Some parting words

Alas, all good things must come to an end. I thought a week ago that I was ready to leave this place and go on my merry way to Bangladesh, but when it came time to say my goodbyes and take some last day photos, I found myself wishing I had more time. One of my friends who has helped me out since the first day, Sanjoy, lives in Kolkata and had to go to temple today since it is sunday, so I did not get to say goodbye to him. I spent some time with Prasenta, the burned man I've been working with, who even though I told every day when I was leaving, still thought it was tomorrow. He was heartbroken that it was indeed today, so to leave me with a good memory, he stood for me with very little aid. I only had to hold his hands and he did the rest. I was so happy to see him make an effort, and hope that his will to be able to walk again only gets stronger as time goes on. I instructed a friend from France, Guelor Barbereau, on how to massage and do physical therapy with him, and he said he will do so until august when he leaves. A younger gentleman who was a patient and could speak English very well was also hard to say goodbye to, as we had just begun really talking. He wrote me a brief letter and gave me his address in Kolkata, so hopefully I will be able to write to him once I return to the States. Helmut assured me that one day I would become a fine doctor, that I had shown him in my time here in Kolkata as a volunteer that I had shown great compassion for the patients, a characteristic necessary in a good doctor. I am so grateful that I got to meet a man like Helmut, and his encouraging words will stick with me until I reach my career goal. I got his email so that if I do end up being accepted into medical school, I will give him a picture of my acceptance. I said goodbye to three guys from France I had the opportunity of working with, as well as a picture and their Facebook so that we can stay in contact. They are all very fun guys, sure to be successful in the years to come. One of them, Alex, had been in Delhi studying for a year prior to coming to Kolkata, and is excited to return back to France in four days. He helped us get an autorickshaw(sp?) back to where we would eat the second week we were here, as his ability to speak Hindi helped us not get ripped off. I will never forget the relationships I have built here in Kolkata, and now wish that someday I might return to do this again, though hopefully for a longer time. I hope that on this short trip I was able to make a difference in lives of people I encountered as much as they impacted me. Well, here's to our time in India, and looking forward to and even longer time in Bangladesh!