Maria learns about Indian lives

TRAVELLED: Maria Scaletti gained a new perspective during her trip to India. In the photo she wears an outfit she bought in India. PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS

Maria Scaletti is one of a group of Central Baptist church members who went on a mission trip to India in January.
"We were away from January 1 to 22, three weeks," she says. "They were advertising it through the youth group and I thought, why not? Then it got more serious. They got a team together and started having meetings and fundraising for it."
The team included 10 people plus a baby. "Both her parents were going and she was too young to be left behind."
Fundraising consisted of sausage sizzles at Mitre 10 Mega. "And we had an India night, which was to raise awareness at the same time. We put on an Indian meal and watched a movie about India." Each team member needed $3500 to cover the costs of the trip says the Year 13 Cullinane College student.
"We spent most of our time in Kolkata. We had three objectives: to see the need in India; to serve over there and to observe freedom. We worked in Kolkata alongside Freeset, a business that helps find a place for trafficked women to work."
Freeset is a fair trade organisation, saving women from the sex trade, giving them fair wages and a chance at freedom. Their factories make jute bags and t-shirts. The Whanganui team spent time painting a new building and preparing it for occupation.
"We also worked with The Loyal Workshop, which is a similar thing working with leather," says Maria.
The team also visited outlying villages where they met with families and children. "There's a lot of poverty."
She says there are families living on the roadside who have been there for generations. "They just live on the street, using cardboard and whatever they could find for shelter. "Yet they seem so happy ... content with what they have, compared to us in New Zealand. They didn't expect anything from us."
"We stayed at the Sunflower Guest House in Kolkata for the majority of the time," she says. There were things to get used to like a cold dribble for a shower and six girls in one room. The trip was led by Josh Pound who makes regular mission trips to India. "He showed us around and told us what we needed to know about the place. At first it was overwhelming," says Maria. "The smells and sounds, it was very noisy with car horns beeping all the time, and the different languages. You get used to it and it became a second home. I left part of my heart there in a way. "When you're working with children it becomes a special place."
Being white and blonde gave Maria special status in a land of dark skin and black hair.
"They were quite interested in me and wanted to touch because they thought I felt different to everyone else. Everyone had their eyes on you. It could be quite intimidating."
Everyone had to observe Indian standards of decency, keeping themselves appropriately covered. She says the smog was everywhere.
"We ate a lot of rice and a lot of stuff I didn't know the name of. It was mostly street food. A few on the team got sick but it wasn't too bad. We drank bottled water all the time.
"I went over there to help them and they ended up helping me. "They showed me a new way of living and to be happy with what I have. I would love to go back, just not in summer."