day 68 of 151
i never really thought about specific dates
though if i had i wouldn't have anticipated this
March 31st begins week two of get-rid-of-bronchitis-adventures
March 31st marks nearly 10 weeks of residence in this city
meaning i'm nearly half way through this journey
maybe journey's too eloquent a word
adventure might suffice

and what have i to say for the last 10 weeks
i suppose the best way to say it is this
i feel i've done so little yet much has been done in me
my heart, my worldview, my way of living
each been shaped by my time here
in some ways i feel like an old soul
in others i feel like a child still learning the proper way to say & do

so goodbye March,
minus the sleepless nights spent coughing over the toilet,
you've been good to me.

weavers studio

i think i found a little bit of heaven in kolkata









yep. i am a fan of this place.

darj

i love this place
to attempt an explanation of my love for it would be futile



& when the sun rises



it reveals this most breathtaking view



i ♥ darj.

almost 2 months in and i feel like i just arrived.
and technically i did. Mercedes, Ashley (another volunteer from NY) I just returned from five days of much needed rest in Darjeeling. (more on that at a later time).

working at Dum Dum has begun to feel very natural. i can't imagine not being here, not seeing my girls faces, not taking in copious amounts of polluted air for an hour just to hear them say "good morning auntie!"
there's a part of me that doesn't want to spend May traveling. but then the reality of increasing temperatures hits and i want to run for the hills. literally. So Mercedes and i will soon be planning for that. Until then we're at Dum Dum being "aunties".
I'm not sure i mentioned it before but i'm now helping teach a class of 8 girls who will test for acceptance into the Indian Institute for Cerebral Palsy come June. The IICP does amazing work. Daya Dan, the orphanage i originally planned on working with, has quite a few of their kids enrolled there and has seen great results. It's a challenging task, getting them ready. I'm fairly sure one of the girls has dyslexia so i'm trying to find ways to work with that. two other girls don't understand english very well, making the process that much more difficult. It's good though to be in a place where i constantly have to rely on God's grace to provide wisdom and creativity in working with each girl.

I'm learning to rest
and trust
He is good

i'm much more accustomed to this city than i ever imagined i would be
the day to day seems almost normal
has me feeling like i need to do something more
instead i resort to making the work of these hands pleasing
no matter the task

He gives and breathes
and i find myself humbled and incredibly thankful

David's words sum it all up so if you're interested in knowing what i'm feeling just read some psalms and you'll get a good idea.

this is good, my friends, so very good