Losing your way is sometimes the best way of finding something new

0 months to go. We’re down to just 2 weeks.  It has taken all of us by surprise. At least, it has done me. Not long ago we still had a whole month left and now we don’t even have 20 days! I do regret not going out as much in the earlier days as temperatures are winding up to the 30s and humidity continues to rise, sapping our energy and drive.

Despite this, I think we have actually managed to start getting more variety into our day to day lives. At church two weeks ago Harriet and I met a Pastor who is involved with a school in the slums. He left us his number and we decided to contact him and visit the school.

The younger class

Raja, one of the teachers, picked us up from the Guesthouse at 8am. If I had thought the room at Hatibagan was small…! These children – about 30 in the first class, 50 in the second and 75 in the bible study – all managed to squeeze into one tiny room, about 6 metres squared. We sang some songs for them and I told them the story of the prodigal son. That was the first time in a long while that I have told a story without reading it off something. It was nerve-racking but really great to do some story-telling again.

The tiny school room

We learned a lot about the slums before the second class started, talking to the teachers, one of whom used to be a student himself and had gone on to get his degree at university. The second class were all younger and we taught them simpler things like the alphabet and numbers.

There was one girl in this class whose face was covered in a yellow powder. The teacher told us some of the girls in the slums rubbed turmeric into their skin to make it look whiter. So they would look beautiful. So we want to be browner, they want to be whiter. Something wrong with this picture?

We are hoping to go to all of their Sunday activities on the last Sunday before we leave.

A few days ago we took a trip on the Metro to find and Art Gallery one of our new friends at Freeset had told us about. It took us until we got to the other Metro station to realise that we really didn’t know where go from there. We came out at the wrong gate, went left, turned back down the same road and then back up it again when we were certain it was in fact the wrong way. I asked four different people in four different places which way to go.

In between leaving the Metro and arriving at the art gallery (finally) we found some peaceful (in Kolkatan terms) gardens, an impressive university campus and a photography exhibition which I absolutely loved. All in all, it was a great adventure.

We have taken Benjamin Frances upon his offer to take us out to some villages for Medical camps. Out in these rural parts of India, I counted out various sized and coloured pills and tablets that the people were prescribed by the doctor who was travelling with us. I greatly enjoyed these two trips, seeing the line grow as more villagers caught wind of what was going on. Even those with nothing wrong with them were given some vitamins because everyone wanted to go away with something.

The other village we went to, the people there were doing a sports and games evening which we joined in with. Sorry to say but I did not win the needle and thread race. We also performed The Prodigal Son in a few very awkward scenes. I played the youngest son and the villagers seemed to love it so all is well.

After the main event we were asked to come to a house to pray for a little boy, about 3 or 4 years old who could not speak. While all the other people gathered around him and started muttering prayers over his head, I knelt down and took his hand and looked him in the eyes and talked to him. He was so wide-eyed. I was glad when I let go of his hand and he reached back down and took a hold of it again. We haven’t heard anything about that yet.

Last of all, the 8^th of March brought Holi, the festival of colour. Us four and a few friends from Freeset ran around Sunnogatchi (not entirely sure how to spell that but that is where Freeset is based) and threw paint powder and mix at people and had randomers come up and rub colours into our faces and arms.

There was red and green and blue and purple and silver and black and yellow and gold…and PINK. Pink seemed to overwhelm all else. Harriet and I wore shower caps as our hair is lighter and the dye can stay in for months after, even on the skin. Thankfully, I scrubbed up pretty good but Ellen will most probably still have a pink streak in her hair when we arrive at Gatwick.

Next weekend we are taking a train ride up to Darjeeling. I can't wait! My next blog will probably be a few days before I leave India. Scary times.

Unfortunately, no photos yet as the internet has been pretty bad the past few days.