hurricane irene

i wasn't taking all of these hurricane warnings all too seriously until... well... i just started imagining my parents deck patio furniture flying into our neighbors' house or into their pool or something.... so, i took a last minute and quick trip home to their house to secure everything.  what a pain.

thankfully the neighbors helped me secure the grill cuz i had no clue what to do about that... everything else.. well, let's just say the kitchen and garage look like large storage closets.  whatever... my college buddy tomo came down from nyc to hang and go through this hurricane together and well... just do work... before we hit the sack last night we watched the first half of the usa brazil women's world cup replay... great half... sadly i missed most of the world cup this year while i was in india...

the dinner spread

had a good day today, eating lots, celebrating garcey's bday, prepping for the hurricane, coffee shop hopping, doing some work, running through rain, eating.. oh i said that already... sometime during the day my dad called from his china phone number but calling from brazil telling me to check for an email they just sent me which said:  NJ is closer to water than PA. do NOT go to NJ home. stay in PA.  thx for the tip...  how fortunate that whenever there is a major storm or natural 'disaster', the entire family is in some other country leaving me here to hold down the fort in the states...  fun times.

camped out in the living room

i've got mixed thoughts about this hurricane. it's kind of bizarre. i mean, it's somewhat scary but also oddly there's this slight feeling of excitement... perhaps it's my optimism that everythign will just be fine... knowing we don't really know and we should prepare... but... i don't know... it's weird. it's been a fun day i have to admit... although when they were announcing tornado warnings on tv for our county, a few hairs did rise... i mean, you can't just announce these warnings and not tell us what to do about it... we prepped, i think, because we don't really know what it means to prep, but we did what we thought we should do, and now, we're just waiting it out... sleeping... together... 4 girls... in the living room of the house... camping style. we tarped up the windows near us, and are ready to run down to the basement if need be.  other than that, our bellies are full, we've got plenty of food and water, and we're enjoying each other's company and hoping for the best.

a new friend

another visit to his stall

jane and i wandered into the new market community the first weekend we arrived in kolkata to get some Indian clothing.  it's a rough and frustrating area to shop in because they target tourists and follow you around and ask you forcefully to go and buy from different stalls... it's just annoying.. and they don't take no, get away for an answer.  several times i've lost my cool and just told people to shove off.  too bad it never stops those guys from continuing to follow us and bug us.  forgive me.

but that first weekend we arrived, we happened to wander by this young man's stall.  we got to know zaheed, our new friend, about 20 years old if not younger, who sells scarves, wall hangings, and all sorts of other things.  we liked him right away because he offered decent prices and just seemed like an honest lad. we got to know him, and would visit him whenever we did any shopping at new market.  when the rest of the team arrived, we stopped there again... several times... to buy more...

we got to know his story... he comes from a muslim family.  his father passed away when he was just a young child... i think he said when he was 8 or 9 years old... after his father passed away, he stopped going to school because he wanted his mother to stay home and not have to work, and so, he rolled up his sleeves and started working himself to bring in income for his family.  and so, since then he's been working.

joining us at church!

so on saturday we stopped by again to pick up some gifts for friends, and well, invited him to join us at church... and while we're used to people either saying no, some do say yes but often they don't really mean yes... but he said yes, and he came!  as we walked into the church, he said to me: "i am a muslim, and now i am going to church."  i was so encouraged to see him, to sit with him at church, to see him get to know some of the older boys from the boys home.  i couldn't help but just feel pure joy and excitement... that God was going to save him and do an amazing work in this kid's life.  we weren't sure if he enjoyed it or not as he had to run afterwards back to his stall to sell...  but on monday, jane and albert went back to the market to pick some things up.  zaheed actually said he enjoyed Church, pulled out the songs that we sang from his pocket and showed that to jane saying how much he enjoyed it, and asked jane to take a photo of him and share it with our boys so that they would know him when he goes back to visit!!  PTL!!!

Chicken Wrap Man

we've befriended some localers during our stay here in kolkata.  there's one man who owns a little bodega... ok, a stall... that we buy water from almost every day...  and then there's a guy who owns this small restaurant who sells these delicious chicken wraps.  it's kind of like a philly cheese steak... well, with some substitutes.  egg instead of cheese... chicken instead of beef... paratha bread instead of hoagie roll...onions and peppers stay.  the first time we bought food from this man was not so pleasant.  i think he was getting frustrated because we couldn't understand his accent... but those chicken wraps are just so good so we had to keep going back.  he's a hindu man who 'blesses' his business with his god... well i'm not really sure if that's the right way to describe what he does, but a couple times during our visit, while we waited for our food, we'd see him light some incense, smoke it up a bit, waft the smoke and sprinkle water into different parts of his store... most notably he opens his money drawer and is sure to waft/sprinkle 'spirit' into that drawer.  fascinating ritual... praying he'll come to know JC.

he's actually sold out the past few days which is a major bummer... but i guess good for him.  he's so apologetic every time... i'm gonna miss this guy.  we actually ran into him today - he's closed today tho - but we told him we'd have to wait till next year to see him and eat from him.  sweet man who doesn't really undrestand us and neither do we really understand him...  but what started out as a somewhat dicey anger and frustration filled relationship has become quite a fun loving relationship... so, mr. chicken wrap man (who sells much more than that...), until next year... stay well and don't forget us... we won't forget you.

hanging with our boys

today was our last sunday with our EMC family.  we took our older boys out for lunch at KFC as a little treat for them.  they have really just been such a pleasure to get to know... to have as our neighbors... to be our guides and translators... to play sports with... to simply be older brothers and sisters with... to love... to fellowship.  man i miss them so much.

we also ran into our street boys - Jackin and a couple of his buddies.  Last time after we took him and his buddies out for McD's, he had asked if we could give him some shirts and shoes... so this time we came prepared with some of our shirts in case we ran into him... we bought some kfc for him to share with his friends and then we handed them the shirts.  they were so excited... so precious... and it was so neat to see our boys talking to these street kids.

after our feast we went back to the office and played some soccer with the boys... got nice and sweaty... like usual... and then headed back to the flat.. packed some... cleaned some... and then headed back out to have a lovely dinner with the Sinha/George family.  We all felt so blessed to have this time together... so sad we are leaving Kolkata tomorrow...

post-soccer match with our boys. 

 

what a day!

late night doing some marketing and brand messaging.  i feel like i'm back in my corporate world. objectives, goals, strategies... oh the joy... early morning at the office to prep for a long day.  pulling the microcredit work together at the last minute in hopes that we'd have time sometime today to debrief it with the leadership or at least the program officer.  as we prep, in comes our friends from the states amit and jill who are visiting their family in kolkata.  amit is the one who introduced me to EMC back in '08... and even that meeting with him was totally by chance... by God's timing and planning.  it really was just random.  it happened at a race i was volunteering at.  i couldn't run cuz i was still recovering from acl surgery, so happened to have camera duty.  met amit and started talking about india cuz i was headed there in just a few weeks... and he said.. you must visit EMC!  and that was that... the rest is history... 2nd trip back last summer... 3rd trip this summer... and many more to come.  i got a 10 year visa after all...

i made a mess... like usual.

we shared a bit on the work we've been doing with the microcredit and shared some new ideas for consideration... i was once again sprinting up and down the stairs as we had a final workshop with the teachers that was added at the last minute focused on team building and trust building.  thankfully janers and albert kept rolling with the microcredit and gna is just so good at teaching these teachers so it wasn't a problem that i was mentally and physically wandering all over the place.  i had attempted to teach some group formation theory but was a total flop... partly cuz i was all over the place since i hadn't decided which model i was going to use until i started talking and also just cuz it was way over their heads or concerns... we used a game from the movie freedom writers to help get these teachers to open up... and it was so good.. so powerful.  it was the game where we lay the masking tape on the floor and ask questions that the teachers must respond to by stepping up to or away from the line - no words, no laughs.  you could really sense a change in the room... a feeling that the room was now safe... that the teachers felt they could be honest... that they were not alone in the challenges they face as teachers... it was amazing to feel and see that transition...

the original plan was for all of us to head to ypf at the school together, but the reality was that there was too much that needed to get done... we needed more time to talk thru microcredit because some strategic decisions needed to be made... we needed time to train our program officer on the new data collection and documentation process... we needed time to just wrap things up at the office.  grace and jane headed out to ypf, and albert and i stayed behind...  we hitched a ride with amit which included a visit to his mom's beautiful grave.. wish i could have met her on earth in person... seems like a wonderful woman... and then we met back up with the team at the big mall near the school.  what a day.

an eventful cab ride

jae and julia left bright and early this morning.  the remaining 4 of us had a lot to wrap up today but as with everyday, plans change and we just kind of go with the flow... doors open... we walk... and we trust God's schedule much more than we trust our own.

we all wanted to visit Connexions, a project that trains women from a local slum in sewing and handicrafts and employs them in making these beautiful bags, sari throws, cards, scarves, you name it... so at the last minute, we packed up everything and jumped into a cab to head over there.

on the way, we happened to peer over at the car next to us... which was a hearse carrying a body... but hearses in India are a bit different from what we'd see in the US.  The difference?  Well, let's just say the body is enclosed in a clear glass/plastic box on the car.  Not quite what we expected to see and sit next to as we sat in the typical traffic of kolkata.  then, we got lightly rear-ended.  but instead of pulling over, instead of both drivers involved getting out of the car to talk to each other, they simply yell out the window at each other... and then continue driving in the traffic.  i guess it makes sense.  there are so many vehicles driving in the same space, completely disorganized, rickshaws, auto rickshaws, cars, trucks, and hearses, people, animals all crammed together in one space.  there's really no where to pull over to, so... whatever i guess.  so we continued driving along, and then 15minutes later, the cab driver tells us to get out of the car because there's some damage or something... so we have to hop into another cab to get us to our destination.  thankfully our friend janea was accompanying us and could navigate and inform us on what in the world was going on.

we finally arrived at connexions, spent quite a bit of time there, and then went over to janea's home which was really close-by. a tiny little place but very cozy.  he and his sister hosted the 4 of us in their little (bed)room, gracing us with love... amazing tea made by his sister, chips, Indian snacks, soda... and we got to see old pics too.  it's nice to see home life... amazing family... amazing story... wonderful times.

tomorrow will be a crazy day... tired just thinking about it.

mcd's brings smiles to all

I can’t believe it’s the final full day for Julia and Jae. Time is passing too quickly andd our time in India is winding down.  I can’t believe it.   On our walk to the office, we stopped to visit the Missionaries of Charity and Mother Teresa’s old bedroom and her tomb.  I wish I could have met her in person… I can imagine her walking the streets of Kolkata… doing her thing… loving and pouring compassion out on the poor.  Jae and Julia visited Connexions, a vocational training project that teaches and employs women from the slums, to see the project and buy some gifts there.  While Albert continued his work and Grace prepped for the next workshop, Jane and I led YPF for the Pavement Club kids with little to no preparation but thank God things went just fine.  It was actually quite interesting to hear how these kids think and how hopeful and confident they are in their abilities to change their communities.  It’s a refreshing perspective to hear after being immersed in the lives of the adults in their communities who feel so hopeless in their life situation, buried by tradition and culture.

We were continuing our discussions on identity, community, and social responsibility.  We asked the kids to choose a community issue for their small group to focus on.  In one group, they want to clean up the physical trash in their community.  In another to create a drug and alcohol awareness program.  Another to create awareness program on not urinating in random places.  And another group on the mental trash of the community… to transform the thinking of the community… to encourage families to value education and send their children to the existing governemtn schools there… to build up this next generation.  Amazing young people.  These young people are part of the Pavement Club program, a NFE that gets these kids off the streets and give them a basic desire to learn and be educated.   These kids are not attending formal schools but they are being transformed through their participation in EMC’s ministries.  Good kids…

Another teacher workshop this afternoon which went well.  I felt like I was running up and down the stairs, in and out of the workshop, into meetings with different staff and leaders, etc.  somehow squeezed in a meeting on marketing and branding.  my brain is stuffed.. somehow keeping a foot in all the work we’re doing, perhaps not effectively but enough i hope... by God’s grace alone.

A packed final day with the entire team.  We hit up a nice Indian restaurant for dinner, and then ran into Vicken, a street boy that Jane and I had pseudo-befriended a few weeks back.  He's a kid that lives on the street and haggles tourists, aka us, to buy packs of chewing gum from him and begs for money.  A few weeks back we had given him and his buddy some pencils instead.  Anyhow, we ran into Vicken again and took him and his friends to McDonalds for a treat.  I’m not so sure the McD’s staff appreciated us bringing in street kids with raggedy clothes, no shoes, running around in their establishment but whatever.   Sometimes it’s easy to just get frustrated by these kids because they haggle and beg, but once you get to know them, the relationship changes.  We felt like their older siblings.  We found out Vicken is going to a school during the day, but then sells packs of gum after school to help pay for his school fees.  McDonalds brings smiles to kids of all ages all around the world...

It is hard to believe it is time for us to send off 2 of our team members back to the US.  It seems like just yesterday that they arrived.  In fact, it was just like yesterday.  We’ve had a wonderful but packed few days.  The team has just been doing an amazing job, and it is so obvious that it could only be God who recruited this team to be at EMC during this week or two or six.  Just amazing.

new market, another workshop, continuing the work

This morning the team went to visit and help out at the New Market NFE.  Unfortunately I had to stay back to teach English class. We usually have English classes on Mondays, but our eager beaver students, most of which are NFE teachers, insisted on holding class on Tuesday before their workshop since Monday was a holiday.  I wished I could have been there with the team. Rumor has it Julia was asked to share “a story”, and Julia being the one who fears public speaking the most, stood up and pulled from her childhood memories to teach a song on Jonah that incorporates math and movement.  Amazing.  So proud of her.  So wish I was there...

The 3^rd teacher workshop, on early childhood development, was held this afternoon.  Grace and Julia once again did an amazing job.  The teachers were once again raving about the workshop.  It was neat to see lightbulbs go off, and watch he faces of teachers as their minds were being opened and broadened through the workshop.

The work continues on the IT and microcredit projects and the vocational training program.  Jae hit up some tech stores to get some equipment and tools he needed.  Albert and Jane are continuing with interviews and work on microcredit.  The team is all doing an amazing job… they just run with all the work. I feel so blessed just watching them do their thing.

Midway Home

poster at the home

Today we celebrated Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary with a day off from work.  He was a famous Bengali poet from Kolkata.  The office was closed so we took a day trip to the Midway Home in the outskirts of Kolkata.  The Midway home is EMC’s rehab home for alcoholics and addicts.  It’s an oasis of a place, a good hour plus away from the city, with coconut trees and grassy fields and peace and quiet.  It was awesome to see our brother S, the microcredit loan officer that we’ve been working closely with the past few weeks, in his role as head of the project at the Midway home.  It was neat to see him interact with the men receiving treatment at the home, men of as young as 16 and up through 60.  Men who trust him and look up to him because of S’s own life story that brought him to the Midway home for treatment over a decade ago.  Anyhow we got to interact with the men, hear about their lives, and just get to know them. 

After lunch at the home, we stopped at the drug and alcohol treatment center that all clients go to before coming to the home.  Some of the boys at the boys home we are staying at also came through this treatment center… it’s crazy to imagine those happy little boys we live with once being addicts to various substances… young children as young as 4 or 5 years old.  To think about the futures these kids now have.

Church... hanging with His precious ones

Our team was asked to do “something” at Church today, so we sang a song for the congregation, shared about Synergy, and then Julia reluctantly gave her testimony… which was amazing!!!  It was so powerful and so many hearts were touched… including mine and so many others who were just meeting her for the first time.  So awesome to hear God’s story in other’s lives… thanks Julia for sharing!!!

After church we headed over to Pauline Bhawan to hang out with the kids at this childrens’ home.  After we arrived we were welcomed with a feast that the awesome wardens of the home prepared.  We are so spoiled.  So delicious.  Then we hung out with the girls and the little boys who live there… taught them monopoly deal, chatted, did line dances like the electric slide and cha cha slide, and other things.  Time well spent….

Afterwards we took the local train back to the flat with one of the young men who grew up in the ministry… abandoned by his parents and brought to the ministry as a 2 year old, and raised by the EMC family, educated through their school and now serving in a variety of capacities with the organization, caring for the boys at the home we are staying at, all the while studying for his undergraduate degree.  God’s handprints are all over this young man.  The joy that exudes from his smile, the laughter and peace in Him that fills even our serious conversations…  I’m so thankful for this brother… I’m so thankful for God’s leadership in His life… and I’m just so thankful that we are family.

We found out that the electricity was out and that they insisted we go and stay at the office…  they insisted it’d be unbearable without the fans and we’d have water issues.  We’ve learned that it’s sometimes just better not to argue and go along with their concerns and plans… so, we packed up a bag and headed over.   as we left the building, the boys were all hanging out at the entrance of their building playing cards and games in small groups using the natural light from the moon shining through the smog filled polluted sky and burning candles.  They were so precious, so joyful, so excited about this power outage… almost as if they were on a camping trip… only none of this was by choice.  No fans means heat but also mosquitos since the fans help keep the mosquitos at bay… anyways, super cute.

breakfast for 30 growing boys...

We made breakfast today for our boys downstairs. Wow, what an operation. Potatoes being cooked on the huge stove top in the boys home area. Eggs beating, bread dipping, pan frying on our small stove in our flat. It was truly a team effort, whether it was cooking or couriering, or buying more supplies. The boys seemed to really enjoy the French toast and syrup and the potatoes. I think they were stuffed… as were we.

Afterwards, we played some volleyball, cricket, soccer, phase 10 and stuff with the boys. The rain was coming down hard and the rest of the team was smart enough to play card games and do art stuff with the kids, but i, on the other hand, stayed out in the pouring rain, probably full of acid and other gunk as it stung my eyes.. and continued playing... one of the older boys wanted some goalkeeper training which I of course was more than happy to do! Twas fun, except for the rain that burned into my eyeballs.  amazing kid... great athlete!

teacher grace teaching vball

helping with art class

serious phase 10 match

GK training

Wandered to New Market in the PM… picked up a cake to surprise the warden at the home whom we have come to love.  He doesn't speak much English but he has this great smile and laugh...  as does his lovely wife.  we found out his birthday was today so we picked up a cake and surprised  him and the boys.  such a sweet time with them.  someone mentioned it was the first birthday cake he's had.  i don't think birthdays are celebrated like we do back in the states... the boys were all so excited, clapping for him, and just celebrating him.

after some hanging, we headed back up to our flat and had a nice time of sharing and praying together.  I love our team.

Jumping right in.

God has been so gracious to us. Jetlag has not been a major issue as we’ve had to get right to work. Only the team’s 2nd full day in Kolkata, and already 2 workshops with the teachers have been completed, some computers have been fixed, interviews continue with our loan recipients, and meetings with project leaders to clarify and push our work along. English classes have continued as requested by these eager students who are just so fun, intense, hilarious, and just wonderful students.

Yesterday we also had to lead YPF for the teens from the local slum and pavement community. We thought we might try some ideation with these kids and get them to think about what they love and what they’d like to change in their communities. Our prayer is that these kids would see how much God has given them, that they would see their communities and fill it with God’s love through their actions and words, that they would own their communities and be the change. Despite the backgrounds and circumstances these kids live day in and day out, they have bright minds and hearts filled with confidence that they can and will bring positive change to their communities. Unfortunately we didn’t have time for the kids to brainstorm how they’d address some of the challenges in their comunties; but we are looking forward to next week to start that. The kids brought up some real issues, and I’m confident they will succeed in bringing change. If they don't, then who will?

Today we lead YPF for the teens at Emmanuel School. We’re continuing on our topic on self-worth and identity as a man, woman, and a teenager. Preacher Jane gave a nice message, and then we had the teens tell us what pop culture, Indian culture, and their personal perspectives are on men, women, and teens. Smart kids. Honest kids. Funny kids.

Pavement Club YPF brainstorming

Pavement Club YPF brainstorming

the team has arrived!

we go from 2 to 6, all in a matter of 24 hours. our flat is filled now with awesome brothers and sisters, our personal belongings, and stuff for the workshops and stuff we're donating to different projects at EMC.

I spent much of the day sitting in a car, inhaling wonderful black exhaust, sitting in traffic, and driving in a real live game of super mario cart with 100 times the number of characters in the game, driving to and from the airport.. and sitting in the airport too.

stuffed into a taxi

it feels weird, being a "foreigner" myself, here in kolkata, yet picking people up, as if i'm the localer and the host! it was so great though to be there, to see them and welcome them to this city that i've grown to love. i have to admit, it felt good to welcome them to my 'home'.

so far everyone is doing well. they came bearing so much... their own personal belonging along with lots of donated school supplies, computer monitors, sports equipment and games for the boys who live downstairs... so much... and of course some american treats for us like pop tarts and tastycakes and korean ramen... yumm... we hit up pizaa hut tonight which was delicious of course. seems they had a bit too much indian food on the airplane.. hehe... and i'm the last person to complain about eating american food!

good times... unpacked and settled in... lights out... everyone sleeping... i hope... or laying quietly... just me in my safety mosquito net (despite there probably not even being any mosquitos)... alright... i must sleep too.

full day tomorrow. until then... or some other day... see ya.