Sometimes I really wish I had a nice SLR camera and a telephoto lens. So often I see candid photo opportunities that I cannot take advantage of. For the few of you that will remember the picture that my dad had of the old African American man next to the stairs on the way to the basement, you will know what I am talking about. I just see these people that have 'lived life'. They have been in the sun, they have worked their entire life, they are simple. I have not managed to capture one of these images with a camera.
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*One of my favorite parts of India is the colorful dress of the women. I don't want to be intrusive to these women otherwise I would be taking a picture of every single one of them. They are so beautiful. Bright yellow, orange, green, blue, red, purple, every color. When you walk down the street I just love the variety.*I have also loved the food. I have really liked everything except for about 3 things I kinda liked and about 3 I could do without. Eating with my hands has been liberating. I haven't used silverware in a week and it is great. I wonder if I will have a tough time coming back and eating with them. It is very interesting for me to really just get my hand dirty with food and dig in. I was very timid at first but I think that I am getting better.
It is very interesting seeing different Indians and noticing how much they look like someone I know from the states, just darker skinned. A flood of memories will come back of that person. This has probably happened 10-15 times.
Today at the clinic I spent about 2 hours in the lab with Rajesh. There is no lab available in Bailhongal so Dr. Neginhal has brought him in. He is extremely efficient. As a one man crew, he gets done what I would guess 2-3 American lab assistants would do. It is not what I had imagined when I heard a lab though. Some things I noticed, he does not where gloves, he using his own lung power to suck up blood through a graduated pipet, he tests urine in a broken test tube, he reuses just about everything only rinsing once in tap water. Regardless of these and other 'inconsistencies', he gets accurate results. It has really made me re-think our infatuation with sterility in the US. We are such a wasteful culture whereas Indian get the maximum use out of everything.
That brings me to the next point which I don't appreciate about India. Garbage. I really don't like the culture of what to do when something has finally worn out its usefulness. When I have something to throw away, I usually have to put it in my pocket until I see a trash can. That has taken 3 days before. Really, what put me off is the throwing of trash from bus or car windows. I was perturbed when trash was collected on the bus with the kids in Agra and then the entire sack was thrown out the window into a stream. My two cents: don't yourself contribute to this problem. My dad did a VERY good job to teach me not to little but instead to actually pick up trash you see and throw it away. All you Americans, I hope you are listening.
A HUGE frustration is not being able to communicate with people. I am loving being here but I can only understand most conversations from body language. The hired help of the Neginhals (two house workers and 9 hospital workers) and I cannot communicate. I have learned several phrases in Kannada but I can't get to know these people as I would love to do. I just want to be able to express to them, I care!
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*This brings me to my next point, I am having a tough time with the hired help serving me. An example is Ishvar, the driver. He is just a humble guy, responding with 'yes suh' after anything I or anyone else says. He is not forward in any way. He sits back until asked to take action. They are serving me like I am a king and I feel so uncomfortable. I can tell that Subhash Uncle and especially Rohini Aunty care for these people and really they are doing them a favor by hiring them. If I could talk with them, I think that would make it easier for me but, learning Kannada has proved difficult up to this point.As I have been shadowing Dr. Neginhal I often think of my future career in medicine. I would consider myself fairly experienced in the world with life experiences and health care exposure. Still I think, 'Do I really know what I am getting myself into?' I think the answer is probably not. I am still confident with my decision but I have come to understand that I really don't know what is in front of me. I am excited for that unknown. I also think if this experience would have influenced my application to UW. I am extremely happy to be going to Western but I just hate the feeling of being rejected. Ehg, life goes on. Heck, I am in India. Sorry UW, gotta have the time of my life.
Hey Joe No mention of Max in your writings.
ReplyDeleteDid he get a tast of your footware? :)
So, the language barrier. Pretty much the hardest part of international travel. Especially when you're living amongst the native people: you just want to get to the root of their culture, their religion, their customs, their food, their personalities, but you can't because you can't understand what they're saying. You're right when you say that body language is a powerful tool. It is amazing how much you can understand and how much you can convey through body language. Never underestimate it. And keep trying with the language. If you can get your hands on a translator-dictionary, that helps a lot! Seeing the phonetics of the words helps and you will start seeing patterns with the things they're saying.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I want to comment on is the whole service thing. It's really difficult for me (and other Westerners) to let people just serve us and be okay with that. We are independent thinkers; most other cultures are not. They think like a community and they are willing to bend over backwards for someone who is a stranger to them. That is one of the most amazing, admirable things I have seen and coveted in other cultures. I hope you let them serve you and in turn, you'll find ways to serve them back. It's interesting because they are teaching you so many things and opening your eyes to all these things and (this was the case for me) you feel so ungrateful because you think you're not contributing anything to their lives. But knowing you, I'm confident you're bringing joy into their lives and definitely breaking down stigmas they may have about Americans.
My last comment is about the driving. Mayhem! Please don't drive out there! I don't want you to get killed! K, that's all. Keep living it up!
Hi Joe,
ReplyDeleteI just started reading your blog - my sisters pointed it out to me. Somehow I missed it in the string of emails... Anyway, re: the garbage thing - such a huge problem. There are two issues at play - the system issue where there just aren't enough garbage cans - and also a problem where people just don't seem to understand that the garbage they threw out the door isn't going away. It's like the plastic industry came in, started covering everything in plastic but the country didn't have time to catch up w/ the infrastructure to deal w/ all the waste and somehow that shifted the way people even think about the garbage. On a related note, the next time you have a banana peel try the disposal method my sisters and I loved - feed it to the nearest cow on the street. Always fun. Sometimes a wee bit dangerous. :-)
Not sure you can conclude that results are "accurate" without doing "controls". However, agree completely, that Americans have huge "hang-ups" as "germaphobes."
ReplyDeleteGarbage is frustrating because so much could be recycled or composted. Huge problem worldwide and especially in the poorer countries where it's not one of the highest priorities. Being in Seattle for a week recently made me jealous how convenient they have made recycling for their citizens and how inconvenient or not allowed it is for us in Spokane.
Chopsticks are a nice middle ground between silverware & fingers. They come in handy if the food is hot or messy and you can usually find materials to make some when in need. I remember making 2 pair for us while in Ireland out of a tree branch at the Blarney Castle.
Finally, you are correct that you really do not know what you are getting into in the practice of medicine. Part of that is the fact that it changes every year. When I look back at the knowledge and skills I used in the 70's compared to today, it's enormously different. What has NOT changed is the humbling trust and hope that patients have in you and the amazing opportunities you will have to be of service to your fellow beings. With all the negatives, the ups still come out ahead. Best Wishes.