Nice of you to show up, Monsoon Season

Yesterday, Thursday, was our day off, when we would have liked to sight see a bit in Kolkata, but Kolkata had a different plan for us. I got up early to go to mass at which time it had already started to rain a bit, and by the time I started to head back, I had to wade through parts of the road. And it did not get any better thereafter. By the time we woke up from our 4 hour nap (slightly embarrassing), all of Sudder St. was flooded and our hotel lobby was full of homeless backpackers who arrived at the most inopportune time.

So instead of seeing the Cathedral or the mall or the really cool Dakshineswar Kali temples, we waded 20 feet from our hotel gate to get some ice cream. woohoo.

But it was nice to relax! We just chatted all day and once the waters receded a bit in the evening, we treated our lazy selves to Domino's Pizza (which was excellent!!) Cheese and Chicken "Barbeque" with oregano.

Today at work, I spent a lot of time cleaning wounds since the usual volunteers left. After tea time, I helped in the women's ward with lunch when something awesome happened!! Pretty girl wanted to walk! I supported most of her weight, but she definitely too steps and walked outside the ward for a few yards. It was awesome! She did it once before lunch and once after. She is getting stronger! She is also laughing and smiling more, and her cognicense is becoming more apparent.

One other new patient began to smile a few days back too. The Sisters and I taught her to say "Super fine!" when I say "How are you?" Well, she still just repeats what I say, but she speaks English nonetheless! She and I always make eye contact and joke around. I am really loving getting to know these patients! It is really showing me that having a long term relationship with my patients is something I will value as a doctor, and I might want to look into specialties that allow me to do that.

Anywho, that's all I got for now! More Adoration tonight, then who knows!

I finally got sick!

So I haven't updated in a while, and a lot has happened these past few days, so here is a brief synopsis...

Everyone told me before I left for India, "Just expect to get sick." Well, it happened! On Friday night, we went to see the Harry Potter movie at  the New Empire Theater near New Market. Nik got sick during the movie, so we nursed him back to hydrated health, got back to the hostel, spent the night relaxing, and once we all hit the hay, I hit the bathroom. Basically, I was up all night and during the morning I had several bouts of fever until I took an Advil and slept it off with a 6 hour "nap." Miraculously, after I woke up, I was perfectly fine! All symptoms vanished.

The Harry Potter movie was an experience though. Apparently, people treat movies like we would treat a spectator sport: whistles, claps, and howls at all the exciting parts (and even some not so exciting parts when everyone gets riled up). The first time we saw it, I was a bit annoyed because I wanted to listen to the movie, but  the second time we watched it (we went again because Nik didn't see all of it the first time), I really wanted to start something myself. Unfortunately, I can't whistle very loudly, so all the credit had to be given to the guy in the back and his several attempts at conjuring up a cheer.

Work has been awesome as well! I have really been bonding with the patients which is good now, but will be hard to leave later. Everyday is different as far as my tasks go. On Friday, I helped in the clinic cleaning wounds, and pulled two maggots out of one patient's mouth! Never thought I would do that... ever. Good thing I don't get queezy with that kind of stuff.

This morning, we celebrated the feast day of Sister Federico (St. Federico's feast day). We had morning mass, and then the novices all sang to her from the first floor as she stood on the balcony. It was super cute! They had hand motions and everything. Sister Federico then gave a little speech addressing the novices and the volunteers. She reminded us of our baptismal promise and how we should renew it everyday. She also said she has a "soft corner" in her heart for the volunteers. She is over 90 years old.

Anyhow, thank you for the prayers and keep them coming!

Hide the Mango

Today, I realized how comfortable I am working at Kalighat. The Sisters and Massies know me now and trust me with a lot of the duties. I also feel more comfortable with them and can joke around and whatnot. It is really feeling like more of a community! To be honest, I sense a change in the patients as well.

The patients go by numbers, and I do not want to use their names here, so I will refer to them by their number. I have learned all their names, though (of the names that we know).

Patient 1 is a complainer. She is always requesting something or another, mostly to wash her hands. I can sense this has gotten old around the ward, but I decided to joyfully indulge her requests a few times. This seemed to make all the difference! This woman has not cracked anything remotely resembling a smile... and today... she smiled!! She even held my hand when I held it out to her (which is generally left hanging). It was so awesome to see this bed-ridden woman finally smile and seem to express a little bit of her comfort. I guess when you receive a smile it is hard not to return it after a while.

This next one speaks to the blog title. 

Patient 3 is a very high functioning patient. She is very independent and quiet. She also eats very well (impressive for her miniature stature). Today during lunch time, I found a whole mango under her bed. I asked whose it was and no one answered, so I began to announce if anyone wanted it. She almost flew out of her bed to get it back. She was keeping it there for later. Or so I thought. After lunch, she asked me for some "pane". I handed her a glass of water and she took a few sips and motioned me to toss the rest. I did, but then she asked for the cup back. As I give it back, she reaches under her gown to retrieve the same mango, places it in the cup, and returns the protected fruit back under her gown. All of this done with a little mischievous, giggly smile as we share this secret from the massies. We share no common language, so we just giggle and indicate that we will not speak a word about what just happened. It was too funny! As I left, she blew kisses to me and we exchanged knowing looks.

Patient 4 slapped me today as I was trying to give her medicine... still working on cracking her smile.

Patient pretty girl is pretty as ever! Smiles every once in a while and it is a really nice surprise whenever I catch it.

New patient from the last post is still adjusting. Today I found her crying. Not sure why! But I rushed over to rub her head, face, hands. When there is no common language, I resort to touch a lot to convey my attention to the women. After a while, a smile peaked through the tears. I think she may just be overwhelmed with the new space, routine, attention... who knows! All I know is her broken femur is going to heal up real nice.

Patients 10 and 11 are quiet... hopefully smiles will come soon!

Other than that, I have helped with meds and food. Today I cleaned some wounds on my own. There are some really deep bed sores and such. After watching the Sisters and nurses for a few days, I have picked up the routine and they trust me to help now... which is cool! The Sisters are awesome and I am excited to get to know them more.

Thursday is the volunteer's day off, so hopefully I'll stop by the Calcutta Cathedral. We'll see!

A Stranger and you Welcomed Me

Today was my first time welcoming a newcomer off the streets. All of a sudden a stretcher arrives from the ambulance with a woman covered in dirt and fear. We put her into the shower, and I happened to be the one in charge of getting that task done. The whole time she seemed so afraid. I don't think she understood that we were going to give her new cloths after we washed her up. Once we got her dressed and resting in bed, though, and she saw that our intentions were decent, she calmed down.

When lunch came, she did not want to eat at first, but a Sister eventually convinced her it was okay. I can't imagine what must be going through her mind. She comes from the street where no one will look, much less touch, her to a room full of massies, nuns, and foreigners surrounding her and pampering her to the fullest... for no apparent reason at first. It will be interesting to see her adjust to Kalighat. Perhaps, I will be able to see the effects of new-found hope and human love. Pray for us!

Hope and Laughter

Sorry for my absence, but Sutter St. was internet-less for the past few days.

I have really enjoyed these past couple days of work though! I am getting used to Kalighat - getting to know the massies (Indian women who work at Kalighat), other volunteers, and the patients.

Friday and Saturday are relatively uneventful (although everyday is eventful!), but today was awesome! The pretty girl who I wrote about before started laughing today!! A lot!!  Another volunteer Shannon and I were feeding her and she just could not stop laughing! It brought tears to my eyes to see her so happy with laughter. I tried my hardest for her not to see my cry because I wanted that laughter to last as long as it could. She doesn't speak, so I think she was laughing because food kept falling out of her mouth when we were feeding her and she would try to reach it with her tongue which was never long enough. This girl really just wants someone to hold her hand, stroke her head, and just be with her. She is so young and wants to feel loved and comforted.

Which segues perfectly into our Sunday talk from an MC today. The topic was Hope. Sister gave a great talk about our ability to bring hope to the hopeless. How those with hope have so much more to live for and end up doing so much better in the long run and almost always recover faster than those without hope. She brought up a lot of wonderful points that served as a great reminder to me for my future as a doctor. If I make the patient feel loved and cared for, I can be a channel for God's Hope. A smile and undivided attention to that one person can make a huge difference. She also mentioned the MC emphasis on the one person, rather than numbers.

This talk was a perfect reflection after seeing that girl laugh today. Her laugh just emitted so much hope that I hadn't seen in her this past week. She is so beautiful when she laughs!

Titagarh: MC Leprosy Center

Thursdays are usually a day off for volunteers (good thing today because it rained more than usual), but Nik, Marissa, and I signed up to visit Titagarh, the Missionaries of Charity Leprosy Center. It proved well worth the trek through the rain.

To get to the center, we had an hour-long bus ride. It was nice to see more parts of the city without having to dodge cars, bikes, and rickshaws as I walked.

When we got to the center, it was a nice surprise to find out that we actually were not volunteering, just visiting! The patients are pretty self-sufficient, and the staff encourages them to support each other as much as they can by doing chores themselves. The MC brothers run this facility and were nice enough to give us a tour. To get to the main center, we had to cross a few rail road tracks, but then found a place that had way more going on than I ever expected.

First, we passed through the daycare / school run through the center. The kids that attend school there are children of patients or former patients. Many of the former patients stay and work within the facility, so they provide elementary schooling and daycare for their children. I thought this was awesome because it shows how sustainable and long term the support is that the MC provide.

As we walked in the classroom, the kids immediate started saying "good morning!" as if freshly rehearsed. They then sang us a few songs in Bengali, English, and even Italian! They were just precious. They ranged from infants in the daycare to I would say 10 or 11 in school. As we left they all shook our hands (multiple times) and yelled "good bye!" So cute!!

After the kids, we saw the patients. This experience was stunning to me; the patients were so joyful! My perception of leprosy was tainted by the fact that so many people fear it and there is a huge stigma against it. I thought the patients would be miserable... but they were the exact opposite! All of them sat up as we came in and bowed to each one of us (45 total) and said "Namaste!" with a smile! We saw both the women and men's wards as well as the "Mercy Home" for those expected to die in the facility. Believe it or not, even they were joyful! Probably the most cheerful of all the patients actually. For those who expect to be cured, it can take 6 months to 5 years, depending on the severity.

We then made our way to wound care where the patients got their dressings changed. A lot of patients had missing limbs that needed bandaging everyday, and it was so cool to see former patients doing the care! Their level of compassion I am sure far outstrips any level I could have simply by their ability to relate and understand. As I watched them change bandages for a while, I wondered where they got all their supplies because they go through A LOT of dressings a day.

And then we moved to the looms.

In this room, we saw former patients working several looms to make all the cloths for clothes, bedding, and the bandages! This place was so self-sustaining; it was awesome to see! Not only were they making supplies for the hospital, we also saw them making habits for the MC sisters. This really spoke to the humility of the sisters and the sense of community they create. Their very saris are made from the patients they serve. They are clothed with the fruit of their labor! The whole time, seeing all those huge looms and spools, I felt like I was on "How it's made: India edition"

The center also had a place where they made custom shoes for their patients (after they get amputations). They also made prosthetic limbs on site and sift through rice for their own meals. I loved seeing how the patients not only realized their human dignity by proper care for their illness, but also dignity of work. They are able to make a living and work despite lost limbs. The MC really proved to me their dedication to the dignity of the whole person today.

Ashley's Indian food consumption update: I had buttered naan and alu gabi. Naan is a pita bread looking thing and alu gabi is a potato and cauliflower dish that is a little spicy. It was super good!

"Be the One"

Another sunny day in Kolkata. We started off the same as usual: mass and a 30 minute walk to Kalighat. On the way, Nik and I passed a lot of fruits and veggies. After the mangoes, I think our next indulgence will be coconuts.

My day at Kalighat again began with laundry, but we had way less than we did yesterday, so we finished early. With some extra time before tea time, I headed over to the women's ward where I began by restraining/comforting patients as they got their wounds cleaned. There are some really deep wounds that look like pressure sores I assume from sitting on the streets. Lots of exposed muscle and bones, and I think I'll be able to learn a bit about cleaning and dressing the wounds as we go. 

After that, I fed biscuits and chai tea to a patient. This patient is pretty young and so beautiful! Super skinny, but super strong!! She would not let go of my arm until I started feeding her. I am not sure what she has, but yesterday she refused to eat, so it was awesome to see her eat so well today! I spent most the morning just sitting with her. I would make faces and occasionally she would copy me. Super sweet girl!

After our tea time, we fed the women lunch. Again, the young girl ate her whole plate of rice! After feeding my patient, I observed Catherine and one of the Sisters feed another patient through an NG tube (tube from nose to stomach). Before we fed her, we listened for the tube placement and all we heard a lot of bubbling (so she had a lot still in her stomach). The Sister just gave her a little water, but shortly after, unfortunately, she passed away. If she hadn't digested her food since the morning, it was really only a matter of time, but it caught me off guard to see her just stop breathing like that. The Sisters then brought in some holy water (I assume for baptism, but I did not see it), and they covered her. She seemed to go quite peacefully with a lot of loving MC Sisters around her. Lots of prayers for her.

Today, I was most struck by seeing the hardships some of these women have to carry. Getting their wounds redressed everyday is anything but pleasant and most of them have to be fed and dressed. But in their suffering comes a real union with Christ's Passion. I know they have helped me already to see the Cross of Christ and the pain of His thirst for souls as they carry their burdens daily. I pray that their difficult times be sanctified for the sake of the MC apostolate. 

The blog title is a Mother Teresa quote. She references the Agony in the Garden when Jesus seeks to be comforted by someone, but they are all asleep. She challenges us to "be the one" who gives him comfort.

First day at Kalighat

Believe it or not, we saw the sun for the first time today since being in India! It has been smoggy or cloudy since we have been here, and now I realize why it has been relatively cool recently. Still not too hot outside, but the sun makes a noticeable difference.

Anywho, who blogs about the weather? Today was my first day working at Kalighat (the home of the dying). Going into it, I was a bit nervous at the thought of my responsibility consoling someone so close to death. But morning prayer really helped with that. After mass, the Sisters say a set of prayers, part of which says that others may no longer see me, only Jesus. "The light that shines through me shall be only his, none of it will be mine." Going in with that mindset helped me a lot I think.

Nik and I went together to Kalighat with our new friend Kathryn from Mississippi. Our first task was laundry duty, so I spent most the time on the roof hanging sheets (reminder, sun is out today!). Then we had tea time with the patients. I helped as much as I could in the men's ward. Then then volunteers had our own tea time with chai, bananas, and biscuits (Nik had 6 and a half biscuits... just sayin).

After tea time, I decided to see if the women's ward needed any help. Just yesterday, they changed the women's ward and it is super small now. There are only 11 beds with 10 patients. When I came it, I began by giving women their vitamin water. The woman I worked with was literally skin and bones, so it took a while to get used to sitting her up. After that, I helped with cutting finger and toe nails. The ability of the women ranged from totally dependent to decently able to communicate what she wants.

Finally, we finished with lunch. I was assigned to feed two women. One was very young and in a very deep sleep, so I felt bad waking her up. She ended up refusing to eat and the Sisters did not force her. The other woman though, was the one I gave water to in the beginning. The entire time I was there she was kind of angrily yelling/complaining in a language I did not know. As I tried to feed her, she very much refused. The Sisters then came and tried to feed her by plugging her nose, but still no luck. Finally, we changed from beans, rice, potato, egg meal to bread and warm milk. Although it took about an hour, I fed her those two slices of bread by dipping them in the warm milk. At times she would just suck the milk from the bread. But she did a good job eating! By the end, she seemed a bit calmer... I don't know how you do it, warm milk!

Overall, it was a wonderful experience today. Please keep the prayers coming that I work with lots of love no matter the task! Laundry or lunch duty.

Finished the day with Adoration and mangoes. :)

Kalighat: The Work Begins

Happy 4th of July! I celebrated today with another workday at Prem Dan (the adult mental health facility). More laundry, lunch, and hanging with the ladies there. We even had a little dance party with one of the younger women. She grabbed us and started dancing with us in the other room and would periodically run out to grab more volunteers. So joyful! The day was just filled with little experiences of joy like that. Whether I am carrying a woman to bed, working the bathrooms, or just wiping down the tables, I try to fill the task with lots of love. That way, nothing I do will be futile. That is the goal, at least. :)

Today was my last day working at Prem Dan  because I got my permanent assignment for the next month! I will be working at Kalighat, the center for the dying, along with Nik! Although I am nervous, I am praying that God puts me where he needs me to be. It is exciting, though, to be working where Mother Teresa started her service in Kolkata. Tomorrow will be my first day, so I will let yall know how it goes.

Short update, so I will take a minute to rant about random aspects of my life here in hopes that you can get a better mental picture.

So far, these past 5 days living in Kolkata have been great! Our hostel is about 20 minutes from the Motherhouse and 30 seconds from the market (dangerous). There is so much stuff there I can visualize in my new place in Dallas, and it's cheap! We'll see what I end up getting.

The streets are paved and flooded with all kinds of modes of transportation.... pedestrians, bicycles, bicycle carts, rickshaws, chariot things, motorcycles, taxis, trucks. All with very loud horns (minus the pedestrians).  The good thing about our hostel is that the rooms are set away from the street so it is not as loud.

The male to female ratio is wayyyyy inflated here.

Cows roam the streets freely here. My initial thought was that it was because they are considered sacred, but then I noticed that they only roam around the meat district. I don't know, you tell me.

I get LOADS of Chai tea here!! (for those of you who don't know, I LOVE chai tea) Every morning at the Motherhouse and at the market as store owners try to woo me into buy their clothes. India and your chai tea craze, where have you been all my life?

On our way to the Motherhouse, we pass by a lot of random shops and stands. Our favorite stands are the mango stands. We have now made it a tradition to end the day with a mango feast. This makes me very, verrrrry happy. :) The mangoes here come in a close second to the best mango I have ever had in the Philippines.

Blog turns serious here:

Today at registration with the Missionaries of Charity, they gave us an information sheet to read over about how to handle beggars on the street. Although I knew this happened in India (thank you, Slumdog Millionaire... amongst other sources, of course), it really hit home seeing it first hand and reading the Sisters' warning. They basically said that you never know if a child has been hired to be "cute" and affectionate with you so that you will give them something. Even if you buy them food, they can sell it back to the store for money or bring it to their boss to do the same. They had the same warning with women, but just reading about the children after having several children run up to us after our work day made it really hit home. After leaving Prem Dan, lots of children run up to us saying "chocolate! chocolate!" We didn't give them anything, but I can see how human trafficking can definitely be a reality. So far, I have concluded that it is best to funnel all my efforts through the MC work. Although it can be immediately rewarding to individually try and help someone, that may not always be the best help. If anything, I'll give just a smile and a recognition of their human dignity and then pray, pray, pray.

Pray for us as we begin our work tomorrow!!

Home sweet Kolkata

Lots has happened and I have no pictures for proof, so you're going to have to 1) take my word for it and 2) get through this extremely long post without any visuals. Sorry!

Except this picture of my henna. Just for you Monica!

On Monday, Nik, Marissa and I left for Delhi. We flew to Abu Dhabi airport first where I had a 3 hour layover (we were on different flights). For those non-geography buffs (aka me), Abu Dhabi is in the United Arab Emirates (never would have guessed that, I know). There were a lot of white people in the airport. I think it is a huge hub for connecting flights to Australia and it is the hub for Etihad Airlines.

Why Etihad holds a special place in my heart: as I go to board the plane, the man stops me and asks me for my passport. I am thinking, "oh crap!" but he hands it back saying, "Ashley Stone, you have been upgraded to first class. Seat 4C." AHHH! So I get on the plane in capri sweat pants, a t-shirt, old tennis shoes, and a sweater/pillow than hasn't been washed in 2 weeks. People were probably wondering what the heck I was doing in 1st class and I had no idea what to do in 1st class. I sit down, and I am lookin around trying to see if other people are taking off their shoes or put their foot rest up. Then the stewardess comes with a mint lemonade (SO GOOD!) and then with a steamed towel which I have no idea what to do with. So I wait a while to watch everyone else... apparently they are for your hands and face, in case you find yourself unexpectedly in 1st class.

Next we get the menus. At this point, I am all giddy about being in 1st class that I order the fanciest sounding things. I don't know half the things I ate. So I got champagne (the stewardess asked me how old I am.... people abroad can get alcohol at like 16... that put me in my place), then I ordered dahi vada, lamb with tomato rice, more things I can't pronounce, and mung dal halwa for dessert with a strawberry, chocolate cigar, and mango couli. Finished off the meal with a Jasmine tea and seat reclined in the sleeper position with "That thing you do" on my personal TV. Heaven.

Arriving in India turned a 180 on me, though. I get in the Delhi and wait in the baggage claim area for Nik and Marissa. Then we headed over to the Railway Station where we slept/sat for 7 hours until our train for Kolkata arrived. This place was crowded with all kinds of smells and flies, and we sat in little metal chairs all day. But I loved every minute of it! Everything's a new exciting experience. Which is probably why we went against everyone's advice and got the non-AC sleeper class on the train (Sorry Tiffany, Brandon, and Roger!) At $10 per person for a 26 hour ride, we just couldn't resist, but it wasn't that bad! the windows were always opened so lots of ventilation and the three of us just bunked on top of each other. For me, it was an awesome experience. Read and slept a lot.

By the time we got to Kolkata, it is 7pm on Wednesday. I was shocked to find that the sun sets at about 6:30 or 7 here! In Dallas, the sun sets at like 9pm in the summer. It was fine though, we made it to the Motherhouse in a taxi (after he asked for directions several times) and then made our way to our hostel for the night on Sudder St. (where most volunteers stay). Next day, we found a cheaper hostel that we decided to call home for the next month. Hostel Maria.

The weather is not as bad as I thought here though. Compared to the Philippines and Nicaragua, it is not as hot. Maybe just as humid, but either the clouds or smog or a mix of both keeps the suns rays from getting to us. By the way, best purchase I have made so far: a luffa. I feel soooo clean!

It rained on Thursday, so we didn't do much, but then Friday morning I went to mass at 6am at the Motherhouse (20 minute walk from hostel). Here's a nice little miracle story: I have no alarm here, really no electronics since we have no converter, so I set my meager watch alarm that never works and prayed to Mary to wake me up in time for mass that morning. Mass is at 6am, I naturally woke up at 4:53, before my alarm went off. And if anyone know how much of a deep sleeper I am, that is a miracle. Thank you Mary!

So I went to mass, came back, ate breakfast on the roof, chatted with some other travelers up there, then went to the room and took a nap... all before Nik and Marissa woke up! haha. Once they woke up, we explored a bit of Kolkata on the metro. On our way back to the hostel, I told Nik and Marissa I would catch up because I wanted to look at some book stands. An hour later, I come back (with the room key, whoops!) with a business card, barefoot with fresh henna on my hands and feet, and two new friends named Raj! (That's for you Joel!)

Finally, at 3pm, we went over to the Motherhouse to check in, but ended up not being able to check in, so we stayed for mass right next to Mother Teresa's tomb! It was SO surreal being next to this woman who has been my role model throughout college. I've read about her and prayed with her, and she was right there! Really awesome!

Today, the real work started as we went to 6am mass again and began volunteering at the Adult Mental Health facility where we mopped the floors, made the beds, served lunch, put the women to bed, and washed dishes. All the women there call us "auntie" to get our attention. They were so sweet! As I work, I try to keep Mother Teresa's goal in mind to see Jesus in all people and to do all these little chores with lots of love. I have a long way to go, but with her intercession, I am trying! Doing all this cleaning, there are also many opportunities for little aspirations for a clean heart. :) For all those praying for us, thank you and keep the prayers coming! We need them! As for all the intentions given to me, I am remembering them each time I go to mass and begin working.