Our time in Bodhgaya was delightful and a much needed rest stop for our group. During our three day stay, we visited the Bodhi Tree, the 80-foot statue of Lord Buddha, rode bikes throughout town, and spent a couple hours wandering around and looking at different Buddhist monasteries from around the world. It is an incredibly peaceful place and allowed us to re-group after a very busy week in Varanasi.
We observed many groups of people sit and chant in front of the Bodhi Tree. This is where Buddha attained enlightenment and it was remarkable to be able to have that opportunity to see it.
On November 2nd, our last night in Bodhgaya, we had an epic Halloween Diwali Fiesta. Represented was Khenpo (the monk from Deer Park), another monk, two bank robbers, and a couple random characters. Needless to say, it was a blast.
The ladies dressed Avy up and the men dressed Paffy up in a costume contest that was judged by the hotel’s manager. It was a hilarious experience trying to improv a story about the character in the costume. The manager gave both Avy and Paffy 9 points out of 10 (based on the story and how funny it was). Paffy did end up winning the costume contest in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot. The night ended with lots of 7up, candy, and table ping pong – a perfect celebration!
On to Kolkata!
After a smooth train ride we arrived in Kolkata and were greeted by Mike-Ji! We had a lovely group dinner that night and shared many of our experiences with Mike. The following morning, Tuesday, marked our first day at Mother Teresa. Every morning we volunteered at various Mother Teresa homes which had a profound impact on each and every one of us. Here are some blurbs from everyone!
“The patience and understanding that everyone I encountered expressed – sisters, volunteers, and residents – buffeted the storm of confusion that otherwise would have been. The magic of Mother Teresa’s has two faces; the compassion and the ethos that bubbles throughout the service, but also the behind-the-scenes artistry to bring it all together seamlessly for all.” Paffy
“This week I served at Prem Dan, a Missionaries of Charity house for women between the ages of 40 to 80 who are living with extreme mental, physical and emotional illnesses. I have received so much from spending time with the patients despite the language barrier. On one occasion, at the end of my morning shift, I was tucking my friend Priya into her bed and blew her a kiss on my way out. Expecting her to ignore me, instead she widened her eyes, smiled and used all her strength to bring her thin hand up to her mouth and blow me a kiss back.”
Evangeline
“From the moment I stepped through the doorway to when I lifted the girls from their wheel chairs to their padded, guarded beds, I was showered with kisses and hand shakes. Working at Shanti Dan (the home for mentally and physically challenged girls) was a heart-warming and moving experience. Each day along with the fellow Western volunteers (or aunties), I did an hour of laundry, taught the girls with activities such as showing them pictures of themselves, and I read to them. I also fed them, took them to the bathroom/changed them, and put them to bed. These “girls” were anywhere from 15-35 years old. There were definitely some frustrating and challenging moments, yet the laughs shared with the girls, aunties, and mashis (Indian employees), completely overshadowed any difficult moment. I will forever cherish my Shanti Dan memories.”
Megan
“My experience at Prem Dan, although quite indescribable, could be summarized as a personal exercise of patience, humility, and compassion. I spent much of my time the first day bustling around in confusion, trying to discern what tasks needed to be done and the proper way to do them. While I did begin to catch on to the mashi’s magically efficient ways of doing laundry, washing floors, making beds, and serving meals, I soon realized that the most meaningful thing I could offer to the women of Prem Dan was my company. I leave hopeful that at least a few of my exchanges with the women-singing to them, holding their hands, simply giving them my attention-brought reciprocal feelings of joy.”
Walker
“I’ve spent the week at Kalighat, which is a home for the destitute and dying. With eighty very sick patients spread out over a few large rooms, it was overwhelming and shocking at times. Still, it was a wonderful experience. My duties included washing clothes, washing dishes, serving food, helping bath patients, feeding them, spending time with them, and helping them move to and from their beds. My highlight was one patient in particular who would sit all morning and hold out his hand for me to grab every time I walked by. He did not say a word or ask for anything in anyway, but simply enjoyed holding hands and sitting with/being in the company of a volunteer, which was touching.”
Matt
“There’s a pillow fight in the physical therapy room at Shanti Dan every morning. Bibi starts it – she shuffles herself across the floor in a half-crawl, picks up one of the cushions to toss at her physical therapist, and giggles. This makes Nadia laugh like mad, and soon all the girls are laughing. One of the three physical therapists who spend the morning massaging out twisted, atrophied limbs will then pick up another pillow and gently bop Bibi on the head. This is my favorite room in Shanti Dan. Most of the girls can’t speak or move for themselves, but their smiles make it clear that they welcome the physical movement and attention they get in this hour.” Avy
“This week I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the Mother Teresa House of Kalighat (aka the home for the destitute and dying). Despite some moaning and wailing from some of the patients due to pure discomfort, there was constantly the aura of hope in the air. It was truly moving to be a part of these 80+ men and women’s last days. I am 100% positive that I will return to this home and volunteer again.”
Bradley
As for me, my time at Mother Teresa was quite short as I spent three days laying in bed sick. However, the two days I spent at Shanti Dan were amazing. I was touched by the care given to the girls by Steph, a long time volunteer, and the Mashis. I was blown away by the amount of love and attention each girl received. I worked with the Rainbows which was a group of 8 girls who were both physically and mentally disabled. Every morning I was asked to play music to them and repeat their name loudly so that they didn’t forget who they were. One girl, Kevari, responded to me with a huge smile once she recognized her name. It was my highlight of the day!
Wednesday night we celebrated Matt’s 18th birthday by heading to a Hookah Lounge and afterwards, danced for hours and enjoyed free Mocktails at Kolkata’s high end club (woop woop). Thursday was our off day from volunteering so we headed to a cricket match in the morning and spent the day exploring the city. We left Monday afternoon to fly to Delhi to then take a train to Rishikesh where we currently reside. We leave in the morning to Phool Chatti Ashram where we will not have internet access for a week. Look for the update once we get back online!
