Adventure into Kolkata

I spent lots of time doing other things online today, so I'm gonna try to make this a quick one, even though I have lots to tell.

Today school was really good. My intermediate math class was cute as always. Some of the kids don't know theit times tables very well so we'll be working on that next week. My advanced class was the best they've been. I started out by being a hard ass and getting mad at the kids that were talking and sending one boy to the corner for a few minutes - that seemed to get their attention. The kids love writing on the board, so today (we're doing order of operations) I had them take turns writing the next step to each problem on the board, one step per line. This helped them understand the rules a little better too I think. But when they did the last problem on their own, no one got it right. But I was still happy though because they all got thier own wrong answers, as opposed to yesterday when they were copying eachother like crazy. Saturday and Sunday are craft days and Monday and Tuesday are days off, so we won't be resuming until next Wednesday, but hopefully that won't be a problem.

After school Trina and I went into Kolkata for the first time. This truly was an adventure. There is no way that I can describe to you just how packed the local train that we took to the metro station was. Just saying it was packed is a bigger understatement than saying the sun is hot. When the train pulled up, there was already no spare room in the compartments. Despite this, Trina and I along with at least twenty other women, muscled our way on. This involved using brute force - putting all of my body weight into the people who were already on board to push them far enough that I could fit. I held onto the handles that dangle down and used them to pull myself through the sea of bodies. Everyone was shoving and yelling. With my hand up to hold on, there was not enough room to get it down to my pocket even if I had wanted to. I honestly think that if someone had a baby with them, the pressure from all the bodies would be enough to squash and kill it. No joke. The women were relatively surprised and I think even impressed to see a little white girl toughing the trains with them. The ten people squished closest to me would smile at me understandingly and try to speak to me in Bengali. They had enough English to tell me when my stop was coming up. Its funny because when they train is stopped and people are getting on and off, the mood is quite hostile. But once we get going and people get situated - that is they give up trying to control where in the train they are going to stand - things calm down and thats when I would get the smiles. Then the train would stop and I'd get pushed all over again.
Indians make do. That is one thing that is the most striking to me. You wouldn't think the sad, tired trains could hold so many people, but they do. You wouldn't think you can mix large amounts of cement and then pour it on the third story of a building without heavy machinery, but people do. The other day I saw people mixing a huge tub of cement with their hands, then loading it into huge metal bowls on their heads and tottering up ladders with the load. And Indians are generally friendly. When Trina and I were waiting for the train, it began pouring rain unexpectedly. After standing there for a minute, on our way to getting drenched, a lady (speaking in Bengali) told two other women to get up from their seats so we could sit under the protection of the tree. They quickly obliged, and then the people around us immediately shared their umbrellas.
Back to the hectic train ride. By the time we were nearing Dum Dum, where we make the transfer to the metro, I was a good six feet away from the door. I was so sure that I would not be able to push through all of those people to make it off the train - or worse I would and Trina wouldn't, or vice versa. Luckily, Dum Dum is a big station and lots of people needed off. Not only did I get off in time, I could not have prevented myself from getting off if I had wanted to. The push towards the door was so strong that I was nearly running onto the platform. We both made it off.
The transfer to the metro went smoothly, and it wasn't nearly as packed. We stood next to a woman who lives in Khardah and was delighted to hear that we were staying there.
When we got off the metro, we wanted to take an autorickshaw to the mall. The only autorickshaw in sight refused to take us. Apparently we had come out on the wrong side of the station. We made our way around, to the other side, but couldn't find another autorickshaw, so we settled for a cab, which is more than six times as expensive - its about $1.10 The first cab we hailed, the driver was utterly confused when we asked about South City Mall, so we sent him on his way without us. The next guy looked similarly perplexed but told us to get in, and suceeded in getting us there.
The mall was huge. It looks like something in amovie, that doesn't exist in real life, like the mall in Juno. It had four stories and you could see all the way to the top from the bottom. We didn't have enough time to catcha movie because Trina needed to be back for the Sealdah project. We got some pizza. It was awesome. If I had been served it in the US, I would have been disgusted. But I was so happy to be eating pizza that it didn't matter. We walked around the mall and spent lots of time in a huge book store. I bought the first Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants book and the first Princess Diaries book - both of which I read when I was about 12. But they will help to lighten my mood, unlike Malcolm X. (I am enjoying Malcolm X though). I also bought a Newsweek.
The trip back was not nearly as crazy. In fact it couldn't have gone more smoothly. Trina made it to Sealdah in time, and I stayed at the flat, flipping through the Lonely Planet India guide and dozing a small amount. When she got back from Sealdah, we came here, stopping on the way to purchase some Corn Flakes. We expected the Indian kind, which I have been warned are quite waxy in texture and taste. But we asked the boy at the store for corn flakes, and he came back some with some Kellog's! So I'm excited for breakfast tomorrow.
It seems like the only things which I describe on here as pleasurable are American-like foods that I find. Its true that they do have so much sentimental value that they improve my mood greatly.
Oh, we didn't make it to the Kali Temple yesterday because we didn't feel ready to brave the trains. But tomorrow Babai is takin us to the Monkey Temple, which should be interesting. I hope that I'm able to get out into Kolkata at least three or four times a week. In general its no more aesthetically pleasing than Khardah, but it has much more to do. I just feel so stuck when I can't leave Khardah.
Its amazing, already I have become accustomed to the poverty here. It isn't that I'm not shocked when I think about it, but I'm able not to think about it. At Dum Dum there were people sleeping on newspaper in the middle of the floor, and hoardes of little children swarming us to beg. And I didn't even bat an eye. Maybe as I begin to feel more comfortable, I'll give these things more attention, but, as horrible as this sounds, most of the emotions I've been feeling are purely concerning me. Obviously I am reacting to the despair around me, but in self-protection rather than compassion. If I saw the same things in America, I would be gawking. I hope that didn't make me sound heartless.
So much for a short entry.

~maura