It takes a village...to do anything

Today I took a minute to sit behind a haggard man selling rice on the street and observe. It is amazing in a place that assaults your senses with vivid colors, pungent smells and loud sounds, how rarely you take the time to observe your surroundings. It is only when you take that extra snippet of time that you see how universal human nature can be. Children in India play with each other the same way kids do in America. Granted the toys are less sophisticated and there is far less supervision than I am used to, but I love when moments like these 'click' and even though you are half way around the world from familiarity, you seem to be at home.
We have a new volunteer from Canada via Taiwan so we oriented her to Khardah and the world of wound care. The train was the same challenge as before but seemed less stressful this morning. The first encounter of the day was with a young mom nursing a baby on the bench. She watched us with cautious eyes as we approached. The newborn was tiny and delicate and seemed out of place in the rough surrounding. Another child grabbed the baby and handed her to me. Mom didn't seem bothered by me holding her little one and in fact, when I tried to hand her back she motioned for me to take her away, muttering 'take to America' indicating she wanted me to keep her child. Shocking as it is, this is not an uncommon situation. I think parents either understand what a better life a child would have with us or don't have the means to care for the number of kids they have...or maybe both? Reluctantly I gave her back and headed to the platform. A man was lying on his back, eyes closed and his leg wrapped in plastic. I thought I recognized him from days earlier but as Ann and I unwrapped his leg I knew this was our first encounter. He has elephantitis, a disease that is common here but this was the first I had seen of it. His lower leg and foot were swollen and ulcerated and his ankle was small, like someone had wrapped a rubber band around a balloon. We dressed his wound and fed him. After a few hours we headed into Calcutta and normalcy. A trip to the mall refreshed us and we met friends at a local bar. The Calcutta Rescue had set up a handcraft fair and I found beautiful stationary and bags. All of the proceeds go to support medical care in the streets..how can I resist?
Getting on the train home was next to impossible. The group split up and everyone had to 'fend for themselves'. I headed for the least crowded car and grabbed on. Usually the train is a pushing war but tonight, surprisingly, everyone seemed to help me out, almost making it a group mission to get me home. It was refreshing and now I am ready for bed. Katie