An Assault on all Senses

Kolkata is a city that assaults each of the five senses. Upon landing at the Kolkata airport, the air was thick with pollution and the buildings were visually decaying. The air was hot and humid as I walked through the jet way to the newly built airport. The immigration area was fully of noise and chaos as people from all over the world joined the line to gain entry into the city. A sea of Indian faces greeted me as I made my way through customs and found Sarah's familiar face among the crowds. The taxi ride to my new home reminded me of the blaring noise of horns and people. The air was saturated with the smell of street food and the aroma of spices. It was a true assault on the senses, but it felt like I was home. 

One pleasant surprise was running into a familiar face on my flight from LAX to Dubai. It was a treat to sit and talk about our fears of our upcoming journeys to hard places. It was great share the fear of the unknown, but the goodness and provision of God up to this point. When we arrived in Dubai, we sat and chatted over lattes before his plane departed. It was truly a gift to have a friend along the way. 

I arrived safe and sound on Tuesday morning local time after about 30 hours of travel. I forced myself to hit the ground running. The route to Sari Bari was pleasantly familiar as I passed kids yelling and playing. I walked up the stairs to Sari Bari just as devotion time was ending and the women started on their work. I loved seeing familiar faces and the meted reactions of surprise and joy. Some of the women immediately recognized my face and gave me hugs and began asking questions in Bengali while other women took a little longer to recognize me. I loved every exhausting moment of that first day when I powered through travel and exhaustion to begin my time in a crazy, chaotic city that I love. 

It has been a wonderful few days getting to know my roommate and relearning how to navigate the city. Today is a holiday so it is a day to rest and readjust. I am looking forward to unpacking (yes I have been here 2 full days and not unpacked), drinking coffee and watching movies. I am so grateful for your prayers as embark on journey of serving the women of Sari Bari.