Cigarette lady. Oh man. We bought her sweets today to give to her as a gift since we are leaving. That's how it seems to work in this culture. If you are leaving, if it's your birthday, or you have some kind of celebration - you gift others...not them gifting you. Which is pretty cool. Anyways...she's been asking for weeks when we are bringing sweets and a chobi (picture) of us. Well, the picture wasn't ready yet, so we are still waiting on that...but we did take sweets today. Then all of a sudden she pulled out three rashogola's (the favorite Bengali sweet) the size of a golf ball (no exaggeration, people) and stuffed it into our mouths. I was the first victim; I didn't even see it coming...all of a sudden her hand and the rashogola were pushing on my lips trying to stuff it in my mouth. SURPRISE! Haha. That was a hilarious, hilarious moment, but one I won't forget. When she said she wants to feed us sweets, she really meant feed us. And she wasn't gentle...at all. Indian women. Love them. We all almost choked as we tried to chew/swallow the "sweet" that taste like a ball of string cheese soaked in sugar water. Yeah, it's bad...but I've gotten used to it. That one was just so unexpected that I didn't have any time to prepare myself. Terrible, but so awesome. Great, great lady. Soon we will say goodbye, won't be the hardest, but she's in our story...I'll miss her.
Today was our last day at Mama T's. Wow. I'm unsure of how our days there have disappeared so quickly, but they have. And those kids have stolen my heart. I ran around like a crazy mama taking pictures of her twenty kids today...at least that's what I felt like trying to get everyone to smile and snap a cute photo. My little Roshan. Oh, I'm just smiling at the thought of the precious photos I took of him. That little man...I will miss him dearly. It was hard to leave them today. Mitu, one of the older girls kept saying "kalke", which means tomorrow. She was telling me that she would see me tomorrow...but finally she understood that I was saying I wasn't coming again. The famous "abar ashbo na" that throws me into tears. I held it together this time, until the mashi said thank you for all of your help (in Bangla) and blew me a kiss. That sent me out the door with tears streaming down my face. I don't think I've fully wrapped my mind around the fact I won't ever see those kids again. I certainly dislike those words, though.
It's hard to close a door on a face and heart you know will continue living, but you will never be able to see again...not to sound morbid, but it's kind of like a death. At least in my heart it feels that way - it feels like I'm losing people I love. And I am. So many of those approaching.
Tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday we will be attending each Sari Bari office for the last time. It will be wonderful seeing the women one last time - all smiling and celebrating the birth of our Christ, but the finality of us leaving will not be pleasant. Those women have just absolutely changed me. They are tremendously strong - to a level that I really cannot fathom. To live life as joyfully as they do, blows my mind. Where there is freedom, there is joy and they are a walking testimony of that. I'm just nervous to leave them for good. To see their faces one last time, trying to soak up every laugh, every touch, every bit of love, will be a new experience, but I'm praying for nothing but blessed seconds. Also, I cannot wait to see their faces when the three murgi bachas bust up in Sari Bari wearing Saris. Oh they will love it. :)
Saturday we move out of the house. I don't know how that will go. It hurts thinking about leaving this family that we have become a part of. I told the daughter the other night, it's strange to think that our futures won't be grown together. Leaving them will be the most difficult goodbye I've experienced...in this city and at home. One that I've known has been approaching this entire journey, but has only gotten more difficult to accept as time has passed. Our host mom is fearful that we will forget her. She keeps asking me that at least. But I don't think she understands just how magnificent of a woman she is...and how great of a mom she has been to us in this city. I keep telling her she is just too special to forget...forgetting her is not possible. And it's not. They are etched into my heart...I'll always have my Indian family.
But, soon I will return home. Whoop! Home sounds sweet right about now. And a hamburger or bacon...darn you India for having no beef or pork available. Soon, soon I'll be on an airplane. Bittersweet.
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