Kolkata

It is incredibly hot and humid here in Kolkata. It is a relatively modern city and there is a heavy British influence in the architecture and monuments giving it a much more colonial feel. The poverty is ongoing.
My volunteering is going well at the Mission of Charity house. My day begins with 6am Holy Mass at the Mother House on AJC Bose Rd. I leave my hotel at 5:45 and take a cab there as I am not staying in the street that most of the volunteers stay at. After Mass, we have breakfast together (chai, banana and bread) and then Sister Mercy Mary gives the volunteers a blessing before we head off to our various posts. I am working at a place called Prem Dam, a 35 minute walk through the slums, where people who have been rescued from the streets and are now living. Many of them are mentally ill, have been abused, or are very old. There is a women's section and a separate men's section and the complex is located on the edge of the slums.
The morning begins with doing the washing for all the residents. I have no idea how many there are, but I can tell you, there are mountains of laundry. It's great though because it means they are being well cared for - nobody sits in soiled bedding or clothing, ever. The process is very organized and the women who are able to help certainly don't mind telling you what to do! After that, we carry the buckets and bundles of washing up to the roof top to be hung out to dry. Downstairs, there is an area where all the women sit and socialize. This is where we get to visit, talk to, massage, sing, pray, and generally bestow love upon these women. It is a beautiful thing and we have a lot of fun. Some of the women are in very bad states - one in particular was burned with acid and has no eyes, nose or ears and most of her body has been burned. She is in the best place she could possibly be.
Whenever someone needs to go to the toilet, you have to help them and then clean them. The toilet area is a cement room with a drain and people can use a comode or just squat or whatever they need to do. It is basic, but clean. There is a hose and tap and you just keep hosing everything down. This was, for me the most challenging part and I worried whether I could do it. On the first day, I was just thrust into it, and now, strangely enough, it is the easiest for me. I just keep thinking, what if it were someone I loved? How would I want them to be treated in this situation? It makes it so much easier.There is a beautiful young woman named Rita from Portugal who makes everything fun and funny! Even the toilet duties, we make a good team.....attitude is everything!
A snack is served and then we have our own break of tea and biscuits outside in an area for volunteers. The whole complex is immaculately clean and peaceful...you often hear the sisters praying and singing in a quiet room reserved for them. It's just so beautiful.
Lunch is a big meal and boy can these women eat! It is simple fare, rice, dahl, vegetables and fruit and the plates are piled high. Some of the women are so tiny and frail but they manage to eat every morsel. We clean them up, take them to the toilet and then they have a rest. There is a break until 3pm when dinner and more cleaning and visiting happens. The day ends at 5:30.
I won't say it's easy, but it is done with so much love, it doesn't really feel like work. All you have to do is hold a hand, give a hug, stroke a cheek, and the smile you get back is worth more than anything. I asked someone where the funding comes from for food and supplies. The answer: "It just comes".
I didn't realize the impact this would have on me. Just being in the very places that Mother Theresa walked, prayed, lived and worked brings tears to my eyes when I think that I have experienced only a moment, a tiny fraction of what she gave to the world.
I have always loved her, and now, I feel honored to say that I know her, if only in her spirit and her utter and absolute devotion to God.