Honking is a favorite pastime of Kolkata drivers. They do it just to let the driver in front of them know that they are there. At the end of our day we will have driven 149,000+ kilometers so we 'll be very familiar with the sound.
The city is alive with culture and contrasts. It's bustling with color and activity. You see the rich and the poor working and living alongside one another. The Indian people are very accepting of one another and do not pass judgment easily. Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindis generally live in harmony with one another. We especially see this beautiful quality come forth as our day progresses and everyone we meet is more than helpful to me and Mom. They don't hesitate to reach out a hand to steady her or move her walker. I am impressed and think we couldn't have picked a better country to visit.
Rehka takes us first to Mother Teresa House where we see the room in which she lived and a museum worshipping her. She was a humble and faithful woman but it's a shame that she is worshipped instead of the God she was doing it all for.
We visit the room for the handicapped children who all lie in beds while the volunteers and sisters clean the floors. I am disappointed by this until I am told that normally the kids get the chance to run around and be free. Today is just cleaning day. We see the nursery and orphan home. The kids are so happy. Rehka tells us proudly that all of the children here go on to University and all are given an excellent life. I hope this is true and not another blind belief like the fact that there are "no accidents in Kolkata."
The terrace is no more than 12 feet by 6 feet but there are ten babies and 5 volunteers sitting with them. One of the babies has a cleft palate and I ask what will happen to him. They tell me that the surgery will be paid for and the baby will be fine.
I am most excited and nervous about volunteering here in a few days. I don't know which room they will put me in but I am so looking forward to playing with some kids and holding some babies.
Next we visit a brightly colored Jain temple. It looks like an Easter egg, painted light purples, blues and yellows. It's gorgeous and inviting. The Jains worship nature so the gardens here are quite magnificent. Inside the temple looks like a Swarovski store. Every surface sparkles with reflective jewels. Rehka tells us that the Jains are rich business people. The temple definitely shows off those riches.
Next we visit the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. It is incredibly crowded and contains the single largest gathering of women that I have seen here so far and the sea of color reflects this since everyone wears a saree. They are here to worship the goddess Bhavatarini. She is the goddess of time, change and destruction.
The temple grounds are widespread and the queues are so long that it probably takes people a full day of waiting before they can offer and receive their blessing from her. Rehka takes me to a special place in front of the queue where I get whisked into a small room with an idol in the center. People clamor toward the man who blocks entry to the idol and hands out flowers and milk cakes for each person's blessing. Rehka practically pushes me toward him. The flowers and cake is shoved into my hand and I am whisked out of the room just as quickly as I was brought in. It's so fast and unremarkable that I don't even realize what's happened. There doesn't seem to be any meaning in the ritual and I feel like Bhavatarini is ignoring her people. I wonder if they notice?
When we return to Mom waiting on her walker next to the water, there is a crowd around her, asking lots of questions and looking very intently at this strange and new contraption. She gets stares all day- not at her light skin but at the walker. The water flows underneath the famous Howrah Bridge and we decide to take a boat ride under it. This is by far the scariest moment Mom and I have experienced so far. She walks down about fifteen steps (with assistance from myself and Rehka) and onto a flat boat with no seats- only a deck. Mom hoists herself up somehow and looks to a wobbly plastic chair that's been placed on the deck for her. She looks like a queen on her throne, sitting in the middle of the boat. With no railings there is no support except Jesus so we lean on Him heavily. The boat powers across the river to the other side, where we will see more temples. Halfway through the ride our fears allay a bit and we enjoy the view.
We visit more temples but they seem a little less exciting than the first two. Finally it's lunchtime and we drive to KFC. One more stop before then takes us through the flower markets. The day has been very full and tiring but Mom has been a trooper. She has been very positive and walked more steps and climbed more stairs than she thought possible. I've never been prouder of her. Each area we go to presents a new challenge. We develop the habit of stopping before each new challenge and assessing it like a new puzzle. The flower markets are no exception. Each aisle of shops becomes narrower and narrower and the walker barely fits through. The crowds become thicker and I worry we will get stuck but somehow we make it to the other side and I breathe a sigh of relief to get back into the car.
Mom is a fun companion. Her curiosity gives me new eyes to see through and she asks our guide intriguing questions. Everything excites her because it's all brand new. I am excited, too, but find myself comparing every place we go to places I've already been. I see the world through different eyes and it helps me make sense of it all. I feel comfortable in new places much more quickly and am grateful for that confidence that is already helping us through some challenging scenarios.
I'm impressed with India. The people are incredibly kind, friendly and helpful. Kolkata is rich in culture and contrasts. Indians like to have fun and enjoy one another's company. They are creative and make things beautiful, from tying together garlands of flowers to covering their buses with painted art to building elaborate temples. Contrasts are evident on every street. Homeless children bath in the street across from a store that sells BMWs. There are brand new high rise apartment buildings on one street and piles of trash and starving street dogs on another.
Our last stop of the day is Victorua Memorial. This is my favorite because it has a museum inside showing the history of Britain's takeover of India to India coming of age on its own. The grounds outside the memorial are lovely and it's roomy and cool inside. Mom and I are exhausted so we don't linger too long but we still feel satisfied after our visit. The tour we had signed up for had two more planned stops but I told Rehka to take us home. It is almost 4 pm and we haven't slept more than ten hours in the last two nights put together. Taking into account that I have a cold and Mom isn't used to this much physical challenge in one day, it is a good call to end the trip. We figure we can see the rest on our next weekend.
Once back at the apartment, we are able to relax for a few minutes before fighting the traffic again and going out to buy groceries. By the time we return at 10 pm, I have a massive headache and was ready to crash. We have another tour at 6 am the next day so we are eager to get to bed and prepare. If our first day was this adventurous, what will our jungle safari have in store on Sunday?
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Location:Kolkata, India
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