On Pets in Kolkata

Dear Becky,

I hope your summer is going well and that the server at the school hasn't crashed or that Mr. Marzolf, our superintendent, hasn't suddenly decided to order new computers for the entire district.
I have been very remiss in keeping up this blog, partly because I have e-mailed so much, and partly because my experiences seem less novel, less worthy of posting.
I will say that I have spent a little more time in people's houses this trip. First a visit to my friend Niladri's house where I was greeted by the ladies of the house who insisted I meet:

I was told in very excited Bengali that these cats are the center of the household; indeed they seem to have the run of the place. Most of the cats I've seen in Kolkata up to this point seemed to be steetwise alley cats, but these two fat cats enjoy their life of ease. Needless to say Nildari's relatives were eager that we should meet, even though I didn't speak Bengali and the cats didn't speak any English.

A dog's life seems to be little different in Kolkata than in San Francisco. Meet Brownie the beloved Irish Setter of Mitali and her family.

Brownie knows both English and Bengali and seems to be fluent in begging as well. She spent a great deal of time begging for Cheetos of which she got a few. Brownie loves to argue with her family about food and floor privileges, but in this heat, I can't blame her for sleeping all the time.
Mitali told me that Brownie was essentially a rescue dog, coming from a friend of the family who knew another family who could not keep her as they were moving away. She has the heart of the whole family and is a happy, vibrant looking dog. Unlike these strays

who look essentially the same, with color variations, which suggests a small gene pool indeed.
In fact, Kolkata has no animal control or SPCA to stop the dogs from breeding. Instead they are scavengers who help to clean the streets.
I guess I'm not terribly surprised to find out that pet owners are as nutsy about their pets in India as we are in the U.S. Pets make us happier, they keep good company, keep pests away, work as alarms and doorbells and footrests. I do feel a little shamed out that I'm not as bilingual as Brownie.

Circles

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Dear Carolyn,

Thank you again for a place to stay while I was in San Francisco, Your hospitality is something I look forward to with every visit. I posted the above quote to give you a sense of my feelings as I return to Kolkata, and while I am far from finished exploring there is a sense of knowing Kolkata for the first time. Of being able to name what I see, even though I don't understand it. I think that is the trickiness of Eliot's phrasing, to know something does not necessarily mean you understand it, as in I know how to get from Haight St. to Market, but I don't understand all of the politics and issues that play out as I travel along those streets.
Perhaps I am jumping ahead a little; perhaps Eliot's idea of knowing here is a deep understanding that can only come with experience and contemplation.
What I do know is that I am more alert as I move around the city, grasp more of what I see, and definitely feel more comfortable.
We arrived at the hotel Sunday morning after two arduous hours at the airport, waiting for luggage and getting our money changed. The Oberoi staff greeted us at the airport with our own personal transportation and were off through flooded Kolkata streets to the Oberoi Grand Hotel.
Just as I was amazed and over-whelmed by the luxury and opulence of the Oberoi last year, so this year's teachers were stunned that this would be our home for the next five weeks. I am again on the 4th floor, but not in the same room, and walking down the hall, I felt a little nostalgic for last year's group. As I walked past Brianna's room I expected her to come popping out, ready to do Insanity workouts in the gym; or for Kyle to come strolling down the hall in his plaid cotton button-up.
I suppose this is what it is like to return to a place, to know it, remember what it was like when you were there before, but to put those memories into context.
Now that I am in charge of this year's group, I have a new respect for what Brianna did last year, and I understand a little more what it means to be a leader.
The other teachers have gone off to their first day's assignment, and I will start school on Thursday, eager to see my colleagues and students, to meet new students, and to know a little more than I did last year.