Arrived in Kolkata

We have arrived in Kolkata!

The trip to Kolkata was quite a challenge. The 10 hour flight to Frankfurt with a 3 hour layover, then 10 hour flight to New Delhi, arriving at 1am and hanging out in the airport until our 7 am flight to Kolkata. 30 hours of travel time and 12 1/2 hours of time change was quite exhausting. Nevertheless, we knew Kolkata was soon to arrive and were up for the challenge.

Joe took this picture while we were arriving into Frankfurt:

Here are 2 pictures at the New Delhi airport:

We found this pretty funny – the male & female washroom signs in the New Delhi airport:

Here are 2 pictures at the airport in Kolkata:

The taxi ride from Kolkata airport to our hostel was insane.

Our taxi driver was constantly weaving in and out of traffic and honking non-stop. 3 lane roads turned into 4 lane roads and drivers would take any measures possible to pass other cars. I took a video during our taxi ride – it ended up being one of the safest portions of our drive – good for us, not as entertaining though to watch 🙂

What was amazing about our taxi ride is that our taxi driver and everyone else driving considered this to be the standard way to drive – they were calm and composed while driving. Joe and I soon realized that honking is their way to let other drivers know where they are located. So if I plan to zoom by you on the right side, I’ll honk for a couple seconds before I pass, so you know where I’m at and don’t have to look at the side mirror.

Thank God we arrived safe at our hostel near the Mother House on Bose Road.

Here are some pictures of where we are staying – the Baptist Mission Society hostel. Anu Khan and the staff here are great. Very welcoming and they even upgraded us to a room with air conditioning because they knew that Joe and I, being Canadians, would struggle with in the heat and humidity.

The volunteer card:

Check out these Indian outfits Joe and I picked up at New Market district.

Pictures from the Mother House:

The Mother House is truly a refuge in the chaotic streets of Kolkata. Going to morning Mass at 6am and evening adoration at 6:30pm are the two pillars that ground our day. With the windows wide open, we can hear cars honking their horns almost every second.

Regardless, it’s holy. The sisters here are spiritual warriors. We are so blessed to be working with the sisters for 5 weeks.

Next post will cover our first week of work at Prem Dan, the home for the elderly and dying.

God bless you!