Its funny to read my first thoughts and impressions of the cities I've visited...I think they tend to change daily, and I constantly want to edit these blogs...
I managed to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity for 3 out of the 5 days I had signed up for...by day three, I was exhausted, physically and mentally...not just with the work, but also with the sun, heat and humidity, and the fact that after my volunteer shifts had ended, I would go out and explore the city and only get home later at night...I ended up getting heat stroke, and a bit of pollution sickness, which kept me close to the bathroom for day 4 and 5...but I really treasure the time I spent in the orphanage with those kids, and realized that I really like working with young children...
I remember spending some time near Mother Theresa's tomb, where they have this chronology of her life, and feeling so amazed at what she did...she essentially gave up all her material possessions, comforts and privileges in order to be one with the people she lived amongst...she slept on the floor and in hallways, with NO fan, in 45 degree weather...the missionary of Charity nuns only own two sarees and one pair of shoes, which they have to clean on a daily basis...and no possessions of their own...they sleep on benches or in a dining hall on the floor...her mandate was a quote from the bible "whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me" which really hit the heart...
She also had to leave one order of nuns, the Loreto Sisters, in order to branch out on her own and start this work...and now their are priests and brothers of Charity too...
And her work has drawn volunteers from all over the world of all religions, some who join the sisters, and others who just stay and volunteer....many students from Japan have come to spend their spring break, as well as Koreans, Latin Americans, Canadians...
One other thing I really enjoyed about Calcutta was the food... Bengali curries, they are mustard based and not too spicy, but very flavourful...and the sweets...not as sweet as most Indian sweets, which is why I like them...If anyone knows of any Bengali restaurants in Toronto, we've got to go there!
I managed to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity for 3 out of the 5 days I had signed up for...by day three, I was exhausted, physically and mentally...not just with the work, but also with the sun, heat and humidity, and the fact that after my volunteer shifts had ended, I would go out and explore the city and only get home later at night...I ended up getting heat stroke, and a bit of pollution sickness, which kept me close to the bathroom for day 4 and 5...but I really treasure the time I spent in the orphanage with those kids, and realized that I really like working with young children...
I remember spending some time near Mother Theresa's tomb, where they have this chronology of her life, and feeling so amazed at what she did...she essentially gave up all her material possessions, comforts and privileges in order to be one with the people she lived amongst...she slept on the floor and in hallways, with NO fan, in 45 degree weather...the missionary of Charity nuns only own two sarees and one pair of shoes, which they have to clean on a daily basis...and no possessions of their own...they sleep on benches or in a dining hall on the floor...her mandate was a quote from the bible "whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me" which really hit the heart...
She also had to leave one order of nuns, the Loreto Sisters, in order to branch out on her own and start this work...and now their are priests and brothers of Charity too...
And her work has drawn volunteers from all over the world of all religions, some who join the sisters, and others who just stay and volunteer....many students from Japan have come to spend their spring break, as well as Koreans, Latin Americans, Canadians...
One other thing I really enjoyed about Calcutta was the food... Bengali curries, they are mustard based and not too spicy, but very flavourful...and the sweets...not as sweet as most Indian sweets, which is why I like them...If anyone knows of any Bengali restaurants in Toronto, we've got to go there!
No comments:
Post a Comment