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The Internet was so slow today. Trying to get any work done on the Internet felt like slowly drowning in quicksand, unbearable. I wasn’t able to chat much with M&D this morning, which was unfortunate, but there is still hope for tomorrow. I got to try a new breakfast food this morning, Puthumai brought it from the MC sisters house. It is called pootu and is shaped like a Pringles can. It is made out of rice flour, coconut, and cumin. You mush it up with your fingers and then mush a banana in it. There is sugar on top and then (since its breakfast) you get to eat it with a fork. It was really tasty and it was fun to have something new for breakfast. Most of the foods here that are made of rice flour taste similar, it is a taste I had never experienced before, but is quickly growing on me.
Class went well, although I gave the students a short quiz to see if they are retaining their vocabulary. They’re not. Two of my students though patience was an illness. Which, although it made me laugh, is not a good sign. I am going to have to do some more work with the vocabulary if I want it to stick.
This morning we went with Puthumai to the Police Station to register as foreigners. I got in trouble, well no, Puthumai got in trouble because of me. I have been here a month and the police had seen me around. They asked Puthumai why had I been here so long without registering. In the end nothing came of it, and we were joking on the way out, so I know it was too harsh of a scolding. It was also my first encounter with Indian police. They wear, what looks like berets (if that is the correct spelling for the French hats) and carry around sticks. They dress in green and do no smile. They patrol the intersections, making sure everyone follows the light signals, but besides that I haven’t seen them doing much around Raiganj.
In the afternoon I helped Shanawaz with some report working in excel, I was able to learn about the different skill development trainings and the ways in which the trainings are documented. I enjoy helping others with my computer skills. This afternoon Hanna and I went to Chonditola. Regina and Johannes were there, and the four of us had fun playing with the big kids and holding the babies. We all got peed on though, some multiple times. The diapers that the children wear are just triangular pieces of cloth, one size ties tight or loose enough to fit all. But by the end, even if you get peed on, it is worth it to hold these little guys and have them fall asleep in your arms. The older kids are a lot of fun to run around with, and they are the best exercise I have yet to find in Raiganj. I am starting to get attached to the little kiddos, they are so loving, sweet, and they truly are in desperate need. One of the MC sisters explained to me today, that there are only four orphans living there. The others are either sick (TB or other diseases), they have only one parent who does not or cannot take care of them, or they have been brought in as extremely malnourished and are staying there until they fill out again. It break my heart to think of these little guys starving.
I walked home from Chonditola, which was a nice long walk. Then I spent some time writing emails and working on a project that Janet has assigned. I did some reading and pretty soon it was time for dinner. We had a dinner guest who is from CRS Calcutta and has come for a field visit and to attend the quarterly meeting tomorrow. She was really nice, and because she was here, dinner was a little fancier than usual. We had the normal rice, dal, and vegetables with spices, but we also had egg and soup. Everything was very good. Tomorrow is the quarterly meeting, as is Friday. Hannah, Puthumai and I will leave for Calcutta on Saturday night. Until then, I think we have some weekend plans of relaxing and maybe having a girls night at DDC. I am sending my love and missing you all ☺

PS. Funny story. So last night after dinner at Ruchi’s house, I was offered a wet sweet. A wet sweet is a ball of dough that lives in liquid sugar. I picked it up and bit into it, which as anyone who has eaten a wet sweet before knows, if you bite them they release all of their juices. This meant that liquid sugar was dripping all down the front of me. Everyone was laughing, and we had a good time joking about it. Today in my class I asked them to speak about their favorite sweets, and with the story of the previous nights incident so fresh in my mind I though I would share it. I began with; In America we don’t have wet sweets. And then told the story. The students thought it was hilarious and I was laughing along with them. This is another valuable skill I have learned in India, to laugh at myself, and be okay with it.