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June 10, 2008
Sudder St. Mafia
It would be a funny thing if it weren't so serious. Basically, the beggars on Sudder (where most vols stay) are organized and specifically target foreigners for money. For example, just today, I was walking behind a beggar woman who was walking slowly, turned and saw me, and immediately came straight for me, shaking her cup, ignoring the Indian nationals all around her. Sometimes, when a mother is asking for medicine for her child, the "child" she's holding isn't hers at all, but a kid off the streets -- one of the long-term vols said that the beggars have switched the children they have twice. It's always safer to donate to a legit organization anyway b/c you know the money is being put towards something useful or sustainable.
Speaking of Sudder, I am paying only 70 rupees per night for Hotel Maria ($1=42 rs). And I am getting what I pay for, meaning a dorm room w 12 beds (not the most comfortable things, metal w a mattress that's more like an enlarged, worn-down cushion) and 2 bathrooms (no tiles, running water w temperatures that vary depending on the time of day, 1 western toilet, 1 eastern toilet, neither flushes consistently). Showering is creative business of trying to get as clean as possible while avoiding getting water into your eyes and mouth and not breathing through your nose b/c, well, it's a bathroom... in the room, there are clotheslines that always have towels and shirts drying b/c laundry is a never-ending task and the rains can start unpredictably and quickly so you don't want to leave your stuff outside.
There were new vols at Shanti Dan this morning, so this time I was actually the more experienced one. Turns out the kids are closer to ages 8-10 but are so malnourished and have been raised on the streets that they are physically and mentally younger. Subash, who's probably the smartest, is an orphan, and Laltu is really tiny b/c he has a heart murmur and his parents can't pay for an operation. I found some picture flashcards that could help the vols learn some Bengali words while they learn English (spoon sounds like "cha-moosh").
With all of the wordliness of the other people here, mostly everyone knows English tinged by whatever regional accent. It's downright embarrassing for Americans, or at least for me, that we aren't more fluent in other languages. These European and Asian schools are doing something that ours aren't. The sort of funny thing is that the locals will vary their responses to me depending on who I'm with -- if I'm with white people, it's "hello madam", and if they are Asian, it's "arrigato". Once when I was walking w an Indian girl from Delhi, no one said anything to me, although this might have just been a coincidence.
The bus on the ride back from Shanti Dan today was packed -- the driver didn't deny anyone who wanted to get on, so we all were inside, mostly standing, squished against each other, and sweating. There was an Indian guy next to me who was about eye-level and staring. It was beyond awkward, and normally I would've stared back and maybe say something like "Can I help you?" to make him stop, but here all I can do is look away. Although there are special seating sections for women on public transportation, it would be so much easier to be a guy. Luckily, all I've gotten are stares -- my friend hit a man with her water bottle because he grabbed her butt and other female vols have told me about walking on Sudder when it was dark and being followed by creepy men who say things like "You're so pretty" and "I love you". It's especially prominent around this area b/c it is such a tourist hub -- in more village-y areas, the locals will look at you b/c you look different and the kids will run up and say "hello!" but that's about it.
I went to the famous Kalighat, home for the dying, yesterday afternoon. The women there are worse off than at Prem Dan, and the conditions aren't nearly as nice, but other than that, it wasn't a life-altering experience. I think I expected too much b/c other vols would either tell me that it was too intense for them or that they absolutely loved it. It was intense, like any of the other sites, and I'm glad that I went, but I didn't come to any great realizations or anything. We changed bedpans, distributed food and water, helped w feeding for a few of them, and gave massages to those who wanted it and talked to those who could -- like most of the people at MC, the women didn't know English, but some just like to talk to anyone who will sit and nod and listen. Some of the women looked completely normal, it was almost incredible that they would be at Kalighat. But it is the same w the women at Shanti Dan -- some may seem completely regular on the outside, but they could be mentally disabled or come from places of domestic abuse or from prison.
I accidentally went to a nice restaurant this afternoon (thanks, Lonely Planet), meaning that there were waiters who were all dressed the same, tableclothes and silverware already on the tables, comfortable chairs, low lighting, a menu with a wine list. The food was so much more expensive than what I'm used to paying but still, nothing cost more than $5 and my entire meal, which was the most money I've spent so far on food, was a little over $2. I'm not going to buy anything when I go back home.
Funniest discovery of the day: most of the matrimonial ads in the Indian newspaper are by parents who are looking for a nice girl for "our son, handsome, degree in such-and-such, good family, etc."
Posted by Eunice Chyung at June 10, 2008 04:12 AM
