I'm in INDIA!!!!!

Naamaskar from India!! I've only been here for 2 days and already there is so much to say! The flights here went very smoothly, didn't have much trouble with jet lag at all. Saturday I met the 2 other volunteers who just arrived (Danielle and Sherry) and we went to the market to explore our neighborhood a bit. Things are so cheap here in Kolkata- it's amazing what you can buy with only a few rupees. There are also many used book stores that I'm going to have trouble staying away from... I may have to ship home all the books I buy. Today was our orientation with Vishal. I will be working with women rescued from prostitution- still not sure in what capacity, but I am excited to do whatever they need. I will find out more tomorrow. We also learned how to orient ourselves in the city and how to get around- had my first ride in a bicycle rickshaw today- amazing experiences! Everything is an adventure here, but the people are all so warm and welcoming- and most people we have met at least have some basic English conversation skills. The city is incredible- so many sights and sounds- the bright colors of the clothing and houses, the smells of food cooking at the roadside stalls, the constant ( and I mean constant) cacaphony of honking from taxis, buses, the horns and bells of the rickshaws adding to the sensory overload. There is so much to see here. I am glad that I had the opportunity to go to Nigeria earlier this year- even just spending 10 days there helped to prepare me for a lot of things I've seen here so far. Although, not with everything.... This morning we took the metro, and the first train that came was crammed so full of people- worse than New York City at rush hour. When the doors opened, the men immediately RAN ( and yes I mean ran!!) for the turnstiles to get out. (Although I suppose that if I had been trapped on such a crowded subway car with that many people for any length of time, I would rush to get out too!) It was comical in a sense- I've never seen anything like it- and I thought New Yorkers were always in a hurry!!! It is still very strange to think that I am halfway around the world- it hasn't quite sunk in yet that I get to stay for three months!!! I am so excited to be here, even though I am sure life over the next 90 days will hold many challenges. It is very hot here, not quite as horrifically oppressive as I had imagined, but hot nonetheless. And it seems that life in this city is often unpredictable. Today on the way home our taxi had to let us off a ways away from our guest house because the street was packed with cars, buses and auto rickshaws at a complete standstill. Vishal said it had something to do with industrialization on the outskirts of the city- the trucks line up for miles (oops- kilometers!!) and back up traffic even in the middle of the city. But I'm thrilled to be here anyway- glad that I arrived safe and am healthy and all is going well.
Praising God all the way from Kolkata-
Karin
P.S. Sorry there are no pictures yet- the cable for my camera is at the guesthouse but I will post some soon!