SENSORY OVERLOAD!

Namasgar! (Bengali Greeting)

Alicia here, writing my first post of the trip!

Here is the mission statement that we all came up with:

"Our mission is to be present, humble, and active in all aspects of our service, to remain consciously aware as we embrace everything, and to recognize the community support that we have received from our loved ones by bringing what we’ve learned back to the USA.

We will work to:

*bridge cultural division through service and compassion, while maintaining a respectful portrayal of North Americans.

*better understand our role in alleviating or easing the harshness of others realities

*learn about ourselves and the cultures of others by opening ourselves up to the unknown

*practice compassionate service in using our strengths to strengthen others

*share our experiences and learn from the experiences of others.”

Day two in India-SENSORY OVERLOAD.:

There is just so much going on: tastes, smells (good and bad..) sights, sounds….there is ALWAYS something going on in every part of every place at every second. People live their lives on the street here: they eat, sleep, and bathe. Picture this: a woman washing her laundry as a taxi flies by, nearly hitting a rickshaw driver. And then come a pack of about 40 goats, filling the road. On the sidewalk sits a cow, lazily chewing on grass, and across the street, a mother bathes her child; next to them hang raw chunks of meat. Next to the meat is a mini shrine, adorned with beautiful bright orange flowerings and offerings of rupees (Indian currency). There is NEVER a dull moment. I, like everyone else in the group, am feeling overwhelmed, but definitely in a good way.

Today was our first day of service-we started out the morning at the Mother House where we had chai and bananas, and mingled with the other volunteers for a bit. I can’t get enough of the chai! I’m already addicted. I think I’ve had about 7 cups today! We split up into a few groups after that, and headed to the separate homes, which are all branches of Mother Theresa’s home. The Mother House is sort of like a main base. I went to Prem Don today, and worked with women who are either/or mentally disabled, physically disabled, and diseased. I was struck by the incredible sense of humor that many of the women possess, especially considering the condition that they are in. The morning was filled with smiles and laughter, and lots of nail painting. Most of the women seem to prefer red, and many demanded that their toes be painted as well! It was extremely rewarding, but definitely challenging. Helping the women go to the bathroom was quite a task, but one that we all got used to after a while.

After a delicious lunch at the Blue Sky café where we eat every day, Sue and I spent the afternoon in the street getting to know the locals, and we were soon joined by the rest of the group. Our new friend, Aasa, offered to give us Henna tattoos, and we were quite excited about that! Sitting on the sidewalk as Aasa painted my palm with beautiful flowery designs, a man selling wooden flutes played a melody on one of his instruments, and Rashni, a sassy 14 year old, chatted us up about her own Henna skills. We were surrounded by Indian culture and loving every minute of it. I am already in love with India, and it’s only the second day! I can’t wait for all of the days to come; full of new friends (friend is Bondu in Bengali) cups of chai, and the kind-hearted people of India.

We will be blogging at least once a day for the next three weeks, so you’ll all always be up to date!

Namasgar,

Alicia and the rest of the group.