This country....DANG...
It is UNDER my SKIN.
(yes...TONS of pix are following but first...I must vent !! )
It is giving me an anonymous itch that I cannot locate or soothe. It is harassing. It is always present...even when on the 23rd floor of a huge lot of "flats" one can hear horns, music, shouting...it never goes away.
Calcutta never stops.
Which makes me want to slap my hands over my eyes and scream that "THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING" .....
....while blockading me and mine in a 5-star hotel with blinds on the windows and a radio turned up loud enough to block the incessant city noises, the sounds of the hungry, the bleats of the begging, and the gnawing of one's heart.
I truly...have a LOVE/HATE relationship with this city...whereas in my other travels....I was pretty clear...Either it was "LOVE" or "HATE" ... I'm not a girl for "Gray" normally.
But..THIS city?
You walk the streets and see BEGGARS who are giving their food to their skinny children.
You walk the streets and see Fathers on small motorbikes scooting his two girls, in their pressed school uniforms, to their one and only hope....an institute of LEARNING. How can one HATE these scenes?
But...despise DOES well up within me .... I cannot stop it. I am MAD while I am SMITTEN. I'm a confused wanderer it seems.
Never before have I, as I say yet again, been exposed to SUCH enormous differences within a people group as I have been as I walk ONE block in Calcutta, India.
I, truly, am at a loss for words at this point in regards to my thoughts on Calcutta, India.
I KNOW it has a worldwide renowned reputation as the "Armpit of the World" but I also know that if you smile at anyone on the sidewalk...they WILL smile back.
I know that, as I as permission to invade a family ritual on the banks of the Ganges River with my camera, the family graciously and with wide smiles signals a huge "YES!"
I know that, if a Calcutta citizen can speak even two words of English and they are brave enough to use them on me....my response of a smile and a picture, of a hug or conversation gives them a radiance that makes me feel like gold.
Why was I born in the U.S and not Calcutta?
Why are MY children not begging outside the fancy restaurants on Park Street in Calcutta, India? Hoping that a 'stuffed' customer will handover their leftovers so we will have dinner tonight?
I will NEVER claim to understand any of this.
Is it okay to be grateful that I live in the suburbs of a "fly-over" state right now? I think so. Because, gratefulness will beget action.
So, friends...I now present you with entirely TOO many pictures of the last few days of our lives here in India...I will "caption" some of the photos..and leave the others for you to think on...
The "Calcutta Zoo" will be a treasured memory for all of us. We went without knowing what we were in-store for and left with a feeling of understanding Calcutta better....Keep looking to understand why!
This picture of two DEER dancing is SOLELY for my Father-In-Law who sits hours and hours in a random forest, perched in some high tree-stand hoping to spot a DEER.
Well...F-I-L .... Chase, Zane, and I found ALL the DEER you'll EVER need. There are HUNDREDS at the Calcutta Zoo...smile....And you won't have to wear that freaky-deaky camo outfit to find them either :) ((Which is a relief to all of humanity....))
Okay...Okay...So I INTERACT alot with others. You can see on Zane's (the kid in red) face that he is OVER having his picture taken with locals...but I find it refreshing to be honored enough that a Calcutta citizen would take the time to let my camera take their picture....
Yes, as you will see later in this post..This good habit of mine grabbed me a stalker at the Ganges..but...hey...he was a nice guy ;)
So...I ask you...HOW CAN THE PREVIOUS TWO PICTURES BE TAKEN WITHIN MOMENTS OF EACH OTHER?????
Does it strike anyone else as absurd???
The beautiful Indian woman with her questioning glare....
And then there is my Zane...pretending to be the "Statue of Liberty" .... while at the Calcutta Zoo.
IRONY? PARADOX? What??!!
SIGH. SIGH. SIGH.
THIS beautiful woman, her husband (the picture-taker) and their 2-month old son is how I left the Zoo feeling like I understood the culture better.
As much as I wanted to get to know THEM better...they wanted to get to know ME better.
Yes, language was a barrier...but...a BABY is a NEUTRALIZER to such travails.
One huge smile to the Momma as she was holding her sleeping beauty...and next thing I know the Daddy is taking our picture....
Next thing I know...to my complete HONOR....the Momma handed me her boy...to treasure for a few moments....
I do not know how this city will see itself out of it's muck and mire....other than by Divine Intervention and human obedience...
But this couple gave ME a gift...the gift of acceptance amongst a city that I do not quite "get".
I will NEVER forget the weight of that boy in my arms.
NEVER.
May I brag for a mere moment? Chase (above) ... He is 14 yrs old now (how? I do not know...I did not think any of us would live through his 5th, 6th, or 7th years .... smile...)
He is a light ... His smile welcomes questions and handshakes...He does not know a stranger.
I, my friends, in a way neither my husband nor I play a part other than watching it unfold, are now watching the Providence of God work out It's way in his life that makes our faith and our joy exponential.
"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome" .... kiss it! (snarky smile)
Okay....YES...I admit...In this moment I was thinking "You Go Girl"....Taking on a third world country without half of "you" .. for weeks on end ... and NOT melting into a glob.... FIST PUMP!!
So...as you can see...the Zoo was a fantastic experience (even if the sense of SMELL was a large part of it...giggle)
Now....
Watch as our experience at a tributary of The Ganges River unfolds....
(seriously?? I did this today??? I'm still so shocked and happy about this :)
Oh My .... My Miss Laura! This trip has changed our relationship from "friend & mentor" to simply "amazing friends" .... and for THAT....this trip will ALWAYS be a highlight for me....
My precious "First" daughter...You are stronger than you knew, braver than you thought, and more gorgeous than you ever give yourself credit for...THANK YOU for crossing the ocean with us :)
THE GANGES.... a haven if ritualistic ceremonies for Hindus...
a draw of worldwide proportions for the common traveler...
PLEASE someone tell me why there had to be a TRAIN tracing the riverbanks of this area??? My nerves were NOT pleased but I bested them and kept on...but..seriously? A train? Yards from the River? Calcutta is NOT renowned for it's city planning ordinances...
An example of one of the thousands of idols the Hindus submit to the river each year. They submit their idols, of which the Hindu religion has hundreds, to the river to carry away their sin and even their joy in some cases.
Deceased Calcutta Hindus, traditionally, are set afire along the banks of the Ganges with drops of the river put into their mouths, along with "ghees" or "melted butter" for a good reincarnation.
So, like I was going to go to the River Ganges and NOT get my feet wet ??? Right?!! No way!!
I was tempted to immerse myself but I resisted....I was a smidge jealous of the women that felt they had the freedom to do just that alongside of me...
Off come the Cowgirl boots (while my nephew looks on in humor)...
WOW...Just so you know...the Ganges River is oh-so-very-COLD!!! Artic-ish!! I was no longer jealous of the women submersing themselves... ha
Of course...I made anyone under my command get their feet wet too ... which meant Chase & Zane :) Seth & Laura played along very well ....
This family allowed me to photograph their ceremonial release of "gifts" to the River...
Unfortunately, the ENTIRE riverbank was FULL of such gifts....
Even at The Ganges River...there's alittle "Americana" thrown in for flavor it seems...
To "Jack & Rose" .... May you be Senior Citizens holding hands across your front porch today...
After a cold "dip" in the River...one needs some Chai Tea....of course!
And so...
Our "Ganges Experience" came to a close...but never will it be far from our hearts.
We may not be Hindu, We may not believe in the purification characteristics of the Ganges water, but we do believe in experiencing as much as the day has to offer...and that we did ....
That being said....
Here are more daily 'experiences' of a few typical Calcutta citizens...
HOW do these people survive day in a day out?
I am praying for them daily... I cannot imagine what their souls, who were created just like mine and have the same emotions as I, experience every waking hour.
********
Sleep Tight Eastern Hemisphere...and Enjoy your dinner hour Westerners...
To my other halves at home....
My eyes need to see you ...
...and my arms need to hold you soon...
Andrea
My friendly Stalker...
He just wanted his picture taken...
(See him peeking over my shoulder??? ha)
