Home soon

hello for the last time from India!
we arrived in Calcutta two days ago and it's hard to believe that in less than 48 hours, i will be on a plane, heading back to the states. there were parts of this trip that seemed agonizingly long but here we are, 2 days away from going home. our last week in Bangalore was a bit tense as we were getting worn out and people were getting more and more sick. we have been going at a breakneck pace with us often having to travel for at least 3-4 hours a day to get to and from our destinations.
but i now have a sari! and i know how to tie it! :) shopping for one was quite the experience though. for those of you that have ever gone shopping with me, i often like to look around for awhile at different stores, try a few things on, see what i like...then i make up my mind and buy something. well, that's just not how it's done here. :) you go in, sit down and you tell them what color, what fabric, how much you want to spend, etc. i think our guide, prema, probably wanted to kill me because i was being so indecisive. it's just a little overwhelming to walk into a sari shop and have some one start whipping out all these different patterns and colors.
since being in Calcutta we have actually been able to do quite a bit of shopping (i had only spent about 20 US dollars up until two days ago). we are staying on sudder street in Calcutta which is kind of a touristy area but the lonely planet kind of tourists...so lots of people in dreads and bandannas with backpacks. :) we actually have a somewhat "ritzy" place there called the fairlawn hotel. it's this big old building, painted green with all kinds of fake fruit and plants hanging out front and tons of memorabilia and kitsch and all kinds of wacky stuff on the walls (mom, you would love this place). and it has AC which has been a blessing as it is much hotter in Calcutta than Bangalore. i feel slightly guilty about staying there as many of the other volunteers at mother teresa's stay at much simpler places but i also realize that i was in need of some good rest and good food at the end of this trip which might not have been readily available at the salvation army hostel. sudder st is a nice location too b/c it is right next to the new market which is this huge indoor market with tons of little shops. it has been a riot trying to figure that place out. usually before you even get inside, a man (or 2 or 3!) begins to follow you around, offering to take you to this sari shop, or to that silk shop...as you pass by the shops, the owners ask you to "please come inside" so they can then proceed to try to sell you everything in the store. we've frequented a few shops whose owners are not quite as overbearing to the point where the owners recognize us. :) but there are a lot of westerners so the prices are still probably high. we've met a few around and at our hotel. there is an Italian couple that are adopting a baby boy from shishu bavaan and they are taking him back to Italy tonight. they are so excited and we got to meet him this morning when we went to the mother house.
speaking of mother teresa's, it is truly amazing to watch the work these sisters do. they have many sites in Calcutta and all are involved working with the poorest of the poor, those people that no one else wants. today, i went to shishu bavaan, an orphanage. i got sent to the handicapped section where i was promptly handed a glass of broth and told to feed a child in the nearby bed. i lifted her (or him? i couldn't tell, all their hair is short) into my lap and could feel every bone in her body. i thought that she had twisted herself up into an awkward position until i realized that it was her body's natural shape. many of the children's bones are so warped and their muscles are so underdeveloped that they grow into these twisted, crippled shapes. it is heart wrenching to see and scary to try and care for them when you have no experience with handicapped children. i was so terrified that i might hurt them in trying to lift them but i just watched the other volunteers and sisters and tried to follow their lead. we were only there for three hours but i was exhausted at the end of it. i am amazed by these women who commit their lives to this work. it is truly a humbling experience to witness it.
ok, well that is all for now. i will be home soon and hopefully will have some pictures and more stories for those of you that are interested. lots of love!
namaste.