Calcutta - The City of Joy

Hey everyone!
We hope this message finds all of you very well. Today is our last day in Calcutta, also known as the City of Joy. For the past week, we have all been very busy. We have been volunteering at various Mother Teresa houses, such as Kalighat, Prem Dan, and Shishu Bhavan. The houses range from those that care for the destitute and dying to those that provide a childhood for orphaned boys and girls. Overall, each one of us has found our experience at Mother Teresa's extremely rewarding. With the flexibility of volunteer times and places, we have all been able to continue to explore India's culture through numerous different activities. For instance, today we did some sight-seeing, including Jain temples and the Ramakrishna temple complex.

On another note, we had a birthday in the group a few days ago. Nalin turned 18!!!!!!! We celebrated by going dancing at a club called Soho on Saturday night and by bowling and playing bumper cars on his actual birthday, which was Tuesday. It was all so much fun!!!!!

We have been so grateful to Nalin's family, who have graciously provided us with an amazing accommodation. Tonight, we will have one last dinner with them at his great-aunt's house.

Tomorrow morning we are off to the Andaman Islands, which we are all VERY excited about!!! The Andamans are somewhat secluded, and thus, we may not have Internet access while we are there. Don't worry, though, because we will be back in Calcutta on November 25th.

Have a great week!
-Nalin and Ariel