Sunday, February 19. 2006
Weekend Update
So here's the weekend update. Yesterday, I gave a short talk on nutrition during pregnancy to a group of balwadi (nursery school) teachers who work in the area around our clinic. Did I mention that I had to give it in Hindi? I was worried that it would be a disaster, but thankfully I managed to hold things together. The minute I opened my mouth though, the giggling in the audience began!
After the presenation, they presented a flower to me and the two other people giving nutrition lectures and they made a short speech of appreciation. It was very formal but sweet of them! Then I attended a clinic session where the doctor I worked with saw fifty patients in in an hour and a half! It helps not to have to worry about medical liability in the documentation, we basically just had to write the diagnosis and treatment on each chart.
The photo is from a restaurant near my appartment, Tawaa. I'm mainly posting it because I haven't posted any photos yet! I developed my first LOMO roll and it turned out okay. I'll get a photo CD from my next roll so I can post some of them.
Sunday, February 12. 2006
Bombay Duck
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!
Sunday, January 29. 2006
Downtown Los Angeles
For the last few days of my extended trip to California, Kiran and Amit came out and we all took Step 2 CS. The test sucked, and I dunno if I passed, but the rest of the trip was awesome. We went all over the place, from Venice Beach to Santa Monica to Beverly Hills to Hollywood. And then some. We randomly met up with a guy from Puerto Rico, Ivan, who was taking CS as well, and we all just chilled out in different places that Amit had heard about (or wanted to see). So anyways, the picture above is from the Getty Center, in West Los Angeles. Perhaps even more incredible was the view from Mulholland Drive, the Hollywood shot as it were. I didn't have my camera then, so maybe Amit will share a few Lomo shots when he gets the chance. Click on the photo above to see the full (uncropped) image.
Sunday, December 25. 2005
Merry Christmas!
Hey hey, a two-parter, Mark-style! As I type this, I'm in much warmer locales, and I'm staring at a palm tree that's covered in sunshine rather than snow. Nothing too strange for me, as I don't think I've ever woken up to a snowy Christmas morning.
I am not in California, however, which is weird for me. That photo was taken in Hawaii, and the weather here is like Norfolk in May, which is to say ridiculously warm and humid for a cold December morning... This is probably the second or third time I did not wake up in my parents' house. My parents have found a taste for travelling during the Christmas season, which feels distinctly less-Christmas-y. It's still nice, just different I suppose. And I certainly can't complain about the free trip my parents give me (especially since my first paycheck isn't due for 7 months or so). Besides, I think my parents are on to something - we do all end up spending more time together on vacation than when we are in our own home...
Sorry for the lackluster photos. I'm actually thinking of switching back to my trusty powershot s230, as I don't think this s70 is quite cutting it... The noise is ridiculous, the macro is seriously lacking and the meter isn't as accurate as I would like. Grr. Maybe I should ebay the camera and just go for an SLR. *gulp*
Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone!
Snowy Snow
I didn't get much chance to drive around rural Ohio much, unfortunately. I ended up just driving through the cold part. Whew! Cleveland was a nice frigid 5F when I awoke at 6am. I was a little better prepared for the snow this time than when I showed up at Georgetown in my tshirt and jeans, however.
So I drove off the beaten path a little bit, as much as my poor rented chevy impala was willing to tolerate the less-paved roads off the 71. The corn fields I had been told of were all encased in snow, as was pretty much everything else. I noticed most houses and farms didn't have footprints or tire tracks leading up to the houses; I wonder if anyone lived in this community? Perhaps they had all they needed and planned to endure the winter the old-fashioned way, by staying indoors for 3 months. Or perhaps they planned to endure the winter the actual old-fashioned way, by migrating to warmer places...