The Calcutta Diaries: A Volunteer’s Experience
Not feeling well, but I will attempt to make some efforts to write something here…
Well, basically I’m sick from exhaustion and pollution.
The doctor more acurately described my condition as ” the combined effect of pollution poisoning and overwork”, and I would have to say I am in complete agreement with him.
The cure? Well, the obvious one would be to leave this city, but that is unrealistic, as I have things to do here. So the alternative is to take some much needed time off and rest, trying to stay indoors as much as possible, and drink hot tea and lemon and honey.
When I went to Bihar several weeks ago I was actually quite unwell, in a state of exhaustion from ther hectic Christmas season and the demands of Daya Dan–and as my Norwiegian friend, Sessel, said to me one day , “Even living here is a full-time job!”. I also had a chest infection and was coughing alot..so I figured the cure would be the clean air of Bihar.
The air in Bihar was clean, but unfortunately every night I slept in a tiny, airless adobe room, and for company there were 3 other people sleeping in it as well. Sleep did not come easily with the ninety year old grandmother muttering away on her pallet a mere foot and a half away from my own cot. Every once in awhile I would awake to her sitting up, crouching over me, blessing my forehead or telling me that they weren’t feeding her(they were).
Back in Calcutta, before I left for Bihar, the entire population of the city heard my coughs and shook their heads…everyone told me that it was obvious I was sick not due to the air quality, but due to the sudden “cold front” that had come with the short-lived calcutta winter.
“Cold front? What cold front?”, I asked, completely confused as to the nature of what defines cold to a Calcuttan native.
Because it was not cold. It was not, even slightly, chilly.
Only on two nights did I need a blanket that I had stupidly bought in preparation for this much talked about and maligned “winter”. The rest of the time I slept in a pair of cotton pajamas and sometimes not even that.
When I would tell my friends that it wasn’t cold, they would stare at me in disbelief. Maybe they did not hear me, for everyone wore hats-the sort you wear skiing-and mufflers and turtlenecks and earmuffs. They wore all of these with pride, like a badge of honor, the more they had piled on, the better. Men walked around in lurid hot pink fake fur vests and women piled on sparkly, glittery vests and puffy grandma cardigans.
I awoke every morning, tried to manage wearing a pashmina scarf for a few hours…and would end up sweating profusely and end up taking the damn thing off eventually.
It is due to this “throat uncovering”, this complete disregard for the Winter of Calcutta, that my Indian friends say that I now am sick.
But I have a different theory. I think it was exhaustion, combined with the increasingly noxious air of the city during it’s short “Winter” that was my downfall.
For as soon as it was a tolerable temperature to me, in other words, not so hot that one was drenched in sweat, but a nice normal, mid range temperature, the entire population of the city not only donned mufflers and earmuffs, they decided to burn hot oil in large drums on the streets.
The large drums began to burn as soon as it was slightly dark outside, and continued throughout the night. The drums served as heat for the street residents, as well as, for some unknown reason, the city’s officials decided to re-tar the streets for several months every single evening.
Every morning I awoke to noxious fumes in my room and a terrible, painful cough.
So I went off to Bihar, hoping a change of scene would do me good.
And it did in some ways, although for many, Bihar does not rate in the top twenty of places one must visit when in India(which is the main reason I went there!).It is..poor…dangerous..and so on. The main place people go in Bihar-Westyern people-is to do their Buddha-thing, their pilgrimage and so on. However, small villages do not rate high on the average traveler’s list.
I arrived at the village exhausted from the work of the orphanage, and told everyone I was going to take a nap.
I was exhausted from the train journey (which was a night train, a sleeper car, except I got no sleep as I was in a compartment full of Indian men who looked at me like I was from another planet. I was forced to spend the entire evening awake, pretending to read Shasti Tharoor’s “India”, drinking cup after cup of milky chai, and day dreaming of the moment I would finally get some rest..)
Anyway, back to telling everyone I was going to get some shut eye…
“Fine”, everyone said. ‘Good Idea”, everyone said.
I then went to a small room, where I was given a rope-cot and I laid down on it.
I was not alone. Oh no. I was accompanied by all of the women of the house , whop sat on my bed, squeezing themselves onto it like sardines, inching their way onto it until they were taking up the majority of the cot, forcing me to twist my long body into strange contortions so I could fit on the space left for me.
I laid there. They watched me. And they talked. Loudly.
It was decided that I should sing a song to enliven my resting time, and I had to wrack my brain in the middle of all of my wasted-ness to figure out an appropriate song to sing.
What do you sing to a group of muslim women, who are cloistered in their house, never go out, and who will, no doubt have the entire village singing the song you sing for years to come?
It was difficult to come up with a song that was not religious, not about sex, not about drugs, not about anything much at all. (Try it yourself. You’ll be surprised that you immediately think of Madonna or your countrys’ National Anthem or The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine…)
Finally I began to sing an American song, the one with the simplest content I could think of.
It was:
“Someone’s in the kitchen with Ida
Someone’s in the kitchen I know.
Someone’s in the kitchen with Ida,
Strumming on the old banjo.
He’s playing…fi..fie..fiddly fie fo, fi fie fiddly fie fo….”
And so on.
(It very well may be about sex or drugs or someones nationalistic athem, but at least it wasn’t obvious!)
The song met with great success, and in fact, drew a large crowd of extended family memebers(all women and children of both sexes) and babies and even a few chickens into the two door ways.
After singing a few more songs, which included my poor rendition of Patsy Kline’s I Go Out Walking After Midnight, It was finally decided by all of the women that perhaps I could actually take a real nap.
They did not go away entirely, but they lessened in number dramatically, leaving me with about seven children and 4 women. This did not include the ninety year old grandmother in the cot next to mine, who would occassionally complain loudly about getting her lunch or reach out and grab my leg.
Apparently for proper napping, certain things must occur.
1. Hot-and highly caffienated-chai must be drunk in copious quantities.(But first, the cow musty be milked for the milk in the chai, of course..)
2. Blankets-of every weight and variety-must be layered on top of one, so that you are like a mummy, and cannot move, except to somehow get one arm out to hold yet another cup of chai.
3. A Bihar-oven,kind of a large clay pot, full of red hot coals–which must be stirred often to make sure it is piping hot!-in placed on the floor, directly under your poor roasting body, just inches away from your poor behind..only a fragile jute netting separating your backside from severe burns.
4. Every door and window-any chance of air whatsoever- is sealed tightly, so that, in the room, the air becomes thick with smoke and lack of oxygen, and if not due to fatigue, one falls not neccessarily asleep, but more like passes out because they are, in fact being cooked.
All this is done under the watchful eyes of several children and women, who watch everything you do and never stop talking.
And this was just the first afternoon.
Sleep turned out to be impossible in Bihar.
This was due to several factors, most important being that No one with my skin color had ever been there, ever..and so everything I did was fascinating, from sleeping to eating to going to the bathroom(but that is another story).
Secondly, I had come for the big village festival, which take splace severy single night and most of the day for a week, and as a guest of honor I had to be there for all of it.
So when I finally was on my way home from Bihar, I was looking forward to sleep, blissful sleep, in my very own hotel room. Alone.
When we finally arrived back in Calcutta(which is yet another story , as there was a mad rush for the train and I got swished behind a metal door and then lifted off the floor by the crowd, head touching the ceiling..while my friend who was with me was robbed of everything in his pockets and barely managed to hold on to the handle in the doorway of the train as it was moving..) anyway, when we finally got back, we got off the crowded train with relief and then quickly realized that we could not swallow the thick stuff that was supposedly air..
….and by the time we got over Howrah bridge I was coughing again, choking down the polluted air, trying to hold a mask over my face in hopes it would filter out some of the horrible black stuff. They say one day in Calcutta is equal to smoking 40 cigarettes, but I feel it must be more.
So that was several weeks ago, and now my “pollution-sickness” has turned into a bout with bronchitis( no, no it’s not TB, I got the tests done, you worry warts!) of which I probably will not recover until I am safely at home in California, breathing in colorless air and resting properly.
Which I am trying to do, but I do have to go back to work at some point, even if its only for a week!
In spiter of the pollution, I have to say that this is the most favorite of places I have been in the world. I know. I actually think it’s better than Paris, than Santiago, than Mexico City, than Panama City, than Geneva. It’s got something..no wait, it’s got everything, yes, everything, all at once. It hits you oveer the head and gives you no choice but to buck up and deal with yourself and everything else around you. I love that. There is no real escapism here-it’s all out for everyone to see, the best and the worst.
However, I adored Bihar so much that I have decided to go back again before I leave.
I’ll keep you all posted…
gigi
Tags: 1
illuminate.gigi
토토사이트 커뮤니티: 안전한 베팅을 위한 길잡이
토토사이트 커뮤니티는 스포츠 베팅을 즐기는 사람들에게 단순한 정보 공유의 장을 넘어, 안전한 배팅 환경을 조성하는 데 중요한 역할을 합니다. 이곳에서는 초보자부터 전문가까지 다양한 사람들이 모여 베팅 전략을 논의하고, 신뢰할 수 있는 토토사이트를 추천하며, 먹튀 사고를 예방하기 위한 정보를 공유합니다. 특히, 사설 토토사이트의 위험성을 알리고, 이를 피할 수 있는 방법을 제시함으로써 사용자들이 더 안전하게 베팅을 즐길 수 있도록 돕습니다.
사설 토토사이트의 숨겨진 위험
사설 토토사이트는 정부의 규제를 받지 않기 때문에 다양한 문제를 일으킬 수 있습니다. 예를 들어, 공정하지 않은 배당률, 과장된 광고, 개인정보 유출 등이 대표적인 문제점입니다. 또한, 사설 토토사이트는 법적 문제로 인해 갑자기 사라지는 경우가 많아 사용자들이 금전적 손실을 입을 위험이 큽니다. 이런 이유로, 토토 커뮤니티에서는 사설 토토사이트보다는 규제를 받는 공식 사이트를 이용할 것을 권장합니다.
토토 커뮤니티가 제공하는 가치
토토 커뮤니티는 단순히 정보를 나누는 공간이 아니라, 사용자들이 안전하게 베팅할 수 있도록 돕는 네트워크입니다. 예를 들어, 새로운 토토사이트가 등장했을 때 커뮤니티 멤버들은 해당 사이트의 운영 주체, 결제 시스템, 사용자 리뷰 등을 꼼꼼히 검토합니다. 이를 통해 먹튀 사고를 미리 방지하고, 신뢰할 수 있는 사이트만을 추천합니다. 또한, 문제가 발생했을 때는 보증 사이트를 통해 사용자들이 손실을 최소화할 수 있도록 돕습니다.
어떻게 신뢰할 수 있는 토토사이트를 찾을까?
토토 커뮤니티에서는 신뢰할 수 있는 토토사이트를 찾기 위해 몇 가지 중요한 기준을 제시합니다. 먼저, 사이트의 운영 주체가 명확한지 확인하는 것이 중요합니다. 정부나 공인된 기관에서 관리하는 사이트라면 신뢰할 수 있습니다. 또한, 다른 사용자들의 리뷰를 참고하여 사이트의 신뢰성을 판단할 수 있습니다. 긍정적인 평가가 많고, 문제가 거의 없는 사이트라면 안전하게 이용할 수 있습니다.
결제 시스템도 중요한 확인 요소 중 하나입니다. 신용카드, 전자지갑 등 다양한 결제 방법을 지원하고, SSL 암호화를 통해 금융 정보를 보호하는 사이트라면 더욱 신뢰할 수 있습니다. 마지막으로, 온라인 커뮤니티나 포럼에서 해당 사이트에 대한 평판을 확인하는 것도 좋은 방법입니다. 다른 사용자들이 어떻게 평가하는지, 문제가 없는지 꼼꼼히 살펴보는 것이 중요합니다.
토토 커뮤니티의 보증 사이트
토토 커뮤니티에서는 먹튀 사고를 예방하기 위해 보증 사이트를 추천합니다. 이러한 사이트는 사용자들의 개인정보와 금융 정보를 보호하며, 문제가 발생했을 때 빠르게 해결할 수 있는 시스템을 갖추고 있습니다. 보증 사이트를 이용하면 안전하게 베팅을 즐길 수 있으며, 만약 문제가 생기더라도 커뮤니티의 도움을 받아 해결할 수 있습니다.
마무리
토토사이트 커뮤니티는 스포츠 베팅을 즐기는 사람들에게 안전하고 신뢰할 수 있는 정보를 제공하는 중요한 공간입니다. 사설 토토사이트의 위험성을 인지하고, 신뢰할 수 있는 사이트를 선택하는 것이 무엇보다 중요합니다. 토토 커뮤니티의 정보를 참고하여 안전한 베팅 환경을 조성하고, 스포츠 베팅을 더욱 즐겁게 즐기시길 바랍니다. 항상 책임감 있게 베팅에 임하는 것도 잊지 마세요!
RTP Playtech Game Hot dan juga Pentingnya Memainkan Slot Percobaan PG Permainan
Game slot di internet makin populer, dan PG Provider (Pragmatic Slot) adalah beberapa penyedia unggulan berkat visual indah, fasilitas inovatif, dan Persentase Pengembalian (RTP) yang menguntungkan. Akan tetapi, sebelum Anda memainkan menggunakan modal asli, perlu untuk menguji mesin versi uji PG Slot. Alasannya? Berikut penjelasannya.
Apa Hal Permainan Pratinjau PG Slot?
Permainan demo ialah versi uji pada permainan mesin yang menggunakan poin digital, tanpa modal sunguhan. Fitur ini memperbolehkan pengguna untuk memahami sistem game, fitur insentif, serta Persentase Pengembalian tanpa adanya bahaya moneter.
Alasannya Memainkan Permainan Versi Uji PG Slot Penting?
Mengetahui Mekanisme Aktivitas
Tiap game memiliki kebijakan dan fungsi berbeda. Permainan demo memfasilitasi kamu mempelajarinya tanpa stres.
Mengetes Tingkat RTP
Persentase Pengembalian merupakan rasio hasil hipotetis pada periode panjang. Melalui versi uji, kamu mampu mengamati sejauh mana sering aktivitas memberikan kemenangan.
Mengembangkan Taktik
Game demo memfasilitasi pemain agar mengevaluasi taktik contohnya pengelolaan pertaruhan tanpa bahaya hilangnya dana.
Mencari Mesin Pilihan
Playtech Soft menawarkan beragam tema mesin. Menggunakan menjalankan percobaan, Anda dapat mencari permainan dengan sesuai untuk selera Anda.
Mengurangi Kehilangan Signifikan
Memainkan percobaan memudahkan kamu mengetahui aktivitas sebelumnya berjudi memakai uang sunguhan, menurunkan potensi kerugian kehilangan.
Keuntungan Memainkan Slot Versi Uji PG Slot
Dengan tidak Bahaya Finansial: Mencoba menggunakan kredit virtual, tanpa adanya beban rugi modal.
Mengembangkan Kepercayaan Diri: Melatih menggunakan versi uji membuat pemain lebih siap ketika bergeser pada aktivitas memakai uang sunguhan.
Mengetahui Fasilitas Hadiah: Pelajari teknik memicu fasilitas hadiah contohnya Spin Gratis atau Simbol Liar.
Meminimalkan Jam dan juga Dana: Coba beragam permainan tanpa wajib mengeluarkan modal.
Rekomendasi Mencoba Permainan Demo Pragmatic Mesin
Konsentrasi pada fitur insentif serta teknik operasinya.
Amati tingkat volatilitas slot (tinggi dan rendah).
Susun limit waktu dan juga biaya walaupun memainkan menggunakan saldo virtual.
Eksplorasi berbagai tema untuk menemukan pilihan kamu.
Dispositivos de equilibrado: importante para el funcionamiento uniforme y eficiente de las dispositivos.
En el ámbito de la innovación contemporánea, donde la eficiencia y la fiabilidad del aparato son de máxima trascendencia, los equipos de calibración tienen un tarea vital. Estos dispositivos especializados están diseñados para ajustar y regular elementos dinámicas, ya sea en equipamiento manufacturera, medios de transporte de traslado o incluso en dispositivos domésticos.
Para los especialistas en soporte de aparatos y los ingenieros, trabajar con equipos de ajuste es esencial para garantizar el rendimiento uniforme y fiable de cualquier aparato móvil. Gracias a estas herramientas avanzadas modernas, es posible limitar considerablemente las movimientos, el zumbido y la esfuerzo sobre los soportes, prolongando la longevidad de elementos valiosos.
También significativo es el papel que desempeñan los sistemas de equilibrado en la atención al cliente. El ayuda técnico y el soporte continuo empleando estos aparatos habilitan ofrecer asistencias de alta nivel, aumentando la satisfacción de los clientes.
Para los dueños de negocios, la aporte en unidades de calibración y medidores puede ser importante para mejorar la rendimiento y rendimiento de sus sistemas. Esto es especialmente trascendental para los emprendedores que gestionan modestas y pequeñas emprendimientos, donde cada aspecto cuenta.
Además, los sistemas de calibración tienen una gran utilización en el sector de la fiabilidad y el monitoreo de nivel. Habilitan localizar probables defectos, previniendo reparaciones onerosas y averías a los equipos. Además, los indicadores generados de estos aparatos pueden utilizarse para mejorar métodos y potenciar la exposición en motores de búsqueda.
Las áreas de uso de los sistemas de ajuste abarcan variadas industrias, desde la fabricación de bicicletas hasta el seguimiento ambiental. No interesa si se refiere de importantes producciones productivas o pequeños espacios hogareños, los equipos de ajuste son fundamentales para promover un rendimiento efectivo y sin presencia de fallos.
29empire
Berikut artikel yang Anda minta berdasarkan konteks sebelumnya:
Misteri Tulisan Yesus di Pasir: Rahasia Tersembunyi dalam Kitab Suci
Dalam tradisi Kristen, salah satu momen paling misterius adalah ketika Yesus menulis di pasir saat menghadapi seorang perempuan yang tertangkap berzina. Apa sebenarnya yang ditulisnya?
Jejak Ilahi dalam Tulisan
Merujuk pada Kitab Keluaran, Allah sendiri pernah menulis dengan jari-Nya di atas batu. Yesus, sebagai inkarnasi Ilahi, tampaknya mengulang tindakan sakral ini.
Hipotesis Tulisan Rahasia
Beberapa sarjana menafsirkan bahwa Yesus mungkin menulis:
– Nama-nama para penuduh
– Daftar dosa mereka
– Ayat-ayat hukum yang mereka langgar
Makna Tersembunyi
Tindakan menulis di pasir bukan sekadar gerakan acak, tetapi memiliki signifikansi teologis mendalam. Yesus secara simbolis mengungkapkan kebenaran tersembunyi tentang kemanusiaan.
Kesimpulan
Meskipun isi tulisan tetap menjadi misteri, tindakan Yesus menunjukkan kebijaksanaan yang melampaui pemahaman manusia.
Aparatos de ajuste: importante para el operación uniforme y óptimo de las maquinarias.
En el mundo de la innovación moderna, donde la efectividad y la fiabilidad del aparato son de alta significancia, los aparatos de calibración tienen un papel crucial. Estos sistemas especializados están diseñados para calibrar y asegurar elementos móviles, ya sea en dispositivos industrial, vehículos de movilidad o incluso en aparatos hogareños.
Para los especialistas en conservación de sistemas y los técnicos, manejar con aparatos de ajuste es fundamental para garantizar el operación fluido y fiable de cualquier sistema giratorio. Gracias a estas soluciones avanzadas innovadoras, es posible reducir sustancialmente las vibraciones, el estruendo y la tensión sobre los sujeciones, aumentando la longevidad de elementos costosos.
También relevante es el rol que cumplen los sistemas de ajuste en la asistencia al cliente. El ayuda experto y el soporte regular usando estos dispositivos habilitan dar asistencias de alta calidad, elevando la contento de los usuarios.
Para los responsables de emprendimientos, la inversión en unidades de calibración y dispositivos puede ser clave para aumentar la efectividad y eficiencia de sus aparatos. Esto es sobre todo significativo para los inversores que administran modestas y pequeñas organizaciones, donde cada elemento vale.
Asimismo, los equipos de equilibrado tienen una extensa uso en el ámbito de la fiabilidad y el control de nivel. Permiten encontrar potenciales defectos, evitando arreglos costosas y averías a los sistemas. Incluso, los información obtenidos de estos dispositivos pueden aplicarse para mejorar procedimientos y potenciar la exposición en sistemas de búsqueda.
Las sectores de implementación de los dispositivos de equilibrado cubren múltiples industrias, desde la fabricación de transporte personal hasta el seguimiento ecológico. No afecta si se trata de extensas elaboraciones productivas o modestos espacios domésticos, los dispositivos de ajuste son necesarios para garantizar un desempeño efectivo y sin presencia de fallos.
equilibrador
Dispositivos de balanceo: esencial para el desempeño fluido y efectivo de las máquinas.
En el ámbito de la tecnología moderna, donde la efectividad y la estabilidad del sistema son de suma significancia, los sistemas de calibración juegan un papel vital. Estos sistemas especializados están desarrollados para calibrar y asegurar piezas dinámicas, ya sea en equipamiento productiva, transportes de traslado o incluso en dispositivos caseros.
Para los especialistas en soporte de equipos y los ingenieros, operar con equipos de calibración es importante para garantizar el funcionamiento suave y estable de cualquier sistema dinámico. Gracias a estas alternativas modernas modernas, es posible reducir significativamente las vibraciones, el ruido y la esfuerzo sobre los rodamientos, prolongando la tiempo de servicio de elementos caros.
De igual manera trascendental es el tarea que cumplen los equipos de ajuste en la asistencia al usuario. El apoyo experto y el soporte constante empleando estos equipos posibilitan ofrecer servicios de óptima excelencia, incrementando la bienestar de los clientes.
Para los propietarios de emprendimientos, la inversión en estaciones de balanceo y detectores puede ser importante para optimizar la eficiencia y eficiencia de sus aparatos. Esto es principalmente significativo para los empresarios que gestionan modestas y intermedias organizaciones, donde cada detalle importa.
Por otro lado, los sistemas de equilibrado tienen una amplia uso en el área de la protección y el gestión de nivel. Habilitan localizar posibles fallos, impidiendo mantenimientos costosas y daños a los dispositivos. También, los datos generados de estos aparatos pueden utilizarse para perfeccionar procesos y incrementar la visibilidad en sistemas de búsqueda.
Las zonas de uso de los equipos de equilibrado incluyen diversas áreas, desde la manufactura de vehículos de dos ruedas hasta el supervisión ambiental. No importa si se refiere de importantes manufacturas manufactureras o pequeños locales de uso personal, los dispositivos de equilibrado son indispensables para garantizar un rendimiento productivo y sin fallos.