Cholera, Natures cleanse!

Kolkata....... Today is hot, almost 100f, very muggy. My goal today was to locate the Motherhouse, find and arrange housing, buy some native Indian wear for my daily work clothing and take in some sites. Mission accomplished but not without some excitement. 


There is very little data available or infrastructure  provide for this organization. You are basically given a day to show up for orientation and at that time you will be assigned your work. Everything else is on your own including finding housing. My first stop today was at a place called the hotel Circular. A small door off a dirty, crowded street front entry reveled a dark and sinister lobby. Inside 12 dark and sinister looking employees were standing ready as I enter to do what felt like possibly consume me instead of help me. I approached the front desk where 6 of the employees there seemed too eager to help.


 I was then shown up the ancient elevator to a dark, low, narrow hallway that smelled pungent of lysol and something undefinable. The short boy opened "my door" and showed me the room. Now I am not expecting much, not even ok but this was...well damn frightful. The little hairs on my neck prickled a little. The space, so low and small that only a small single bed could fit and a nightstand with a stained and crooked lampshade that flickered dimly casting a yellow stain in the room. I took a deep lysol infused breath and moved to look at the bathroom. Thats when the Bates Motel horror film thoughts slipped into my head. Damn my overactive imagination! I looked back at the little man showing me the room and started to fear he was up to no good. I took a step closer to the door. 


This place is like one of those dark spy films where you are in a seedy part of Russia or Morocco and it is an opium den where they kidnap women and chain them to beds and use them a sex slaves. I have now pictured myself as such and just know I would be popular. I retreat more... enter the hall way and start to head to the elevator when the door to the room next swings open and standing in the very darkened threshold is a wild grey haired very tall looking english woman, she yells out the door as we walk past "who is there', and in her cheetah print leggings and silver tank she had the look of a confused crazed cave woman... I am now more convinced than ever that I will not be staying here or I too will become a sex slave crazed woman and wear cheetah leggings...well thats not why I came to India. Can't tell you how fast I exited. 


A little unnerved...thinking about a conversation I recently had with my mom. She said "I am so proud of you, you are so brave". I replied at the time that "maybe I am not so brave mom, maybe I am just stupid"! She was offended and argued.. that I was indeed brave but I have confirmed it mom.. I am not brave! 


The next place was full but the third place I tried was the charm. I will be staying at a Baptist Mission, behind a tall gate in a beautiful garden compound just one to two blocks walking distance to the Motherhouse. I didn't even ask to see the room, I didn't care, people were nice and helpful and I would happily sleep in the little chicken coop in the garden after seeing the other options.. really! So until the 11th I have shelter and won't be working as a sex slave.


With sunset coming I have one last thing to do... I want to see the River Ganges. This ancient holy river is a spiritual place with ancient ties to the history of India. I recall seeing millions of Indians making their annual pilgrimages to the Ganges, to bath and worship. Today I had a glimpse of that. As I arrived a man was carrying his offerings to the river of a large bundle of bananas leaves and some flowers. To the hindu It is believed that to bathe in the river is like receiving forgiveness for all sins. Being in the river is the closets thing to heaven on earth. I watch as the man splashed the water onto his face over and over again and as he takes another hand full of offering from his bag.... oh but this time is looks like he is offering his weeks worth of household garbage.. oh he actually is. Wow, that was not cool. But I guess the water is so far gone and polluted that it must seem inconsequential to them. It is not uncommon to see dead bodies floating by.


Recent water samples collected in Ganges revealed fecal-coliform counts of about 50,000 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, 10,000% higher than the government standard for safe river bathing. The result of this pollution is an array of water-borne diseases including cholera, hepatitis, typhoid and amoebic dysentery. An estimated 80% of all health problems and one-third of deaths in India are attributable to water-borne diseases.


 I have had cholera, I got on on my very first visit to India back in 2008. Let me tell you it is no fun and certainly the best cleanse out there. Highly recommend it for dramatic weight loss. So as I  watch that man as he splashed more water up into his face, drinking it in.....well I think to myself....now thats what I call brave!