Kolkata aka Calcutta

Flying into Kolkata I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. As we flew above the city I peered out the airplane window and saw lush green landscape, thousands of palm trees and multiple water areas. This landscape is so different compared to the northern part of India. It was absolutely beautiful.My mind began to race as I realized this is where I was born. This is where my biological ancestors live. My mother and father walked these streets, my sisters and brothers played in these streets and who knows my nieces and nephews are probably roaming these streets as I write this. I don’t really know if I have brothers and sisters but one would imagine so. As we landed I felt a huge wave of emotion crash into me. My eyes filled with tears and my chest became heavy. This is what I have been waiting for. I am finally in the city that I was born in. As we exited the plane there was a sign that said, “welcome to the city of joy”. The humid tropical air hit my skin and the moistness filed my lungs.

As I looked around the airport I started seeing people that had similar features as I. Many might not be aware but the different regions in India yield different facial characteristics and skin tone. Even though I thought coming to India I would be surrounded by people that looked like me, I stand out. People seem to be fascinated by me and everyday multiple people ask if I speak Hindi. They comment on how I look Indian but you can tell by their faces that I am a paradox. I look Indian but do not speak, dress or carry myself like a local. It’s quite funny. Many children will laugh and smile at me. It warms my heart and I enjoy waving back. However, in Kolkata I see my features reflected on the faces of others. Even Michael commented on this.


Driving into town was very picturesque. Among the lushness there were many city components that lined the streets. Kolkata is a large city and we drove past a lot of new construction. We passed malls, schools and many high rise apartments. The traffic is filled with cars and taxis and is just as chaotic if not more as in other areas we have visited.

I am excited beyond words to be here. Tomorrow we will visit the site of the orphanage and nursing home I was kept in while I was here. Then in the afternoon we will pick up our precious daughter. I have unpacked her things and gathered the donations for the orphanage. I have purchased medicine and tomorrow I will buy formula for the children in the orphanage. Our wonderful family and friends have pitched in and donated money to buy these crucial items for the children’s home. I know they will be so blessed to have these basic necessities for their babies. Thank you to alI who helped make this a possibility. I am hopeful that with all that was raised we can provide enough formula to feed all of the children for 6 weeks or more. I am getting excited to finally hold her and I hope she feels safe and loved while in my arms. Much love and blessings to all,

Brie

p.s. I noticed while walking down the street my hair curls and frizzes in the exact same way as the women here,  oh and Indian food in India is amazing

Jaipur

Jaipur is a beautiful city it is known as the pink city. Today I saw snake charmers, palaces and forts.  As we were admiring Amer fort from a distance what came walking down the street- a baby elephant! We We were awe struck and very delighted to see this amazing creature up close. This was the first of two elephant encounters. We then visited Amer fort where we took an elephant ride up to the top! What an experience. Half way through I started panicking about the platform falling off. Our elephant’s name was Hemma and she eats a diet of bananas, sugar cane and chapattis. There were tons of elephants lined up to give rides. The standard in the summer is 3 rides for each elephant a day.

Later in the day we visited a textile and carpet store and saw first hand the work that theese artisans put into their craft. It takes hours of meticulous work to have such a high quality product. it was amazing to watch and learn about the wool carpet business. Every strand of wool is hand tied and cut.

I also put on my first Sari today at the textile shop, it was so much fun. The saris are so beautiful and the women here wear them well. Tonight we will have dinner with an Indian family and tomorrow we fly to Kolkata. I’m so excited I can hardly wait. I am a little anxious as in my mind I am constantly unfolding the series of events that will take place in the next few days. Thank you for your encouraging comments and words, they mean so much to us. Much love, Brie

Agra to Jaipur and life in between

I don’t know where to begin. I have seen so much in our short time in India that it is overwhelming to try and describe. Every second and everywhere I look I see a story. An image is ingrained in my mind and feelings are provoked.  My camera is not fast enough to catch all of the life moments as we drive past. I wish I could download every scene because each is so unique and special. I have managed to take over 600 photos in the last 2 days, many are not images of Mike and I, or the monuments and palaces we’ve visited but they are of everyday people living their everyday routines. I find them all so fascinating from the men pulling heavy loads of milk on their bicycles, to women cutting wheat in the fields, children running and playing in the streets with no shoes on, to the cows, camels, water buffalo, goats, dogs and even an elephant in the middle of the road! Instead of describing our day in chronological detail I will try and describe different categories of scenes that we have come across. I hope you will understand that I’m not critical of the unsanitary details or the immense poverty and homelessness but that I’m deeply moved and humbled by them.

The average block of road in the city has a lot of chaos. You will find many fruit stands, snack shacks, alleyways and homes.  It’s not uncommon to see people sleeping on the street, people cooking, cleaning, working and children playing.

 Traffic is complete madness with no apparent set of rules except for honking. You will find auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, horse drawn-donkey drawn wagons, buses and many motorbikes. Many times a whole family will be on the motorbike with small children sitting in the front or between their parents….helmets are occasionally seen. I’ve seen small autos with 12 people crammed in and on some of the buses people will ride on the top or sit in the stairway where there is no door! Animals peruse the streets as they please and are in the middle of it all! Pedestrians do not have the right of way and when crossing the street in India one might fear for their life. I know I did! People drive head on, and sideways there were multiple times Mike and I could have been struck on our 5 hr drive from Agra to Jaipur.



cammels crossing the road



My favorite and most sought over sight is that of children. Many children wear tattered clothing some don’t have shoes.  Others have saris or school uniforms on and in Jaipur I found some girls with jeans on. I find it fascinating as some children are seen helping their parents selling fruit or pappadums on the side of the road and others are seen playing cricket or splashing in the water pumps. There was one little boy that was seen running down a back alley with a stick and a wheel frame. Most children are seen wandering or playing all by themselves or in a group, but there is not necessarily adult supervision. I do find it heartwarming to see mothers carrying their babies or a father holding his daughter’s hand. I have seen children rummaging through garbage cans and begging for food. At tourist attractions children will often be selling small handicrafts and newspapers. Today I saw a pair of little boys put on a magic show for some people. Children are often fascinated by us and will often wave and their smiles warm my heart and fill my soul. They are so innocent and pure and some live their life in unimaginable living circumstances but yet they are so content playing and being children.



girl walking her cow



In the city most woman are seen at the markets or with their children. Driving through the small villages in the country side is a whole other story. I felt as though I was sent back in a time machine. The things I saw were things I read out of textbooks in school. The women were often seen hand washing clothes and setting them out to dry. I also saw women walking carrying bundles of firewood, buckets of water and even packs of buffalo chips on their heads. Our driver told us that the life of a woman is very challenging and has her doing hard laborious work. Every morning the women have to retrieve water for the family’s daily use. Sometimes they have to walk miles and will balance canteens on their heads as well as carry some with their hands. Next they have to gather firewood to use as fuel to prepare meals with. Again, women were seen carrying heavy loads of firewood. Next they have to gather the food. As we would drive down the road I would see fields of wheat and in the middle of them there would be bright patches of color. The color would be groups of women in their beautiful saris out in the heat of the day cutting wheat with small rods.  When they would finish this task it would be time to prepare meals for the family. Our driver said that most village meals would include rice, dal (lentils), vegetables and chapatti (wheat breads). After miles and hours of driving past and watching these women my heart was heavy and I vowed never to complain about making dinner again. 

a woman carrying buffalo chips

Men in the villages were mostly seen bathing, herding animals or selling items in their stalls. Things sold were anything from food to tires and tools. In the city men are seen selling, hair cutting and bicycling heavy loads of goods and materials. There are many bicycle rickshaws, for those of you not familiar it would be a carriage connected to a bike that people would sit in while the man bicycles and drives them to their destination. Mind you it’s in the 90s and the heat is relentless in India. We have noticed at our hotels and in restaurants it is mainly men working.

Viewing the housing in the villages in India was like stepping back in time. Most were made of grass, yes grass! There were some made from brick and dung. There would be entire villages made from these types of homes. In the city we have seen a variety of homes from apartments to tattered shacks, abandon buildings, alleyways, parks and the most humbling on the street. I am beginning to understand why we have seen so many people going to the bathroom on the side of the street or near train tracks it is because having a bathroom is a pure luxury that many don’t have.

I am anxious to spend time in the bigger cities of Kolkata and Delhi to depict their daily routines and living arrangements. I would like to make note that my descriptions in this posting only represent a portion of life in India. Certainly, there are people with higher incomes who have apartments and nice homes. There are thoose  with successful careers and who have prominent positions in the business, medical and political arenas.  The poverty is so vastly different from the poverty that I have witnessed and therefore I have been intrigued to write about it. India is a kaleidoscope of colors, aromas and variety of lifestyles.