This was also on the way
Where do I begin? Welp, it wasn't what I expected.
Unfortunately they wouldn't let us take pictures there. Besides.. your busy working, it would be sorta awkward to take a bunch of pictures, too distracting. But I did sneak in one!
Maybe I've watched too many documentaries prior to this visit. I expected it to be like out in some field, really basic (haha, I don't know!). But it was in some of the cleanest more modern 3 story buildings I saw when I was there.
It has come a long way thru the years, which is great.
Can you believe it took us 3 hours to find the registration building.... that was only 15 min away!? We got lost. Oh well, we got to explore more of the city that way. Everybody wanted to help us, but nobody could point us in the right direction!
Everyday you meet at 7am for breakfast and get to know the sisters and the other volunteers.
There were sooo many volunteers that when we first got there we felt a little "in the way" before we caught on to how we can help. Can you believe it?? too many volunteers! Thats amazing.
Then they send you to 1 of 3 places. Dayadan, Premdan, or the Home of the Destitute and Dying.
The shifts are from 8am-1pm... or in the afternoon from 3-7 I think. They don't want you to get too burnt out, and give you regular breaks. Rest is important to them. No volunteering on Thursdays, that is their day of rest.
Dayadan is the kids orphanage. Thats where they sent us first. All of the kids (and there was maybe 50 on our floor alone) are either mentally handicapped or physically handicapped... or both. Most cannot talk, even at like age 20. Since people in India are so malnourished often kids will like like 5 years old when really they are 15! A trick I learned was to check out their hands and feet- if they have larger hands or feet, they are older for sure.
Some of them were blind, missing limbs. One girls hips were out of her socket, another had a totally deforemed rib cage and couldn't even lay down flat let alone sit up or walk. I started wondering why they don't have doctors to fix these kids??? They sort of do- for every day easier stuff (kind of like a school nurse) but the surgeries they need are soo expensive, and their life expectancy isn't that long either... =( They do what they can.
Anyways so we brush their teeth, bathe them, dress them, do loads and loads of laundry on the roof top (from that view you can really get an idea of how terrible the pollution is). Then we do physical therapy with them- stretch their limbs, help them walk if they can- most cannot walk and are carted around in chairs. We play with them- color and read, show them affection, even dance with them! Our first day there it was one of the sisters birthdays and we played music and all danced. I think they should make that a regular routine since the kids loved it so much!
Then we feed them lunch... which I found to be the most difficult task. None of them want to eat. Sooo basically you have to force feed them. Which sounds kind of terrible, but it's about survival. If they don't eat, how will the live?? I tend to be a really careful, gentle person- this did not go over well, "please, please eat" "please!" "come one... yummy....please?" yea... try that for like 10 minutes, haha. "sister, can you please help me feed this child!"
Pretty frustrating. I have a lot a lot a lot of respect for the sisters and permenant workers that live there. I have no idea what its like to work with disabled children- it takes a lot of strength and patience.
We worked there a couple days. Then we went to Premdan- which is basically the same thing, except for adults.
They divide the ward male/female.
So they divide the volunteers male/female as well.
Our first day there as soon as we walked in one of the patients died. The sisters were standing over her bed, praying for her. Then they covered her up with sheets.
I enjoyed working with these women because atleast some of them could talk, and they were spunky too!
We put lotion on their hands and feet and gave them massages... sometimes the workers will paint their toes or give them haricuts. Its really special and beautiful.
While feeding them- (yes even as adults most of them need to be spoon fed) one of the old ladies walked over to the lady I was feeding, with a fistful of salt and seceretly poured some into her hands. Scandal!!!! It was the cutest thing ever, I don't even know where she found the salt... it was their way of saying "the food here's no that great- heres some salt- pass it down!
It made my day... I was like "whatcha got there??" with this big smile on my face =)
Most of them were all friends and would visit eachother at their beds durring nap time.
We had to wheel them into this big room of beds for them to take a nap. While Christina was helping lift one out of her chair, she threw her back out! Sooo Christina has been bed ridden for about a week now. Julia and I have been out doing some more exploring. We took a romantic getaway this weekend to Gangtok haha =)
Christina should be better soon, she is resting at our hotel... which even has tv and HBO and hot showers, and room service... all for only $4 a night each. Awesomely cheap.
The last pleace of mothers T's homes was for the Destitute and Dying. We never went there. I bet it is so intense. The sisters usually won't send you there unless you have been volunteering a while and they know you can handle it. That makes sense.
I met some very awesome volunteers and had very inspiring conversations. Others guiding me, and me guiding others. It's great to share like that.
As one of the sisters said at breakfast, "Our gifts and talents God has given us are for others, not just ourselves."
That day I wrote a list of my gifts and talents.
Next to it I wrote a list of how I can use those for others.
Namaste
(which means "the Spirit in me respects the Spirit in you") (and also means hello or goodbye in Hindi)
Our new friend Rose- she is the best thing that happened to us in Kolkata! I am sooo thankful for her. She is actually from California- she was a friend of a friend that showed us around- all the best places. We are wearing the same shirt too =)
Posing poetically at the cemetary, haha. It was a british cemetary. Many years ago Britain had control over all of India, then in liiiiike 1950's India got it's independence back. Thats why like 10 years ago India decided to change its state names back to their original language (hence Calcutta now being called Kolkata). Just some info for those of you who didn't know, which.. I didn't. Also their are 28 states in India if I remember corectly.
More cemetary. Awe, aren't they cute sisters?
Us with Rose
Awe Christina when she hurt her back and had to stay back in the room! Like a fata$$ with all this food by her face- I love it! I def needed a picture of that...
