Outreach Weeks 1-3 - April 12-May 2 - Calcutta
Well, it's been a while since I've written, but here I am in India.
Outreach Prep week went well; we had a crazy prep day where we were "on outreach" and had to bargain for food (a skill that has come in handy, it turns out), start bonfires, get dropped of miles from our base and find our way back, and put together a church service with 30 seconds notice.
Travel to Calcutta went well, and the three weeks we've spent here have been good ones. We're staying in the center of the city and have been working with several ministries in the area, including ministries to street and train station children, prostitutes, slum women, and the Mother Theresa Homes (I'd be more specific, but for now I can't due to Indian policy concerning visitors to this country).
We've adapted to India alright; aside from a couple of bouts with food poisoning we've been healthy. We now wear the traditional Salwar Suits (western clothes are thought immodest, especially in the outskirts of town). It's pretty hot here (between 85-100 degrees F), and the humidity hasn't been the greatest either, so that's been a bit of a challenge since our hostel rooms don't have any form of AC.
The culture is so very different from the West. There are so many people everywhere (Calcutta has a population of over 13 million) - 90% of the people you see on the street are men, and the gender rolls are very different here, so it's taken a bit of getting used to. It's hard to keep from smiling at men - you can't even talk to them to ask for directions for fear of sending the wrong signals!
Travel is another adventure - we've learned to estimate the amount of time it'll take to get somewhere and double it just for good measure. The bus system is cheap and reliable, but sometimes the buses are a bit overcrowded. Case in point, we once got on to a local bus that was so packed with people that you were literally pressing against people on all sides - Joel had to hang out the door as the bus drove in order to keep from being shoved off by the sheer number of bodies.
The Indian people are really friendly; they all want to know where we're all from and what we're doing here. They're also very hospitable. Turid and I sat down to talk for an hour or so with a group of street kids who were begging, and they were gracious enough to entertain us right there on the sidewalk - they bought us chai (tea) and pieces of green mango (a treat for the locals, though I prefer the ripe ones).
Tomorrow we fly to Delhi. We'll be there for a few days before taking a week-long prayer hike through the Indian Himalayas. We'll have a few days of debrief after that, then we spend a week in Delhi (or thereabouts) for a bit of ministry and our pastoral visit from Holmsted. After that, we're not sure! Our third location hasn't been made clear yet - I'll keep you posted!
Photos: Calcutta (many more to come once I'm back home!)
