India

Hello everyone. I am going to try and keep people updated on my adventures here. There will be a mix of posting things on my blog and face-book if you want to keep updated with everything.
So far what have I seen? Well....I shall try my best to paint a clear picture with my words.
It is hot here. But not overly hot. Humid, but not unbearable like Thailand. It is also the cooler season as of now, which means an average day is 25-30 degress. In the summer I know it gets much hotter which I have not experienced. So far the things I like about India are 1) The food 2) the clothes :) 3) The Chai tea (SO GOOD!) 4) The cool people you get to meet staying in a hostel.
The hostel where I am situated is located on Sudder Street Clacutta. The problem with sudder street is that there are so many foreigners and therefore many many beggars. The resteraunts and the shops are about for times the price of normal resteraunts and shops around here as well. Lets face it on Sudder Street your boundaries get tested. Beggars will walk with you asking for money. Or the women will take your hand and ask you to come sit with them. I did that today for a bit without giving out any money, I got a red dot put on my head which made me smile. They told me it was for "Bindii" or for beauty (if that is true or not is yet to be decided). The people here will be very nice to you, but the reason they are so nice is because they want something. That makes relationships with locals a bit strained. Matt has been lucky enough to make some genuine local friends. We visited their shop they other day and they sat us down and gave us traditional black tea. Very hospitable people.
But everyone is Calcutta is in need. I need to reasearch more about the history and understand the issues surrounding systemic poverty. Much of the problem lies in that of coruption. What do you do when you give someone their word and they disregard it completely? A nation built on an inability to uphold truth? How can trust then be developed. It is not a good idea to even send mail because the postage system is so corrupt.
I find it taxing having people come up and talk with me (their english is quite good) and then proceed to convince me to buy their products or ask me for rupees. Which is worse, having no one talk to you or having everyone talk to you asking for money?

Obviously this perspective is not wholistic and I am sure I will meet some wonderful Indian people who do not want my money. But for now I struggle in the tension of wanting to give the peole in need and yet realizing that in the end simply giving them things only perpetuates a cycle of foreigners giving to beggars which doesn't solve any systemic issues around poverty.
Tomorrow I start work with a house of women who have mental disabilities. I am quite nervous abuot this, and I am sure I will be stretched quite far. But I will let you all know how it is going :)