In a Nutshell…

Bad news:  my wallet got stolen on Friday, along with my credit card, ATM card and rupees equivalent of $30. I blamed myself for my complacency and a bit of my laziness (I got tired of transferring my cards from my lock at the flat to my wallet). But everything is fine – I cancelled the cards, had G. send me the replacement, and came to terms with the situation. The 1500 rupees is going to buy a family a lot of bread, and I’m sure that if they’re going to steal, they probably need it more than I do.

Wounds: There’s been an increase in really bad wounds at Sealdah these past 2 weeks. Since it’s been getting colder, there have been fewer people at the stations and less wounded in general. But I don’t know what it is recently. We had a man with a huge hole on his heel that he claims was done by his shoe (bull). He had gone to someone who packed what looked like ash into the wound, which helped with the bleeding but made the infection worse. Another man came last week with his left foot and leg literally three times the size of the other one. I hope he went to the hospital for a proper check up after I did his dressing. And today a man scooted his away over on his hands and he was missing 4 toes on his left foot, which was hugely swollen. We told him to goto the hospital and I hope he doesn’t lose the foot. Gangrene man, who came to us when I first started with his entire shin black and smelling of rotting flesh, has since gotten the dead tissue removed and has been very diligent about coming to us and Mother Theresa’s House to get his dressing changed. He’s doing very well and I’m proud of his progress. On the other hand, heroin guy who only comes once in a blue moon (though he’s more regular now) and is usually so knocked out that he falls asleep as I’m doing his dressing, is hardly healing at all. At least he doesn’t take his dressing off anymore. Apparently he can get more money when he begs when he shows his wound.

New blood: Sam (from Holland) joined the program a month ago after a few weeks’ travel in the Himachal Pradesh region. She’s starting a business and organized the women of CRAWL to knit cushion covers using gamchha as stitching material. It’s a terrific idea and the samples look beautiful and unique.  Suze and Jen (from the UK) arrived in Kolkata 3 weeks ago, volunteering with CRAWL as a part of their 6 months trip in India. They’re a nice addition to the flat and it’s been very lively with the 5 of us. Suze has joined Jessica and Sam at school while Jen comes with me to Dum-Dum. Ian from Canada arrived a few days ago and his account of his room at Kolkata Lodge where all the male volunteers stay  gave me the chills (cockroaches falling onto his bed, him finding them inside his clothes).  He’s a nice guy and the children at the station and at the school seem to appreciate the addition of some testosterone.  

Preschool fun: I’ve been really enjoying preschool. My group is older and therefore more attentive. I’ve been doing Math and some vocabulary with them. They’re bright and catches on quickly once they understand what I want from them. I’m surprised by the words they know. One boy doesn’t know what “rain” is but knows “helicopter” and “dolphin”. Jen and I are having them do jigsaw puzzles regularly. At first they just cram any 2 random pieces together, regardless of color or fit, but now they’re thinking about it beforehand. I hope they continue to progress once I’m gone, and I think I’ll draft a lesson plan for future volunteers so they know what has been taught. I’ve grown really fond of them. It’s going to be sad to leave them.

Christmas cheer: there’s not much Christmasy stuff around Khardah, with the exception of miniature neon Christmas trees and Christmas cake in the stores, but Kolkata has pockets of bright lights and the occasional tinsel-decorated buildings. The square around New Market is hung with giant glittery snowflakes and a large blown-up Santa smiles merrily from Park Street. While the crazy Christmas and New Year parties are reputed to be in Goa, the sin city of India (have fun Kunal), I’m excited and very curious about Christmas in Kolkata. It should be fun and Park St and Sudder St where the foreigners gather should be quite festive. Alcohol and “plum pudding” may be involved. At our school, the children made ornaments and snowflakes, hung paper chains and trimmed our little tree. There’s going to be a Christmas party tomorrow with song and story and sweets and presents. The children are really excited and I’m happy that we can provide some holiday cheer for them.

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It’s going to be strange to spend the holidays away from family and friends, but I definitely appreciate what I have more now that I’m away. To everyone back home, I hope you’re finishing Finals strong, not cutting weight during the holiday season, and in general, having a wonderful time. I miss you all and am thinking about you. Happy Holidays!

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