-Missionaries of Charity-

Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  It consists of 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries.  The sisters take 4 vows which are vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and to give "Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor."


Within the past 4 weeks I've had the opportunity to experience 4 of Mother Teresa's establishments.  As you all know I have been volunteering at the Mother Teresa House for the Dying and Destitute every Monday -Wednesday.  In a previous blog I wrote about my experience in Calcutta at the Mother House on January 28.  I was able to share in mass with the sister's and experience where Mother herself worked.  I unfortunately wasn't allowed to see the patients or take part in their care but being at the Mother House was an emotionally draining/worthwhile experience in itself! 


Last Saturday I had the entire day off so I decided to venture to the Mother Teresa House for Handicap and Disabled Kids.  Alex, another volunteer here in India is currently working here for her placement.  The building is very similar to where I work.  There are 2 age groups that occupy most of the rooms.  I was able to feed some of the children, play with others, and attempt to "soothe" the ones crying.  A few of the kids had Down Syndrome, some Spina-Bifida, and many others forms of mental retardation.   There are 4 kids in the one room who were all "born" without eyes.. I didn't really think the odds could be possible given the fact that I've never seen it in the states or even really heard of it happening.  I did a little research and apparently it is a very rare genetic birth abnormality.. there is still a lot of suspicion however that these children may have had them "cut out" for other reasons.  What a terrible thing to do to a child yet alone any human being.  It was heartbreaking knowing these kids will never experience sight yet so amazing to see these kids play with a smile on their face, hug, and jump on you! The other room had more teenage children.  Some were non-verbal and very mentally handicapped while others were more active.  There is a 12 year old girl who has had numerous and I mean numerous surgeries to correct all of her 4 deformed limbs.  She had a external-fixator on her left arm which was on her right leg only a few weeks earlier, and her left leg before that, and then in a few weeks to months it will be on her right arm.. talk about exhausting!  Yet she still managed to light up when I walked in the room, introduce herself, and apologize for being a little under the weather! She was so sweet.. so positive.. so hopeful and she has no one! It was an amazing experience.  I give the sister's an abundance of credit for what they do!


Now, today I traveled an hour after my placement this morning at MTDD to Mother Teresa Leprosy House.  I was introduced to Sister Leela.  I did not get to take part in care but I did get to see the wonderful work of the sister's on the "poorest of the poor."  Sister explained that the house sits on 12 acres.  It is the home of currently 370 patients.  The area is called the Leprosy Colony.  It is a government run development containing 24 colonies.  All colonies contain Lepers who are pretty much banned from society.  Currently everyone is healed of Leprosy at the house but all are suffering from second hand diseases and infections.  Most have amputated limbs, infected ulcers, joint malformations, blindness, and many other current issues at hand requiring surgery.


There are 8 ward.  6 belong to men and 2 belong to women.  The mens wards are all named after Saints including St. George, St. Thomas, St. Anthony, and St. Joseph.  Within their area there are also 2 clinics.  The first clinic is a rehab facility.  One a day for 45 minutes the patients come for acupuncture therapy, wax therapy, physical therapy, and nerve and muscle stimulation therapy.  Each therapy is done to promote blood circulation and to promote sensory sensation and muscle strength.  The other clinic is a "wound care" clinic.  4 men who are trained in extensive wound care come daily to perform dressing changes and debriedment.  In the am the men perform the changes on the patients currently living at the House while in the afternoon they perform outpatient dressing changes for the people who live in the outside colonies.  All the care received is free of cost and the supplies are purchased by the sister's using funds from the Mother House in Calcutta or they are donated.  The final mens ward is considered a recovery room.  Yes, they perform surgeries on premises!  The operating room contains 3 beds (yes, in 1 room), on Mondays the room and the instruments are sterilized and on Wednesdays 2 or 3 doctors come and perform needed surgeries free of charge.  After the surgery is performed there is a holding area where the patients are monitored and then when able they return to the recovery room ward where they stay until the following Wednesday when the next surgeries take place.  


Some patients who are healthy enough to leave and have family who can help care for them leave the Mother House and live in the outside colonies.  But as I stated above, most are banned from society so they can not get jobs.  To fix this problems the Sister's hire them to work on the property and pay them monthly in return for their services.  Some jobs include, maintaining the garden, tending to the crops, maintaining the landscape, milking the cows, tending to the chickens, goats, geese, and rabbits.. I had to ask why they had geese and rabbits (just didn't make sense as all the others) and with a huge smile and laugh Sister Leela replied because they're cute! haha so sweet and she also said that it gives more job opportunities to the poor!


Next there were the 2 women's wards.  St Terese and St. Mother Teresa wards.  The first ward was massive!  There were 50 beds in the room.  Sister informed me that the room was actually being occupied by all mentally handicap women who's homes were demolished and are currently being rebuilt.  They had no where to go so the sisters gladly took them in and gave them a roof!  The other ward was for the women with leprosy.  To maintain privacy the men and women are separated and the surgeries are performed separate as well.  


370 people are taken care of by only 8 amazing sisters!  The place runs functionally with the help of many others but all in all the Sisters maintain their 4 vow..."Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor."


Each experience differed from the next but one thing did remain constant... UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!


I want to just share a quick story with you.  Today was my last day at MTDD :(  I have grown very fond of a few women in particular (don't judge I loved them all equally) but a few in particular have left a lasting imprint on my heart.  Fatima and Mary are both elderly women who have been residents at Mothers for years.  Side note- All the women were strangers upon arrival to MTDD.  I know I'm not a doctor but I diagnosed Fatima with late stages of Parkinson's disease and Mary with extreme osteoarthritis.  Today when I was sitting doing medical check-ups in the room I noticed Mary walking very quickly towards the bathroom.. a short distance behind was Fatima shuffling along in her "Parkinson's gait" holding up her curta.  I was curious of course so I observed from a distance.. Mary went first (because she's faster) and opened the bathroom door for Fatima.  She waited right outside the door for her until she was finished, helped her pull up her pants, and then arm in arm they walked out of the bathroom together. The most amazing sight.. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE 


Punja is another quick story that I have to share.  She is extremely old and frail.  She can't really walk on her own and she needs to be fed.  Every morning when I arrive she greets me with a huge smile, babbles in Hindi which I don't understand, and then laughs because she knows I have no clue! I've grown very fond of this women.. I've contemplated putting her in my luggage on more than one occasion!  I had one of the English/Hindi woman translate for me today.  I asked her to tell Punja that it was an honor meeting her, that I wished her the best health, and that I would never forget her.  As the tears rolled from the corner of her eyes she repeated to me in her broken English "I will miss you."  She then continued in Hindi stating that the work I have done has been uplifting and appreciated, that I will never be forgotten, that God is working in me, and that as a thank you God will send me a wonderful husband!  Haha she had me all emotional as she always does and then made me laugh in the midst of tears as she always does :)  


4 Mother House's, these 3 women and the other 60 some as well have changed my life forever.  They showed me what LOVE really is and how to share it with others around you who are strangers by blood and make them family by heart! 

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exists in nature.. Life is either a Daring Adventure or Nothing."

Friday I returned to Munirkaa prepared to take the 2 kids to the hospital that I wrote about.. well 1 of the boys did not show up for school (puss in the ears) and the other boy's mom told me that she informed his "Father" and he is not permitting me to take him to the hospital.. that he'll do it on his own time if he can.  So that put an end to that.

Bob and I finished all exams at the school on Friday.  We said our goodbyes to the kids which was extremely sad.. they were all running up and giving me hugs and a few of them even walked me through the slum out to the main road to say goodbye one last time! I will finish my last week of placement in another school known as Oklha and then hopefully there will be a volunteer in the next group who will pick up where I left off. 

Cute little feet :)

 The Creche Class (1-3yrs) saying bye to me.. bittersweet

 Little girl in the slum, playing in the garbage, without any clothing.. all too normal :(

Saturday night out in Delhi! We decided to have some Vietnamese Cuisine at Restaurant Lah in Hauz Khas Village.  It was a nice night out with Kelly, Rebecca, Grace, and Alex!

 Sunday morning (today) at 2am we traveled by taxi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise!  It was a 4 hr car ride.. we parked on the opposite side of the river to watch the sunrise over the Taj.. it was an amazing sight to see!  Sorry I know they are hard to see.. the darn Fog got in the way ugh!

 7am sunrise at the Taj Mahal..beautiful sight!

 I climbed up a wall to take this picture over a tall fence because it reminded me of the sunrise in Kilimanjaro Tanzania!

The girls again now in front of the Taj on the other side of the river.. unfortunately still foggy

 Totally worth the 1:30 am wake up call and the 9 hour roundtrip car ride squished in a taxi!

 Extremely peaceful and serene.

My attempt to be a "photographer" haha I thought it looked pretty cool slightly hidden by the trees.. None of these pictures do it Justice.. the Taj Mahal is definitely an amazing sight that I hope all can see one day!

Today was a hard day...

Today was a hard day... this is a picture of where Bob and I perform our medical exams on the kids.  The area is located in the back of the school off the outside courtyard.  It is normally freezing when we arrive but today was somewhat decent.  I feel awful for the kids on the bitter cold mornings... most without socks or shoes.. some without jackets... just standing and shaking.. I am tempted to take them all home with me in my luggage! 

Anadya and I after I performed his exam.  He was fascinated with all the instruments, did everything I asked, and was relatively healthy.  

 Some of the kids in class.. clearly they are not paying attention.. instead they are yelling Didi dekho (sister look in Hindi)  Then of course they yell Photo! Photo! Photo!  Too precious

Part of the reason why my day was so upsetting.. This is a little girl she's about 2 1/2-3.. from what we can guess.  She weighs 10kg (22lbs).. I am sure we all know that a almost 3 year old should weigh A LOT more than 22lbs... ugh the malnutrition is heartbreaking.  She was terrified by me.. I would be too! I was this crazy "white lady" touching her.. 

As seen here the exam was not EASY.. the poor girl screamed and cried every time I came near her.. Heart wise she was ok.. tachycardic of course.. when I went to reach for the otoscope it went down hill.  She wouldn't let me anywhere near her ears but that was ok because I could see from 10 feet away the yellow puss pouring out of her left earlobe.. omg I could've cried.  She was pulling on her ear.. I knew she was in pain.  Her mom was not available at the moment to come to the school.  She was crying so much we decided to stop the exam.  When I approached the teacher about the girl it was noted of the infection and they would inform her mother to take her to a doctor. (to be continued)

The second part that made today heartbreaking was a little boy who was 6 years old.  I am not sure of his name.  He came to the exam complaining in Hindi to our translator that he had ear pain, neck pain, and that his chest was convex.  Upon assessment it was found that he had a blocked/punctured left eardrum, swollen left and right lymph nodes, swollen tonsils (that were touching his Uvula), a bright red throat, an irregular heartbeat, a barrel chest (which often is a sign of some kind of heart issue), and pain.  We decided to perform a few additional exams.. we had him run a lap around the courtyard to check his breathing.  He was exhausted and had trouble breathing from 1 lap (approx 30 ft.) We then checked his hearing.. we didn't have proper resources so we just did different voice levels.  I had his teacher call his mom and she came to the school.  

Here is why the day was hard.. I explained everything to her.. I had her compare my tonsils to her sons, I had her feel my lymph nodes and then her sons, I had her look in my ear and then his, listen to my heart and then his.. she seemed frightened.  She stated that for a while he has been waking up twice a night out of dead sleep, sitting up, and gasping.. Of course I was wondering if it had to do with his irregular heartbeat or his tonsils constricting his airway.. I told his mom he needed to be seen by a doctor (preferably a Cardiologist and a EENT).  She stated the doctor comes to the slum 2 a month.. Are you serious?  I looked at Lalit our translator and I asked if he was going to be seen anytime soon.. he stated he wasn't sure.  I insisted we take him to the hospital.  I didn't care I would pay for it.. He said we had to ask permission from our in country Director first and wait and see if his mom takes him today after school.  Here is this poor little boy with no energy, having trouble breathing, tonsils the size of grapes smashing his uvula, an impacted ear, an irregular heartbeat, and a barrel chest and I am supposed to just WALK AWAY! I have been thinking about this all day.. As soon as I got back I presented the 2 cases to Bella the director.  She could see my concern and said absolutely yes tomorrow am when I arrive at the school I can take the 2 kids to the hospital.  Thank God.. I am so distraught right now about the condition these children are in.. most of them are dehydrated and malnourished with little to no clothes.. 

This is a picture of the slum I walk through to get to the school which is located in the heart of the slum.. these people are barely getting by..

Boy or girl I am not sure.. a precious child however walking the streets of the slum without shoes, tushy out, flies all over him, drinking dirty water... My heart breaks.

Please everyone... religious or not.. take a minute to pray for these kids and their families then thank God or whomever you believe in that you are in good health, have a roof over your head, clothing, food and water.   PLEASE DON'T TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED.. there really are kids starving in other countries and parents working any way they can (fixing tires, selling fruit, selling rice, stitching torn clothing, fixing broken soles on shoes, sleeping in a box) to save their children.  I am truly blessed.. I wish I could do more.  My heart bleeds. 

Feeling better.. back to work I went!

Back to Mother Teresa's Dying and Destitute I went today.. finally feeling 90% better!  I just want to give everyone a quick run down of my morning.. I got to the Mother House around 830.. I first helped the women (who are able to get around there) scrub the floors.. It was a group effort so it only took about 45 minutes.  Afterwards I went into the women's bedroom and helped them make beds.. Monday mornings they change all the sheets.. this sweet women was having difficulties.. you could see the arthritis in her hands.  I asked her if I could help and her eyes lit up! After that point she took me under her wing and we went around the room changing the sheets together!  She thanked me for the help when all was done with a huge smile!  While the women were out exercising I made my way back to the "medicine cabinet" that I spoke of before.  I had all the medications researched and began to group them by classification.. The basket that contains them all is pretty ragged so I came up with a few ideas on how to make dividers to keep the medicine separate from each other.  ( I have the CCS staff helping me build a wooden box with dividers and a lock that the Sister's can use instead of the raggedy woven basket).  I started doing my exams on the women.  Holy Cow-- it is amazing how excited people get over a blood pressure cuff :)  I performed 10 exams today- 6 have hypertension accompanied with wheezes, rales, and crackles.  The other 4 had normal blood pressures.  I started a chart for each women so after I leave the Sister who I taught how to take a blood pressure will be able to continue to monitor the women.  Around 11am I headed out to the front of the building.  Twice a month locals from the community are allowed to come to the Mother House where I Sister is waiting.  They stand in a cue and wait to talk to the Sister.. they start by giving their name (today I maintained the registry) and then they tell the Sister why they have come.  Most women were ill or their children were sick.  The Sister had a large table filled with medications.. as the women gave their complaints the Sister packaged pills, went over instructions, and gave out the medicine.  It is insane to see!!  A line of women and men (most severely poverty stricken) receiving medicine's (free), without being seen by a doctor, trusting the Sister, and then walking away with a glimpse of hope to get better.  So simple.. so thankful.. really makes one think!?!?  After the last (patient) left I helped clean up and then headed back inside to help feed some of the crippled ladies their lunch!  It was an amazing day!  I am so glad to be back to work :)

I am obsessed with these hand-stitched umbrellas! 

After lunch today Lalit our Cultural Perspective in charge took us to 3 different Religious places of worship.  First we went to Jama Masjid-- which is located in "Old Delhi"  It is the largest Mosque in Delhi which was built in 1644.  When we first arrived we took off our shoes before entering, (most wash their hands, feet, and neck in the "holy water") as well.  When inside everyone turns to the West to pray. If you can read Arabic there are books containing the words of prayer that many will borrow while in the Mosque.  Inside is a cupboard that contains a collection of Prophet Muhammad's belongings.  Unfortunately I could not take pictures.. so what I saw was a red hair from his beard, a Koran of his that was written on deerskin over 1,040 years ago, and his sandals.  It was very intriguing to see the remaining pieces of such a profound Prophet.  

I know I probably shouldn't take so many pictures of random people who are on the streets clearly because they have no home but I find them to be so intriguing and beautiful.  It is amazing to see their face.. I can almost read their life story.. it is seen in their eyes, their hands, their feet.. It is simply amazing!

Next we headed to Lakshmi Narayan Temple-- also known as the Birla Temple.  It enshrines Lord Vishnu- the Preserver of the Hindu Trinity.  Unfortunately we were not able to take pictures.  We once again removed our shoes before entering!  It is very interesting to see the people praying to the "gods"

Our next stop was Bangla Sahib Gurudwara- Sikh Bunglow.. I of course was the "ass" of the group who wanted to make a turban! I didn't go inside like this I did cover my head though!  The word Sikh means disciple.  A Sikh is a person who believes in One God and the teachings of the Ten Gurus.  The religion was founded by Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469 AD.  Guru Nanak and the nine other Gurus who succeeded him, set a wonderful example of living spiritually, while yet taking an active and secular part in the world.   

This is the outer edge of the Bunglow.  The water that is shown is where men wash before, after, or during prayer.. on the right side is a cement wall which contains a private bathing area for women.  As we entered we again took our shoes off but this time we had to take our socks off as well.  We then dipped our feet in water to wash them of evil and dirt and covered our heads (including men) then we entered the temple.  Inside most were on their knees or even their chests praying.  Their were three men (Ragis) who were singing the hymns (Kirtan) around the Sikh Holy Book.  At night and in the morning the book is transferred from a Sacred room on a persons head.  After you are finished with prayer you exist towards the back end closest to the water.  Outside their is a man waiting with a stand.  Everyone is handed a hand-full of semoliner-pudding.  It is made from flour sugar, and butter.  

Myself, Rebecca, Bob, Kelly, and Alex with the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara behind us!

From start to now finish this day was fantastic!  We ended with delicious Tandoori chicken and freshly baked Naan for dinner!  So glad I am feeling better, finally have an appetite, and am back to work!  Thank you everyone for your well wishes and prayers!  If anyone has any questions about any of my blogs please feel free to ask!  Hope all is well! 

Mother Teresa-- My life long dream coming true-- Calcutta

Kelly and I the night before our flight to Calcutta.  We decided to get out of our beds and pajamas, take a shower, and hit the Delhi Haat.. no sense in being miserable in bed..

Beautiful women we passed while exploring Calcutta's streets

 Kalighat Temple.. behind us is sacred water that is from a natural spring.. most people will bathe her first before entering the temple for prayer.  Calcutta was derived from the word Kalighat.. it is a 200 year old Hindi temple that has 20-25 goat sacrifices a day.

 Victoria Memorial-- in honor of Queen Victoria who dies in 1901.  She was the Queen-Empress in India.

Local women enjoying themselves outside the walls of the Victoria Memorial

The brainchild for the Victoria Memorial was Lord Cruzon.. the memorial is to be viewed as a "standing record" of India's wonderful history.. a visible monument of India's glories emphasizing on recent centuries in an unbiased manner.  Sir William Emerson the president of the British Institute of Architects was selected to design the memorial.  He chose to design in Italian Renaissance style. 

Some of the poverty that was seen in Calcutta today.. these children were in rags begging for food or money.. the one boy was cut on his arm (unfortunately I didn't have my supplies) I felt terrible for him.. his arm was full of dirt and oozing blood. 

The Mother House

54A, A.J.C. Bose Road 

Kolkata, 700016

The entire building from the other side of the street.. we arrived at the Mother House at 130pm but unfortunately they were closed until 3pm.. Kelly and I walked up and down the streets wasting time.. we eventually found a decent restaurant and had lunch while we patiently waited.. 

More poverty while we walked the streets of Calcutta-- I am amazed by how these people who have nothing still seem to have a smile on their face!  It is definitely something that I take for granted in the states... I think about how miserable I am at times and I have a roof over my head, running water, a bed to sleep in, a refrigerator full of food, and a family who loves me..  

Missionaries of Charity-- Kelly and I were able to attend Mass with some locals and the Sister's.. This is a picture of Mother Teresa's Tomb.  "One of the most beautiful and one of the most encouraging passages in the gospel are the words of Jesus regarding Faith: Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe."  Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa worked here from 1950-1997.. We were able to go into her bedroom (which is where she passed in 1997), she sat and worked each day at her desk in her room.. never closing the door.  When she died she was said to be praying as she took her last breathe while looking at the cross and crown of thorns she had hanging on her wall.  

When I got on the plane yesterday to travel to Calcutta I realized that it was Really happening.. I was going to walk the streets that Mother once walked.. see with my eyes the poverty that she worked every day to fix.. Coming here has opened my eyes to so much more.. To witness with my own eyes her work.. to feel her tomb with my own hands.. to sit with the Sister's and experience communion.. all of this is worth every hardship I've encountered.  To be honest 3 years ago I thought I would never make it to India.. I lost track of what my goals were in life.. I lost myself.. I allowed my spirit for volunteer work to be taken from me.. I allowed others to control my heart and I am forever grateful for the pain I've gone through because it led me back to my Heart, to my Passion, to ME!!

“I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much.” ― Mother Teresa

Today is Republic of India Day.. On January 26, 1947 India received Independence.  They finally parted ways with British rule and became independent.  The Liberation Movement that started in 1920 by Ghandi was a completely non-violent movement that ended in January 1947.  


The streets are silent today... the hustle and bustle has stopped.  There was a huge parade this morning that was televised in honor of Independence day.  We've been here for two weeks now.  We've sat through speakers on politics, religion, women's rights, we've had Hindi lessons, we've talked to locals, fed them, we've seen the poverty and the despair, we've eaten their food, shared in their stories.. and now today we get to share in their CELEBRATION of INDEPENDENCE! India is a country that contains 1.3 billion people, has 15 different official languages, 29 states, more than 10 official religions, thousands of different traditions, hundreds of different cuisines, has the wealthiest and the poorest people in the world  and they have still survived in 1 piece as a democracy.  


As I told all of you in my last post I've been extremely sick.  I still am.  It sucks.. I haven't been to work all week instead I've been in and out of the hospital.  Apparently it is an infection that must run its course.  Well its been running me into the ground... I've been moody.  I've cried.  I've wanted to go home.  I've played the pity me game with my parents.  Tomorrow I have a flight to Calcutta and I am mad that I am sick and of course I am thinking why me?  I (we)  spent all this money, quit my job, followed my dream, came to India, and now all I've seen is the inside of bathrooms and hospitals.. well after talking to my mom this morning it hit me... what was I expecting?  I knew going into this it wasn't going to be easy.. that I may get sick.. that the curry is eventually going to be the death of me.. that I will be exhausted and worn out but I will have accomplished my goal of going to India and helping the poor just as Mother Teresa did.  So in the words of Diane O'Donnell I will be getting on the plane tomorrow and if I shit my pants I shit my pants! I will be going back to work tomorrow and if I have to shit in dirt I shit in dirt.  I came to India to follow my heart and it's time I stop letting my ass plan my days! 


I will keep everyone updated on what's to come this weekend and over the next few weeks here... I have to make the best of what I've got! 

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.” ― Mother Teresa  

Oh Boy...

Friday the 20th Alex, Kelly, Grace, and Myself took a taxi to Jaipur.  It was a 5 1/2 hr ride that ended up being the death of us all... We arrived at Hotel Amer View on Friday night and so it began.. My stomach started hurting... I spent the night in and out of the bathroom.  Saturday i decided to be a trooper and attempt to see the wonders of Jaipur.. I made it to the Amer Fort where I rode an elephant up the 17th century grounds.  The palace sits on top of the Amer city and it is surrounded by Boundary walls.  The fort's view includes the city and the Sagar Lake (which is one of their main water sources).  Jaipur itself is only 8-10km long.   Amer Fort/Palace..

Our ride up the Amer Fort

You can see the boundary walls in the background that I was talking about..

 Sunder (Beautiful) woman living inside a closet in the fort

 Grace, Alex, Myself, and Kelly

Ariel view of the forts along with the Sagar Lake I wrote about

I made it up without any issues so we moved on to the Jaigarh Fort.  This was a 17th century Army Palace.  It protected the king Mirza Raja Jaisingh (1621-1667).  He had eight wives that all lived with him.  His main wife was Maharani Chandrawatiji.  Within the walls was also a summer palace known as Lalit Mandir.  As I mentioned before Jaipur's main water source was the Sagar Lake.. Camels and Elephants would travel down the mountain side cobble paths 1.5km to the lake where they would transport water back up to the palace.  The palace was protected by gun point... the walls had little peep holes that armed men would stand and guard.  This fort also holds the largest cannon known as Cannon Jaivana.  it will strike up to 32 miles away and it was built in 1720 weighing 50tons.  

After here we traveled to Jal Mahal known as the "water palace."  It was built in the 18th century and is literally in the center of the Sagar Lake.  It floats when the Monsoon Season hits.  All along the water side were vendors selling their goods.  Some jewelry, foods, wooden crafts, toys, etc.. The area was filled with children playing barefoot and bottomless :) so cute but so sad.. 

 Man selling spices for so very little money

 Colorful Bracelets!

 Hindi Man that performed the Haulman ritual on us... 

 Our strings right before our Bindi's 

Then things got bad... We traveled to the Galta Temple.  A sage lived there named Galva.  He lived inside the temple and performed penance.   Galta Kund was built inside the 18th century there were two main temples.. Ram and Vishnu.  There are 7 sacred tanks that feed natural spring water flowing from a rock that resembles a cows mouth.  The water is said to have "curative" powers because of the cows mouth.  As we entered the Temple a older Hindi man who lived inside the temple asked us to follow him.  He took us to a tiny temple where he gave up evil spirits to the Haulman "temple god."  He rubbed perfume on our hands, wrapped colorful string around or wrist, and drew a bindi (Dot on the center of my head).  He then Blessed us with  Peacock feathers (just kept hitting us on the head), it was sort of  amusing.

After all of this I attempted to walk up the stairs to the top of the temple... lets just say what I did next had to be sacrilegious.  I threw up all over the temple.... yikes......... Here is this Catholic girl puking all over a sacred Hindi Temple.  From here I still decided to be a trooper I continued into town were we decided to go shopping.. what was I thinking?!?!  I was so week I basically collapsed on a street corner.  Our driver Jassi picked me up and took me back to the hotel.. I napped for a few hrs on and off and then was up the remainder of the night sick from both ends... at 1am he took me to the hospital.  

I checked into the emergency room... what a site!!  1 nurse, 1 doctor, no patients, 2 gurneys... they decided they wanted to admit me... as the nurse began looking for a vein I began looking for supplies.. she was about to open the needle when I stopped here and asked her for gloves.. Yes she was not wearing gloves.. she looked at me oddly and with a huff walked and got gloves. I then was transferred to a private room.. on the way I experienced a man sleeping in the elevator (odd).  My room consisted of 2 beds, a table and a bathroom.  The nurse didn't speak any english and I was so out of it... I couldn't even sit straight the pains were so bad.. She started giving me Iv's and meds... omg what a nightmare... I had no idea what she was giving me... I kept asking her what is it? what is it? next thing I knew I was on the bathroom floor throwing up again... the pills were in the toilet and she was rubbing my back.  I got back in bed and she gave me a shot in my arm.. (even today I don't know what the shot was, but I am alive).  I traveled the 5 1/2 hrs back with Jassi and the girls.. We never made it to Agra (which is where we were supposed to go Sunday) to see the Taj Mahal.  We stopped numerous times on the way home where i experienced numerous bathrooms.. yuck (some holes in the ground).  

Monday morning I went to the hospital here in Delhi were I received yet another IV and more medications.. This visit was a lot better!  The doctor spoke English, did a full exam, explained everything, and got me on the right path!  I am still going to the bathroom very frequently (I'm sure you are all REALLY enjoying this blog) but I am doing better.  Today is the first day I managed to keep a piece of toast down! Wahhoo and gatorade :) 

I haven't been to placement in 2 days I am terrible sad about it.. I feel like I've come to India to get sick and see the inside of bathrooms :(  I have a flight booked to Calcutta this Friday at 550pm I really hope I am feeling better by then.. I can not miss out on seeing Mother Teresa's tomb, the Mother House, and where she lived and worked!