Exhausting

It hit me again today just how exhausting Kolkata is. I stayed up a bit too late last night talking with people, and was a little low on sleep going into the day. Nothing like what I used to pull at Mudd though. The bus rides generally wear me out quite a bit. The combination of a very bumpy ride, poor seats (if I even get a seat), the heat (which is still going to get a lot worse while I'm here), and the general stench of the city just combine in bad ways for me. I often feel nauseous while riding the buses.

Today was like that, plus a little added excitement on the way to Nabo Jibon. When I got there, I went over to the boys side and spent some time playing with them. I was really enjoying myself, and they were laughing, yelling, and generally showing signs of enjoyment. After being there for a bit over an hour though, I just hit a wall. I suddenly didn't have any energy. I went upstairs and laid down on a bench in the dining room.

When I got up it was the morning tea break, and some of the brothers asked me if I was feeling alright. I talked to them a bit, and they suggested I may be dehydrated. I already suspected that I hadn't been doing a great job of making sure to drink enough. One of them helped me mix up something that he said would help me retain water. It was a mixture of freshly squeezed lemon, salt, sugar, and water. It didn't taste great, but it didn't taste bad either. It was just kind of weird. I had some more water then, as well as with lunch, and I've been feeling pretty good ever since. I'm definitely planning to work harder at pushing fluids during the day.