Namaskar!
After a year of applying, discernment, and training, I am finally here, in Durgapur, India.
I arrived on Wednesday, Sept 5th at 8:00 AM after flying for three days and two nights with stopovers in London, Gatwick and Dubai. All the flights were at night, but that did not mean sleeping for me. The longest one, from Charlotte to Gatwick, found me on an aisle seat which means no sleeping. On the next one, I had a window seat, but an unhappy camper howled all night. One last chance for a nap seemed pretty promising on the flight from Dubai to Calcutta. I had a window seat, in fact, I had both seats as this flight was not full. As I was settling in for my nap, the message came on that breakfast would be served soon. Breakfast! At 3:00 AM! The last time I ate breakfast at that crazy hour of the morning was after my senior high-school prom. So much for a nap.
Needless to say, I arrived a bit travel weary, but that didn't stop any of the things happening in Durgapur.
Wednesday happened to be "Thank you Teachers' Day" all over India, so there were programs taking place in all the schools throughout the country, including the school for the children who live in the slums in Durgapur. After lunch and a short rest, I headed to the program still in my three days of traveling clothes - Phew! The children had planned the program, choreographed the dances and the recitations. The children presented me with some flowers and a pen.
Later in the evening, the bishop told me that we and the staff from St Michael's School would be meeting to go over my schedule, etc. I thought we were going to meet at the center, but when I went to the meeting spot, there was the bishop with the car and driver. I still had not changed clothes, but I did at least wash my face. We ended up at a very nice restaurant in Durgapur and spent a pleasant evening not talking about my schedule and duties.
I am now paying more attention to what may include a surprise of some sort.
Also on Wednesday, I got to see my flat.
My flat is on the third floor of a family dwelling. They think it is on the second floor, but I went up three flights of stairs, so I'm saying it's on the third which is also the top floor.
It is in a neighborhood within easy walking distance of the school and the Diocesean Center.
It has four rooms and two bathrooms. It has just been refurbished with new paint and I think from the debris, new tile. Two rooms open up onto balconies. Every room, except the kitchen, has a ceiling fan. My dining area is a bright pink with an olive green border at the top. The bedrooms are blue, sort of like Carolina Blue but a bit brighter. The kitchen is a nice yellow with lots of storage and counter space. This flat is pretty upscale, I think.
On Thursday, a staff member from the school took me shopping for furniture and the necessities. The center provided two beds for me, so I have a guest room. Let me know when you're coming.
Durgapur has a big department store called the Big Bazaar. I bought lots of stuff there, but then we went to the market to shop for furniture.
The market is quite interesting. The stalls are very makeshift and the walkways between the shops are dirt/mud. Watch out for cow dung!
We found the furniture shop and I spent 12,000 rupees. That's hard to get used to-thousands of rupees. I kept asking for the dollar amount. In dollars, it was about $300.00. That's not too bad for a sofa, two chairs, dining room table with four chairs, and a bedside table. I still need to buy a fridge. That happens today. Setting up housekeeping requires a lot of stuff, but this kind of shopping is fun.
The nice thing about this market is it is within easy walking distance, but if I want to ride, there are lots of rickshaw drivers around. That is a bike pulling a cart with a covering. A rickshaw van, on the other hand, is used mainly for goods. My table and chairs were delivered in this manner. My fridge was also delivered in this way. The drivers or pedal-ers are all sizes and all ages. I keep trying to steal a look at their legs to check out their muscles, but they wear long skirts, actually a wrap , so I can't get a good look.
This is a lot to read at one sitting, so I will close for now. Next I will tell you about the slums where the children who attend the school live.
Peace,
Lynn