So Much Beauty

India truly is a beautiful country.The city and the countryside are two different types of beautiful, for those who have eyes to see it. I hope that I always have eyes to see the beauty around me.

This past week I've been outside of Kolkata a bit and getting to experience more of the countryside that India has to offer. I feel like this place is every photographer's dream and I won't do it justice, but I'm going to enjoy trying.

There are palaces:

Bouquets of flowers:

Rivers, boats, and trees:

Laundry and bathing up and down the river:

I also really enjoy the faces I see here. I tend not to take pictures of people though and post them here. I'm always a bit concerned about how they might feel having their face posted online, and so I err on the side of caution. Once I establish more relationships and learn how to ask permission in Bangla, I might start posting a few more faces!

Laundry

I have been lucky for most of the past five years to have had a washing machine. For a couple of years I was baby-sitting the washing machine of another missionary, but in September they returned and ended my baby-sitting term. So, I've been readjusting to washing clothes by hand.

At least once a week I incorporate boiling water and dancing on clothes into my morning quiet time routine.

The great thing is that I generally enjoy the process and it isn't that hard.

I dance in this bucket on my clothes (my feet get really clean in the process). I quote to myself from The 10 Commandments about dancing the straw into the mud. And I appreciate my clean clothes even more.

Added benefits? 

Ringing out clothes by hand dries hands out - I finally can use up more of the lotion that has been sitting around for years!

Maybe my arms are getting stronger?

As mentioned before, really clean feet.

So, overall, not a bad situation.