What have I been up to lately? Busy? Oh no, not me! All of the different kinds of experiences I am having have backlogged my journaling nearly a week (and I've only been here for 2.5!)! I have decided that journaling in note format might be best. Then, when I have a few more moments of downtime (again, me?), I might piece them all together to create the stories that I share with all of you!
Well, my last entry shared that I was going to venture to the top of a nearby hill (college hill) to get a good look around. I went with a seasoned volunteer surgeon at CMC, Mike, who is like an older, male form of me...excited about everything, attempts and is usually successful at doing most everything, and, with every bit of excitment, volume rises! He was a fun climbing partner! From the top of this hill Mike could distiguish most of the landmarks within the 6km diameter of the college campus. I, however, need a map! I could identify a few, but I realized while we stood atop the hill that I couldn't really even distiguish the main road I've been traveling on daily! Of course I didn't share this incompetence with Mike; how embarrassing. I just knew that I would need to do more exploring of the Vellore and Bagayam areas--by walking. Last sunday I did just that with a few other student/volunteer friends I've met at the place I stay. There's a pool club that is a 10 min. walk that provides a little western oasis and another catholic church (smaller) that I was shown. Unfortunately, my best way to orient myself is to explore, not be shown.
My wish was granted two nights later (Thursday evening) when I had planned to go to the grocery store in search of Marshmallows, evaporated milk, sugar and chocolate chips to make my grandma's famous fudge.
(I DIGRESS: I have been doing quite a bit of food sampling since I've made friends in the college of Nursing. They are so excited to watch me and my expressions to the different food that I try. I enjoy nearly all of them, but most recently I was told by Jeba--one of the 1st year nurses that I spent at least 3 days out in the villages with--that I hadn't tasted Indian food until I had had the sweets. Therefore, in the last week I have had about three different sweets every day/night offered to me to try! After tasting them, I try to identify how I might explain the different flavors and textures to people who have not tasted them. The friends I have made also find that very entertaining! How Chad lost 10kgs while he was here I have no idea! Everyone feeds me and everyone wants me to try something more...even if I am full! Though stuffing, it's lovely!)
I thought it would be a great way to say thank you to the nursing staff I’ve been working with over the last few weeks AND be the “something” that I could bring to the picnic for all of the nursing staff at the College of Nursing. I thought it a particularily good idea because many of the sweets here are made from sugar and milk into fudge-like concoctions.
Anyhow, I left a little later than I was planning (9:20 PM), but I was nearly certain that the store was open until at least 10, so I took a bus. As I explained earlier, my comfort with landmarks still was not strong, so I asked the man on the bus taking change if he would help me in getting to Harish (name of the grocery story). I had to repeat the name of the store 3 times, but on the third try he acted very confident that he knew where I was supposed to get off. After one stop—and way before I thought it was time—he gets up and exaggeratedly motions that THIS IS YOUR STOP. I thought, ok, well, maybe he’s right. I get out and start walking…kept walking….more walking. After about 20 minutes, and several cross-streets that might-have-been-but-weren’t the intersection just before the store, I started to get angry.
Wow! I hadn’t been this hot-headed in a long time. I was mad at the bus man: “he knew he was dumping me off way too early”. I was mad at myself: “you knew better than to get off there!” I was mad at my tiring feet: “flip flops or tennis shoes, you would best stop complaining.” And I was mad at time: “couldn’t you just stop for me—just so that I can get to Harish before it closes?!” After asking a guardsman how far it was and feeling let down again, I finally called over an auto. I wish I could apologize to that poor man. I was without any of my usual charm. I demanded that my fee would be Rs. 25 to go from where I was to Harish, him wait, and take me home, and that he might not even get paid, if Harish was closed. Wow! How foul my mood was! Disgusted, the driver almost drove off. I think my face showed a bit more than a little desperation, so he didn’t actually leave; but it was my aching feet that surrendered to the cost of Rs. 35.
Well, Harish had just closed upon our arrival, but by this point a little sense had come to my head; I started to appreciate what I hadn’t been. Here I had asked to get a chance to walk and learn about what was along the main road. I hadn’t asked for it to be at night—nor would I choose that again—but from now on, I have a much keener sense of orientation along the main road. In a week, Dr. Mani wants to take a group of us up College Hill again. Maybe this time I’ll be able to identify more landmarks! Baby steps.
Building blocks. The University of Kansas is making its impression on CMC. Chad’s Yeager’s time here was a great starting point. The college of nursing was able to prepare a schedule for him to see all different kinds of things during his visit. My program has added just a little bit more to that, by requesting not only a schedule be made, but also academic evaluation of my skills and time spent here. As Iron sharpens iron, both will become better equipped for the next who come.
I must say, I am very pleased with the accommodation the College of Nursing has given to me during my time here. The College of Nursing staff has also shared their enjoyment of having me. On Friday, which was Republic Day—a national holiday—the College of Nursing staff had their annual picnic and I was invited along. Leaving on a bus at 5:30AM, 43 nurses and 8 visitors and children visited an exhibit of the different kinds of colonial homes from different states in S. India. As a museum of sorts (I don’t remember the name), there were also artists and a store where you could buy all kinds of hand crafted items—or learn how to craft them all your own. From there we traveled to a nearby beach where we all went swimming…in our clothes, as is the Indian way. The beach was not full, but there were plenty of people both on the sand and in the water. The waves were strong and, many felt, dangerous. Many of the nurses didn’t know how either, so mainly we stood in the water, holding hands and picking each other up whenever a wave knocked us down! Then, after changing on the bus (some of us less gracefully than others—me!), we headed off to Chennai central where everyone chattered about what they would buy! We were given 2.5 hours to burn through our pockets, and burn we all did! Many bought saris and silk material for salwar kamize. I bought some shoes (same flip flops that were hurting me before were no better this day!) and a bag and two tops. We all gathered back on the bus and returned home at 11:30PM! Long day, but lovely!
Another building block… Only yesterday I was hurried to meet two chairpeople of the group called Friends of Vellore, Edwina Scudder. (The FoV organiziation is charity based and supports outreach and medical support through CMC.) After that I was given one of the best compliments that I have ever recieved, Mrs. Vathsala Sadan (one of the directors of the CONCH program) said, (paraphrase) "We think of you as one of us. No other students have gotten as involved as you have, taking interest in doing things instead of only observing." I feel so honored! I have made some good friends in the CONCH program (Jeba, Christy, Ann D., Dass) and I wish I could spend all of my time here. I do know that I will find the other areas as interesting and welcoming, but in just two weeks I have gotten to be very close with a few of these first year nurses and I don't want to lose that relationship simply because I have other places I go to see/study etc. I'm seriously considering buying a cellphone to use and then pass onto others who will visit with the Robinson Scholarship when I leave. The phones (new) cost close to fifty dollars, and then plans vary. It would help me stay in touch and allow me a little more freedom to go places if I knew that people could find me if they needed.
My program: I have been requested to present full assessments of an antenatal mother (complete with a nutritional assessment as well), a postpartum and newborn assessment, grand-multipara (the woman selected has had 11 children, all living!), a patient with diabetes, one with HTN and malnourished child (with nutritional assessments for each of these individuals as well), work with active--but on treatment--TB patients. In the coming week I will be visiting CHAD (Community Health and Development) where I will be working with some post-surgical patients in the wards, seeing some of the developmental programs that they have started and do village visits one day with the doctor-nurse team, and one with just the nurses. For all of these I also have the requirement that I will complete journal entries about the things that I see and the differences in the populations served (mostly comparing Muslim with Hindu). I don't have a clue if she'll want more assessments and assignments from me with regard to the CHAD experience, or the Hospital work that I'll be doing during the two weeks after that. I have completed some of those assessments, but I have yet to finish a care plan for the antenatal mother, nor have I finished even one of the nutritional assessments (getting an accurate idea of what amount of vegetables a person might get from eating a sambar (soup-like dish that is eaten over rice or other cereals/pulses). Only on Thursday did I finally figure out that a pulse was a PROTIEN-rich food (lentiles mostly...but different varieties: Black Gram, Green Gram, Bengal Gram, etc.)! So, you can imagine that I'm still trying to figure out how to quantify the soupy mixture of ingredients. I have asked a few people, but I might need to be a little more persistant!
OOH, to interest those daring enough to try, I have purchase two cookbooks, and I have friends who have offered to provide me with recipes as well. I would love to be able to learn and share food and recipes with anyone and everyone who is interested. If anyone is daring enough to try Indian before I return, some of the shops in K.C. and Lawrence are quite tasty. I would suggest saving a little room for some of the sweets at the end. Gulab Jamon is a traditional “doughnut in rose-sugar-syrup” that is lovely especially when mashed into the syrup. Halwa is also yummy, but I don’t quite know how to describe it because it comes in lots of forms, but it’s made from ghee (a buttery-like substance) and sugar…so essentially making a chewy caramel-like treat.
Weather is good here. It is definitely getting warmer! By March the temps during the day will be getting into the 40's C. (That’s over 100 degrees F, y’all!) eek! I've been told not to spoil my experience of my first trip to India by staying too long (when it gets hot!)! I honestly don't think anything could spoil this for me...not even the heat! :) I have heard about the winter storms that rocked nearly the entire nation just after my departure. I also heard that while winter storms were covering the U.S., the U.K. was getting wind storms! Here, we've been warm, but nothing drastic. A few more mornings have been foggy, but it always burns off and the day is sunny as ever! I asked if it rains at all during these times and I was told with a hearty chuckle that, NO, rains don't happen here often, but especially not at this time of year! I remember my first thought after unpacking my umbrella was, I wonder if I'll use it. I then saw all of the CONCH nurses carrying them out to the villages. I couldn't figure out why--especially without a cloud in the sky--but I learned quickly that the cloudless sky was exactly why they had brought it: a sun shade for traveling from home to home in their afternoons!
ooh, just one other quick thing...all of the CONCH nurses also get assigned dates to go out on Tsunami relief work days with a team of an MD, pharmacist, and social worker! It's neat that nurses can be so involved in the work of rehabilitating the most devastated and still-ravaged areas. (Unfortunately I have trouble distinguishing areas that might have suffered from the Tsunami and whether they are near to fully recovered--a lot of the areas are simply poor.) Anyway, I thought that it was quite impressive that CMC, and the College of Nursing were still so involved in the Tsunami relief campaign as ever!
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