Peanut Butter Eating Catholic

I took up volunteer work for a month with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in part to take a break from my self-indulgent travelly adventure, to lay down some roots for a while, try my hand at voling (obviously missing Surface Gallery voling back in Nottingham), and to extend my time in Kolkata.

Mother's Tomb

I helped at a home for mentally and physically handicapped women at Dum Dum (yes, the awful obvious cringe of the name of the place is not lost. The home is in an area called Dum Dum). Dum Dum was challenging and over the month we saw other voles give up on Dum Dum after a day with us.
I helped in a class teaching women numbers, colours, the alphabet, with some colouring, screechy singing, energetic drumming, and fun dancing led by the trainee Sisters, and beating out rhythms on various percussion instruments. At first I felt incredibly patronising towards these women (one of whom is older than I am) as I taught them simple school stuff. There would be brilliant days such as when Asha said "ten" for the first time ever!! Suporna who had limited motor skills but an eye for shapes and patterns. Small improvements felt so huge and it was great to see tiny progressions. It was so lovely to be able to see the individual personalities and talents of these women shine through after slowly getting to know them. Teaching them the hokey cokey was winner, even though 8 of the women were in wheel chairs we still got them moving and laughing at my dance skills! It's reinforced a massive respect  for anyone who works in this profession day in day out as it's tough to be constantly patient and entertaining and loving and educational. It was also personally rewarding and so many voles come away with a sense that they have taken so much more than they have managed to give out. I concur.

On the commute to work: goat happily balancing whilst munching on leaves

And alongside voling I even embraced the Catholic culture of morning mass (nowhere near every morning but still a first for me!) and Adoration in the evenings. I came to love Adoration - for me it was a chance to sit and chill and attempt a bit of meditation or write in my journal as I tried to process my thoughts and feeling and trials over the past few days as a vole. I never expected to come to India and end up going to Mass and surrounded by so many Catholics!

The sugary breakfasts of sweet chai, plain white bread, and sweet bananas with mid-morning break of yet more sweet chai and biscuits took its toll on my ever fluctuating sugar levels (this is the country with the biggest diabetes problem in the world. Not at all surprised!). I was feeling weak and in need of a protein fix. This came in the form of crunchy peanut butter bought at nearby Hogg Market. My first ever peanut butter purchase. Back home I am not a fan but out here my feeble body craved peanut butter asap.