Janiceblog

July 18, 2007                 Janice Manning

My train to Kolkata was a couple of hours late to the Howrah station. Bishnu was patiently
waiting with a genuine smile and excitement. Since we had missed our connecting train to
Santineketan, Bishnu took us to a wonderful place in Kolkata for lunch. During this time, he
reviewed what my days would be like, where I would be staying, and other logistics.    After
lunch we caught our connecting train to Santineketan. We arrived around 6:30 after a three
hour ride on a very comfortable, air conditioned train. It was pouring rain when we arrived, but
fortunately a car was waiting for us to take us to Bishnu's apartment. His apartment was
comfortable with a computer with Internet and TV with cable. A wonderful meal was waiting,
prepared by Pari, his cook. We had curried egg and potatoes, daal, and roti. After eating we
relaxed and listened to traditional Bengali folk music performed by a Baul from town. After our
long day of travel, I went to bed, eager to visit the school and children the next day.

July 19, 2007

I woke up early after a restful sleep. We relaxed and had breakfast consisting of eggs, toast,
and coffee. I took a shower and then Bishnu showed us where we would be staying. The
volunteer apartment is only a minute or two walk from Bishnu's place. It is a room with two
beds, shelving, a fan, and it has mosquito nets. The bathroom is very clean and has good
plumbing. After moving into the apartment we went to pick up a bicycle and buy some things
from the market. It was wonderful to see the town. The people are friendly and it is a beautiful
town. After lunch, it was my first time to go to the school. The bike ride took about 40 minutes
and was beautiful. We passed rice fields, rivers and beautiful nature. We arrived at the school
where the children were there to greet us. The school is beautiful and the children were
excited to meet some new volunteers. After playing with them for awhile, the students were
divided into two groups (an older group and a younger group).   First I went to the yard with the
older group. Some of the students played soccer and I played games and sang songs with
some of the other children. After some time, I brought my group into the school where we
worked on our lesson. We practiced some introduction phrases in English and played
"pictionary" to practice some of their vocabulary. The students are very bright and eager to
learn.   After school, we rode our bikes back to town and stopped at a tent for a samosa, a
chop (fried potato with wonderful spices), and tea. We headed back to Bishnu's for a
wonderful dinner of chicken masala and roti. At the end of the day I was exhausted and ready
for bed. I am looking forward to working with the students of the Shantal village and learn and
understand more about their lives here. A wonderful first day at the school and in
Santineketan.

July 20, 2007

I slept well after my first night in the Volunteer Apartment. We headed over to Bishnu's for
breakfast and then headed to the bike shop to get my bike fixed. After running a few errands
in town, we came back to Bishnu's for lunch, and then it was off to the school. We had a huge
lunch, so I was full and ready for the bike ride to school to work off some of my lunch. On the
way to the school, We stopped by a little Kiosk for some "pan". Bishnu described it as a
something that helps the digestive system. It is many different spices, herbs, and paste rolled
up into a big leaf. It was a shock to my taste buds. It was bitter, refreshing, and repulsive all at
one time. After a couple of minutes, I did not feel as full and my breath was fresh. It was a
lovely ride to school. Once we were at school, it started to downpour. I took my group into the
back room where the supplies are stored. We played a couple of games but the rain started
coming down so hard that we looked out the window and enjoyed looking at the rain. After the
rain subsided, we worked on greetings and introductions. On our way home, the rain began
again. It began to downpour and was not letting up. It was an adventure getting back to
Bishnu's apartment. Bishnu picked up some chop and after we got back to the apartment we
had tea and chop. After dinner, we visited some of Bishnu's friends for a small birthday party
and then headed home to bed. It was another fun filled and busy day.

July 21, 2007

We headed to Kolkata today. We took the 1:00 pm Santineketan Express. It took about 3
hours to get back to the "big city". Bishnu took us for tea and cake at the famous "Flury's" on
Park Street in Kolkata. After tea, we went to the YWCA hostel on Park Street. It was a safe
and clean place to stay in a great location. After Bishnu dropped us off, we explored the city
by walking around and had a quick meal near our hostel at the "Golden Spoon". It was a great
first day exploring Kolkata.

July 22, 2007

Today was our first full day in Kolkata. We had heard about all of the book stalls on College
Street. We studied our map and were ready to head out. It was quit an adventure. We finally
found College Street after wondering around for a couple of hours. We were exhausted and
found that many shops and restaurants open late on Sundays. We headed back to Park
Street (by taxi), and had some wonderful coffee and breakfast at an upscale coffee house
called 'Barista'. We decided to head to the Indian Museum. This museum was very
impressive. I saw some of the oldest artifacts from the beginning of Buddhism and Hinduism. I
personally enjoyed seeing some drawing and paintings from Bengali artists. After the museum
we walked around Sutter Street. We then headed to the Book Stores where I got a copy of
Tagore's short stories. After the book shop we headed to a café for tea and dessert. For
dinner, we went to the infamous 'Peter Cat' for great food and cold beer. Kolkata is a
wonderful city and a nice place to relax and walk around.

July 23, 2007

We took the 10:10 AM Santineketan express back. It was a nice train that was very quick and
only took two hours. After lunch we headed to school. I decided to ride my bike and thought I
remembered my way to the school. Bishnu and the new volunteer, Linda, headed off and I
enjoyed the ride to the school. As I got closer to the turn off to the school, I realized I did not
remember exactly where the school was. I turned left down a number of streets and could not
find the school. I went back on the main road and tried the same streets again and again.
Finally, (hours later), I decided to turn right down one road I had not tried yet. I realized I finally
turned down the correct road because I heard the children shouting "hi" and "bye bye". As I
was approaching the school I saw Bishnu and the other volunteers. They were very worried
and Bishnu had even called the police. It was definitely an adventure and I will never forget
how to get back to the school. Once, back at Bishnu's we had a wonderful dinner and relaxed
after a stressful day. I am looking forward to the next week working with the children and focus
on finding ways to give the students a firm grasp of English and actually make it to school
without getting lost.