The Bird in Flight

So, I arrived safely in Mumbai last week after a six-hour delay en route. The plane from Amsterdam to India was turned around after two hours because the toilets wouldn’t flush. At first I thought that we should have just pushed on, but then I realized how close my seat was to the lavatory!

More exciting on the journey though, was the announcement on the Detroit Amsterdam flight… “If there is a medical doctor on board, please report to the aft galley.” I sat frozen for about thirty seconds, several questions racing through my mind. What’s going on? Does a final year medical student qualify as a “doctor” in this case? What the hell does aft mean? I thought things over… I’ve worked in a hospital or clinic setting for almost two years now, so perhaps I could be of some assistance. I must admit I was relieved relieved, upon arriving at the rear of the plane, to find four physicians had responded. The first on the scene took charge, and the others had already turned around. Chief Complaint: Minor asthma attack.

I returned to my seat amidst admiring stares from my fellow passengers. Their respect made me ashamed of my initial hesitation. An hour later, a second announcement echoed through the cabin, “Will a medical doctor please report to the middle galley.” This time I stood with some other miscellaneous medical types a respectful distance away from the first responder. This time my stethoscope came in handy. Chief Complaint: Nausea.

Anyways, now I’m in Mumbai. I’m working with the same NGO I volunteered with in 2003, the Niramaya Health Foundation (www.niramaya.org), though this time around I should be able to see patients on my own in their clinics in Mumbai’s various squatter’s settlements. I’m also conducting a training workshop on water borne diseases for their community health workers, and I’ve designed a pictographic flipbook for them to show people how to make their own Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) to treat diarrhea. When I’m not at work, I’ll be partying near where I’m staying in Bandra (for those of you who know Mumbai). My sister has been here for the last several months so I can basically latch on to her pre-existing social circle! Using that strategy I ended up at a wedding reception at the Mahalaxmi race course last night, and yes... the drinks there were free.

Today being my day off, I went to the National Gallery of Modern Art for an exhibit on Gandhi. Every piece basically went out of its way to use interactive multimedia (video, electronic buttons, laser sensors, etc.), but they were so complicated that they all needed a staff member on hand to explain how to use it! I somehow found that level of labor allocation to be uniquely Indian, but I did enjoy the exhibit.

Lomo photos are on the way. I’m almost finished with my first roll of film!