First Post
I arrived in Kolkata. My first experience was rather odd since I was forced to change my money with a sketchy cab driver since the FOREX money changers in JFK were out of rupees. I managed for bargain for a rate of 43:1 which is only slightly worse than the going rate of 45:1 and much better than the 40:1 they originally offered.
The next day, I arrived in the office. The power was out and it was extremely hot. The head of the office was sitting in his chair without his shirt on and I immediately could tell that this experience will be rather different than the summer my peers are living.
On Saturday, we went to a conference in Kwadwib. It is the end of road and the last bastion of civilization in the recently Cyclone Alia ravaged area near the Bay of Bengal. The meeting was held in the newly created court house and involved magistrates, advocates, and prosecutors. The court house was extremely different than the ones in the United States. In the entire complex, there was no AC and no restrooms. The smell from the lock up polluted the air for the entire area and guards with automatic rifles wandered the halls. At the conclusion of the meeting, we managed to get ten advocates to pledge to assist the poor and impoverished of the area by providing pro bono work.
This will certainly be quite the adventure.