life in Kolkata
I am starting to settle into my work at Nirmal Hirday here in Kolkata. The first day I was so tired that I stayed in the kitchen helping with the dishes and the laundry. There is a doctor and a few other nurses already working there. The first few days I felt a little un-needed because of the number of medical volunteers there. After visiting Calcutta Rescue and seeing the wonderful work that they do, I had a few days where I felt less satisfied working at Nirmal Hirday because I started to see the criticisms that the charity receives about not being self-sustaining, relying so heavily on foreign volunteers instead of employing the locals, and being religiously based. As I was working today, I realized that the organizations are very different, and can't be compared. While they are both working to help the homeless, they are performing very different services and that both are incredibly valueable and needed by the community. By using foreign volunteers, the Missions of Charity allows us volunteers an experience that we could not get in very many places. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my fellow man in such a humbling environment.
Having just finished my degree, I want to use it! It is humbling to remember that the simple tasks of doing dishes and laundry are just as important and worthy jobs. Today I spent a little more time with the patients. There are some brand new novice nurses that figured out that I have some experience working with sick patients and I became a learning resource for them. When they could not get the patient to take their medicine, they asked me for help, when they could not get the patient to eat, they asked me for help. It felt really good to be wanted. I was considering going north into the hills and starting to make my way toward Nepal in the middle of the week, but have decided that I need to be here in Kolkata working for at least another week. Working with the women at Nirmal Hirday is a very humbling experience that teaches me much about myself and about humanity. I feel myself being challenged to grow in ways that can be uncomfortable. I do not think I will ever be 'done' with charity work, that is not the feeling I am waiting for, but I feel I have a purpose to fill, or a lesson I still need to learn here in Kolkata.
India challenges me to grow as a person. I can get the same experiences at home, but the intensity of travel in India increases the pace of the lessons. I am having some very intense and interesting experiences that will be with me for the rest of my life and may change my life path. I am curious to see where and who I will be in November when I get ready to go home. Will I be ready? Will I want to go home, or will I be sad to leave India?
Having just finished my degree, I want to use it! It is humbling to remember that the simple tasks of doing dishes and laundry are just as important and worthy jobs. Today I spent a little more time with the patients. There are some brand new novice nurses that figured out that I have some experience working with sick patients and I became a learning resource for them. When they could not get the patient to take their medicine, they asked me for help, when they could not get the patient to eat, they asked me for help. It felt really good to be wanted. I was considering going north into the hills and starting to make my way toward Nepal in the middle of the week, but have decided that I need to be here in Kolkata working for at least another week. Working with the women at Nirmal Hirday is a very humbling experience that teaches me much about myself and about humanity. I feel myself being challenged to grow in ways that can be uncomfortable. I do not think I will ever be 'done' with charity work, that is not the feeling I am waiting for, but I feel I have a purpose to fill, or a lesson I still need to learn here in Kolkata.
India challenges me to grow as a person. I can get the same experiences at home, but the intensity of travel in India increases the pace of the lessons. I am having some very intense and interesting experiences that will be with me for the rest of my life and may change my life path. I am curious to see where and who I will be in November when I get ready to go home. Will I be ready? Will I want to go home, or will I be sad to leave India?