A couple days in the villages and a meeting with Amma

Hello again! So as this is a medical trip, I will start there (all who want to bypass, feel free--although there wil be some culture thrown in as well):
This week I am in CHAD (community health and development), a setup that includes a community hospital, a rural network of nurses, doctors, and health aides, and a social network of training, education, and support. This is a rather amazing network, allowing for those who cannot afford care to receive it in a rather resourceful way. Started back around roughly 1900, it was a single-bed hospital; now it can hold around 110 beds (including a small ICU and operation theatre) and visits 68 villages through part-time community health workers (PTCHW), health aides, public health nurses and doctors in a heirarchical fashion to where the PTCHW sees only about 2000-3000 people and sees them all whild the doctor can see between 45,000 and 50,000 people, but not as often.

The first afternoon, I spent in HIV/TB clinic, which although interesting to see the differences, the intense amount of patients and language barrier prevented too much learning. On Wednesday, I went on nurse's rounds though the villages, which was such an awesome experience. The health aide, dressed in pink saris, would identify the people that needed to be seen and the nurse, dressed in blue saris, would come every 2 weeks to see them (this includes all antenatal and postnatal visits, acute concerns, and social concerns). As we went from home to home (sometimes from concrete room to thatched hut), these people, often pregnant women and some ill children as the men were out working, would bring us into their houses and offer whatever they had to eat or drink; unfortunately, due to our naive American stomachs, we often had to decline. They would pull out plastic chairs or mats for us to sit on and turn on the single fan to help cool us off. During the antenatal visits (pregnant women), the women would lie on a mat during the exam. If the husband was home, he would leave as it was "women time" (men are just now starting to be allowed in the delivery room during labor, but even that is a rare occurrence). During the exam, the fundal height would be measured and the baby's heart sounds would be checked with a stethoscope alone--no Doppler was used (incredible!).

While we walked, we began to see how these families lived and just how resourceful they were. A home may be just a single room, with a corner designated as the kitchen and the bed (the single mat) rolled up and propped against the wall. There was no furniture other than potentially a chair. Many had chalk drawings outside the doors to ward off evil spirits and different items hanging above the door, all protecting against something different. Due to the heat of south India, many were able to use it to their advantage: chili peppers, peanuts, tobacco leaves, incense, and cow patties (of course!) used for feul were all left out to dry. Only pictures can truly help see how amazing these families were (which I hope to upload soon!). As we went from house to house, the nurse helped explain the culture and customs of the villages. This really was an experience I hope never to forget, and one I hope to see applied to some of the colonias throughout Texas. The similarities (although too lengthy to get into now) are astounding!

Yesterday we on doctor's rounds, which include a small bus that has been divided into an exam room and pharmacy. As the group (health aide, nurse, 2 nursing students, a doctor, and intern, and the driver--oh and 3 medical students from TX) started out, the goal was to see 4 different villages at a common site. The intern and nursing student set up a table outside for acute problems and chronic disease (often med refill), and the doctor and health aide saw the pregnant women inside the van. The nurse and other nursing student ran the pharmacy at the back of the van. This was incredible--as the day continued, each site promised a larger crowd. As we rotated through the different areas, we played with the children (all amazed with our paleness), smiled with the older patients, and tried to understand what all is put into these days.

Okay, now for everything else (quickly):
food: so everything is spicy, even when they say it isnt! I love the parotas, which I always get with this amazing mixed greens gravy, and the naan (like a tortilla but soooo much better). And the tea I could drink forever--although they alwasy offer us the Westerner version, we always take the Indian one: it is HOT and so sweet. Despite the spice, I am not starvign by any means!

weather: yes it is hot! But amazingly, most of the rooms are not. They do a great job of making the most of a breeze, and although I am sitting in an un-air-conditioned room now, I am quite cool. We are staying in an A/C room to sleep though (come on--it is like a 100+ degrees outside!).

international flare: So we have met people from everywhere: Singapore, Maastricht (!), Malaysia, Germany, Texas (not with us), Canada... and it goes on. Everyone is so friendly. I am getting a nice introduction to other countries...and continuing to whet my appetite to travel more!

Amma: this morning we went to the Golden Temple outside of Vellore and met Amma. She is a person whom it is believed is the vessel of God. Having predicted different miracles, she started having ceremonies and blessings at the age of 16. Planning on only seeing the Golden Temple, built recently and quite impressive, we walked into this gift shop-esque room, and was asked if we would like to meet her. We said okay and were whisked away to see the initial ceremony that was open to the public. Chris, unfortunately, was wearing shorts at this time, and had to wait outside the gates. As Amma was leaving the ceremony, she stopped and asked how Cristtina and I were, what brought us to India and if we would like to go to another blessing. At first hesitant as Chris was waiting outside, we declined. But then Chris arrived sporting a dhoti (Indian sarong for men), and off we went to the ceremony. At the end, Amma invited us to breakfast at the guest house. Throughout this event, we learned about the beliefs and symbols of the culture, with 2 guides: the man from the gift shop who initially asked us if we wanted to meet Amma and another woman from Australia, who abandoned her job as a pharmacist to follow Amma. Although I kept waiting for requests for tithing, they never asked for money and just wanted to show us their way and beliefs. It was another eye opening experience!

Okay, I am leaving many things out, but as this is long enough, I will quit. If you are still reading, what a trooper! I will try not to wait a few days again and therefore keep it shorter!