Thao Nguyen:
Sunday was our first day volunteering. Most of us attended mass at Mother Teresa’s house at 6 am and shared a little breakfast including white bread, banana and chai with other volunteers. We then separated ourselves into the house that we chose. I chose Khalighat, which is the house for the dying and destitute along with Morgan, Kylie, Marie, Dave and James. The bus ride here was quite an interesting experience. Best spot was next to the window where you get to observe the busy streets and get to feel the breeze. With the crazy Kolkata traffic, it took about 30-45 minutes to get to the Khalighat.
When we got off the bus, we walked through a market and I have to say, it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in India so far. I definitely got a different vibe here compared to the streets near our hotel. Some people described it as more Hindu-all the colorful flowers, spices, statues, etc. Goats and dogs were roaming around the street, food vendors walking around with their carts, the prayers coming out of the temple across from the Khalighat house every hours. It was hectic and busy at all time.
When we arrived at the house, the Sisters divided up the tasks for us. Some helped with laundry, some went up the roof to hang the laundry, few others assisted with cleaning, feeding the patients, messaging them, talked to them. The men and women patients were separated so the male volunteers stayed on the male side and women stayed on the women side. It was for sure an interesting experience and a reality check for me and I cannot wait to share more.