Missionaries of Charity

I've just returned from day 2 of volunteering for Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. Yesterday morning, I was at Shishu Bhavan (which means home for children), an orphanage for physically and mentally handicapped children. This afternoon, I was at Kalighat, home the dying and destitute. Let's start with yesterday.

My alarm went off at 5am, and I was far from ready to wake up. It had taken me hours to fall asleep the night before; it was past 1am by the time I did. Not sure if it was the heat and stickiness (I had been in AC the past 3 nights), or the "quiet" fan which was not so quiet after all, or the smell of my room (I would describe it as the moldy, closed-in basement of a 50 year-old cottage), or the excitement/anxiety of starting unfamiliar work the next day, but whatever it was, it kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. I groggily got out of bed after less than 4 hours of sleep, got ready, and left at 5:30. It was lighter out than I had expected, which was good, as I had a 15 minute walk down narrow streets to get the Mother House. There were lots of people out and about already, but lots also still sleeping. And it was on this early morning walk that I realized just how many people sleep on the sidewalks. Usually, when I walk by, their beds have been replaced by vending stalls. The streets were much calmer, less honking, and it was unusually easy to cross the street. A few kids shouted hi to me as I walked by, their parents hanging up the meat or knick-knacks for sale. Already, it was a scorcher of a day. Great. Intense heat for day one of work. And there certainly wasn't going to be AC where I was going! 

I arrived at the Mother House at ten to 6, was directed upstairs to the main chapel, and sat down on a bench for mass. To the left of the chapel were about a hundred sisters (mostly Indian, but a few Asian and a few white) seated on the floor, and over to the right, a dozen foreigners (there would eventually be about double that) were seated on the floor or on benches. A few rickety fans provided a nice breeze in the hot and humid room. At 6, mass began with a few chants, then the Indian priest came in and read a few passages from the Bible. Mass was scheduled to go from 6-7, and by then I figured it must be about half over. I looked at the clock, ten past 6. Oh boy. This was going to be a long one. I stood when the others stood, knelt when the others knelt, and sat when they sat. I listened to but did not participate in the chanting. At 6:30, the priest ended mass and walked out. Yay! Only half an hour. But no one else left. Oh. There's more. The sisters then chanted for about 10 minutes, then all the ones who were dressed in the blue-bordered white saris walked out, along with a few foreigners from the right side of the room, leaving only the fully white dressed sisters (novices, I presumed) and a handful of westerners. I had been anxious for mass to end, but stuck around a few minutes just out of curiosity. The novices continued chanting, and one by one, the people on the right left the room. When there only two others left, I decided to head out. It was then downstairs to the breakfast hall, at 6:45, where all the volunteers (about 30) gathered and chatted over a cup of chai, a small green banana, and a couple slices of plain white bread. Hoped that would last me until noon. Said hi to the Texan girl from orientation and the 3 Germans from dinner. As I ate, I read more in the small booklet I had picked up about Mother Teresa's life, feeling incredibly inspired and moved by her courage, dedication, and selflessness. At about quarter to 8, we washed our cups and gathered for a short prayer. The nun in charge then asked if it was anyone's last day of work. One Chinese girl said yes, was brought to the center and a cheerful thank you chant and clapping followed. She was emotional after having been there only 4 days. Leaders then held up signs for each of the centers, some groups walking, others taking a bus. There was no sign for Shishu Bhavan. I waited a few minutes, still nothing. I saw Hugh, the Irish guy from orientation and inquired. He said that group had left already, since the center was just a few minutes away. I had walked there on Friday (following the quick-paced Texan nun), so I knew where to go.

A few volunteers were setting up the dispensary on the ground floor when I arrived, and directed me to the second floor for the orphanage. There is also an orphanage on the ground floor, but it is for "regular" kids who are school-taught by long-term volunteers and can be adopted. I went upstairs, where only one other girl (only women can volunteer at this orphanage) was waiting on a wooden bench just outside the entrance door. She was from France, and doing her PHD in Calcutta, researching nano-composites, looking for useful and ecological material combinations (she was working on a project that mixed coconut fiber and oil - forget which kind - to produce sturdy plastic). She had been at Shishu Bhavan for about a week already, so she told me a bit about the schedule and tasks, which was a relief since Hugh said the first few days can be tough since you're pretty much left on your own, given few directives and expected to just jump in and make yourself useful somehow. I was glad to have Alice give me a few pointers. At 8, we entered the room. It was a large, simple room, with a few colorful signs and posters. Most of the space was taken up by colorfully painted metal-barred cribs, with a small eating and playing space off to the side. I put my bag and water in the volunteer cupboard, got my apron, and began. The day started with all the children seated on a matted area of the floor, for about 15 minutes of songs. Some kids were strapped into special chairs as they could not use their arms or legs, others sat or lay on the floor. We were to hold one or two of the floor kids, to keep them calm or help them sit up if they were lying down. Of course, I happened to pick the most agitated one of the bunch, who squirmed and wriggled the whole time. A few kids were then singled out and asked, in English, to point at certain body parts. They smiled proudly as everyone clapped when they got it right. Then a few children needed their nappies changed (no throw away Huggies, of course - simple cloth wraps that were hand-washed and re-used). Next was time for some water. Most could not drink on their own, so we spoon-fed the water out of stainless steel cups. My first kid was a very cooperative drinker. Then we played with kids a little, while the sisters gave some of them leg, arm, and body massages to stimulate their limbs. (There are sisters, volunteers, and Indian women who are paid to work there. A few other female volunteers arrived after Alice and I.) It was then time for warm milk, which was again spoon-fed from a cup. My second kid was less cooperative. Try spoon-feeding milk to a 3 year old who has little control over her neck, is always looking sideways to see what's going on, and sucks the milk off the spoon as if it were a bottle. Let me know how it goes. Managed to get through it with minimal mess. 

At 10:30, it was break time for the volunteers. One of the older children, who acts as a helper and is very serious about her job, led me to a sink where I could wash my hands, and then to the staircase where the 5 other girls were already gathered for tea and biscuits. I thanked the little helper and joined them. (The kids vary in age from about 2-12. At least half of them can't walk or eat independently. One, who I tried not to look at with too much shock, had a body the size of a one year old, with a head about 5 times the size it should be. I've seen such things on the discovery channel, but never thought I'd see it with my own eyes.) After a 15 minute break/chat with the other volunteers, it was back to work. 

Now was lunch time. I decided to go help with the older kids (had spent most of the morning with the younger ones). Brought a plate of rice, egg and veg stew to a girl who was sitting alone in a corner on a bench by the window. She seemed a little out of it and very tired, but I convinced her to have some lunch that I spoon fed her. We are encouraged to try getting the older kids to eat on their own, but she was much too spacey for that at this time. Her eyes kept closing as she chewed and swallowed in very slow motion. A few times, I got her to smile. Halfway through the meal, she started banging her head on the concrete wall she was leaning on, and continued to do so on and off. So for the remainder of lunch, I used my left hand on the wall to receive her head and soften the hit, and my right hand to feed her from the dish on my lap. Seeing the easily accessible dish, other kids came over and dunked their mouth in it, which I could do little about given my hand positioning. Sisters either laughed it off or raised  their voices at the sneaky kids to get them away from my plate. My sleepy head-banger was the last to finish her meal. There were then a few more nappies to change before putting the kids down for nap time. By noon, all were in bed, some sleeping, some crying, some fidgeting, some laughing. And our volunteer morning shift was up.

I had planned to go on about yesterday afternoon and today in this post, but it's 8pm and I'm getting tired, a little hungry, and a little sick of typing. So part 2, 3 and 4 tomorrow!