Pune Trip: Day Four and Five

Our last evening! Sad. Sad. Sad. It’s been such a good trip for me personally on so many levels. I just keep thanking God, because He knows. He always always knows exactly what I need and I know that this trip has had an impact on me beyond what I can see right now. Thank goodness that there is purpose in everything, right? Really.

Each experience, conversation, trip, talk, etc, has been so different and meaningful in different ways. But I have to say that yesterday evening was the hardest. We drove into one of Pune’s Red Light Districts past brothels, prostitutes standing on one side of the road, and men on the other waiting to avail sexual services. It was the most disturbing and saddening thing I have possibly ever seen in my life. And then we went to a Night Creche just on the edges of the area started up by this woman to provide a place for little kids whose moms work in the brothels. They were so so cute but also so hyper and it was quite apparent that they have behavioral issues. A lot of them were quite aggressive and stubborn. I dread to think what kind of trauma they have gone through but anyway, it was nice that we could play with them and colour with them a while in this tiny little room where they come for the night and are at least safe and for those few hours don't have to witness the evils that go on in the brothels. 

Some of the guys from the Irish team of volunteers for Zest4Kidz joined us for dinner after our visit to the Creche.

Marathi thali. The most delicious meal I have had on this trip. I was really happy.

I think this was just before they started on their rounds of "Jaljeera shots". Yup. Even deadlier than
Tequila shots, I'm sure. And better because you don't have to deal with the hangover next morning :P
Not sure how many they had, but I'm a wimp and backed out of the competition after two while they proceeded
to bang the tables with every shot and then got a telling off by the manager!

Anika!! She brings out the crazy in me. The irony is that we've both been living in Ooty for the last year and NOW we
become friends, a week before she leaves for the US. Blah!

This morning we went to Freedom Firm's office and that was amazing! We talked to their lawyers and social worker - Sunayna (who is amazing!) and they gave us a run down not only on Freedom Firm's amazing work but also on sex trafficking in general and how this horrible industry works. We were all sitting on the edges of our seats listening very intently and asking lots of questions. I am so super excited about working with these amazing people in the coming months!! 

In the afternoon we headed off to Emmanuel Public School for kids of Construction Workers that exists basically to keep these kids off the street and give them a good education.

After that we headed back to SGS Mall that we have frequented over the last couple of days for meals and just to hang out. The girls did a little shopping and Anika, Debbie and I went to a coffee shop where Sunayna joined us for a while and we had some laughs!

Anika, Debbie, Sunayna and Tina