Today at 1 PM my trip will be over in Rourkela Orissa India and I will take the train back to Kolkata and stay there for a few days visiting a few places before I head home to Boston, USA.

 

For now let me tell you about how my last few hours in Rourkela were spent.

 

I’m up early starting to pack my big Army duffle bags with all my personal belongings. Around 8 AM I make my way to the Convent kitchen for my last breakfast. As I enter the room adjoining the kitchen I see a chalkboard that says Sister Anna Mary and Sister Mariam will escort Mr Ray back to Kolkata.

When I step inside the kitchen just like every other morning the Sisters are waiting for me.

 

Today there was a big change in my meal when the lid was taken off the bowl of eggs. There were only 2 eggs….I was shocked ! Think of it, that’s the next number after one….But I have run out of days in Rourkela to ever get to one egg , and the breakfast egg numbers were going the right way each day , from 5 to 4 to ( 3 for a while) , and now 2….I smile as I write all that.. Never ever one Egg that’s only for the Sisters 3 times a week. Guests get many of them each day !

After breakfast and a nice chat with the Sisters I go to my room and get ready to go to church as it is Sunday morning.

 

After a very short walk I arrived at the Sacred Heart Cathedral that is right next door to the Convent.

 

Going to Church is a little different in India or at least Rourkela. First off you take your shoes off before you enter the church. Once inside the church you notice there is no church furniture. People bring a small cloth or blanket to sit on, on the floor. Women and small children are on the left side of the church and Men and older boys are on the right side.

 

As far as the Christian Mass itself everything is about the same as here in the USA.

 

There are many people at this church service from the front of the altar to the front doors at the other end of the church.

 

After the service I found my shoes and made my way back to the Convent to finish my packing.

 

It’s now about 11 AM and I ask Sister Anna Mary if we can make 2 more quick trips, one back to the Sisters Cemetery to say a prayer and goodbye and then to the bamboo bridge at the river area just down the road. As for me it’s an area of real India to remember, how everyday life is for the common people in India , who struggle each and every day.

 

Sister says yes but we have to be fast ….

 

We have a short visit at the cemetery then make our way to the river. I was surprised to see that the bamboo bridge is being rebuilt and they are using a small boat to get people across the river to the villages. Many people cross the river in the morning to bring goods to Rourkela to sell or to go to work and then they go back at night to cross the river.

 

At the top of the embankment is a milk farm with cows. Poor people gather the cow dung to make patties and put them on buildings or fences to dry out so it can later be used as fuel for a small fire to cook hot food with. Cow Dung also has many other uses not just in India but throughout the world. Nothing in India is ever wasted no matter what it is…

 

At 12 PM it was time to carry my big bag to the car to go to the train station with Sister Anna Mary and Sister Mariam. Little did I know that when I opened the Convent door to go outside almost every Sister in the Convent came to say goodbye to me. Sister Rose put a scarf around my neck and said Thanks for everything Mr Ray and she handed me a wrapped gift from all the Sisters. Every Sister then came to me to say goodbye.

 

Just as the goodbyes ended and I was going to get in the car a man and woman came in the gate and came to me and said Thank You for everything and gave me a wrapped gift. It was one of the sponsored school children’s parents. I did not know what to say to both of them as I knew they did not have extra money for gifts especially for me. It was a very special moment for them and me.. It was beautiful ! Something I will always remember.

 

As the car drove away to the train station I looked out the back window and saw everyone standing waving goodbye..

 

When the car reached the train station I was not allowed to carry anything to the train. The Sisters and the driver insisted on that. I was their guest and guests do not carry luggage in India.

 

We were very lucky our train was right at the platform, the same train we took to Rourkela a week ago, the ” Vande Bharat Express ” , a new first class train in India. From Rourkela Orissa India Sister Anna Mary ,Sister Mariam and myself will travel to Howrah West Bengal that’s just outside Kolkata. Our train will travel with limited stops 5 in all. It’s a beautiful train to travel on. With comfortable seats and big clean windows to look out of.

 

After we find our train car and seats our luggage is put on the upper racks. The driver and Sisters now say goodbye to us and in 15 minutes the train is on the way back to Kolkata.

 

It is approximately a 6 to 7 hour trip. During the ride I look out the window of the small villages and rice patties.. I can not stop thinking about all the people that I met in Rourkela this year. It was such a good trip with so much done.

 

We arrived in Howrah on time India time …one hour late. When the Sisters and I get off the train Sister Anna Mary hires a coolie to carry our bags. The man had a 2 wheeler and fit all our luggage on it.

 

Sister called for an Uber to meet us outside the train station. The only problem was there were thousands of cars outside the station and they were all beeping their horns as the streets were gridlocked and none of the cars could move. I am telling you finding that Uber car was like looking for a needle in a haystack..

I give Sister Anna Mary credit she found the car 1/4 of a mile up the road and the coolie stayed with us the entire time pushing our luggage in the 2 wheeler up the busy street.

 

Finally Sister Anna Mary, Sister Mariam and myself were in the car and off to drop me off in New Alipore at the guest house before they went to St Vincent’s Convent for the night.

 

What a wonderful visit I had to Rourkela. My only regret was not seeing my friend Sister Mary as she has been transferred to Rome.

 

Thanks for your Help & Support.

 

Ray O