Last day

I woke up early to go to mass (ignoring the Sisters' advice) and covered myself as much as I could in order to avoid having to much painting on my skin and hair, but at 5h30, everyone was still asleep, at noon, when the celebrations reached their climax I was indoors with the children of Daya Dan and when I got Holi had ended!

Where is Holi?
HERE IT IS!!

Since it was Holi, there were really few volunteers at mass and breakfast but also at Daya Dan. Therefore, I had the opportunity to have quality time with the children, enjoying and spoiling each one of them, kissing them goodbye. Once again, I had my heart in my mouth... as Mother Teresa said, "they give us so much more than we give them".

We went back to Sudder Street and I passed at the Ashreen to say goodbye, I made a tatoo a the Internet coffee and we went to Jojos for lunch!

And yes, we still had the chance to get a little bit painted! :)

After a last expresso at the Internet, I said "see you later" to my Kolkata Friends (with a very big "F"!!) and went to pack my things.

At 16h30 I left a really strange Kolkata. The Holi had ended and so had its crazyness... everyone was sleeping! My taxi drove me through a sleeping Kolkata, emptied of its noises and life, without people, cars, taxis, rickshaws, buses, stores, noises...


On Wednesday I left a different and unknown Kolkata but it was for the best: I keep the Kolkata I know - a most vivid and alive picture of Life - inside me, hoping to come back to her soon!

Update!

Bom dia Alegria!

I'm back to Portugal, and thus writing in English for those who I already miss enormously! I still have Indian stories to share, so here it goes! (I don't write in "the language I most spoke in Kolkata" only because my written SPANISH is outrageous! ;))

On Sunday 8th, we took some children of Daya Dan to KFC on Park Street! It was really great... they were so happy, so excited... It really felt good to see them like that. By the way, it was also amazing to see THE QUANTITY OF FOOD these little creatures managed to eat!!

Afterwards, I took the afternoon off to go for a walk - guided by Eva - to a place in Kolkata's south east area, near Salt Lake. As Eva told us, it was a really nice place to see, a place in the city but near a little lake, with much more "green sights" and peace!

And she was right! The afternoon was gorgeous and I was really happy to see such a place before leaving... As usual, my companions were, besides Eva, Marta and Ladislas! :)

Near the "lake", was a little slum inhabited by peasants. We entered a little street where speakers sang out loud a song (probably a prayer) that accompanied us all afternoon. On the street - with no traffic, no horns nor crows and relatively clean - we saw women walking and playing with their children, combing their hair... smiling!

Most of all, life in that place was quiet and calm, there was no rush, no overcrowded side walks. We could walk at ease and see the people and look at the view! We could pass by those women, smile and say "hello" and they smiled and "welcomed" us (quite different from the usual long and silent staring).

This place was filled with peace, music, green, colors and... SMILES! It's as if the rush and noise of the city that surrounds this marvelous place was unable to actually enter in it.

On one side of the street, was a river (incredibly polluted or, to be correct, in the Kolkata standard state). This sight reminded me of Dominique Lapierre's description of the City of Joy.

The afternoon was really great... thank you Eva!! :)

The week started on Monday with the word spread that "HOLI" was coming! The Holi or "festival of Colors " as it's also known, is a nationwide event celebrated by Hindus in which, as the name suggests, COLOR is praised!
Although I was happy to be able to see it, since the festival was going to occur on Wednesday, my last day in Kolkata, it was also quite disturbing. Actually, the Sisters told us that the festival could be dangerous since most Hindus, with all the drinking and enthusiasm of the celebrations did not only "paint" every person they saw but also got quite provocative and abusive, specially with female foreigners... So basically, we - I - was asked not to go to work nor go on the streets... on my last day! :s

I put that matter aside and decided to enjoy the days I had left... And many people helped me! On that same day I had the best "trip" to Kalighat ever! We sang and danced IN THE SUBWAY and all the way to Kalighat!


On Tuesday, I went to Kalighat for the last time... The afternoon went well but my eyes were close to tears many times and I left the house really moved. It was so hard to say goodbye to these women who touched me in so much ways during this time. I missed them already...
But sadness was not on the order of the day: Tuesday was also Juan's birthday, his dinner (which was also my last dinner) was waiting for us.

And what a dinner! We were many as were the food and deserts... Juan entered a bakery and went totally crazy buying as much cakes as the people who were expected to show up!

Meanwhile Marta also gave us a Capoeira demonstration which all loved...

I really had the greatest time, eating, talking, joking, laughing... ENJOYING the moment and the FANTASTIC PEOPLE THAT KOLKATA GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW!

In the end of all this, Juan and I also received gorgeous gifts...

THANK YOU!
Thank you for this night, for the "card" and for every day in your GREAT COMPANY!

Varias coisas que ficaram por contar

Na quinta-feira nao trabalhamos e por isso quarta a noite houve fiesta! Fomos todos (portuguesas, franceses e espanhois) para um jantar "spanish" na casa de uns voluntarios holandeses com quem temos passado a maior parte do tempo! Tivemos direito a um jantar de reis com:

- Sangria, feita a perfeicao pela Marta;

- Tostas de tomate e TORILHA BUENISSIMA, feita pela Maria (que ja voltou da sua viagem pela India fora) e pelo Juan;

(aqui estou eu com eles)
- E umas pancakes FABULOSAS e altamente caloricas (de chocolate, com chocolate branco derretido por dentro e acucar e doce de morango por cima... ah pois e, isto nao e para meninos!) feitas pelo Peter e Marc holandeses!

O jantar foi muito muito divertido e viemos todos a rebolar para casa!
(da direita para a esquerda: em cima, Ladislas e Mark, em baixo, Marta, Maria, Eu, Peter e Jean Baptiste)

Depois de uma noite bem dormida e de um pequeno-almoco optimo no Blue Sky Cafe (muito celebre ponto de encontro de voluntarios), fomos passear pelas ruas de Kolkata, fora da zona de Sudder e Park Street! Estavam (e tem estado de ha uns dias para ca) um calor e humidade de morte... estou a comecar a sentir o efeito de que a Miana tanto me falava de estar o dia todo a suar em bica, das 5 da manha as 10 da noite... sim eu sei, too much information! Mas o objectivo deste blog e precisamente o de partilhar um pouco desta experiencia, e o suar de manha a noite e (a par do falar espanhol, toldo el dia) sine qua non! :)

Aqui vao algumas fotografias de uma Kolkata um pouco menos suja e pobre mas sempre caotica e com uns edificios coloniais bem giros (sobretudo quando comparados com os barracoes que vejo no dia a dia):

(a casa do Governador)
(Os correios!)

(LOL...! Isso queriam eles!)

O que me faz lembrar que ha uns dias me dei de repente conta de que estes ditos "predios" que eu via nas ruas deveriam... estar habitados! Pois e, e que o numero de pessoas - nao, FAMILIAS - que vejo a viver na rua (dormir, cozinhar, lavar a roupa, etc.) e tal que andei por estas ruas durante tres semanas sem que nunca me passasse pela cabeca que ainda haveriam mais pessoas a viver nestes predios sem vidros ou portadas nas janelas e com aspecto velho, sujo e abandonado!

Acabamos o nosso dia livre no jantar de anos dum espanhol no terraco do hotel da Eva (nesta fotografia), a outra unica mas fantastica portuguesa em Kolkata!

Mais uma vez comemos bem e ate mais nao...

Ultima coisa...
Esta manha, depois da missa quando saia da capela (que e num primeiro andar), assisti as novicas todas a cantar, do claustro, os parabens a uma das irmas mais velhas da casa e mais uma musica escrita de proposito para ela... Estive o tempo todo de lagrimas nos olhos.
A alegria e ternura daquela cena sao indiscritiveis. Ver aquelas 30 raparigas, todas vestidas de branco, que nem uns anjinhos, e pensar que estes seres que estavam e estao sempre a transbordar de alegria, preparam-se a entregar as suas vidas nao a penas "a Deus" mas a adora-Lo e servi-Lo nos mais pobres e miseraveis seres desta terra... parecem umas velinhas frageis enviadas para brilhar nas barracas mais escuras. E brilham com uma luz fantastica, que aquece e transforma os que iluminam, sem nunca se apagar!

Cortou-me a respiracao.

Bem, acho que esta tudo em dia. Bjs e ate amanha!

PS...

PARABENS MANU!!!! :)

Ainda estou viva!

Ola!

Ja nao dizia nada ha alguns dias porque, para dizer a verdade, cheguei de Varanasi e dei-me conta que... ESTOU QUASE A VOLTAR :s

Que tristeza, parece-me que cheguei aqui na semana passada, ainda nao tive tempo de fazer quase nada e ja tenho que voltar... e mesmo impressionante a rapidez com que estas semanas passaram. Alias, voaram!

Assim que me recompus deste choque, decidi mexer-me ao maximo e aproveitar todos os minutos ate partir! Tenho trabalhado de manha e a tarde. Tanto Daya Dan como Kaligath tem corrido cada vez melhor, comeco a conhecer cada vez melhor as criancas/mulheres com quem trabalho, os seus nomes, os seus feitios, a relacao entre eles... e a conhecer o ritmo e "horarios" das casas, as Massis... Para alem das irmas e dos voluntarios, em cada casa trabalham varios funcionarios ou funcionarias indianas (trabalham a tempo inteiro e sao remunerados). As funcionarais - que sao fantasticas - chamamos Massis. Da-me cada vez mais gosto trabalhar e comeco a sentir-me mais independente e util. Logo agora... que vou ter que ir embora!

Mas deixa de queixumes, se ha uma coisa que devo guardar de Kolkata e o a vontade de viver a vida com humildade e simplicidade, recebendo e abrindo maos das coisas que ela da e leva com traquilidade. E tao bom valorizar o que nos e dado de ter num momento sem temer antecipadamente a sua perda... assim podemos viver plenamente e felizes! Terei que deixar Kolkata, a falo-hei certamente com um no na garganta mas... vou voltar a Portugal, a familia, a casa, aos amigos, ao trabalho (que ja agora nem se pode dizer que tenha alguma vez largado, vejo VODAFONE de 10 em 10 metros aqui, nao ha uma descricao! :p).

Kolkata esta a ser fantastico, daqui a menos de uma semana terei que virar esta pagina, mas para descobrir que se lhe segue! Fecha-se uma porta mas logo se abre uma janela! :)