people working as hand pulling rickshaws
▪old fashioned taxis everywhere
▪fish and chickens are cut using these curved blades in between people's legs while they sir Indian style
▪men being shaved with a straight razor on the sidewalks
▪people wash their clothes on the sidewalk floors by these main water pumps whilst others bath along side them.

An Unexpected Blessing

Friday morning was an absolutely surreal experience. We took a journey uptown to the Mother Teresa home for the Missionaries of Charity. It is the place where Mother Teresa used to reside and work in. We arrived just before 6am to join the sisters for mass. While trying to find the area where the mass was held, we were guided by the sound of the nuns singing. They sounded like harmonizing angels. There was a big room filled with them. Half of them dressed in the same garments as Mother Teresa, the other half still learning and wearing all white.

The mass was a traditional catholic ceremony. I remember sitting there and just feeling so overwhelmed with joy and appreciation that I could celebrate mass where one of my biggest role models used to reside. It was as if a dream came true that I had never formally acknowledged.

The area where we sat was for the other people who wanted to see and participate. So there were quite a few white people. After the mass, we followed them out and downstairs to join them for a breakfast that the sisters provided. It consisted of bananas, bread with nutella or pb, and tea. It was so nice being able to get to know some of the other young people who were there as missionaries to volunteer or just to visit. The biggest surprise was that one of the sisters gave us a day pass to be able to volunteer. You would usually need to go certain days in the afternoon to complete a full registration. Nonetheless, we were able to spend the whole morning working in the home for children with special needs. Most of the children had cerebral palsy or mental retardation. They were so so adorable and lovable. We helped to feed them, change them, play with them, and at the end, put them to bed for their afternoon nap. It was so very special.

It turns out that the original mother Teresa home is right by where I usually work and it is the center for the dying and destitute. So I am going to try to work there in the mornings until noon, and then go to the other shelters to teach the older children my lessons. I will be educating them on different first aid techniques such as care for burns, choking, bleeding, animal/bug bites, infections, stomach problems, and lice. All very prominent issues they deal with over here.

The remainder of the afternoon I was able to spend with the women involved with the Anchal Project. The project creates alternative avenues of employment and income for exited or ready to exit sex workers and other distressed women. They do so by training the women to produce Kantha embroidery work. It is where they take old sarees (the outfits the women wear here) and do some embroidered stitch work to create something new such as blankets, scarves, and bags. I bought two blankets already and will probably get some more as souvenirs. I will post pictures on Facebook if anyone is interested in purchasing something. They are like $20-40 and the smallest scarf takes a few weeks to complete. Other projects take months so they really are amazing. Plus it helps women stay out of prostitution and off the streets!!

We spent the remainder of the evening with the children of New Light and then headed back to rest. This weekend has been unbearably hot so we are laying pretty low. Anyways, that's it for now! Thanks for checking in!

Meet 3 times a week to turn old sarees into beautiful blankets to sell.

Orientation

Hey again!

So things are moving along slowly but surely. I am just about finishing up the orientation phase of things where they are showing me the different shelters each day. Sunday was our day off which consisted of us roaming throughout the streets to explore. We saw a lot of chickens being slaughtered at the roadsides for flocks of paying customers. There was also goat meat hanging from the ceiling of a shop whilst live goats were tied and forced to stare at their dead friends all day.  Needless to say I have been vegetarian the past week. But it was so hot we basically rested our bones that day.

Monday was a very crazy day filled with every single emotion known to man. I started the day attempting to venture over to New Light (the main headquarters) on my own. Korah hadn't been feeling well and Iona was headed elsewhere so I decided to put my big girl panties on an make a go at it. The journey usually takes about a half hour via the tuk tuk and walking and while I did a great job navigating the majority of it, at the last major intersection I turned left instead of right. A turn that costed me 2 hours in the blazing sun!! I was basically going in circles all around where I needed to be. Everyone would point me one way, and then the other way....and while I was staying positive for the most part near the last 30 minutes the heat really started to take a toll on me. I just about lost it when a young man walked me to the alley where New Light was and I heard the sweet hallelujah chorus. 

Needless to say, I got a great tour of that area.
When I did arrive, the woman I was supposed to meet was even later than I was. When she did appear she said I will be going to the Soma Home later on around 3 or 4. Defeated, I hitched an uber back to the guest home to rehydrate and cool down. 

The soma home was absolutely amazing though. It is a home for young teenage girls from the red light district who are at risk. It is a live in shelter offering them safety, education, nutrition, and whatever medical attention they might require. The girls are all so beautiful and smart. They were all so excited to show me their talents such as their paintings and jewelry they made as well as eager to ask me questions about my life and America. I had to laugh when they showed me a painting of Justin Beiber and said "we hate Justin Beiber."
They were also very obsessed with using my phone to take selfies and use Snapchat. I guess it is a universal obsession. When it came time for me to leave I got the biggest group hug ever. I can't wait to go back and see them.

Tuesday was also eventful. We spent the morning at Jhinuk which is the shelter for toddlers of the red light district. These little ones are just such an adorable group of hyper little monkeys. At any given time you will have 4 or 5 of them just crawling all over you like you are a tree. We spent the morning teaching them some nursery songs as well as the hokey pokey which they loveddd. That was both fun and nostalgic. After that Korah and I headed back to our place for lunch. Iona decided to try to find a post office. Bad choice for Iona because that afternoon and night we got our second taste of the monsoons. In less than an hour the streets were knee high with water. The thunder would literally shake you to the core. It was insane!!! But since Korah and I were indoors, it was super awesome to sit out on the patio and watch. Sucked for Iona though who had to find her way back in that mess.  

And as for yesterday, we started the day with the little ones again. We enjoyed a typical Indian lunch with the kids at New Light (buttload of white rice, some spicy potatoes, and not spicy potatoes) and then headed off to the boys home. This is similar to the Soma Home where it houses teenage boys who are at risk of being abused or becoming pimps. The boys are all so sweet and respectful. We all played the most exciting game of Jenga I have ever played, we conversed since they love practicing their English, and in the evening they put on a very professional magic show for us. Their tricks were actually really good! Some that weren't were just hysterical too. Turns out that a European volunteer taught them the magic. That show was really special and the boys were all so great. Though by the time we got home we were so beat. This place really exhausts the hell out of ya, that is for sure. But so far it has definitely been worth it.
Thanks for checking in!!

My first two days in India

Hello Everyone! And greetings from Kolkata!
I have finally arrived. What an adventure it has been! The past two days have been quite possibly the longest and most exhausting days of my life. But definitely worth it. Allow me to fill you in.

So the flights over here were miraculously not as bad as I thought. The 15 hour flight from Toronto to Mumbai was surprisingly not terrible...given my nice yummy cocktail of an Indian supper, Benadryl, Advil, and micro amounts of water so as not to have to pee. Thank goodness for a nurse's bladder since I had the window seat. But between my long slumber and a few good movies, I was set. And let me tell you, the airport in Mumbai was CRAZY nice. It was huge and so beautiful that I was just walking around for a few hours to kill time. The only unfortunate but not so unfortunate part of my journey was that the fellow next to me on my overnight flight to Kolkata spoke to me the ENTIRE TIME. He was super cool and giving me pointers but I just wanted to sleep. So that kind of set me up for a rough first day.

When I arrived to Kolkata, I had a ride waiting for me. He was a local who only spoke Bengali so it was a rather quiet ride. But man was it crazy! He drove like a maniac! Which I now realize is the norm but he was flying down streets with no regards to lanes and just holding down on his horn. I had to thank Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh for breaking me in to this sort of reckless driving...otherwise I would have definitely left the car with streak marks.

The first day was very very tough for me. I had a hard time getting into the place I needed to stay and my uber back from the shelter didn't know where the address I had entered was...nor did I. I was lost by myself in a foreign overcrowded city without a functional phone. So that was fun. Add in extreme heat, 1000% humidity, and sleep deprivation and I was rapidly overflowing with self doubt. It was  clear to me that this is going to be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Definitely almost lost my shit.

Thankfully though, I was surprised to find that there are two other volunteers here. Korah (20) from Indiana and Iona (18) from California. They have both been here for the past two weeks so they were helping to get me adjusted and feel more at ease. This is both of their first times outside the US which absolutely blows my mind. Go big or go home I guess.

Day two was a complete 180. Being the only non Indian people around here (literally zero other white people so far) I am still unsure of how it would be to whip out my phone and take pics. So for this first entry I will just try to paint you pictures. Forgive the length of this entry.

So the day for me started at 2am (wuddup jet laggggg) but we actually got moving around 830/9am. It was so hot that as soon as you step outside you are completely drenched in both sweat and humidity. The locals were even saying how bad it was so you know I was dying. Iona and I then started on our long trek to New Light which is the major shelter/headquarters. The trek included an auto ride, which is essentially a Tuk Tuk, and then we walked about a mile and half through the streets and alley ways. The streets are so busy with people, bikers, mo-peds, trucks, buses, taxis, dogs, and just all sorts of crazy stuff zooming by and everyone is constantly honking. It's pretty terrifying at first. The side walks are riddled with people in little stands with street food or small trade items, dogs, and just a plethora of stuff. And everyone just stares. I thought my st. Maarten tan would help me blend in but I'm still super white here. A trait that is super foreign to them.

The street you turn down to get to New Light is called Kalighat Road. It almost feels like the main strip/market area. There are so many vendors everywhere and it is packed. It also has the former residence of Mother Theresa which is still a home for orphans and the destitute. (I was thrilled to see that and be where she worked!) To get to the shelter you have to walk down a small alley, past a bunch of women at the corner who are the sex workers, past all these small little cubbies where people live, and through a little maze. Very narrow and I feel very typical of what you would envision when thinking of India. We got to play with the children for a bit before heading off to one of the shelters in North Kolkata known as Starfish. North Kolkata is home to the biggest red light district in the world. So the shelter we were at is for the children of the sex workers. They were so precious. It was at this shelter that I met Em, a 21 year old girl from Montreal who has been living in India for the past 2 years. Wild.

When it came time to leave, the heavens opened up into a downpour unlike any I have ever experienced. When it let up some we made a run for it but it quickly started up again forcing us so to duck into a narrow hallway of an area where people lived. We were waiting just inside when it started to really come down and flood. Doesn't seem so bad since water is water....but the grossest thing was that the floods were making the cockroaches flee....right towards us. SO. MANY. COCKROACHES. And the flood started filling in behind us so you can imagine we were getting squished by nasty water and cockroaches. My gag reflex was kicking in.
The second it let up we jumped over the roaches and made a dash for the metro. The umbrella was absolutely useless against these rains.
When we made it back to the main center I was soaked and the kids were in the midst of their afternoon nap. I then started to nod off so they let me nap in the back area. I slept for about 10/15 minutes before waking up to a bunch of little children on my bed laughing around me. "Your name? maam" they would all ask me. They all think it is 'amillion' now.

After making some new friends, I headed off to the second shelter. This shelter is for the "untouchables." Children born of parents who work at the crematorium. They are often cast out from society for their work and location adjacent to the crematorium. We hung out for a while and then Iona and Korah dropped by to snag me.

Getting back home was quite the adventure. Iona decided to walk while Korah and I were so exhausted, thus opting for an uber. We called the uber where we had Wi-Fi, scurried down to the road to wait for it, and my phone died. So we waited and waited for the car (knowing it's make and license) and over 20 minutes later, nothing. We therefore had to make a go at it since the Wi-Fi was now off. However, korah didn't know the way. I remembered the way in the daytime...but the night really threw me off. We were able to catch an auto a small part of the way but then we were lost again. We found out from people which bus to catch to get to the mall near us which then led us to this older man with his family who said he was also going there. Dude then took us under his wing and then some.
The bus pulled up and was about to explode with the amount of people packed in it. The back door is where you enter and there is not door. People just hang on. So he starts telling everyone to squeeze in to make room for his sisters (us) and everyone listens. I was literally on the last step hanging on for dear life as this bus zipped away. And he was on the outside....literally standing on a toe and hanging outside the bus. It was insane!! And everyone is so pleasant despite being smoothered. People need to make their way to the door somehow before the stop since the bus barely stops at all. It starts driving as people are getting in and they just jump and grab on. So our protector kept yelling for people to go around us and they all listen. He knew of we stepped off that was it for us. Everyone kept laughing at us but it was a riot. I couldn't believe how crazy it was! The older guy ended up paying for us with his whole family and as we walked back he was telling us not to worry because "India and America are very good friends." It was so nice. He just smiled, shook our hands, and headed off with his family.

Needless to say, my body has never been more exhausted...but I am already falling in love with this chaotic place.

Cue me collapsing into bed for my first good night's sleep in 4 days.