Sofia is late to class!

My day at service was wonderful as usual. I spent the whole morning with the semi-handicapped kids (the ones who can run around and eat and speak a little) instead of with the severely handicapped kids, as a special treat to myself. It was so much fun! I've started developing good relationships with the Massis, so I can just sit and chat with them, and they teach me some pertinent words in Bangla (for example, "cheeba" means "chew"- which is what you tell a kid after you shove food in his mouth). Time spent there is so light-hearted and loving, and I'm laughing most of the time- especially today when the toddlers were doing urban Indian dance, I can't wait to demonstrate! Just picture children (who already wobble in an uncoordinated way when they walk) bounding from leg to leg, with their arms in the air, index fingers pointed up, shrugging their shoulders, precious!

I've had an epiphany for how I am going to earn money this summer- be a nanny! (preferably to a filthy rich Greenwich family...)

Last night Esty and I played nurse to a badly injured puppy. He had a gash on his right hip that was so deep you could see the layers of fat, muscle and even bone, but he is still in good spirits- his tail wags when you pet him, and he still drinks from Mama's udders. While Esty distracted him by washing his face and body, I cleaned his wound and applied some antibiotic ointment to a piece of gauze, and we taped him up. Its funny how stray animals become part of the family.

Not everything is perfect in Kolkata though...
I've had trouble sleeping for the past few nights , I guess Tom's coming anniversary is affecting me more than I thought it would. I feel like I am going through a milder form of the initial grief and anger that I went through when he first died- I'm even having the terrible visions I got last year, before I fall asleep or if I have a quiet moment to myself. I feel like I really need to be around other people who are going through the same thing, it is really hard to feel normal and process my thoughts when no one around me knows what is going on. And even if I tell them, they won't feel the same loss and sadness, so they can't relate, and I don't want just a pat on the back and someone to say "there, there."

What else can you do? I just have to feel happy and lucky to have so much love in my life.