Hi back home,
We are two among 17 million now in Kolkata! And so far I have not seen another white person so that makes us a real small minority!! We arrived at our hotel without a hitch and it's quite nice--Indian standards. We have a sit down toilet and hot water so we are happy!
SO if you are reading this you probably want to hear more about what's been happening:
Gov't School in Dehli
Yesterday we found a 1-5 grade gov't school and asked if we could visit. They happily let us come in and see the kids as they sang their morning routine--we could only decipher the ABC's. THey sang loudly with smiling faces. Then the older girls shook out some blankets and laid them down on the cement floor. THe kids sat crosslegged and pulled out books to read from their own backpacks. One girl had her little sister probably because she had to watch her. There were about 85 in each class. It broke my heart. I offered the teacher some of the books I'd brought from my classroom and she gladly took the easier ones. I felt like I was spreading the remains of my teaching career--some in Africa and now India. The teacher showed us her lesson plans that were very detailed and complete with her own illustrations. Teachers everywhere care lots for their students.
Shrines/Temples:
Everywhere! The buildings all around may be falling down or made of poor material but next to most was a well kept and often very beautiful small shrine with flowers & fresh paint . And if there's any hill or mountain, there is a temple on top. Each small village we drive through--there's atleast one temple. In Pushkar, a temple on every block. We wonder who is keeping them up and how are they paying for it?? Did you know there are over 3 million Hindu gods and I think we've seen statues of about 1/4 of them--each unique. Also, Raj (Rog) may be a king's name but Jain (pronounced Jane) is a religion. SO there.
Women/Men:
Of the multi million drivers (cars, trucks, ricksaw, bicycle, motorcycle) we've seen, only two of them were women. Men also run all the little shops, hotels, businesses, and seem to be the only ones sitting in groups chatting. Women we see gathering sticks, working in fields, working construction, sweeping streets, caring for children, cooking in front of their homes, shepherding and always in their beautiful saris that somehow appear to be clean and glistening in the sun!!
Construction:
Delhi will be hosting the Commonwealth Games in Sept/Oct this year so it's preparing in a massive way. Hundreds of huge buildings, metro system, sports arenas, gardens, roadways, sewers , pipelines, electric lines, etc. etc. are being built--we wonder how all of it will ever get done??? It will certainly make Delhi a more modern city. Signs every where read: Under Construction for a Better Tomorrow.
Trees:
Rog noticed so many trees that seemed to be trimmed of all small branches so he asked around and found out they trimmed them for fire wood but soon the monsoon would come and those trees would send out new branches. In this way, they are preserving their trees unlike in Kenya where they chopped the trees down to make charcoal.
Water:
Water here is holy. Lakes are surrounded by ghats--holy places with steps down to the water where people would bath in the holy water as part of their religion. It was sad to see several of these lakes almost empty knowing how precious the site was to them. Last year was a very dry year so they are praying for a long monsoon season this year.
Girlfriends:
I was talking to a local 17 year old boy and asked him if he had a girlfriend. He said no girlfriends were Mom and Dad's problem! (Arranged marriages still prevalent.)
And finally...Roger has found a place where his wardrobe is admired! He has gotten many compliments on his shirts and his hat (check him out in the pictures).
We are anxious to meet the Missionaries of Charity Sisters tomorrow!!!
God Bless all,
Jane and Roger
