Ventosa

So far, I've met some lovely people: Bill from USA, a very kind man; Kate and Jude from Australia; a really nice couple from Germany; a Spaniard who speaks English about as well as i speak spanish but we somehow communicated; and Ceaser from India, the first Indian I've met here.  I decided to stay at a private Albergue for my second night and it is very nice and very clean. I haven't washed my clothes in over a week and there is a washing machine so I was delighted. Being a Sunday, everything is closed so I couldn't cook but shared pasta with Kate and Jude at the Cafe Bar. It was adequate. All is well.

Camino Again!

After spending a week in Valdelavilla, I hitched a ride to Soria with one of the Spanish participants. My intention was to board the bus and head to Logrono that day. I was so exhausted, I decided to stay one night in Soria and then get the bus to Logrono the next day. After sleeping 12 hours (!!!) I am now in Logrono, ready to start walking tomorrow.  It is a very different scene from last fall, weather-wise. It's quite cool, which I don't mind at all, but it is raining. In all the time I walked last fall, I cant remember even one drop of rain. Let's hope the weather improves over the next day or two. My intention for doing this is partly to walk the bit that I had to take the bus through because of my blisters, but also because I have signed up to walk Hadrians Wall starting May 4th and after spending a lot of time in countries where it is difficult to exercise, feel the need to do some training. I really love the Rioja area and I am looking forward to spending some time exploring Santa Domingo and other villages where there are some monasteries and places off the beaten track which are worth seeing. I plan to walk about a week and this should help get me and my feet ready for my next walk.  Buen Camino!

Soria

I had a great week in Valdelavilla, a once deserted Spanish village, and, once again have said goodbye to some really fantastic people I met there. I must say, I'm a little tired - who would think that talking all day long would be so exhausting?! The place was beautiful, very remote though with limited Internet and no cell coverage. In a way, I quite liked it though because it was so quiet and peaceful.  Valdelavilla, is a picturesque hamlet tucked in the mountainous province of Soria and consisting of about 20 hand built stone cottages. The official language is English and the village is used almost exclusively by VaughanTown, an English Immersion program based in Madrid. There was a program director named Marissa and an MC/entertainment director named Pete who were both extremely competent and who made the week a very fun experience. We participated in plays, presentations, singing and dancing along with one-to-one sessions with the Spaniards. It was a very well organised scheduled program and we were kept busy but had ample free time to enjoy walking in the steep mountain paths. We laughed a lot and got to know each other quite well in this tiny remote village. The weather was, at times cold and windy, but there were some beautiful sunny days as well and there is just nothing like sitting outside in the spanish sunshine with a cafe con leche or a cold cervesa! The food was amazing....plentiful and traditionally Spanish, with not a single French fry in sight! I learned early on to make sure one of my courses was a salad as the portions were huge. Even though it was a bit like working, it was very enjoyable and I would recommend it for anyone who finds themself in Spain looking for an fantastic experience. I might even do it myself again someday. I am now on my own in the city of Soria and will board a bus to Logrono tomorrow where I will walk for a week along the camino trail. I need to walk and can think of no better place since I am so close to it, and I need to prepare for my Hadrians Wall trek as soon as I get back to England in May. I met a really lovely woman named Sue who lives in Ormskirk who I am looking forward to meeting up with in May in Liverpool. My friend Stephanie from New York is going to England for a week in June and I will meet up with her and Liz in Yorkshire for a couple of days ( I met these two women in Kenya) There seems to be no end to the possibilities....  I must say I am looking forward to spending time at "home" in Liverpool with Sue and Terry. I have become so close to them and find I miss them when I'm away. We are planning a trip to Cornwall in June which will be a great way to end my time with them.

Valdelavilla

I'm literally in the middle of nowhere in Spain, participating in an English immersion week for Spaniards who want to improve their conversation skills.. My job is to talk to people. In exchange I get my room and board paid for in a beautiful villa in northern Spain for a week. Not a bad deal. I have booked my flight back to Liverpool for May 2nd so that I have another two weeks here and so far, have made no firm plans. One option is to do some walking on the Camino trail since I am only steps away from it. Another option is to go to Portugal and walk the trail there. I do want to visit Barcelona for a few days and learned of a cycling tour of the city which I would really love to do. There are a few people here who drove to this place and have offered to drop me off somewhere and that also intrigues me. It would be an adventure to just get dropped off in some obscure place and see what happens!
In the meantime, I'm hanging out with 7 Spaniards who are becoming proficient at speaking English and 14 english speaking Anglos from Canada, USA, Scotland, England, New Zealand, Korea, and India! The Indian fellow, Manish, is conducting a lesson on Bollywood dancing and somehow I have found myself signed up! We have to give a performance to the rest of the group.....I wonder at my profound inability to say "no". Some things never seem to change.
I am loving being back in Spain....it is such a wonderful country - so beautiful, so rich in the culture. The food is great and I am trying to remember the Spanish I learned last fall, even though I am not allowed to speak a word of it. I am committed to learning Spanish when I go home and will enrol in a proper class, possibly when I move to the coast.
Despite all these wonderful things I'm doing, a part of me is still in Kolkata and in some ways, I wish I was still there. I think it means that someday, I am meant to go back. His will be done.....
In the meantime, I shall go and practice my dancing with the other 11 people who signed up for the big performance tonight!
I am making a list of unforgettable experiences and I think this will be one of them!

Scotland

Before I left for Africa, my aunt Angela and cousin Gemma decided to go up to Scotland where my other cousin Ruth and her family -  husband Roland, and children Mabel, Barney, and Monty were going to be glamping for the week. They asked me if I'd like to join them...of course I would!! 
The drive up from Liverpool through Carlisle to Edinburgh took about 5 hours....a long drive by British standards. We got to the town of North Berwick where we were met with great warmth by Ruth and her family. They are staying at a farm nearby and "glamping" in a tent/cabin on the farm. It's absolutely beautiful here! The farm is within walking distance to the North sea and it goes on for miles, so lots of great long walks.
It is so strange being in a country where everything is so green and there are more sheep than people! It is lambing season now and there are hundreds of adorable lambs gambolling in the fields and feeding off their mothers. I now understand the phrase "lamb of God", they are so innocent and vulnerable and devastatingly CUTE!
At the campsite the farmers have put pens which house lambs, goats, chickens, bunnies and geese. The children are having the best time taking care of the animals, feeding them and letting them out to play. I kept thinking of my kids and how much they would have loved this when they were little.
Long walks on the beach followed by great meals (why does everything taste better when you're camping?) and sitting around the fire. Lots of games of rummicub and arguing over the rules, a seemingly necessary aspect to family games nights! Roland and I and the children went on a bike ride - it was a gloriously sunny day and I so enjoyed the fresh air and exercise.
We had a wonderful Chinese meal in the town of North Berwick, compliments of my Auntie Angela. It's a cute little village and she and Gemma are staying in a fancy hotel by one of the many golf courses in the area. I sometimes wish I was a golfer, and I remember with great fondness the time when my dad and I went to Scotland and I was his caddy. Such great memories. 
On our last evening, Roland treated us to a great pub meal and when i saw that there was sticky treacle pudding on the menu, i decided on a simple bowl of soup with my main course, dessert. Unimaginably delicious!
On the last day, Ruth, Mabel and I booked a hour of horseback riding  with the farm down the road. I was really nervous but the woman, Carole, was great. Stern, but great. I told her the last time I rode something it was a camel in India, and it wasn't very comfortable! She looked at me with slight disdain and said horses are different. I knew then that I was dealing with a serious and devout Horse Lover and I needed to show respect. It was a magical experience and "Flame" and I got along quite well, although Ruth could tell you a different story....! Mabel has had some riding lessons so was a pro and had the distinct pleasure of being allowed to gallop on the beach which was very exciting for her...and her Mum. I was just happy that I got to a trot and didn't fall off the horse! It was a really fun experience and I loved it. The only down-side was that I forgot that i am very allergic to horse hair and neglected to take an antihistamine before getting on it. At the end of it, my eyes were swollen, itchy and red, I was sneezing and streaming, but it was still worth it!
I had such an amazing time with this lovely family and have fallen in love with the three children. I will see them again before I go home....but wonder how I will do without them when I am far away in Canada.
Back on the road to Liverpool to have a meal and visit with Sue and Terry before my flight to Madrid tomorrow.
More adventures to come!

Transition

Back in the UK again at my "home away from home" - Sue and Terry's. It still amazes me that they so willingly have me and I have never felt so welcome. Their generosity knows no limits and I feel very loved and blessed. In fact, I can't even think about the time when I will leave and have to say goodbye to them....
My last hours in India were amazing. I had dinner on Wed night with a new and dear friend and then spent Thursday getting ready to leave.  I went to Holy Thursday Mass at Mother House and, once again felt the profound presence of The Holy Spirit. The singing and prayers and the love pouring out of each person there was so beautiful. After Holy Thursday Mass and the washing of the feet, it is tradition to sit in vigil until midnight and after confession I sat for a while in silence and prayer with the sisters and other worshipers. It was so peaceful...I never wanted to leave. I felt the Holy Spirit so fully, so completely and I felt wrapped in love.
I met a couple of fellow volunteers afterwards to bid them farewell then hailed a cab (not easy) and headed to my hotel. It was about 9:00pm and I had not eaten so decided to go to the all night cafe around the corner and have a snack. I ordered some Indian food and while I was waiting for it, I noticed an older Indian gentleman at the next table. He smiled at me and asked me where I was from. I sensed something in him that compelled me to speak with him and ended up moving over to his table. Turns out he lives in the USA and was visiting family in Kolkata. He was born in Kolkata but moved to the states nearly 60 years ago! His wife had died only a couple of years ago and he told me how much he missed her. I just sat and listened to him, which was all he really wanted. He then asked me about me and was amazed that I had been travelling for so long by myself, saying how brave i was. He told me about his daughter, about the same age as me and said i would really like her. He was such a sweet man. A very staunch christian, Baptist, he spoke openly about his faith and quoted the bible several times. I told him i was catholic and about the gift of being with the sisters at Mother House. He wondered why I wasn't married, I just laughed (how else to respond?!).  he said he hoped I didn't mind him saying, but he found me very beautiful and the way he said it reminded me so much of my Dad who always told me that. I think he was sent to me to remind me of my Dad. I still miss him so much. Beauty is, indeed in the eye of the beholder
I only write about this because I want to remember these things that have touched me so deeply on my travels. People I have met who I have forged new friendships with, some, I know I will see again some day, and some I know I will never see again. When you feel instantly comfortable in someone else's presence and you can spend a few hours with them and not run out of things to say...you know it is the beginning of a special friendship. 
I keep saying how blessed I am. 
I really, really am!

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.