It's 5am as I write this blog, sitting in Smarita's living room. The crows are already starting their morning rounds and the sun is shining through the windows. Any other day I'd actually enjoy this moment. But I'm leaving in an hour, and don't have the emotional strength to appreciate the natural beauty.

In two weeks from today, I'll be leaving India for good. Well, at least for two years. Over the last few months the women at Destiny and at the shelter homes have made some forelorn comments, "Becky di, you're leaving and then you'll forget us." But I keep ignoring it and responding that I don't want to hear anything about me leaving until the day I actually leave. This past week has been especially hard though, because I'm going on a jewelry trip to Delhi and Jaipur tomorrow and needed to say goodbye just for a week.

Often times we come across survivors who are taking training in shelter homes but want to come out and work. But because of legal issues, or psychological issues, they are not able to leave. So they stay in the home, and we always encourage them to work hard and learn the skill well so that they can get a well-paying job when they leave.

First, let me preface this with the fact that I've never taken a Bengali class, I cannot read or write in Bengali, and the grammar/vocabulary I know of the language comes from women and children in red light districts. So I most certainly do not claim to know proper Bengali. Most of the time I end up saying things like "I to the market went tomorrow vegetables buying." But whatever, I make myself understood.

In the last six months, Smarita and I have both accommodated several survivors at our homes. This was due to lack of any other opportunities - there are no emergency shelter homes in Kolkata for victims of abuse. Women would show up at our office, having been beaten nearly to death, saying that they need a place to stay. The first time this happened, Smarita allowed the young woman to stay in her home. The next week, another woman came, having been beaten and kicked out of the house by her brother.

 This week has been an absolute roller coaster at the Destiny center. Over the last few weeks, it's come to our attention that several of the women are consistently late to work. And I don't mean 5-10 minutes late, I mean a good 45 minutes late. And many of them bunk work without informing us. So over the weekend, Smarita and I decided to enforce a small fine for anyone who arrives more than 15 minutes late to work. We thought this would be a good way to motivate the women to come on time, and use the money to buy sweets for everyone at the end of the month. 

 Last week I had to go to the Kidderpore red light district to deliver a donation of toothbrushes and toothpaste. I've been many times to the drop-in-center, but always in the afternoon because most of the children are in school until 2pm. But that day I reached at 10am and saw for the first time the "day creche" for children under 5 years. It was literally a garden of kinder! They were all seated on a mat, writing the English alphabet on their mini-blackboards, some with their tongues hanging out in concentration. I was thoroughly impressed by how well-behaved they were.

The last three days have been complete madness in Kolkata. Holi, the Hindu festival of lights, is celebrated throughout India and even in many Hindu communities abroad. There are many myths that contribute to the current celebration of Holi, but one of the most well known is the love play of Krishna and Radha. Lord Krishna has often been portrayed as a naughty prankster in his childhood and a lover-boy in his youth. His beloved Radha and the cowherd girls 'Gopis' in general loved him even more for his pranks and eve teasing.

 A few days ago, a partner organization in Kolkata informed us of a dental clinic being held for NGO staff members and the women they serve. We were invited to bring the Destiny team for this dental clinic, and quickly informed our women to mark their calendars. Dental hygiene is something severely lacking in the red light areas and slums, where our women lived for much of their lives. Some have never even seen a dentist, so the thought of going was caused a bit of anxiety.

Last week, a group of 8 volunteers from America came to Kolkata. They were from around the US, but had been preparing for this trip for months. The youngest of the group, a senior in highschool, fundraised enough money to pay for the entire trip and to make a donation to our Destiny center! Talk about motivation!