Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The European Journey - the Departure

I had finished packing all things by noon on 28 August, Tuesday, and had carried a heavy suitcase to my office in the ground floor. As the clock was ticking away the time, I checked and re-checked things. Everything seemed to be fine, and I had instructed sufficiently everyone on what needs to be done. At 7.00 p.m. accompanied by Fr. Markus and Fr. Herman, we went for a dinner at The Embassy. A simple meal with some fish fry, chicken, daal, mixed vegetable, a plate of vegetable fried rice, and two naan, were all in the menu. The delicious meal really helped me as I did not have a good meal during the day. At 9.20 p.m. some of our Staff took the luggages to the bus standing outside the gate. Mr. Mishra, a friend of mine, came to bid me "good bye". All of them waving their hands, and me waving back to them from the sleeper coach... it was all fine. But then, when I opened the mobile, the unthinkable had happened. It just would not open! Several times during the night I tried. It just would not budge. I think I slept off as we passed through Malda at 11.oo p.m. Again, I woke up at 4.10. The bus was still at Baharampur. The road had been bad and there was some traffic jam. So, we had taken five hours to cover 115 kilometers. Well, the journey continued. I reached Proggaloy at Barasat, just five kilometers from Calcutta airport, so that it is easier for me to leave in the morning.

After a wash and breakfast with Fr. Soosaimanickam, the Director of Proggaloy, I went to meet our Bishop Alphonse D'Souza who is at St. Xavier's College, Calcutta for some medical check-up. The Bishop has not been keeping too well of late. He was very happy to see me. I spent about 40 minutes with him. I briefed him once again my travel plans, asked him for his blessings, and came to Seva Kendra in Calcutta where I finished my lunch with Fr. Reggie. It was time to go to Esplanade in Calcutta, where I purchased some masala (Sambaar Masala and Rasam Masala) to take with me to Germany-- to cook some Indian food there, because Ms. Julia, my friend, has planned an Indian dinner there! I took a bus back to Barasat, to spend some time quietly in reading and in internet.

No comments: