Thinking about volunteering with Mother Teresa's organization? I have now been in Kolkata, India for 5 months volunteering
with the Missionaries of Charity. I
remember when I was thinking about coming I tried to do some preliminary
planning and research online but couldn’t find much information. So here is a list of 20 questions I would have
liked to ask someone who had been here before I came. If you are thinking about coming and have any
additional questions please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at
Brantliveson@gmail.com.
Q
How much
money do you spend?
A
I’ve averaged around $7 a day not including
flights. See the illustration for more
details.
Q
What kind
of things do you do with the MC?
A
I take care of elderly, diseased, crippled, and
dying people in Nirmal Hriday (Kalighat) and Prem Dan. My duties included dishes, laundry, helping
them use the toilet, bathing, feeding, transporting, shaving, massaging, and
just sitting and listening to them. There are many different houses though
including orphanages and dispensaries.
You can also work with the MC brothers once a week helping street
children and a leper colony.
Q
What has
been your favorite part?
A
Getting to know the patients, MC sisters, and
other volunteers.
Q
What has
been your least favorite part?
A
Watery diarrhea.
And the heat is truly oppressive.
Q What was the spiciest food you have eaten?
A I've gotten used to the spice. But eating a chili just straight; yeah, I've cried.
Q
How much
weight have you lost?
A
14 pounds.
And that’s after gaining back about 20 pounds already since I last got
really sick/fasted.
Q
How did
you prepare for your trip?
A
I applied for a visa and bought my airline
ticket 1 month in advance. That’s pretty
much it. I basically figured everything out
after arriving in Kolkata, which was truly the best way since hotels and
transportation services in Kolkata are not online and do not accept
reservations.
Q
Did you
go alone?
A
No, I came with one other friend. There are many volunteers from many different
countries though, so it is easy to make friends after arriving.
Q
Is there
a language barrier?
A
Yes, always.
The poor people in Kolkata don’t speak much English. Many of the MC sisters and workers don’t
either.
Q
Do you
feel useful/wanted?
A
Every day of my 5 months.
Q
What’s
the craziest thing you’ve seen?
A
I think the effects of extreme poverty combined
with such a non-western culture make me feel like I see the craziest thing of
my life almost every day. A few memories
that really stick out are a people with a rotting, maggot-infested wounds; several dead bodies, one floating face-down in the Ganges;
and a birth on a train platform.
Q
Would you
return?
A
Yes, I would love to.
Q
What are
your living conditions like?
A
Compared to my house in Arizona the Kolkata
hotels are like dilapidated prison cells but compared to the Indian slums they
are like heaven. I had to get used to
brick-hard beds, glassless windows, no A/C or hot water, shared bathrooms,
roaches and bed-bugs and mosquitos, and lots of dirt. In reality it isn’t a big deal though.
Q
Where do
you live?
A
I lived in Hotel Maria and Afridi Guest House on
Sudder street (the two cheapest places to stay) but eventually in an apartment
in the Lansdown area of Kolkata.
Q
Did you
ever get robbed?
A
I got pick-pocketed on a train in Delhi but
other than that I always felt safe, even walking down sketchy alleys at night
alone.
Q
Did you
get sick?
A
A lot.
Heat rash, general cold, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and worms.
Q
How many
volunteers are there?
A
During the monsoon season and cooler months
(July – Feb) there are around 100 to 200 at a time, but during the rest of the
year there are only about 15 to 40. It
varies every day of course. Most
volunteers stay for a couple weeks at the longest, but there are a few that
have been here for years.
Q
Do you
have to use public transportation?
A
Every day.
It is unavoidable but really not that bad unless you like being in
control. You can get pretty much
anywhere in the city for 5 Rupees (0.08 USD).
Q
What did
you bring?
A
A 30 pound pack (45 liters) with a water filter,
sleeping bag, mosquito net, a few clothes, trekking boots, and Nook
inside. I didn’t bring a computer, and I
didn’t use my sleeping bag or mosquito net.
Q
Are the
MC houses beneficial and loving?
A
The houses are amazing. The love and care is evident as soon as you
step through the door. The situations
the beneficiaries come from are not even comparable. Many people’s lives are transformed in a
matter of just a few days.
Q
Did you
travel to other parts of India?
A
Only Delhi, Agra (to see the Taj Mahal), and
Darjeeling. I recommend Darjeeling.
Q
Did you
have to contact the MC before you arrived?
A
No, you can just show up at the Mother House any
day except Thursday at 7 AM to start volunteering. Every taxi and rickshaw in Kolkata knows
where “Mother House” is.
Q
Are you
Catholic?
A
No, I am just “Christian” in general. You don’t have to be Catholic or Christian to
volunteer with the MC. In fact, it is a
great way to learn about Catholicism because it is represented in true
form.
Q
Is there
internet available?
A
Yes, but hardly any wi-fi anywhere. You can find a few “cyber cafes” that charge
around 50 cents an hour for the use of a computer with internet.
Q
What
piece of advice would you give someone coming to volunteer with the
Missionaries of Charity?
A
Don’t pay any more than 310 Rupees for a taxi to
Sudder st from the airport. Don’t expect
to be irreplaceable. Don’t worry about
planning, money, safety, or any of that stuff; if you want to go then you
should just go!
Q
What is a
typical day like?
A
5:45 – wake up, shower, and walk to Mother House
A
7:00 – Eat breakfast of bananas and chai while
meeting other volunteers
A
7:30 – Head out by bus to respective MC house
with 2 to 15 other volunteers
A
8:00 – Arrive and begin washing laundry
A
9:00 – Serve snack and tend to individual needs
of patients
A
11:00 – Serve lunch and wash dishes
A
12:00 – Go back home via bus, metro, or tuk-tuk
A
12:30 – Eat lunch at a local restaurant
A
13:00 – Nap/Play guitar/read/shower
A
14:30 – Head out to different MC house for
afternoon serving session
A
17:00 – Head back home via bus or metro
A
17:30 – Dinner at a local restaurant, maybe
shopping at the market or hanging out with friends
A
18:30 – Daily prayer service at Mother House
A
20:30 – Shower
A
21:30 – Bed time
How many of your negative experiences could had been advoided by advice from an experienced visitor? Would you advise a single girl to do the same as you? Live where you have? Travel alone? What do you wish you would have had but didnt bring?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great questions Bonnald!
ReplyDelete1. Pick-pocketing. Pickpockets are on the trains so make sure you do all the normal safety stuff like not leaving your wallet in your back pocket!
2. Yes, India is quite safe. I know tons of single girls coming through here alone with no issues.
3. Yes, I recommend those hotels but they are not for everyone, they are just really cheap.
4. Traveling alone isn't as fun or safe but it is definitely doable. Like I said there are a ton of people here that came alone with no problems and seem to be loving it.
5. Crocs. Those are the best shoes for monsoon season. And I wish I hadn't brought jeans. Too dang hot.