Where's Waldo?

For those of you who don't know who Waldo, the cartoon with the red-striped hat is, that's me now!  Over the next month and a half, I can be found trekking across three different continents, so time may not be on my side in the blog-0-sphere.  Here's the itinerary for my world tour so you can dream about where I am:

January 26 - February 1: Hyderabad visit
February 1 - February 2: Final stop in Kolkata
February 2 - February 17: Darjeeling/Siliguri/Gangtok Tourism Internship
February 17 - February 21: Tourism Conference in Mumbai
February 21 - February 23: Day visit to Pune
February 23 -  February 27: Goa visit
February 27 - March 2: Delhi Tourism Conference and visit
March 2 - March 9: Paris visit with Erin Didi, pretending to be a Frenchie!
March 9: I'll be cuddling up in my nice warm bed, in my own room!


** If you're browsing through the wiki links I've attached and find an awesome place that I need to visit, send me a message or holler at me from across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, depending on power of your voice.  I'll be your seeing eye pup! 

And... we're live!

Finally, one of the videos I made for the children uploaded onto youtube, three cheers for continuous electricity!!  Hope you enjoy the photos of these twinkling tots!!

So long, farewell...

My dear VSSU family,

How can I even begin to describe the last 4 months of my stay in VSSU?  From the very moment I stepped out of the Kolkata airport I felt welcomed with the rose flower basket from Jagadish-da and then the heart-warming cha tea Dipankor-da served to me the next morning while chatting with a giggling Soma.  You’ve given me an opportunity and experience to really and truly see how people live in rural West Bengal under your strong roof.  The facilities and work done by all the hard-working people and staff at VSSU is awe-inspiring; the fact that you’ve created such a strong organization on the fringes of the Bengali jungle speaks more than words. 

I will never, ever forget the branch visits with Sur-babu, Swapan-da and Darpan, and all the fond memories I have such as my first motorbike ride, the numerous poojas, and the games and performances for Vivekananda’s birthday celebrations.  We’ve shared so much laughter in the office, whether it was me desperately attempting to speak Hindi or Bengali (o baba!), or laughing about the time Dadu accidentally locked me in the dining room.  I am forever grateful for this opportunity to learn about VSSU’s microfinance clients and community development work as well as to be fully immersed in Indian culture, but more than anything, I am thankful for the smiles and laughter exchanged between the villagers, staff, and sweet children at Ashok Niloy.  Bhalo thakben to all of you and your families!  May God continue to bless the VSSU family and all it’s wonderful works in the community!

With much love,

Kelu