so this post will kinda be all over the place because like kolkata, my head is constantly in a state of chaos. one thing that we experience on a daily basis is something the locals refer to as skin tax. its when people rip me off because i am white. it gets annoying but we know the prices to get places now so we are able to fight to get our correct change back. most of the time its the difference of a couple rupees which doesn't seem like a lot in the scheme of things but a couple rupees every time for the next four months will get real expensive real quick. the other thing that isn't super annoying yet for me is all the stares i get walking down the street. one of the other girls compared it to the movie inception. i think its funny because in america we would rarely stare at someone just because they look different. that's just my thoughts.
now on to the positive things in my daily life here. it was really cool yesterday working at mama T's (that's what we call mother teresa's here) because i worked with a kid that is physically and mentally handicapped. part of his physical therapy is to help him walk around the room. i had to hold him up but he would take steps to move forward. it was a really awesome image of the way God holds us up when we are too weak to support our own weight but we can still move forward. the other bright spot was today during morning devotions with the women. they start their day with a devotion and worship every day. today i was sitting there surrounded by women i dont know and they were speaking a language i can only hope one day i will understand. once they started signing it was so cool to see their faces light up with the joy and hope they have in Jesus. it was such an awesome image of God's power to transform people.
one of my friends made me notes for each day i am in kolkata. some are words of encouragement. some are bible verses. some are challenges for the day. today's note said "say 10 things you are grateful for" which may not seem like a big deal but in a chaotic city the things that are frustrating or annoying or difficult often come to the surface. i wanted to share my list with you and in turn challenge you to say 10 things you are grateful for. here is mine:
1. God gives me the strength to get through each day
2. the peace of the metro ride to work
3. melissa, our team lead, who has graciously taken us under her wings
4. the glimpses of joy and hope within the chaos of the city
5. LAUGHTER
6. my home stay family
7. running water and electricity
8. words of encouragement in the form of notes from home
9. all the people praying for me as i journey through kolkata
10. clouds which provide a beautiful backdrop for this chaotic city
this is real life now.
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