First Post From Kolkata

Our team made it to Kolkata last night. Our flight landed at about 10:45pm Kolkata time. I was finally in bed by about 2am. Things were lengthened by people losing luggage (not me thank goodness). Even though I haven't even been here for 24 hours, I already have a lot to share. There won't be anyway for me to share what it's really like. It pretty much has to be experienced to be understood at all because it's pretty overwhelming. I'll see how organized I can keep my thoughts...

I'll start with our living situation. Right now both the India and Nepal teams are here in Kolkata. The Nepal team will leave in about 2-3 weeks and then it will just be 6 of us. There are 8 women and 3 men total between the two teams. The women have one apartment, and the guys are in another, smaller one about a five minute walk away. In the guys apartment there will be four guys sleeping in one room. The "mattresses" are each made of two thin quilts on the stone floor. The pillows are small and firm. We are lucky enough to have a ceiling fan in the room to help keep us cool. There is one sink, one shower, and one squatty potty. The tap water is ok for washing, but isn't good enough for drinking. The shower doesn't put out heated water, so it's only cold showers. We're also supposed to conserve water, so the showers end up pretty short. Here's how they told us to do it. Turn it on, get wet, turn it off, Use soap / shampoo, rinse it off, and you're done. It worked alright for me this morning. It certainly was a different experience.

Traffic isn't like anything I've ever seen before. There aren't lanes on the street, so "transportation units" (anything from buses, to human pulled rickshaws, to pedestrians) just go wherever they fit. Riding in a taxi this morning was a very unique experience. I honestly don't understand how I didn't see a single accident. Oh, and the use of the horn seems to be a bit different than in America. In America, a horn seems to mean "I hate you" or "You're a stupid driver." In Kolkata, I think the horn means "I have a horn." They basically get used all of the time to make sure everyone else knows you're there. It is completely chaotic and loud. Most places you go, even when there are only people on foot, it seems like you have to fight your way through the crowds. It feels like trying to get out of a stadium after a packed sporting event, except not everyone is going the same way.

I have never been anywhere so dirty as Kolkata. There are smells everywhere, and they're constantly changing. Many of them I couldn't even tell what it was that I was smelling. The whole place just has a dirty feel to it too. Lot's of grays and browns everywhere. The thing that seems out of place, however, is that most of the people you see out and about are dressed fairly nicely. Most men wear slacks and a button down shirt. In the midst of the grime and dirt of the city, I'm seeing beauty. Maybe it's just the contrast, but the traditional outfits of women (saris and sarongs) are absolutely gorgeous. I'm sure God will reveal a lot more beauty to me during my time here.

The condition of many people that I have seen so far just from a walking tour of the city has already hit me. There are people just curled up trying to sleep in hugely crowded areas of the city. There were men sleeping on two feet wide concrete sections that divide directions of traffic. People in the middle of the train station. Everywhere!

It seems like I'm only scratching the surface, but I have to stop because our team is leaving the internet cafe. I think I'll be able to post at least once every day or two. Thank you so much to everyone that has emailed me. I won't be able to respond personally all of the time, but I really appreciate the mail. Please please keep praying for us. We really need it. This is a very hard city to be in.