Hi to all,
One week to go so we are feeling both sad to leave all the kids Sisters, and volunteers we've connected with and ever so anxious to hug our grandbabies again!!

Mother Teresa
It seems that I've written a lot about a lot of things but not enough about what has been a daily feeling here...Mother Teresa. Each morning we walk by her tomb where a different quote from her is written and then the Sisters and volunteers pray one of her prayers: "Dear Lord, I kneel before you since every good and perfect gift must come from you. I pray give me skill to my hands, clear vision to my mind, and kindness & meekness to my heart. Give me singleness of purpose, strength to lift up part of the burden of my suffering fellowman and a true realization of the priviledge that is mine. " And with those words fresh on our lips, we go to love the mentally/physically disabled boys, healthy orphans, and for this final week, I'll be with the sick and dying in Kalighat, where the first words you read are "Welcome to Mother's First Love." Then right before you walk into where the beds line the walls, another sign reads "Do small things with much love." So even though Mother Teresa is not here in person, her spirit of loving and caring for others fragrances everyday here...while working and walking the streets. It makes it easy for me to hug the begging children and to smile at the homeless camped on the street. I wish I could give each of them a home, a job or atleast some food... I pray that this fragrance remains fresh and strong in my life.

Kalighat
I worried that maybe this would be more than I could handle but remembered I'd prayed "for the strength to life up part of the burden of my suffering fellowman"...and it was there. Within minutes, I was helping feed, dress, pass out meds, wash beds, massage arms & legs...all with a smile and best of all, receiving smiles back! I wasn't even sure that one lady I was massaging and humming to was even alive until right before I left, I covered her with a blanket and hugged her and a ever so weak smile spread across her face. Though few speak any English, many fill my ears with their story and I just nod the Indian nod which is something like a figure eight so seems to be a yes, no and maybe all wrapped into one. The time passes quickly and a good feeling swells up in me as I leave. I think a nurse or doctor must truly know how that feels!!!

Meat Markets:
While I'm on the subject of dying...let me tell you about the meat markets. We never had meat so fresh in the states!! As you walk down the street. you'll see goats and sheep tied to the legs of a table and large baskets covered with a net of chirping chickens under the table. You can guess what the butcher is doing on top of that table and what hangs from the hooks over that table. We have been vegetarians since we came to India.

Frederika:
Frederika is a vibrant 14 year old from Argentina that can talk faster and with more expression than anyone I've ever met. Her eyes sparkle and hands move rapidly as she tells me about things in her country and ask me about mine. She loves American stars and can't believe I was at an Elvis concert. But mostly, she loves the kids at Shishu Bhavan and they love her!! She runs from one to another pinching cheeks, pushing swings, catching sliders and laughing always. She begged her mom to let her adopt Govita!! (She reminds me so much of my Bekah when she was about that age in Puerto Rico at a preschool for the poor.) But one night, she and her mother came to our room (they had been there visiting and eating peanut butter sandwiches a few days before)...and she looked terrible. She had a high temp, her stomach was sick and she could hardly breath. Her mother was so worried. She had talked to her insurance company and gotten the name of the doctor she should go to but was having trouble figuring out how to get there as the mother spoke so little English and Frederika was too ill to talk much. Luckily, we had minutes on our India phone, so we called and found out his location. Her mom and she had not gone out after dark before and I could see fear in her mother's eyes so I offered to go with them. With phone and address in hand, we got a taxi and as usual, the driver was ever so helpful. He used my phone and got directions from the doctor and took us to the door making sure first it was the right place. There was a crowd waiting so I figured we'd be there for some time but withing ten minutes, the doctor was checking Frederika, writing down three prescriptions and even calling the pharmacy all the while I helped with translations and held her mother's hand. It cost them about $10 for the visit and $3.50 for the three prescriptions. The taxi was waiting for us when we came out and soon we were back to the guest house sharing our granola bars and gatorade. The next morning, I checked on her and she was doing much better...both mom and daughter!!

Our Food Supply:
We came with a suitcase full of food and have not regretted it!! 30 lbs of nuts, 4 jars of peanut butter, 5 boxes of granola type bars, gatorade & crystal lite packages and 4 lbs of M & M's. I have raided the suitcase much more often as Rog has loved eating the many types of food available here: dahl with rice and vegetables with masala(spices) which is the most common meal here, curds, somosas, Chinese food and many types of bread. At least I like the breads!! Our peanut butter sandwiches have also been just what three other volunteers have needed so we've had company for lunch three times and shared peanuts with many others. When we were on our Sunderban trip, we offered Tom and Sophie a crystal lite package & Sophie said, "Look, Mommie brought Kool-Aid for us!" I have not been quite so generous with my M & M's but I have shared a few!!!

Man on the Street:
Every morning we pass a man who lives on the street in front of our guest house. He only has one leg and his pigment is patchy. As soon as he sees us, he puts his hands together and bows which we return. We have never seen him beg but often we and others give him food and other things that he arranges neatly around himself...his store. Often many surround his store buying items or just visiting. He seems so content. We got to thinking...why not be content. He pays no rent, electricity or water bill, doesn't have house repairs or much cleaning to do and has lots of friends. At night, he just puts all his store inventory in a big bag, drapes a mosquito net using sticks over him and curls up under a blanket. In the morning, he hobble overs to the nearby water supply, cleans up and is soon back to selling his odd assortment of used items (much like a garage sale). It seems like a fairly good life...until I remember that in August and September, the monsoons will flood the streets. We won't be here to see what the man on the street lives then.

Internet Cafe:
Since I just spent the last two hours here in the internet cafe uploading pictures and typing an update, I thought I should describe this place. You may be picturing me in a cafe like in the USA. Wrong. The entire room is about 12 feet long and about 5 feet across. There are six computers on each side and the wobbly chairs we sit on are back to back. You have to ask others to move when you try to walk in or out. There are two fans, but only one works and usually, the one light is not on...but it's cheap...only 10 rupies (about 23 cents) an hour...and if I have any trouble--the young guy in charge is happy to help!!! He knows me well. Times up! If you are still reading this, you're probably ready to quit too!!