Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
EAT!
After a day of binging and a huge last diner at our canteen full of all of our favorite things there we went over to a nurses house, just expecting to pick up some paper work. We walked in and she had a whole table full of food for us to eat. Including: pizza, dal, dosa, cake, bananas, cookies, a hard-boiled egg, two crunchy snack filled plates, chocolate doughnuts, fanta, and tea. She kept saying just finish up this one little bite… We mustered it up and ate it anyways so we weren't rude why the nurse, her two children, and her mother all sat around and watched us eat. Leslie just puked and I actually feel full (even with my Dunbar sized belly). You have to leave a little on your plate to show that you are not still hungry, but if you leave to much it shows that you didn't like their food. They all kept saying that they had already eaten even though we knew that they hadn't. Her poor kids were starving and every time their mom left the room we tried to make them eat something, but they knew better and said that they were not hungry. I swear that her daughter was trying to telepathic control to make me leave a doughnut on my plate so she could eat it later. The kids were really cute though at ages 8 and 9. They lived in Milwaukee for three years and just moved back in September. The kids only speak English and they told us that they hate it here and want to go back to America and eat a hamburger. Their dad stayed there and is trying to get residency for them so they can go back when they are older. The nurse felt really bad that she had not made us a proper meal because she had had been too busy. Her maid had just quit, and her mother had fallen the day before, and her husband had just left after a visit home. She is extremely busy with raising two kids, working 6 days a week, taking care of her mother, and a household. We were really glad that she didn’t have time because we couldn’t have fit anymore in for sure! She was so incredibly sweet to us while we were here!
Today we are packing and getting ready to head. We are going to go to the pool and swim laps to burn off our huge meals. Rough life indeed… We go to Varkala tomorrow. We have 9 days to do what ever all around Kerala as long as we end up North of Varkala in Cochin on the 24th. We fly out of Cochin on that day to Delhi. After that we are going Agra to see the Taj on the 25th. Then we will go back to Dehli to fly home on the 27th at 12:45 AM. If I get the internet I will write again. Otherwise I will see you all very soon!
Today we are packing and getting ready to head. We are going to go to the pool and swim laps to burn off our huge meals. Rough life indeed… We go to Varkala tomorrow. We have 9 days to do what ever all around Kerala as long as we end up North of Varkala in Cochin on the 24th. We fly out of Cochin on that day to Delhi. After that we are going Agra to see the Taj on the 25th. Then we will go back to Dehli to fly home on the 27th at 12:45 AM. If I get the internet I will write again. Otherwise I will see you all very soon!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Maybe the last one for awhile...soak me in!
Well we are leaving this weekend for our two weeks of travel. I am sure that we will be safe, but you might not hear from me for a few days because of lack of internet access.
This week we I went out to a village. It was a neat thing, but not nearly as mind blowing as what I had hoped. Most of the homes that we went to weren’t very villagy for my expectations. Most of the homes that I went into were actually quite nice. On Monday I went to a clinic with three other nurses. They do them once a month. We sat in a plain room and patients came to us looking for care. Most of the women that came were pregnant. They came into the room and we shut the door, making the only light provided being a small window, and then the women were examined. They shut the door so that no men can see their bellies get examined, which I still don’t really understand because they walk around with their stomachs out every day in their saris. A prenatal examination includes measuring of the abdominal girth, blood pressure, measuring of where the uterus is lined up with the belly button, feeling on the tummy to see which direction the baby is, checking for edema, peeing on a stick to check for blood sugar and proteins, and listening to the babies heart rate with a stethoscope. That is it for the entirety of the pregnancy. They can also get prenatal vitamins. The nurses are allowed to give out the things that we would be able to get over the counter. If they can afford it, the patients will pay a rupee or two. If not it is free. The nurses can give also one antibiotic to children. But even though there is defiantly no germ aphobia here, the kids do not get sick very often. They get worms though. Which is why they also do de-worming of the children every month. They all get worms.
Most of the time the patients that come through are only looking for peace of mind. The nurses take everyone’s blood pressure, and will even give them a placebo, if it will make them feel as though the nurse is doing something. If they feel as though a person needs more treatment, they give them a referral and send them into town to CMC. A community health nurse is assigned to two areas to which she always goes. My nurse was in charge of looking over 3,000 people between the two of them. They have these clinics once a month and also do home visits every week to check on blood pressures and such. It is great because the villagers get to know and trust the “sister” and will come to her for any problems. Nurses are called sister here. People even call me sister whenever I am wearing white. Each village also has a health care worker. This is a woman that that makes 125 rupees a month to be there to watch over the village. They are there to tell everyone when the nurse is going to be there, tell the nurse if there are any pregnancies births or deaths, and to teach the village. Teaching is the main thing that is needed in the village and they spend so much time on it. They have to teach parents so many things that we take for granted. Things like why it is important to keep your food away from bugs and waste, or how to recognize when your child has worms. The nurses nurse here are amazing and do so much for all of the inhabitants. They also were quite inquisitive about America life so it was a really fun day to be with them. Everyone here is so hospitable too, forgive me if I had told you that already. Even the poorest people want to treat you to something. Our healthcare worker went and bought me sweets, snacks, and flowers for my hair. Also whenever I went into a house they brought out their plastic lawn chair for me to sit on. If they have these chairs they are their special for company only. Everone else sits on bamboo mats on the ground. I would not have a problem sitting on the ground, but they insist, which makes me feel a little strange. Another woman asked me if she could go buy me a Fanta or coffee, even though they do not have enough money to pay for any care from the nurses. It is extremely kind of them.
I also went to two schools. One was an elementary school. This class room had 47 children in it from ages 5-10 with two teachers. After that if they want to go to school they have to go to a different village. When I got there they also stood up and saluted me and the teacher picked on that got to shake my hand and say “Good morning how are you.” I also went to a Balwadi which is for all of the children 2-5. This one had 50 children in it with one teacher and one cook. When I went there, two children were sleeping on the floor and the rest of them stood up and saluted me. The teacher then had them recite baba black sheep in horrible English. It was quite cute. The Balwadi is a government program set up to make sure that the children do not get malnourished. If they go there they are guaranteed a meal in the afternoons and are also given two high calorie protein balls to eat. They have to eat them at the school to ensure that it is the children that are eating them and not the parents.
Wednesday sucked. I went to a village and watched a inauguration of a new village leader for 2½ hours that consisted of a speech in Tamul.
Well we are off to another Thursday at the pool. I will try to write again before we leave….not promises though.
This week we I went out to a village. It was a neat thing, but not nearly as mind blowing as what I had hoped. Most of the homes that we went to weren’t very villagy for my expectations. Most of the homes that I went into were actually quite nice. On Monday I went to a clinic with three other nurses. They do them once a month. We sat in a plain room and patients came to us looking for care. Most of the women that came were pregnant. They came into the room and we shut the door, making the only light provided being a small window, and then the women were examined. They shut the door so that no men can see their bellies get examined, which I still don’t really understand because they walk around with their stomachs out every day in their saris. A prenatal examination includes measuring of the abdominal girth, blood pressure, measuring of where the uterus is lined up with the belly button, feeling on the tummy to see which direction the baby is, checking for edema, peeing on a stick to check for blood sugar and proteins, and listening to the babies heart rate with a stethoscope. That is it for the entirety of the pregnancy. They can also get prenatal vitamins. The nurses are allowed to give out the things that we would be able to get over the counter. If they can afford it, the patients will pay a rupee or two. If not it is free. The nurses can give also one antibiotic to children. But even though there is defiantly no germ aphobia here, the kids do not get sick very often. They get worms though. Which is why they also do de-worming of the children every month. They all get worms.
Most of the time the patients that come through are only looking for peace of mind. The nurses take everyone’s blood pressure, and will even give them a placebo, if it will make them feel as though the nurse is doing something. If they feel as though a person needs more treatment, they give them a referral and send them into town to CMC. A community health nurse is assigned to two areas to which she always goes. My nurse was in charge of looking over 3,000 people between the two of them. They have these clinics once a month and also do home visits every week to check on blood pressures and such. It is great because the villagers get to know and trust the “sister” and will come to her for any problems. Nurses are called sister here. People even call me sister whenever I am wearing white. Each village also has a health care worker. This is a woman that that makes 125 rupees a month to be there to watch over the village. They are there to tell everyone when the nurse is going to be there, tell the nurse if there are any pregnancies births or deaths, and to teach the village. Teaching is the main thing that is needed in the village and they spend so much time on it. They have to teach parents so many things that we take for granted. Things like why it is important to keep your food away from bugs and waste, or how to recognize when your child has worms. The nurses nurse here are amazing and do so much for all of the inhabitants. They also were quite inquisitive about America life so it was a really fun day to be with them. Everyone here is so hospitable too, forgive me if I had told you that already. Even the poorest people want to treat you to something. Our healthcare worker went and bought me sweets, snacks, and flowers for my hair. Also whenever I went into a house they brought out their plastic lawn chair for me to sit on. If they have these chairs they are their special for company only. Everone else sits on bamboo mats on the ground. I would not have a problem sitting on the ground, but they insist, which makes me feel a little strange. Another woman asked me if she could go buy me a Fanta or coffee, even though they do not have enough money to pay for any care from the nurses. It is extremely kind of them.
I also went to two schools. One was an elementary school. This class room had 47 children in it from ages 5-10 with two teachers. After that if they want to go to school they have to go to a different village. When I got there they also stood up and saluted me and the teacher picked on that got to shake my hand and say “Good morning how are you.” I also went to a Balwadi which is for all of the children 2-5. This one had 50 children in it with one teacher and one cook. When I went there, two children were sleeping on the floor and the rest of them stood up and saluted me. The teacher then had them recite baba black sheep in horrible English. It was quite cute. The Balwadi is a government program set up to make sure that the children do not get malnourished. If they go there they are guaranteed a meal in the afternoons and are also given two high calorie protein balls to eat. They have to eat them at the school to ensure that it is the children that are eating them and not the parents.
Wednesday sucked. I went to a village and watched a inauguration of a new village leader for 2½ hours that consisted of a speech in Tamul.
Well we are off to another Thursday at the pool. I will try to write again before we leave….not promises though.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sorry
I am so sorry. We have been really busy, so I have not been able to write. We went to Pondicherry on Friday morning on a bus. It was a 4 hour ride that was very bumpy, but it was not very bad. Really all we did there was eat drink, and shop. It is a city that used to be inhabited by the French, so it still has a European vibe to it. There are great places to eat pasta, crescents, and cakes. On Friday when we pulled into town there was nowhere open to eat and we were starving so we went and bought a pineapple eon the beach and ate that until diner. That night we went to a restaurant and splurged for a 500 rupee a piece meal of penne pesto pasta, lots of veggies, and a banana daiquiri and then went off to our hostel. The hostel that we called did the whole switcheroo on us and we ended up staying in a homestead and paying way too much for it. But after we got settled in we went back to the same restaurant and got the same waiter and ordered dessert. While we were there one of the girls that we were with noticed that her necklace had broken. On it had once been her great-grandmothers engagement ring that had been made into a pendant that her grandmother (who just passes away in November) had always worn. So we all crawled on the floor of the restaurant and then walked the streets of Pondy looking for this pendant. No one really thought that we would find it, but she was really upset so we kept trying. Well…we found in lying in the middle of the street 5 blocks away from the restaurant that we had been eating at. It was defiantly a miracle!
The next day we did lots of shopping and eating. We went to a place and I got chocolate chip pancakes that were filled with Nuttella. Delicious! We also went inside of an Ashram. It was really interesting. There were flowers all around and a bunch of locals meditating, with their eyes rolling back into their heads. That night we met on a rooftop bar/restaurant with a bunch of other people that we knew for Vellore. We sat there for hours and drank Mojitos, listened to music, and talked. There are a lot of people here from America now, so we have all instantly become friends.
On Sunday morning we went to Singi. There is where the rulers of Tamil Nadu (the state that we are in) used to live. We had to stand the whole bus ride (2 hours) but finally got there. We walked around and looked at the ruins. It was neat to see that they were using the same brick techniques that we use today. There were also lots of Monkeys around the fort that came after us for our sacks of souvenirs. They learn that most bags have food in them so they try to go for them when you walk by. They also steal bottles and drink whatever is in them. They are defiantly not nice monkeys, but if you throw a rock at them they go away.
When we went to the bus station to get a ride back to Vellore, the bus station was mass chaos! There were hundreds of people there all trying to get somewhere. It turns out that there was a festival in Singi that many people came to go to and they were all trying to get back home to go to work on Monday. We finally found out that we needed bus 216. Well three of them came by, but they were all turning around and going back to Villapuram because more people wanted to go that way. One came that was going to Vellore, and so many people tried to get on it that there were people hanging out on the side of the bus and hitting each other to try and get a seat. We decided that it was not quite worth it, so we went to a hostel and had the owner get us 2 taxis for 9 people which got us safely back to Vellore.
We are in the community now and it is wonderful! I will have to tell you all about it later though. We still have much to do before we leave Vellore and we are leaving on Saturday. I am not proofing this either, so I hope it makes some since. I just wanted to let you know that we had a great weekend, and I am still alive! 17 more days to go…
The next day we did lots of shopping and eating. We went to a place and I got chocolate chip pancakes that were filled with Nuttella. Delicious! We also went inside of an Ashram. It was really interesting. There were flowers all around and a bunch of locals meditating, with their eyes rolling back into their heads. That night we met on a rooftop bar/restaurant with a bunch of other people that we knew for Vellore. We sat there for hours and drank Mojitos, listened to music, and talked. There are a lot of people here from America now, so we have all instantly become friends.
On Sunday morning we went to Singi. There is where the rulers of Tamil Nadu (the state that we are in) used to live. We had to stand the whole bus ride (2 hours) but finally got there. We walked around and looked at the ruins. It was neat to see that they were using the same brick techniques that we use today. There were also lots of Monkeys around the fort that came after us for our sacks of souvenirs. They learn that most bags have food in them so they try to go for them when you walk by. They also steal bottles and drink whatever is in them. They are defiantly not nice monkeys, but if you throw a rock at them they go away.
When we went to the bus station to get a ride back to Vellore, the bus station was mass chaos! There were hundreds of people there all trying to get somewhere. It turns out that there was a festival in Singi that many people came to go to and they were all trying to get back home to go to work on Monday. We finally found out that we needed bus 216. Well three of them came by, but they were all turning around and going back to Villapuram because more people wanted to go that way. One came that was going to Vellore, and so many people tried to get on it that there were people hanging out on the side of the bus and hitting each other to try and get a seat. We decided that it was not quite worth it, so we went to a hostel and had the owner get us 2 taxis for 9 people which got us safely back to Vellore.
We are in the community now and it is wonderful! I will have to tell you all about it later though. We still have much to do before we leave Vellore and we are leaving on Saturday. I am not proofing this either, so I hope it makes some since. I just wanted to let you know that we had a great weekend, and I am still alive! 17 more days to go…
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Our last day in the hospital
Answers to mom’s questions: Yes it is really bubble wrap and no it is not sterile. Blankets are not sterile when they use them on newborns, so it is really kind of the same concept. They also use saran wrap to put over the tops of the warmers because they do not have enough isolates. It keeps the air from blowing over the top of them. PT is physical therapy.
The fashion show was a lot of fun. They had a Indian wear, Western wear, Talent, and answer question round. The saris were beautiful, but the western wear made us all laugh immensely. They had such ridiculous things that they thought were western. There were even a few short skirts with wrap up sandals. For the talent portion there were five dances and two songs. The dances were all Bollywood style, but the songs were lovely. Leslie did a great job judging, but there were two Indian judges that overruled everything that she wanted. I think she decided that it would have been a lot more fun to just watch the show.
After that we went to an international meeting. They had a speaker that knew the woman that started this hospital so she talked a little about that. Then they had some garland makers come in and talk about what the different garlands mean and let us try to make them. It was really hard, but the men that do it all the time were fun to watch. They also told us that there are 64 talents that they use to make money in India. Garland making is one of them, so if we can learn that there are only 63 to go. I have no idea what the others are…that is just what they say. It was a good night though. We didn’t get to see the Super Bowl after all. That’s okay ….always next year. I am not sure what the next few days hold for us….I will be sure to let you guys know though. We are starting to get a little worn out, but are still looking forward to what lies ahead! Pondicherry on Friday for sure…other than that we do not know.
The fashion show was a lot of fun. They had a Indian wear, Western wear, Talent, and answer question round. The saris were beautiful, but the western wear made us all laugh immensely. They had such ridiculous things that they thought were western. There were even a few short skirts with wrap up sandals. For the talent portion there were five dances and two songs. The dances were all Bollywood style, but the songs were lovely. Leslie did a great job judging, but there were two Indian judges that overruled everything that she wanted. I think she decided that it would have been a lot more fun to just watch the show.
After that we went to an international meeting. They had a speaker that knew the woman that started this hospital so she talked a little about that. Then they had some garland makers come in and talk about what the different garlands mean and let us try to make them. It was really hard, but the men that do it all the time were fun to watch. They also told us that there are 64 talents that they use to make money in India. Garland making is one of them, so if we can learn that there are only 63 to go. I have no idea what the others are…that is just what they say. It was a good night though. We didn’t get to see the Super Bowl after all. That’s okay ….always next year. I am not sure what the next few days hold for us….I will be sure to let you guys know though. We are starting to get a little worn out, but are still looking forward to what lies ahead! Pondicherry on Friday for sure…other than that we do not know.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sorry All
So…it has been a few days since I have written anything, because I have not really been doing very much. We only went to school one day last week. That day we went to the developmental disability ward and pediatric casualty. The developmental ward was actually a very nice unit. They had many things that can be used to assess a child and help them catch up. There are 6 inpatient beds and they do several outpatient treatments as well. Casualty is what they call their emergency department. It was just full of a bunch of kids with fevers and diarrhea. We did see one child that was having a lupus flare up and her legs were three times the size that they should be. We also watched a spinal tap with no anesthetic. It was a little brutal. Then this weekend we had to say goodbye to 6 of our friends. Saturday night we had a great night though. We went out to dinner and then over to one of the med student’s houses for cocktails on the roof and played some games. We didn’t find our way home until 3AM. It was quite fun. Then Sunday when we got out of bed we went and found the pool. It was quite lovely! It was scattered with palm trees and bamboo lounge chairs. It was hard to think that just on the other side of the wall there are streets lined with goats eating trash. We laid there all day and it was just like we were not in India, but in a luxury resort. It cost 150 rupees so there are really only travelers there. So we are free to wear our suits and everything. It was grand!
Today we went up to the nursery. It is nice too. It is a 60 bed unit that has three tiers. They only have 5 ventilators and 8 incubators, but they can manage. Another difference is that there are no bottles or breast pumps. Moms have to extract their milk and then they use cups to pour it into the kid’s mouths. It was also EXTREMLY hot there. About 40 degrees hotter than our NICU and they cover the infants with bubble wrap for insulation. They have to get them used to being hot if they have a chance of surviving India. All of the children walk around in fleeces and hats as well, when we want to be wearing shorts. Their babies are so tiny as well, even when they are healthy. I have heard many people say that "Women have natural births all over the world, so we should do it too." Well today I thought a lot about that because it is probably a lot easier to squeeze a baby out when they weigh under 5lbs then the 12lbs kids people are having in the states. We are also going to a beauty pageant across the street for PT girls. I will keep you posted about how that goes… Leslie is being a judge and I have to give a speech about skin care. It should be fun.
Today we went up to the nursery. It is nice too. It is a 60 bed unit that has three tiers. They only have 5 ventilators and 8 incubators, but they can manage. Another difference is that there are no bottles or breast pumps. Moms have to extract their milk and then they use cups to pour it into the kid’s mouths. It was also EXTREMLY hot there. About 40 degrees hotter than our NICU and they cover the infants with bubble wrap for insulation. They have to get them used to being hot if they have a chance of surviving India. All of the children walk around in fleeces and hats as well, when we want to be wearing shorts. Their babies are so tiny as well, even when they are healthy. I have heard many people say that "Women have natural births all over the world, so we should do it too." Well today I thought a lot about that because it is probably a lot easier to squeeze a baby out when they weigh under 5lbs then the 12lbs kids people are having in the states. We are also going to a beauty pageant across the street for PT girls. I will keep you posted about how that goes… Leslie is being a judge and I have to give a speech about skin care. It should be fun.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I am a meat eater
Sorry I forgot to tell you guys about the cows! They are everywhere in Vellore, but today was the first time that I have actually heard one Moo. They really do just hang out on the side of the road as cars drive by and will walk right next to people. I have heard that the ones in the city actually belong to villagers but they just let them roam so that they can eat trash off the street. Many shops will feed them too, so it is not rare to see a cow climbing the steps of a store and waiting for a snack. If you watch when people walk by a cow they often touch the cow and touch their own forehead and heart as a way to say thank and bless this creature. The cows are not afraid of people or cars and there are really no worries about walking behind one. You just have to watch your step in the street. They are on the beaches as well. When I was in Mamalapuram I saw two that got spooked and ran down the beach, but other than that they are really docile. I would be much more afraid of any dog that I have seen. I really have not eaten a ton of meat here. I am CRAVING some BBQ really bad. Or even a cold turkey sandwich with lettuce (Veggies are rare here too). Most places we eat are vegetarian restaurants and I have only seen beef on a menu once. If it is called a hamburger, than it is a chicken sandwich. I find it hard to trust meat here because I know that they do not have a lot of standards for raising, selling, or serving. I have also seen shops where they hang butchered things out in the sun all day with flies all over them for people to buy, so it kind of takes away your appetite. With chicken, it is usually really small pieces that are mostly bone, and you are never sure which part or animal it is coming from. So, I have been getting most of my protein from nuts and eggs. I have tried the meat...it just weirds me out. You can get omelets at any meal and they do egg sandwiches as well. Fish also usually has a lot of really tiny bones too, so it is hard to eat. I really want some beef brisket or a hamburger now....
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