I have been very busy in Kolkata visiting many places..I get up early and I am gone for the entire day. Between the air quality and traffic you get worn out pretty fast…My friend Dibyendu comes with me most of the time but not all the time. He is a local man that grew up here and we enjoy each other’s company…

 

Taxis are on the way out here and Uber’s have taken over much of the work.. It’s just like in the USA the cars are good, they are clean and the drivers are clean and also respectful…and the best part is it’s a lower cost for a ride rather than a taxi..

 

Dibyendu has the app on his smart phone and gets us a car in less than 5 minutes to take us right where I want to go.

 

Today’s visit takes me to The KMCP Municipal School…

 

This is a small little school in the Kidderpore section of Kolkata..Today is going to be Candy Day for the children. ..The teachers or the kids have no idea that I am going to the school. I just show up !

 

When I get to the school I always look inside the window of the school as it’s at ground level … I wave to the teacher as she is teaching the class….Honestly she gives a look of shock when she sees me and runs to the door to let me in the school…

 

She along with the rest of the staff and children are so Happy to see me again…I also am very very Happy to see them and be back at the school..The teachers and principal all know it’s 5 years since my last visit in 2019…

 

They had me sit at a table and tell them why for that time I did not come to see them as they were worried about me..I told them 2 years it was Covid, 2 years my handicapped boy was very sick and last year I got hit by a car. It was after that that they told me about their family and how they are. They all said Covid was very bad here as well as with the rest of the word…

 

We had such a nice easy talk together for one big reason: all of us have been friends for a very long time…

 

While the teachers and I are talking , the kids are all around us with their smiling happy faces..

 

The children all wanted to know where I came from so the teacher got out a world globe that I bought for the school about 10 years ago so I could show all of them…

 

I’m telling you it was GREAT …These kids do not speak English yet we got along just fine and understood each other very well.

 

After a 5 minute verbal math test by me asking the kids how much 5+5 was or 100- 25 or maybe 4×6 was ….I got a big bag of Halloween candy out of my backpack that was given to me from St John Schools Boston and Wellesley MA to give to the children.

Let me tell you when these children saw that bag of American candy their eyes lit up like bright candles with big smiles on their faces…

 

It truly was a wonderful visit with everyone…I have one more surprise for the children at a later date. For now my visit was to re-connect and say hello to everyone..

 

Below you will see a few photos…

Ray O