Just begin...

Some might think that after being back in the States for almost three months now I would be somewhat on my way to being back into my "normal" life style here at home. Well, this is partially true. I have gotten back into the day to day routine of what we call life, and I have been soaking up ever minute of it, or at least trying to. But there hasn't been a day that has gone by where I haven't thought about India; my volunteer friends, the mousi's, the Missionaries of Charity, my little ones at Shishu Bahavan, my friends at Kalighat, the food, and much much more.. When I first got back to the States it was really hard for me to be present to those around me. I was so caught up thinking about India, what I just experienced, and wishing I could go back. I talked to a few of my volunteer friends to see how they were adjusting to being home and one of them told me exactly what I needed to hear (thanks Amelie) "Pam! That doesn't help (wanting to be back everyday)! You are in America, that is your mission, there is only now. God is only in the present." Ever since I had this conversation with Amelie, I have taken what she said to heart and I have been doing everything I can to be present in every moment.

I have found these two quotes by Mother Teresa and they have been my daily reminders to live out my new mission:

"I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look only at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. Just one, one, one. You get closer to Christ by coming closer to each other. As Jesus said,  "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me." So you begin...I begin. I picked up one person--maybe if I didn't pick up that one person I wouldn't have picked up the others. The whole work is only a drop in the ocean. But if we don't put the drop in, the ocean would be one drop less. Same thing for you. Same thing in your family. Some thing in the church where you go. Just begin...one, one, one."

"At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in." Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing-- but naked of human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks--but homeless because of rejection. This is Christ in distressing disguise."

So the mission is now. Our mission is here. Seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, everywhere, all the time and seeing His hand in every moment. Taking the love with which He has planted in our hearts and sharing it with each soul we come in contact with. One family member. One friend. One coworker. One student. One stranger. One heart at a time. Just one, one, one.

So let's begin.

an ode to india...

(this was written on the plane ride home... hope you enjoy!)

Had you ask me 8 weeks ago
what I thought about this place
I would have looked at you and cried
and with a helpless look upon my face

"what the heck were we thinking?"
is all I could say
"Eight weeks is forever!
 and it is just the beginning of May.."

At first we were hesitant
not quite sure what to do
to the Mother House we went
cause it was the only place we knew.

Overwhelmed by the poop, the trash and the smells
we managed to navigate the crazy busy streets
while avoiding the people who were staring at us
until we reached the place that would bring great peace.

The days moved on quickly
as our routine promptly kicked in
chia tea, bread, and bananas
and unforgettable new missionary friends.

My thoughts surly changed
once we started our work
those adorable, cute faces
were really quite the perk

As time carried on
this place became like home
making memories that would last a life time.
wishing i would never have to leave for Rome.

but the day quickly came
when we had to say "goodbye"
as we hugged and reminisced
with tear filled eyes

I thank you Calcutta
for the time we have gotten to share
my heart has truly grown
while it was under your care.

I cant believe I have been here
it's really quite surreal.
your people are beautiful
your culture so real

I will never forget
what you have taught me
about the beauty of life
and how to just be.

I hope some day soon
our paths will cross again
but until that time comes
take care my good friend.

Home sweet home.

As hard as it is to believe, WE ARE HOME!

I cannot believe that 8 weeks went by that fast. We got home about a week ago and I know that I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that yes, I did just spend two months in India. And yes I did just complete something that has been a dream of mine for years. It seems nearly impossible that it has come and gone as fast as it has, but what is done is done. Now it is time to spend the next year or two (or more) decompressing the unique experiences that I was able to have this summer.

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for your support and for giving me the opportunity to experience Jesus in the poorest of the poor. Your prayers mean/meant the world to me and I would  not have made it through the summer if it were not for them .

I have plenty of stories and hundreds of pictures that I would love to share with you if you want to see them, just let me know! There will be one more post coming shorty.. I just have to finish putting into words the thoughts that are floating around in my brain.

Thank you again for everything. It truly has been a life changing summer.

(also.. if you havent already you should check out our group blog... especially Allie's most recent post... Moved me to tears.  missionkolkata.blogspot.com)

all good things must come to an end... at some point

Welll , time is coming quickly to an end so in order to give you all one last blog update from India I am going to take the one suggestion that I received and just post a bunch of pictures for you all to see. Just so you all know, I am planning on having at least one more blog update once we arrive back in the states and I have a little time to decompress what just happened in my life.. so stay posted! Enjoy!

1. Crossing things off of my to do list that the wonderful Kylie Maddox made me before I left for this wonderful adventure. One of the thigns to do was to go see a Bollywood movie and I finally saw one this past week. and let me tell you, it is everything that I thought a Bollywood Movie should be. Horrible acting, it was in either Hindi or Bengali so we had no idea what was going on the whole time, and it was LONG. Even though we werent sure what was happening most of the time we were able to catch a joke here or there, and we found the movie to actually be rather humorous because we got to make up the story as we went along! But needless to say we enjoyed experiencing this piece of their culture!

2. My parents are always asking me "so what are you eating there?" So I finally started taking pictures of some of the foods that we eat here in India. There were a couple of places that we just bounced back and forth between eating at and we just recently started being adventurous and trying need street stands. The top two places that we love to eat at: Blue sky Cafe- which is a fantastic restaurant that almost only caters to foreigners. They have every type of food (Chinese, Italian, Indian, breakfast foods, desserts...). Noodles street stand: if you ever want a heeping plate of the greatest noodles you will ever taste (with indian ketchup on top) we have found the place for you. and it is dirt cheap! 17 rupees for one plate of noodles! (thats a whooping 40 cents!)

3. Things that we encounter as we walk the streets of calcutta. First: Public Potty's: this is one thing that i will NOT miss once i am safe and sound back in the States. These are the grossest things I have ever seen. You legitametley have to start holding your breath a good en steps before the potty and continue holding it ten steps after or else you might loose your lunch... Second: hundreds of sleeping people... and this is NOT an exaggeration people. Third: if you have a phobia of getting trampled by a herd  of goats (or possibly other animals) Inida is not the place for you.






4. You never know what might be sleeping in your bed during your stay here in Calcutta. We have had quite some hilarious moments in our room attempting to capture the friends that we find when we wake up or come back from a long day of volunteering. Almost every morning, the first brave soul to enter the bathroom has to battle it out with anywhere between 1-3 cockroaches. Word on the street is the Laura has declared war on the roaches... so no need to be alarmed when you hear loud noises in the morning.. its just Laura dominating the crunchy bugs.The other friendly creatures that we have just started to notice creeping around in our room are these very adorable gecko's. But dont let these precious little things deceive you. We found out from our wonderful door man Gupta (well thats not really his name.. its just what we call him) that these little things are poisonous! (My apologies to Cora, I promise i wasnt trying to kill you when i told you you should try and catch one). Needless to say, we are now on the look out every time we come in our room to see if we see any little things squirming on the walls or across the floor (thanks to laura and the great gecko catcher gutpa we have now caught two of these things in out room)

5. This is a tribute to the greatest sandals I have ever owned

 

.6. Now this is what a call Monsoon wet. (I believe there is a ride at worlds of fun that is named something along the lines of Monsoon? Weel, let me tell you... when you stand on the bridge waiting to get smacked in the face by a gaint wave that is caused by the boat going down the hill... well.. thats how we felt the day of the monsoon)

7. Another check mark added to Kyli's to-do-list! I finally decided it was time to fulfill the promise I had been making to one of the ladies on Sudder street that she could give me a henna! I sat with these wonderful ladies for a god 45 mins as they decorated my foot and the fanned my foot until my henna dried. It is incredible to hear their life stories and what has lead them to be beggars on the streets.

8. Last but not least, Mother Teresa still continues to kick my butt (go figure).

Brain Fart.

Only 6 days left in Calcutta (well India). Only 4 more days left of volunteering (I already miss the kiddos). Only 10 more days until I  am back in the States!! Boy time flies!

I have been wanting to update the blog the past couple of days but I am just flat out of good ideas for a topic! That last post took everything in me i guess. Please comment if there is any certain topic you would like to hear about and I will do my best to come up with a blog post for you!

India's Philosphy of Dung

(WARNING. For all those with weak stomachs. Beware.)

To poop or not to poop?... that is the question. (or is it?)
.
Well folks, the topic you have all been waiting for.  Poop. Feces. Ca-ca. CACA. "the runs". Diarrhea. Whatever you call it in your homes, we've got it. This bodily function (or should i say excretion) has become the center of many conversations here in India. As horrible and disguising as it sounds it is actually very important to keep those around you informed as to how your body is functioning, should we say, outside of the states (for lack of a better term).

Things I wish I would have known before coming to Inida: That poop only comes in two forms here: explosive diarrhea or unsatisfying constipated turd. If i could put into words, the pain we go through daily bouncing back and forth between relaxation and the constant need to run to the bathroom, I would. But what can you do. Through these traumatic experiences we have all come to know each other, i am sure, more than we ever thought and or wanted to know about each other.

Needless to say, we are a longing for the day when we reach the states and we can experience once again a normal bathroom experience, where we leave satisfied, and not feeling like there is something stilll stuck in our intestines or that we will only be back in the same position in less than thirty mins.

To all of those who were scarred by this post, I am sorry from the bottom (no pun intended) of my little heart. But this is our reality. And im very glad you all are just reading about this (or at least hopefully) and not experiencing.

To all of those bathrooms and or squat-a-potties out there. Thank you. For putting with our "stuff".

(Let's be real. (as if I havent already been real enough.) I have been debating whether or not to post this certain blog.... and well if you are reading this I guess I decided to... but let me know what you think? slash if i should delete? this blog blog is one big, poopy mess. thanks for putting up with it. k bye)

(slash Allie and I might have almost died (of laughter) SEVERAL times during the creation of the worlds greatest blog post....)

MONSOON.

That is correct ladies and gentlemen! Monsoon season slapped Calcutta in the face today! It started yesterday with a horrible dirzzly rainy day all day and came with a bang today. We woke up this morning and it was just like any ole rainy day back in Kansas, not to hard but not light enough to call a drizzle, but as the day went on it only picked up. All throughout the day at Shishu Bhavan the volunteers just kept peaking out the window, thinking we were going to miss some huge part of what they call monsoon season or something i guess, in awe of the amount of rain that just kept falling from the sky. I am here to tell you, and I am sorry for all of you who think this is an exaggeration but it is not, that monsoon rain is exactly what you would picture monsoon rain looking like except ten times more. The rain that we have been watching (or should i say treading) through all day I swear only happens every once in a blue moon back in the states.

When it came time to leave Shishu Bhavan today, I was trying to decided on my way down the stairs whether or not I should tr and find an auto rickshaw to bring me back to Sudder street. But that is the farthest that thought got in my head, because the minute I walked outside I was soaked head to toe in water and decided getting a rickshaw was pointless because I was already soaked. So I began the 20 mins journey back to Sudder streeet. It wasnt that bad, for the first 20 feet of walking, a puddle here, a puddle there (and when I say puddle... I mean like 3-5 inch deep puddles) then all of a sudden the water was half way up my shins. By the time I got to the road I had to turn on to go to sudder street I was walking knee deep in water. The water continued to be at least knee deep and even at some points reaching mid thigh all the way back to our hotel.

I cannot even begin to describe in words what the streets of Calcutta look like during Monsoon season. You have taxi and rickshaws that are staled in the middle of roads because water is coming up higher than the engine. You have rivers of water flowing down every street with a nice layer of trash and sewage floating on the top. The streets are so dirty and the water is filled with so much trash and human and animal feces that you cannot see your feet through the water. I must say, that the whole time I was wading through this water, just trying to get home, it took most of my energy to keep my mind of how disgusting the water I was walking in really was, but even more so, what was in the water that was making it so gross. Every time I felt something wrap around my ankle in the water I just told myself in was only a plastic bag (and then I closed my eyes and started praying that ALL it was was a paper bag). There was thoughts of "oh my gosh, I can only imagine what diseases I am catching as I walk through this water" and "I cannot wait to get to my shower".

As horrible as I just made that who adventure sound, you will probably never believe me when I tell you that it was actually really fun to wad through the water. I mean lets be real, not very often do you have a chance to tread through knee deep water in your clothes, more or less through the streets of Calcutta or any street for that matter. (and I must say, to all my camp adventure friends out there: wading through that waist deep, leech infested creek at camp is going to need a little extra spunk in order to be called an adventure after experiencing wading through these monsoon flooded streets!)

Well, I think that is all that I have for you all now. I did have a picture that I wanted to post on here but 1. i forgot my camera. 2. it is probably better that I dont risk carrying it around... you never know how deep the water may get here and i dont want to ruin my camera!

(i decided to find the most realistic pictures I could on google for now, just so you all could have some picture in your mind of what I am talking about... real pictures to come soon!!)

( I am not even joking... kids were doing this in the streeets ALL over the place... Monsoon season = public swimming pool as made it to Calcutta.

(this is what the rain looks like. slash. EVERYONE carries an umbrella. everyone. One of the biggest dangers during monsoon season is getting your eye poked out by someones umbrella...)

(the most dedicated people in Calcutta... bicycle and man pulled rickshaw drivers. No matter how deep or how hard it is raining... the will still pull you on their rickshaw... but dont be deceived... they will charge you literally 100 times more than you should.. i asked a rickshaw driver how much it would cost to get to sudder street.. he said 500 rupees... normally it is 5...)

 Also..  Rule #354 for Monsoon season (this rule is normally only learned by experience...) do NOT walk on busy streets during monsoon season. Use the sidewalk. Or else you WILL get hit with a tidal wave of water....

I hope you enjoyed this post! I waded through knee deep water to get here just to create this post for you all!
Here;s to trying to stay dry! HAHA! NOT!