The Calcutta Diary: A Volunteer’s Experience
From terrorism to my room filling with smoke every morning to discussing my bowels with complete strangers …a taste of Calcutta life for those readers who are still with me!
Bits and pieces…
For all of you who have written in with your concerns about the Mumbai incident, thankyou.
I cannot say that I am not worried-I am. If something happens here in the city, some terrorist activity, I will come home early.
However, the feeling in general(amongst Indians and Westerners I have spoken to) is that that is not going to happen here anytime soon. It would seem that the terrorists would prefer to attack bigger targets, with more rich tourists and with more Western influence. Calcutta is a struggling city, teeming with poor people living on the street. It doesn’t have the city feel of Mumbai or Delhi.
However, you never know.
Certainly since the attack–and since it was discovered that some of the equipmetn the terrorists used was bought here in Calcutta(this according to Indian newspapers) the security here stepped up.
It wasn’t overnight, of course, as this is India. But within several days, there certainly was a different presence in this city, that mainly being the presence of armed soldiers.
They are everywhere, in particular at night, walking the streets and near the more expensive areas with hotels and nicer venues.
There are also many more police, armed guards and so on at all of the nicer hotel entrances, where they now also have bomb sniffing dogs sniffing both people and cars.
Metal detectors are now used-as well as (seemingly random) bag searches on the metro.
I am still walking around the city, even walking home at night sometimes if I get off early enough to do so.
You have to realize just how big India is. It’s huge.So what happened is the equivalent of, say, Chigago getting a terrorist attack and then me worrying about it in very far away California.You can only worry so much.
But I will keep you all posted…
Other news:
My room was filled with smoke the other morning. What am I saying? Actually it’s been every morning since I rented the rooms.
It turns out that some very poor people come every single day(except sunday) and burn the trash in the alley(to make charchol, and to fish out bits and pieces of things they can sell), and the smoke curls it’s tentacles into my room.
I always wake up coughing.
Don’t go and suggest I change rooms now.
The whole city is fuill of smoke now-they burn oil in the streets to keep warm, they burn effigies of their gods in the river which covers the city in a thick haze that chokes one, they burn tar on the streets in huge barrels while they work on the roads at night.
The air quality is so bad that it makes my chest hurt. I find myself coughing alot. I was coughing so much that I stopped walkign home from work(which takes an hour, through the city streets) due to the smoke I was inhaling on the way home–but then I started feeling a real loss of energy, so I’m back to walking again. I need the exercise.
It’s hard to exercise in a place like this. There are no outdoorsy places, except a large strip of park which is quite out of my way. Walking down the streets , one needs strict concentration to not get hit by cars, autorickshaws, or busses. People stare, and men groping you as you wait to cross the road is not uncommon. There are holes everywhere one can fall into(remember my accident a few weeks ago?) and of course, human poop all over the place.
Exercising in my room is kind of funny. I try, but it’s not easy, and anyway, leg lifts while your room is smoky can’t be good for my health.
Also in the news this week, I discovered I had worms.
I probably got them at work, as handwashing is close to impossible at times. How I discovered them I will not disclose, except to say that I had figured it out before I actually saw them because I had a constant urge for pizza (there is a Domino’s pizza here) and ate about 20 of them without gaining a pound. I ate that many over a month or so, of course.
I went to a pharmacy to get some wormer. That was simple, right?
Wrong. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can be simple here.
I got the wormer, easy, no problem. Amazed, I Then asked them for some malaria medicine, which I just started taking again. (I had stopped taking it for awhile due to stomach problems etc.) You take one a week and uit’s so strong it knocks my socks off, but, hey, that’s better than malaria, right?
Then I asked them for some laxatives (I know, I’m a living breathing medicine cabinent) because I gave mine away and that’s not something one wants to be without here.
The man in the pharmacy yelled out across the counter “LAXATIVES, PLEASE, FOR THE LADY AT THE COUNTER.”
All head turned to me. I burned a whole into the ground with my shame and embarrassment. This in spite of the fact that I really didn’t need them at that moment.
Apparently the man at the other counter, where laxatives were stored, was a deaf mute.
Again, Man no1 called out “LAXATIVES, FOR THE LADY AT THE COUNTER… PLEASE, LAXATIVES!”
The second man suddenly was near me, waving many packages of laxatives in his hands.
” HOW MANY LAXATIVES DO YOU WANT, Ma’am? “, he’s shouting at me.
I look blindly at Man no1. “Why is he shouting?” I ask.
“He’s partly deaf, ma’am.”, is the reply. He continues, “Tell us about your problem ma’am. How is your stool feeling?”
My stool is feeling fine, I am thinking, wanting to end this conversation about the quality of my poop quietly. I can’t leave, they have my malaria meds, my wormer meds…
” They are for later. My stool is fine, thankyou”, I say.
“Ma’am, you can talk to us. We are here to help you. Tell me how your stool is feeling.”, Man no.1 continues.
Oh, I am so tired . I am so tired of india today. How come nothing can be easy here?
I dive in.
“My stool is..weak and tired. It feels unhappy.”, I say.
This gathers a crowd of pharmacists(or paharmacy employees?) who ponder what to do about my “unhappy” stool.
I stand there, in utter shame and embarassment, and particially in wonderment that I am so embarrassed talking about my poop (which is actually quite happy, thankyou very much) in a country where men poop in front of each other while talking about cricket matches and politics at any time of the day, in any direction I look.
The city, in fact, in covered in poop every morning.
As I pondering the pooping habits of Calcuttans, the pharmacists have decided I need 3 packets of Milk of Magnesia packets.
I buy everything, thank them, and as I am leaving. Man no1 calls out after me,
” Come back, ma’am. We are happy to discuss your body problems with you. I hope the pills cheer your bowels.”
gigi
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illuminate.gigi
It’s so good to read you again… 🙂 And now that I’ve picked myself off the floor having read your account of your pharmacy visit, I’m happy to hear they’ve stepped up security somewhat in Calcutta, although it never occurred to me the Mumbai bombing might spread…
Would small paper face masks help against the smoke? I used them in Bangkok when the air became too polluted, and they did help a bit.
Hi Gigi,
I just stumbled upon your blog, and as a fellow foreigner adjusting to life in the great city of K, I wanted to drop a quick hello and remark on how similar my experiences have been to yours (down to the pharmacy conversations and human rights concerns over rickshawallas).
I’m staying in South Kolkata, but feel free to e-mail me if you like. How long are you staying?
Cheers!
Hi Gigi,
Your mother left today after visiting for the weekend. We saw each other briefly for Thanksgivings at Jenny’s where of course the topic of the terrorists attacks came up during dinner conversation. It was a mixed reaction regarding your safety in India. I said that being in Calcutta (Kolkata) you and the city were probably not much of a target, especially the area you live and work in. Your father felt that you were pretty good at taking care of yourself. You never know what is going to happen when – you could have been Greece, or Italy or Spain or Denmark where all the rioting is now taking place.
You may have been dying of embarrassment during the poop discussion but your account of it is hilarious! It appears that Stool in India has a stand alone identity with feelings… happy, unhappy, weak, strong. I’m intrigued by this new concept, could “it” also feel bored, sad, angry or lazy! What would we do without a sense of humor?
Jan
Hey Amy!
How are things at Daya Dan? Has the Christmas program made all the volunteers completely deaf and crazy yet? I have the reports for the boys, but your email got lost somehow in all of our stuff. I couldn’t figure out how to get them to you, but then I remembered your blog! I’ll email them just as soon as I find your email, or you send it to me again, okay? Give Mongol my love.
I am imagining the hilarity that would result from a conversation about bowel health between man#1 and Roseanne!
I am considering moving to Kolkata to work on a 2 year contract and stumbled across your post in my endeavours to do some research.
Would you advise against it? Salary is very lucrative, although not sure if it would be worth it based on everything I read.
Is there an affluent area of Kolkata where living standards are much better etc?
I did laugh at your post though, very funny.
I would not advise against it, I am returning this summer myself.
I’ve been to some other parts of India and here’s what any “foriegner” would tell you:
Kolkata has a good standard of living; there are many things there which make it easier for visitors-such as accessibility to things we are used to;you will be surprised at how easily you get used to things like rats and poop in the streets>:) All cities in India have these things.
I was there for 5 months. I went there not for pleasure or work neccessarily but to widen my view of the world. Which certianly happened. In fact, I would say Kolkata is my favorite ity in India: Bengails are very friendly–their hospitality is legendary; they have some of the best art and literature in India; and they have beautiful cafes and shops when you feel like you want a taste of home.
The problem with Kolkata is that it is close to Bihar(a state in financial ruin) as well as Bangladesh. They are close to so many areas where people have no food and so the city of Kolkata welcomes thousands more a week who come into the city hoping for a better life. So one sees many, many people living on the street. For me, this took some serious getting used to.
I would definitely say go for it and be prepared to widen your view of the world:)
There are more affluent areas, yes. Get your self a lonely planet guidebook for the state of Bengal. The areas that have big “malls” (like ours in the USA) just outside the city proper are newer, cleaner, better organized,have access to luxury goods, and more consistent power and water. Many people with UN posts and expats live in those areas.
Good luck and keep in touch if you go. Such a lovely adventure! How exciting you are considering it.
gigi
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