National Geographic

Disclaimer: being up in the mountains has provided me with a lot of down time. This post is long, but my favorite so far.

October 9, 2011 Saturday

National Geographic: The Taj Mahal

Guess what?!

I saw the Taj Mahal! I can officially cross off a world wonder on my bucket list! Wooo! I traveled a total of 24 hours in less than 72 hours. It is located in the city Agra, how privileged I am to have seen the white marbled wonder.  It was a bumpy ride in a poorly air-conditioned van, but in the end it was worth every minute.

It was amazing. It was beautiful.

Side note--similar start to the adventure through the ruins-- we went to buy our tickets and there were two lines, foreigners and natives. Yes, I know I am a foreigner, thanks for reminding me… again

My experience.

We walked through an entrance into a big open courtyard, and even though we couldn’t see the Taj yet, I was ogling at everything around me. Such intricate details carved into red sandstone and marble.

After roaming around we strolled through a large arch, which perfectly framed the biggest monument ever constructed out of love.

It was an odd view to swallow at first, it didn’t look real-- it looked like a painting. There were crowds of people everywhere.

It was so hot, a whopping 95+ degrees. Scorching by Oregon standards. I can’t imagine how cold it is going to be for me when I get step off that plane in PDX. I hope you are all enjoying the rain :)

October 10, 2011- October 14, 2011

National Geographic: Patti, India

After our weekend in Agra, India is was time for our next clinical rotation.

We were dropped in the middle of the Himalayans at a rural community medical center in the village of Patti.

How very different Patti is from the city. It amazes me the magnitude of change that came from a 45-minute drive. It is so much quieter here, no horns honking or people bustling through the streets. No packing 11 people into a tiny space, just mountains, open space and fresh air. It is nice to see a blue sky and not a smoggy haze. In the city the air is so polluted, it was not until coming to Patti I realized how bad it actually was.

Onto my duties….

I was to work with Dr. Paul, a man who has been working in villages on the outskirts of Dehradun for the past 12 years.  He lives in the city (Dehradun) during the weekend but stays in the clinic Monday through Friday. This medical center is solely funded by the program I am working with, CFHI  (child family and health International). It feels good knowing that the money I spent to go on this trip actually supports a facility I can see in person, and not just in pictures. It was only built three years ago, but salary, supplies, everything is paid for in full by CFHI. For all who make the trek to the clinic, health care and medicine is free.

Although medical supplies are sparse, it has what is necessary.

A little bit of perspective:

The closest village is at the very least a 20-minute walk

The furthest is a 20+ hour walk

I had a great time with Dr. Paul and the crew. Everyone is so nice, and while everyone takes their job seriously, for the most part they are all jokesters. I cant count the amount of times Dr Paul, Varinder, and the cook Rico has made me laugh with jokes and by scaring me. Everyone knows that I am easily spooked, and they all have taken advantage of that.

I titled this post “National Geographic” because the past several days I feel as though I have been living in a feature story for the National Geographic magazine. Small huts constructed with tin, vines, strings, wood or whatever else is accessible. Villagers cutting and harvesting rice with handmade tools, and women and children carrying huge loads on their heads however long the distance necessary.

Paths and roads only made by few footprints. Water trickling down the mountain side through hand carved divots. I am working in a clinic villager’s walk minutes, hours and even days to receive healthcare. I never thought I would be able to say leopards, cobras and monkeys walk on the same rocks I do anywhere else but the zoo. I now can.

I think I am in the Jungle, or at least it feels like it.

The sky is blue here, and at night I can see a couple stars. Let me assure you it is nothing like the sky we see in Oregon, it is nothing like my view of the little dipper from my backyard. I view the sky lying on my back after finishing our nightly yoga session. Two times a day we have yoga lessons from a private yoga instructor. It is wonderful and it brings me back to the flexibility I was capable of many years ago when dancing everyday.

Let me tell you, this whole week has been a wild ride. Monday, Wednesday and Friday we have yoga from 7-8, breakfast at 8:15, morning clinic from 9AM-1, we have lunch and a break followed by tea time at 3. After that, it is evening clinic 3-6, yoga 6-7 and dinner is served promptly at 8.

Tuesday and Thursday however is slightly different. Yoga is from 7-8, breakfast is served at 8:15 and around 9 we leave to hike to a village. Dr. Paul and his team walk to a different village, once every month. The villagers know when to expect the medical crew in their town but otherwise; if it cannot wait they come to the clinic. Tuesday we went to the village Bakarna, population: 300.

 It was not busy but one case intrigued me. A woman came in with scars on her face, and a hazy look in her eyes. She didn’t speak English, but Dr. Paul told us she had Epilepsy. She had seizures when she was child, which went away and then came back during puberty. The scars were imprinted on her face from a fire, which she had collapsed into during a seizure. She had been prescribed Phenobarbital for the epilepsy (common under specific circumstances) and ayurvedic Brahami tablets for memory. I will definitely be looking more into the tablets when I return home as it has significantly helped her. 

October 13, 2011 Thursday

I had the best time. We worked at a small health care camp in the Village of Dhalani. Even though it is dubbed a “health camp”, it is actually a Jr. High School, grades 6-8. Dr. Paul and the crew (aka us and the pharmacist) were there checking up on all the children. We were doing physical exams on all persons-- 43 kids and 4 adults. The check ups included, eyes, tonsils, pulse, ears, lungs, weight, teeth and any other complaints they had. If there were any other problems, they were treated. Main problems, CAVITIES!!! Such poor dental hygiene, it even looked painful. Other problems were gastritis, scabies, worms, and ear pain due to wax build up. Also, it is winter here so just as in the states… there were several coughs and colds.

My experience.

It was wonderful, definitely the most rewarding day thus far.  When we arrived, the kids scattered trying to get chairs and tables for all of us. I have noticed the kids are very well behaved and respectful in India. Although the doctor was present, it was Taylor and I who were doing all the examinations. Being here and getting to perform even remedial health assessments has made me very confident in using different instruments. Dr. Paul puts his full trust in us to do a satisfactory job, and so far, so good.

Now I have a few stories to share from the day.

First, in India a proper and respectful greeting includes folding your hands together on your chest and saying “Namaste” while titling your head down. Secondly, extreme respect includes the usual greeting along with touching the other persons feet (I know this is unusual, but it is what it is). All the boys and girls greeted us, but one little boy greeted us and touched our feet. It melted my heart, as this was above and beyond the usual.

After we were all done and cleaning up Taylor and I went classroom to classroom (only 3) and wrote our names on the board. I had learned how to write my name a few months back when I took a Hindi class, but this was Taylors first time! It was awesome cause even though to us it is only a few symbols they were able to pronounce our names. How exciting!!  The top one is Taylor, the bottom one is Shelane.

When we were leaving the camp three girls from 7^th grade picked a flower and gave it to me. It was precious.

Finally as we were leaving all the kids sent us off with a loud goodbye.

October 14, 2011 Friday

We were in for a special treat today. Morning clinic started at 9 this morning, but because there were no patients waiting we took a stroll through the back yard. We looked at plants and herbs that are used for ayurvedic, homeopathic and other natural remedies. I wrote down a full page of plants, roots, leaves, seeds and bark. The different smells, textures and color were very fascinating. 

My notebook is becoming a gold mine of knowledge. One simple spiral notebook contains thoughts, remedies, perspective and unbelievable experiences. YES! I cant wait to keep soaking up more knowledge.

Moving on…

I am getting better at communicating with everyone. I have picked up a few words from watching patient-doctor interactions; I now can give small orders to check lungs, throat, liver, and blood pressure. Along with that, Taylor and I are getting good at hand signaling communication. It has been very successful--- except when getting lost. In that situation nothing seems to work (see previous post).

Also, to comment on the amount of English in Patti, it is a lot more limited than in the city. Dr paul speaks English well but everyone else speaks what I call Hinglish (hindi + English… get it?!) :)

As I mentioned in a previous post, the more I learn about alternative medicine the more intrigued I am about its potential success. I am bringing a lot of knowledge back home to help myself, and friends and family. I am excited to share what I have learned. In the future I see myself incorporating multiple treatment methods into my own medical practice. 

Additionally:

Tea time has become one of my favorite parts about India. Two or three times a day, Chai is made and everyone sits around a drinks a delicious cup of tea. It doesn’t matter if clinic started 10 minutes ago, we are on Indian time; enjoyment of your tea is of great importance. It doesn’t matter if villagers have nothing to give, you will get tea for coming into their home. Indian hospitality.

Bug Bites!

So many flies up in the mountains, especially in Bakarna!

All over India cultural dynamics are so different. I expected this, but it is odd to see and experience it. For example at the clinic, a little girl came in to get help with her wrist; she had fallen and sprained it pretty bad. However an older man knocked on the door, and without any hesitation the girl walked out of the room, waited for the man to be helped and then reentered.

I always thought Americans didn’t have any filter on what they say, but some Indians take it to another level. People, well actually just the men can be very rude. There have been times when Taylor and I have wanted to slap them in the face, but we resisted. I will never forget some of the situations we have been in. However, while at first we were appalled, now it just makes us laugh. Just one more memory that will stay with us forever.

I posted previously about Indian time. Patti time is no different; nothing is done in a hurry. Even when a patient is present, there is no urgency. If Dr. Paul is mid tea, or reading a newspaper article, he finishes before he begins his assessment. Also, in the time when we don’t have patients we take time to talk about life, our surroundings, our families and the future, as corny as it sounds it is very therapeutic. We have touched on the many similarities and differences between America and India. Topics such as pregnancy, AIDS, marriage, scenery, shoe prices and candy prices. It is amusing because they can’t fathom spending $60 American dollars on shoes (3500 rps.) and I have a hard time with only paying 2 cents for a candy bar. 

I have decided that being here has given me the opportunity to expose myself to different bacteria. If done correctly I will return with a strengthened immune system. So to do this I have started brushing my teeth with the water. Next will be a ¼ of a cup — still healthy, not sick yet.

^^^knock on wood

Yoga is wonderful, just like I imagined. We start our day with yoga at dawn and finish our day with yoga at sunset. Can’t complain about that. It boggles my mind I am practicing yoga in the country where it all began. Shelane for the win!

Dr. Paul has never seen a case of cancer in all of his 12 years of experience throughout the villages. There is nothing to cause cancer here besides chance and natural mutation, even that rarely exists. Don’t get me wrong it is just as prominent in the bigger cities as it is in America, but in the villages it is not the case. I thought this was also captivating.

I have been reading a book called The Neuro Revolution; it is about up and coming neuroscience and neurotechnology. It is a great book and I am enjoying it but it constantly reminds me of how lucky I am to live and have grown up in America. We have so much access to education and opportunities to learn and grow, and push ourselves outside of our “bubble”. To put it bluntly, 98% of certain village populations will never pursue higher education or even enter high school. I don’t think any of the people of Patti could even imagine what the Untied States is like. They couldn’t imagine a multi-stall bathroom with self-flushing toilets, automatic faucets, soap dispensers, and hand driers, a cereal aisle, or a grocery store for that matter. Baffling. 

Likewise, Americans would not be able to fathom what this place is like. Pictures are nothing, comparatively.

Also Dad and other builders, I thought you would get a kick out of this. When I was in Dehradun there was a lot of construction being done. Since it was the Dusshara holiday many of the people clean, improve, re-paint, and remodel their homes. This is a picture of the scaffolding used to build a deck/expansion or something of the sorts. I am pretty sure this is not up to code.

Shout out to all my blog readers. I love to know people are following me on my journey and actually spending the time to read my posts. It means a lot to me, and I hope you all are enjoying it!

Also, shout out to my ducks!! I miss all of you in Eugene and hope you are enjoying all the football games without me L I am in there in spirit.

OOOOOOOOO! Go Ducks!

Sometimes I still catch myself trying to wrap my head around the environment around me. It feels surreal that I am in India, almost like a movie. I worked so hard for this and now I am already two weeks into my adventure. Crazy.

Even after a days worth of helping so many patients, practicing yoga and ”expanding my horizons” , when I look at the night sky I still miss the little dipper. 

Xoxo,

India and Shelane