Week 1: The City of Joy
Hello Bandhu!
That’s hello friend in Bengali.
The girls at Destiny have been teaching Alyssa and I Bengali and we’ve been keeping a continuous dictionary in our journals to refer back to. We learn Bengali, the girls learn English, it’s a pact deal.
I always find so much joy when I see the girls and the staff at Destiny. Despite their pasts, the girls still find positivity in life. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much laughter in a conversation before and it makes me laugh too (it’s contagious).
Everyone at Destiny has been welcoming and helpful with Alyssa and I’s adjustment here. All of them have made themselves available 24/7 when Alyssa and I have any questions about suggestions, places, food, etc.
Overall, adjustment has been smooth! The only thing Alyssa and I need to get down is the walk to work. Apparently according to past interns, it only took them around 20 minutes. For us? 50 minutes. But, the walk is nice and it’s a great way to see Kolkata. Here are some views from the streets:
Being here in Kolkata for about a week-ish, I have already made many memories that involved crying laughter at the dinner table, eating with only the right hand, lil’ boat, skirting in traffic, conversations with the locals and more.
During our first weekend, we decided to explore the city and go see the Victoria Memorial and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The architecture for both was unreal.
There are so many things that I want to write in this post, but I also don’t want to hold you up. So the last thing worth noting is that no one has fallen victim to the food here (so far).
With that, the first week in Kolkata has me excited for the upcoming weeks and I am so glad that I am experiencing it with the people surrounding me, cheers!
