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Day 8: A visit to the Mother House

Today was an earlier start than usual! We woke up at 4:55 am to be ready for 5:15 to get a bus to Mother Theresa's House. Although we were all wrecked, we managed to push through, noticing how eerie it was on the streets, with less beeping than usual and lots of people sleeping on the sides of the roads. We did notice some early-risers were washing their cars and setting up their stalls for the day.

We arrived at the Mother House and were guided by one of the sisters to the chapel. There were many sisters there already so we quietly took off our shoes and sat on the floor and along the benches. After us, a big group of Irish TY students travelling with the Hope Foundation came in and it was a bit strange to see other Irish people after a week! Mass started at 6am. There were lots of hymns for everyone to sing along to, regardless of what language they spoke and it was very peaceful. We all found it really fascinating when the priest said that life is like a painting whereby a picture frame protects but also limits the picture as laws limit your life. He also said that laws are for the time and the situation but the commandments are eternal. His use of analogies like this made his sermon relatable and I hope we all took something from the experience. 

We then went to Mother Theresa's tomb where we had the opportunity to write special intentions for prayers, thinking of all those we are missing at home. We then went into a cafe next door and noticed they had lots of 'Mother Theresa-themed' souvenirs on sale. We all bought a few things and the price of the rosary beads oddly kept going up after each of us and by the end they had gone from 200 rupees to 300 rupees, which gave us a laugh when we tried to work out who got the best bargains, as the sleepy amongst us hadn't even noticed! We then got back on the bus and headed back to St. George's once again,.

We had a quick breakfast until around 9 and then we all had a much-needed and deserved nap until 12. We had a nice afternoon of chilling and playing cards. Lunch was biryani, which was delicious! Then we used our spare time to make 'thank you' cards for all the children in St. Georges who have helped us throughout the week and given up their time to teach us new skills like earring making. This time gave us the opportunity to think of all of the girls and boys from St. George's who have been so welcoming and enthusiastic all week and we hope they like the cards we have made, which we will give them on Tuesday.

We then played basketball with one of the brothers, Ronnie. Again, his skills were insane! It was great fun and we were all getting very competitive!! We came back inside tired and thirsty after playing in the 30 degree heat. We were spoiled with noodles and chips for dinner. Before our reflection time this evening, we will prepare our lesson topics for tomorrow and we're all excited to meet the students again. We look forward to tomorrow evening's soup kitchen in Dum Dum, where we will be doing what we can to support those who need it.






























Comments

  1. Laura QuirkeFebruary 13, 2023 at 2:14 AM

    Hi girls,
    I hope you are all having a brilliant time in Kolkata. The photos all look great and are bringing back some lovely memories. I hope you are making the most of your time over there and we are all looking forward to welcoming you back after midterm.
    Ms. Quirke ☺️

    ReplyDelete

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