Tuesday, December 02, 2008 
11:57 PM ♥
Day 05 (18 Nov 2008)
After spending some time in Kolkata, I do realize that there were a lot of restrictions in places such as no photo-taking. So, after a few days, I am kind of too lazy to bring my camera down with me. For day 5, there was no photo taken for this particular day.
I was quite afraid to go to Shanti-dan for volunteer service. I was so reluctant that I do not want to wake up in the morning. Unfortunately, I have no choice. Shanti-dan was basically one of the homes under Mother Theresa House. Over there, it has 300 hundred women who suffer from some mental disability. Most of them were adults, but they behaved like 5 years old children. This sounds quite alright to me initially. However at the moment I arrived that place, I was stunned. I was totally not prepared for it. Honestly, I came for this trip purely for shopping, not really about committing to the community service. Once I got off the coach, our ‘royal comfort’, someone snatched away my 1 litre water. That was Mona, she likes to zip and unzip her pants constantly. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea what she does that.
My first task was to help doing the laundry, hanging the wet cloths to dry. If you think that this was an easy job, then you were so wrong! I spent about an hour plus to hang all the clothes, there were so many clothes to hang. I was like going crazy instantly, so many work to do, worse, I am going solo. As I look up into the sky, I could see many eagles up in the air. I was terrified as this was the first time I saw so many eagles flying quite low. Soon after I finished my work, it was time for break.
After the break, it was our time to entertain them. We went around chatting with them, singing some songs and even dance with them. I am so satisfied when I saw smiles on their faces. This feeling was indescribable. I fully enjoyed myself with them, also getting to know many of them. I come across this woman who was from Japan. I sat down and talked to her because she was the only one who could understand what I was saying. Basically, I have no idea what the other women were saying because I do not learn Hindi. So I was blabbering nonsense most of them, nodding my head pretending I understand what they said. I would say that Joanne aka T1 was very popular at Shanti-dan, perhaps she has this motherly figured which attracts the child-like behaving women. They like to hug her, hold her hands and even fight over her. That was a compliment to you Joanne! You are popular!
After that was lunch at a restaurant which I have no idea it was again. Then, the tour guide brought us to the Pareshnath Jain Temple, the Marble Palace, the Tagore house and the College house. In fact, I could not recall these places because there were some changes in our itinerary, so I am not too sure what the changes were. Anyway, they were not very important to me, what more exciting awaits us at night.
I shall skipped the dinner part and mention about the de-brief we had after the end of the day. Mr. Chew wanted the de-brief to be at the ‘birdcage’ room (Aloysius, Kar Wee, Wee Yang), so our group of girls went there the earliest. I mean this was not the first time we went to their room, so we just made ourselves feel at home by occupying their bed. When all of us arrived, Mr. Chew started the briefing. I was very sleepy at that moment because I was down with cold, plus had taken medicine which causes me drowsiness, so I fell asleep half way. I dare to sleep because I saw the VP sleeping, so I thought it was alright for me to do that too. After the ,de-brief when the teachers went back to their respective rooms, the president and VP asked everyone to stay hold. They lectured us about not giving respect to Mr. Chew by chit chatting or sleeping as he was talking. I mean please, she was sleeping as well! She told us to ‘respect’ Mr. Chew, the teachers and the tour guide. Seriously after she lectured us about this, she could hear asking telling one another ‘Respect arh, respect’.
-siqi
♡ 
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Tuesday, December 02, 2008 11:57 PM ♥
Day 05 (18 Nov 2008)
After spending some time in Kolkata, I do realize that there were a lot of restrictions in places such as no photo-taking. So, after a few days, I am kind of too lazy to bring my camera down with me. For day 5, there was no photo taken for this particular day.
I was quite afraid to go to Shanti-dan for volunteer service. I was so reluctant that I do not want to wake up in the morning. Unfortunately, I have no choice. Shanti-dan was basically one of the homes under Mother Theresa House. Over there, it has 300 hundred women who suffer from some mental disability. Most of them were adults, but they behaved like 5 years old children. This sounds quite alright to me initially. However at the moment I arrived that place, I was stunned. I was totally not prepared for it. Honestly, I came for this trip purely for shopping, not really about committing to the community service. Once I got off the coach, our ‘royal comfort’, someone snatched away my 1 litre water. That was Mona, she likes to zip and unzip her pants constantly. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea what she does that.
My first task was to help doing the laundry, hanging the wet cloths to dry. If you think that this was an easy job, then you were so wrong! I spent about an hour plus to hang all the clothes, there were so many clothes to hang. I was like going crazy instantly, so many work to do, worse, I am going solo. As I look up into the sky, I could see many eagles up in the air. I was terrified as this was the first time I saw so many eagles flying quite low. Soon after I finished my work, it was time for break.
After the break, it was our time to entertain them. We went around chatting with them, singing some songs and even dance with them. I am so satisfied when I saw smiles on their faces. This feeling was indescribable. I fully enjoyed myself with them, also getting to know many of them. I come across this woman who was from Japan. I sat down and talked to her because she was the only one who could understand what I was saying. Basically, I have no idea what the other women were saying because I do not learn Hindi. So I was blabbering nonsense most of them, nodding my head pretending I understand what they said. I would say that Joanne aka T1 was very popular at Shanti-dan, perhaps she has this motherly figured which attracts the child-like behaving women. They like to hug her, hold her hands and even fight over her. That was a compliment to you Joanne! You are popular!
After that was lunch at a restaurant which I have no idea it was again. Then, the tour guide brought us to the Pareshnath Jain Temple, the Marble Palace, the Tagore house and the College house. In fact, I could not recall these places because there were some changes in our itinerary, so I am not too sure what the changes were. Anyway, they were not very important to me, what more exciting awaits us at night.
I shall skipped the dinner part and mention about the de-brief we had after the end of the day. Mr. Chew wanted the de-brief to be at the ‘birdcage’ room (Aloysius, Kar Wee, Wee Yang), so our group of girls went there the earliest. I mean this was not the first time we went to their room, so we just made ourselves feel at home by occupying their bed. When all of us arrived, Mr. Chew started the briefing. I was very sleepy at that moment because I was down with cold, plus had taken medicine which causes me drowsiness, so I fell asleep half way. I dare to sleep because I saw the VP sleeping, so I thought it was alright for me to do that too. After the ,de-brief when the teachers went back to their respective rooms, the president and VP asked everyone to stay hold. They lectured us about not giving respect to Mr. Chew by chit chatting or sleeping as he was talking. I mean please, she was sleeping as well! She told us to ‘respect’ Mr. Chew, the teachers and the tour guide. Seriously after she lectured us about this, she could hear asking telling one another ‘Respect arh, respect’.
-siqi
♡
February 2006