So, I am back in the Seattle area, but not yet to the great 'Ham just yet. My flight landed on Thursday night at about 9:30pm, after 36 hours or so of flying, in daylight the whole way. The flights were somewhat of a nightmare - the first one, from Calcutta, was overbooked, and they were offering 700 Euro, a free nights stay in a 5 star hotel, and re-planning your trip back home. That flight was semi-pleasant, it was just at 1am in the morning.
The next flight was the worst. I got on the plane, and I was in the freaking back corner next to the bathroom. Not to mention that during the last hour or two of that flight, I wanted to vomit. I could see the ground getting bigger and bigger, and was like, "JUST LAND ALREADY!" I felt awful.
The last flight was most pleasant, one because it was shortest (the first two were each just over9 hours, the third was 6), and two, because I slept through most of it. I didn't sleep barely at all on the first two flights.
When we landed, it was a great feeling, knowing that when I got off the plane all of my surroundings would be familiar, and that the people picking me would be safely driving me to my car, where I could drive myself to Laura S's house and go to sleep.
I can't honestly say that I don't already miss it. What I miss most is Shishu Bhavan, and Deepa. I had a dream about playing with her, and when I woke up on Laura S's couch, I was more than a little dissapointed that I would not start my day by playing with a child I have become so attatched to over the past 3 weeks.
My jet lag is still pretty bad. I've been going to bed around 10, but waking up at 6ish, which is good for school, but it wont last. That, and I'm still way too tired to make it through the day fully attentive, and without caffine or a nap. Also, I'm sick.
Speaking of sick, I don't have any confirmed diseases; no lice or scabies or anything, but I might have stomach parasites. I know this is gross, but this is my blog: my diarreah is becoming regular poo, very very slowly, but I still get really bad abdominal pain when I have to go. So hopefully it all goes away and I don't have to give a poo sample to the doctor.
I was really looking forward to going home tomorrow because there was going to be a Newman Center Mass, but it has been cancelled...So now all I have to look forward to are my kitties, my nice, clean, warm apartment, my still old/new couch, and my warm, clean bed.
So...HECK YES I'm excited!
Karen and Derek's wedding this afternoon was gorgeous. Karen looked beautiful, and I had a good time.
I hope Laura S doesn't have to work tomorrow, because if she does, I'm just going to drive home while I still feel awake at 7am, and I don't know when I would get to see her next.
Well, loves, that is that! I will post here once more, to repost the original picture links, new picture links, and links to the videos I took, and one more time after that to tell you all when Tuan has his video sorted out. I will tell him how to put it on DVD, then I can also put that online for all of you.
Its been fantastic! I can't wait to go on another great adventure, whether it be to India (which will happen again!), or to some other amazing destination! Either way, if you hear wind of me taking a road trip or getting onto a plane, check here...there will be a new travel blog waiting.
Until Next Time
Briana
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
My Last Day...:(
So tonight, at approximately 10, I will be sitting at the CCU Airport, waiting to board my first flight back to America.
I feel so awkward about my last day...it has so far been a bust, and really depressing. Besides the amazing fact that Corina got here last night (!!!!!!!!), and I get to spend my last day with her, and she gets to spend her first day with me, everything else seems to have gone wrong.
So, parts of India are still Communist. Today, there is a huge protest/strike, that happens every year, where a lot of shops and things stay closed, and people can get violent. For this reason, the highly encourage the volunteers, especially the females, to take the day off. In the past, bombs have been planted on buses, and people have been stoned. Women, mainly the foreigners, get taken advantage of "in the name of the strike". We went to mass this morning, after very, very little sleep (last night being my last night, and then Corina got to the hostel around 3...we get up at 5 for Mass), then we went to breakfast, and we introduced Corina and Sister Corinna (more !!!!!), and she told us, "Well, you have today off!" I said "WHAT?!", and she said something about Communists and striking and violence, so there was no volunteering today. I was so upset, I said, "Today is my last day; I HAVE to go to Shishu Bhavan and say goodbye to the kids." She told me that the protesting would start at 8, so I should be quick. We prayed, and everyone sang the goodbye song, and me and Corina walked to Shishu, while Tuan actually went all the way to Daya Dan. We are still trying to figure out how he's going to get back. The metro and buses aren't running.
Anyway, we got to Shishu and I saw Sister, and told her it was my last day and that I would only be staying for a few minutes, to say goodbye and take pictures, and she said, Okay. So I introduced Corina to some of the kids, and went to see Deepa, who was out like a light in her little chair. She was super grumpy when I woke her up, but I gave her a few minutes, and she was the smiley-est and happiest I had ever seen her in the morning. I did the 'Bumble Bee' song that I've been singing to her, which is "our thing", and no one in the world knows that song except for my moms brothers and sisters. I have a video that I will put online when I get back home (I don't want to hassle with that now), of me doing that. Its so adorable...shes blind, so she can't see what I'm going to do, but I did it to make her laugh when she was grumpy one day, and now if she doesn't recognize me for some reason, like today I forgot my bracelet, or shes in a bad mood or its too noisy for her to distinguish my voice from everything else, I do that. She will stop whatever she's doing, get this HUGE smile on her face, put her hands up to her hears, and when I start buzzing (which means I'm going to tickle her), she waves her arms in the air and then I tickle her and she LAUGHS, it is the most amazing thing! Oh, man...I love that we have that. I realize that I may never see her again, but if I come back next year and she's still at Shishu, I will wear my rosary bracelet and my watch, and I will do the 'Bumble Bee' song, and hopefully she remembers me.
The only other thing I've done today is get a chicken egg roll from Taj Continetal. And talk to Corina a lot. I'm really excited that shes here! Im so happy I got to see her while we were in India!
I will see some of you very, very soon! Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to check over the next few weeks as I post more pictures, and video from my trip! I will also announce when Tuan has come back and finished the video that hes going to make. Thanks again for reading, and keep it up!
With All Christ's Love
Briana Marie Cecilia Glover
I feel so awkward about my last day...it has so far been a bust, and really depressing. Besides the amazing fact that Corina got here last night (!!!!!!!!), and I get to spend my last day with her, and she gets to spend her first day with me, everything else seems to have gone wrong.
So, parts of India are still Communist. Today, there is a huge protest/strike, that happens every year, where a lot of shops and things stay closed, and people can get violent. For this reason, the highly encourage the volunteers, especially the females, to take the day off. In the past, bombs have been planted on buses, and people have been stoned. Women, mainly the foreigners, get taken advantage of "in the name of the strike". We went to mass this morning, after very, very little sleep (last night being my last night, and then Corina got to the hostel around 3...we get up at 5 for Mass), then we went to breakfast, and we introduced Corina and Sister Corinna (more !!!!!), and she told us, "Well, you have today off!" I said "WHAT?!", and she said something about Communists and striking and violence, so there was no volunteering today. I was so upset, I said, "Today is my last day; I HAVE to go to Shishu Bhavan and say goodbye to the kids." She told me that the protesting would start at 8, so I should be quick. We prayed, and everyone sang the goodbye song, and me and Corina walked to Shishu, while Tuan actually went all the way to Daya Dan. We are still trying to figure out how he's going to get back. The metro and buses aren't running.
Anyway, we got to Shishu and I saw Sister, and told her it was my last day and that I would only be staying for a few minutes, to say goodbye and take pictures, and she said, Okay. So I introduced Corina to some of the kids, and went to see Deepa, who was out like a light in her little chair. She was super grumpy when I woke her up, but I gave her a few minutes, and she was the smiley-est and happiest I had ever seen her in the morning. I did the 'Bumble Bee' song that I've been singing to her, which is "our thing", and no one in the world knows that song except for my moms brothers and sisters. I have a video that I will put online when I get back home (I don't want to hassle with that now), of me doing that. Its so adorable...shes blind, so she can't see what I'm going to do, but I did it to make her laugh when she was grumpy one day, and now if she doesn't recognize me for some reason, like today I forgot my bracelet, or shes in a bad mood or its too noisy for her to distinguish my voice from everything else, I do that. She will stop whatever she's doing, get this HUGE smile on her face, put her hands up to her hears, and when I start buzzing (which means I'm going to tickle her), she waves her arms in the air and then I tickle her and she LAUGHS, it is the most amazing thing! Oh, man...I love that we have that. I realize that I may never see her again, but if I come back next year and she's still at Shishu, I will wear my rosary bracelet and my watch, and I will do the 'Bumble Bee' song, and hopefully she remembers me.
The only other thing I've done today is get a chicken egg roll from Taj Continetal. And talk to Corina a lot. I'm really excited that shes here! Im so happy I got to see her while we were in India!
I will see some of you very, very soon! Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to check over the next few weeks as I post more pictures, and video from my trip! I will also announce when Tuan has come back and finished the video that hes going to make. Thanks again for reading, and keep it up!
With All Christ's Love
Briana Marie Cecilia Glover
Sunday, August 5, 2007
3 days and counting!
So, my days left in Kolkata are numbered...I come back to the states in a few short days!
So, yesterday was quite the interesting experience. I didn't volunteer, for the 3rd day in a row...I needed a break. I ran into Donna and Steve (her boyfriend), my Irish friends. They invited me to go to see the Simpson's Movie later that evening. I met then at Tirapati (right outside Hotel Maria), and we caught a cab and rode it to - get this - a MALL! it was SO COOL! We got to the movie theater in the mall, and the movie WASN'T PLAYING! It was very upsetting. So we went to this very overpriced restaurant next to the movie theater called Starstruck, and [kinda] ate with some of Donna's other Irish friends. Me and Donna shared this really good chicken burger thing and the BEST desert ever...it was like this chocolate cake with ice cream on top, but when you stuck your fork into the cake all of this fudgey GOODNESS came out...oh, it was good. Then we went to the arcade, and Donna and I played the most entertaining game of Air Hockey ever...at one point there were like 4 pucks on the table!
When we left the mall and FINALLY got a cab, we caught it with another guy headed to Park Street who wouldn't let us pay - he was on his way back home from the hospital because he had just had a baby girl :) So that was really awesome. Then we went to Moulin Rouge - THATS RIGHT! Moulin Rouge, which is just a restaurant, no worries, and we met up with some other Irish girls and had drinks. I had something called Blue Heaven. All of our drinks were really strong...
When we left Moulin Rouge, we all got roses (even Steve, who, by the way, ordered a drink called My Fair Lady...Imagine the waiter dropping those off...), and were then persued for a number of blocks by a transvestite in a sari...with a really strong grip, by the way. Steve finally fended the he/she off. This is also the night I started my search for Harry Potter 7 for under 650 Rupees, but thats a different story.
When we got back to Sudder, we went back to Donna and Steve's for drink (I know, I know...its the Irish!). I was there until about 1:30 in the morning. The guy who had to open the gate for me at Hotel Maria was NOT happy.
That is all for today, I have to call the doctor in Des Moines so I can schedule an appointment to get my blood tested and get checked for other really gross things (like scabies and lice...meh).
LOVES!
Briana
So, yesterday was quite the interesting experience. I didn't volunteer, for the 3rd day in a row...I needed a break. I ran into Donna and Steve (her boyfriend), my Irish friends. They invited me to go to see the Simpson's Movie later that evening. I met then at Tirapati (right outside Hotel Maria), and we caught a cab and rode it to - get this - a MALL! it was SO COOL! We got to the movie theater in the mall, and the movie WASN'T PLAYING! It was very upsetting. So we went to this very overpriced restaurant next to the movie theater called Starstruck, and [kinda] ate with some of Donna's other Irish friends. Me and Donna shared this really good chicken burger thing and the BEST desert ever...it was like this chocolate cake with ice cream on top, but when you stuck your fork into the cake all of this fudgey GOODNESS came out...oh, it was good. Then we went to the arcade, and Donna and I played the most entertaining game of Air Hockey ever...at one point there were like 4 pucks on the table!
When we left the mall and FINALLY got a cab, we caught it with another guy headed to Park Street who wouldn't let us pay - he was on his way back home from the hospital because he had just had a baby girl :) So that was really awesome. Then we went to Moulin Rouge - THATS RIGHT! Moulin Rouge, which is just a restaurant, no worries, and we met up with some other Irish girls and had drinks. I had something called Blue Heaven. All of our drinks were really strong...
When we left Moulin Rouge, we all got roses (even Steve, who, by the way, ordered a drink called My Fair Lady...Imagine the waiter dropping those off...), and were then persued for a number of blocks by a transvestite in a sari...with a really strong grip, by the way. Steve finally fended the he/she off. This is also the night I started my search for Harry Potter 7 for under 650 Rupees, but thats a different story.
When we got back to Sudder, we went back to Donna and Steve's for drink (I know, I know...its the Irish!). I was there until about 1:30 in the morning. The guy who had to open the gate for me at Hotel Maria was NOT happy.
That is all for today, I have to call the doctor in Des Moines so I can schedule an appointment to get my blood tested and get checked for other really gross things (like scabies and lice...meh).
LOVES!
Briana
Friday, August 3, 2007
Tuan and Caitlin for a Day!
So, I didn't volunteer today. Instead I hung out with Tuan and Caitlin, who were back for just today in between taking the train from Varanasi to Puori. I kinda did hang out with them, but they spent a lot of time calling and emailing, in which I spent doing what I normally do when I have nothing else to do...nothing. So I read a little of The Message, seeing as how I finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince about 3 or 4 days ago, and outright refuse to by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows no sooner than 48 hours before I leave. I know if I buy it sooner than that, I will have read it by the time Caitlin and Tuan get back, and I won't have anything to do on the way home.
So I chilled with them a little today, heard tales from beyond Kolkata, and ate lunch with Caitlin at Super Fried Chicken. That was pretty much the extent of today...not much else happened.
Yesterday, on the other hand, was rather eventful. Or yesterday evening, I guess. Thursdays are Volunteers Days, so we get the day off. I didn't do anything yesterday...I slept in, and did nothing, and slept some more, then I had lunch (it was excellent, by the way...cold juice and a fruit bowl with muesli from JoJo's, except that my fear of associating the dump smell with something I like has managed to wrap itself wonderfully around Papaya...it tastes the exact same way that the dump smells, it SUCKS). That evening, I was headed for Super-Fried Chicken for some Veggie Pakuras, and I saw Amina and some of her friends. I ended up going with them to Peter Cat on Park Street for dinner that cost over 3 times more than a nights stay at Hotel Maria, but oh, it was SOOOO GOOD! After that, we walked into Flurry's, which is this amazing desert place, but we looked around and decided that we are going to go there sometime this weekend. I'm also taking Amina to McDonald's sometime this weekend, which I am very, very excited about :)
Anyway, we walked back, and we were going to get ice cream, but it was too close to 10, so we did some stuff really quick, and then walked to Amina's hotel to watch Arrested Development. Its not something I would usually watch, but it was TV, gosh darnit. Amina's hotel is SO NICE! She lives on the 4th floor, and its all marble...she has a DOUBLE BED!!! A TV, a really nice bathroom...she is spending about 450 rupees a night (whereas I'm spending 110 a night), but its...man. She has a freaking couch. Its outstanding.
So, this has taken me almost 2 hours, because the power at Sari Palace went out came back on about 20 minutes ago. But...meh. I'm hot and tired and I want to watch friends on YouTube. So I love you guys and ONE WEEK! I'll be back in the states!'
Until Next Time
Briana
So I chilled with them a little today, heard tales from beyond Kolkata, and ate lunch with Caitlin at Super Fried Chicken. That was pretty much the extent of today...not much else happened.
Yesterday, on the other hand, was rather eventful. Or yesterday evening, I guess. Thursdays are Volunteers Days, so we get the day off. I didn't do anything yesterday...I slept in, and did nothing, and slept some more, then I had lunch (it was excellent, by the way...cold juice and a fruit bowl with muesli from JoJo's, except that my fear of associating the dump smell with something I like has managed to wrap itself wonderfully around Papaya...it tastes the exact same way that the dump smells, it SUCKS). That evening, I was headed for Super-Fried Chicken for some Veggie Pakuras, and I saw Amina and some of her friends. I ended up going with them to Peter Cat on Park Street for dinner that cost over 3 times more than a nights stay at Hotel Maria, but oh, it was SOOOO GOOD! After that, we walked into Flurry's, which is this amazing desert place, but we looked around and decided that we are going to go there sometime this weekend. I'm also taking Amina to McDonald's sometime this weekend, which I am very, very excited about :)
Anyway, we walked back, and we were going to get ice cream, but it was too close to 10, so we did some stuff really quick, and then walked to Amina's hotel to watch Arrested Development. Its not something I would usually watch, but it was TV, gosh darnit. Amina's hotel is SO NICE! She lives on the 4th floor, and its all marble...she has a DOUBLE BED!!! A TV, a really nice bathroom...she is spending about 450 rupees a night (whereas I'm spending 110 a night), but its...man. She has a freaking couch. Its outstanding.
So, this has taken me almost 2 hours, because the power at Sari Palace went out came back on about 20 minutes ago. But...meh. I'm hot and tired and I want to watch friends on YouTube. So I love you guys and ONE WEEK! I'll be back in the states!'
Until Next Time
Briana
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
A Little Homesick
Hey, all! Sorry its been so long since I last posted. Since Caitlin and Tuan left, I have been keeping myself quite busy. I made new friends - the best of whom are Donna, from Ireland, and Amina, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I volunteer with Amina in the morning, and I know Donna through Tuan and Caitlin, and volunteer with her in the afternoon, sometimes.
I had Dinner with Donna and her boyfriend after Mazie and Zach's going away thing. It was quite entertaining - I had never spoken with just two people from Ireland before, and we talked about how things are different in Ireland and the USA, mostly having to do with alcohol, for some reason. Probably because everything in Ireland has to do with alcohol. They use it to relax, to...drink, to cure illness, to eat for breakfast...we had some pretty interesting stories.
Yesterday afternoon, after volunteering in the morning, I had lunch with Amina outside of JoJo's. It was really good, and we talked about all kinds of stuff, mostly family, and how both of ours are a little dysfunctional (as I'm assuming everyone's is). We had a very nice chat, and I hope there are more where that came from.
Nothing incredibly interesting has happened in the last few days besides the usual. Yesterday was the first day I volunteered in the morning and the afternoon. I planned on doing that today as well, but I overslept past the time where I was even supposed to be at Shishu, so I didn't go. Its 1:24 in the afternoon, and at 2 I am going to go eat lunch and drudge my way to Shishu Bhavan. I don't know if I've said this before, but if I didn't have to walk everywhere, I would love it here 10 times more. Its not the walking that bothers me, I love walking; its the fact that people don't leave you alone, that as a girl I can't make eye contact with anyone, and the smells and sounds are getting to be overwhelming. Today is the first official day that I am homesick. I don't want to leave Shishu behind, but I really want Bellingham back. I wish there were a way to have both. I want to come back next summer, and if it weren't for Shishu Bhavan and the Motherhouse, I would have never seen a purpose in coming.
I am very happy to be leaving in a weeks time, but I am going to miss those kids more than anything, especially Deepa. If I were old enough, had a steady job, was married...I would take her home with me. I truely and honestly would. If she is still here when I am married, I might still just do that. That child has lit a fire in my heart. She is so beautiful and so smart, and she has the most gorgeous laugh...I will miss her more than anything when I leave here. And I really hope that God sees it fit that we see eachother again someday, and sooner rather than later.
I had Dinner with Donna and her boyfriend after Mazie and Zach's going away thing. It was quite entertaining - I had never spoken with just two people from Ireland before, and we talked about how things are different in Ireland and the USA, mostly having to do with alcohol, for some reason. Probably because everything in Ireland has to do with alcohol. They use it to relax, to...drink, to cure illness, to eat for breakfast...we had some pretty interesting stories.
Yesterday afternoon, after volunteering in the morning, I had lunch with Amina outside of JoJo's. It was really good, and we talked about all kinds of stuff, mostly family, and how both of ours are a little dysfunctional (as I'm assuming everyone's is). We had a very nice chat, and I hope there are more where that came from.
Nothing incredibly interesting has happened in the last few days besides the usual. Yesterday was the first day I volunteered in the morning and the afternoon. I planned on doing that today as well, but I overslept past the time where I was even supposed to be at Shishu, so I didn't go. Its 1:24 in the afternoon, and at 2 I am going to go eat lunch and drudge my way to Shishu Bhavan. I don't know if I've said this before, but if I didn't have to walk everywhere, I would love it here 10 times more. Its not the walking that bothers me, I love walking; its the fact that people don't leave you alone, that as a girl I can't make eye contact with anyone, and the smells and sounds are getting to be overwhelming. Today is the first official day that I am homesick. I don't want to leave Shishu behind, but I really want Bellingham back. I wish there were a way to have both. I want to come back next summer, and if it weren't for Shishu Bhavan and the Motherhouse, I would have never seen a purpose in coming.
I am very happy to be leaving in a weeks time, but I am going to miss those kids more than anything, especially Deepa. If I were old enough, had a steady job, was married...I would take her home with me. I truely and honestly would. If she is still here when I am married, I might still just do that. That child has lit a fire in my heart. She is so beautiful and so smart, and she has the most gorgeous laugh...I will miss her more than anything when I leave here. And I really hope that God sees it fit that we see eachother again someday, and sooner rather than later.
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