Week 2: Diving Deeper into Kolkata
*SpongeBob Narrator’s Voice* Ahhhh, another day in Kolkata.
It’s the end of Week 2 (yes, this blog is a tad late), and Kolkata has been so good to me. I have dove deeper into the culture here and have started to get a better grasp on what life in Kolkata is like.
The streets are constantly crowded, the traffic signals and lanes are optional, and patience is key to everything here. Seeing all the Kolkatans relaxed about the concept of time has really taught me to be more present than ever. Everytime when the Kolkata group sits on our rooftop to watch the sunset, I like to listen to the various noises in the distance and examine my surroundings closely to take it all in. Even though it’s a lot going on, I think I’ll miss all the organized chaos of Kolkata when I’m back home.
We’ve been trying new foods and street foods (pray for our stomachs) , and it is good. Raju brought Alyssa and I’s first dosa ever and now it is probably one of our favorite go-to foods. On Sunday morning, Alyssa and I woke up to the ASED group bringing us samosas and jalebis, what more could we ask for?
On Friday, Shayoni took us Sari shopping! All the girls were excited and Owen was ecstatic! We went to Nalli and this place had every Sari pattern, color, fabric, etc. that you could ever imagine. I felt like a princess when there were 2–3 workers helping at all times, folding and unfolding the fabrics, and wrapping them around me to try on. The boys were just there sitting in chairs for moral support.
To end the weekend, we took a river boat cruise on the Ganges River. This day was filled with surprises of Abby getting bit in the eye and us being dropped off mid-way through the cruise at an unkown location. Poor Abby had to go through people staring at her and her friends roasting her (look up Sloth from the Goonies to get a taste of what people referred to her as).
It was another great week in Kolkata, and I have many more things to look forward to! The SCU Global Fellows Director, Tanya, is coming and we can’t wait to show her our city. We also have a travel plan to Cherrapunjee coming up and we can’t wait to get our dose of nature in. As the Bengalis say, Tata!
