Week Two
I have already learned so much during my time in India, but the most important lesson I have been taught is patience. Regardless of the overcrowded streets and the chaos of day to day life here, everything seems to move a bit slower in India. My patience has been tested multiple times with various things such as slow Ubers, spotty WiFi, and slow service at restaurants. I am learning that all these things will take longer than expected and I am adapting to the culture and learning to understand the way things work here.
This week Nick and I played soccer with the neighbor kids. Some of them are pretty talented. Everyday it’s not raining, they play at this empty lot near my apartment — they use four clay bricks to make the two goals. I had a lot of fun watching Nick get nutmeged (twice!) by the kids. I hope to play with them more often, and eventually I hope I get the chance to play in one of their cricket games.
Andrea and I have cut down the time of our walks home to only 30 minutes! We are becoming more familiar with the streets each day.
On Friday, Shayoni was nice enough to take us sari shopping. This was an incredibly overwhelming shopping experience because they had options in every color and pattern imaginable. There were literally thousands and thousands of saris in this store. I made my decision fairly quickly, because I knew if I kept looking, the additional choices would only confuse me more. My sari is currently at the tailor being altered so it will be ready in time to wear to Destiny’s birthday party.
This weekend we went on a boat ride in the Hugli River. I enjoyed the boat ride because it allowed us to experience more of Kolkata- fishermen casting out nets, people bathing along the side of the river, and (sadly) loads of trash being dumped into the river. After about an hour on the water, we stopped at a beautiful temple along the river and watched the sunset. This was a peaceful end to our day.
Work is busy. Andrea and I are juggling multiple tasks to complete our marketing plan before we leave at the end of this month. I am grateful that everyone in the office is always willing to help when we get stuck. Later today, Andrea and I will visit Destiny’s shelter home in Kolkata. I am looking forward to meeting the girls.
There’s a lots to look forward to in the next week, the director of SCU Global Fellows, Tanya, is coming to visit Kolkata and we have an upcoming trip to Cherrapunjee planned for next weekend.
