Day 41:

I’m back early from work after spending the morning in the Operating Theater. I’d seen surgeries before in the US and knew that I liked being in the OR setting, so it was great to be back in that environment again! I first got to watch two c-sections which was really incredible! I’ve seen births before (both here and in the states) but it never ceases to amaze me each time! Then we got to watch a varicose vein surgery, and we saw how the vein is actually removed. Pretty cool, and made even better because the doctors were really good about explaining the process, how the problem occurs, what you do to fix it, and what exactly they were doing. Finally, we got to watch a biopsy get taken from a man’s throat tumor. This was actually the same doctor who I assisted a couple days ago with a biopsy in casualty, so it was nice to see him again, and to see a more in-depth procedure.

Tonight we’re headed off to Hampi for a weekend out of the city before the craziness of the final week of work!

Epidural

c-section

Healthy baby boy!

Finishing up

Day 40:

Today we played hooky from work and went on a day-long trip with CSIM. We first went to this place called Navadarshanam, an organic farm compound just outside of Karnataka. There are only a couple people that actually live on the property but a lot of people from the surrounding villages work there too, and it was interesting to hear about their farming, solar powered electricity, and organic food. We listened to a short talk by one of the men there, and then were able to explore a little on our own. We also had this really awesome natural, home-cooked lunch!

After leaving Navadarshanam, we drove to the Narayana Hrudayalay Heart Hospital, which is a place that Navee wanted to visit. It’s a huge hospital (1000 beds) and is known for its world-leading cardiac specialists and care. We were given a short tour of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Telemedicine Center, where doctors are able to conference with patients/doctors at other hospitals all over the country. The pediatric center was especially moving; it’s hard to see all those little babies and kids lying there hooked up to ventilators and all sorts of other tubes/wires. We then went to a little talk by another hospital staff member. It was actually annoying because while I’m sure many of the doctors have well-meaning intentions, this man was basically preaching about how the hospital is ranked #2 in the world and that the surgeons can “replace a heart valve in fourteen minutes,” rather than talking about quality of care and success rates. But overall, it was still a really great visit. If I had more time here, I think it would be interesting to visit such an advanced hospital such as this- definitely a much different experience than RMH.

Finally we went out to dinner and had a really great meal of paneer, daal, roti, rice, and chocolate cake for Laura’s birthday!

One of the buildings at the farm

Yummy lunch!

On our walk

Village on our way to the farm

Temple just outside of the hospital
It had four different rooms; one each for Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sieks
Pretty cool...this would never happen in the US!

Day 39:

We spent the entire day on the wards. The wards are comprised of several different sections but on our section, there were about 30 patients. The patients come to the wards for a variety of reasons, but mostly after being released from ICU, for chemo, or from getting admitted after visiting casualty. As a result, none of the patients are really critical care, meaning there wasn’t a whole lot to do. It was interesting because there were two residents on the unit, yet I felt like all they did the entire day was write notes in charts and occasionally check on patients. Granted it wasn’t like the patients really needed a ton of care, but I just think it would be boring to write orders/notes all day. Nevertheless, we did get to round with the physician we shadowed yesterday, and I even got to write the notes in the chart as he dictated them to me- pretty cool that he felt comfortable enough allowing me to do that!

I think there comes a point when you’re on a unit that you realize there is absolutely nothing you can participate in, so you’re just better off trying to connect with the patients and learn that way. The other kid left early for an “appointment,” although I think that was just his excuse because he was bored out of his mind and wanted to leave. So while I was alone, I ended up talking to these two sisters... such feisty but sweet women. One of the woman’s husband was in the hospital for a foot wound-turned-blood-infection, and we ended up talking for a long time….about school, what my parents did, religion, their kids, how I don’t know Kannada. Apparently one of the sons lived in San Diego and while they said they’d never been to America, they told me they would visit when I got married! It’s funny, but once the conservation covers where you’re from, your schooling, and your family, it always, without fail, turns to whether or not you are married. They also insisted in giving me a bindi, which I immediately took off after leaving the hospital. Not only was I a white foreigner wearing a bindi, but it was red (which I think means you’re married), only adding to the staring and questioning looks. But anyways, they were super nice and so fun to talk with!

Day 38:

Today was a little bit of a bummer day at the hospital. The medical director told us yesterday that we should go to the lab both yesterday and today, but there really was not enough to do for two full days (let alone one full day) and we would have just been in the way. So we spent a good chunk of the morning waiting to ask the “sir” where we should go. We ended up in OPD again but with an internist. It was actually interesting because we went on rounds with this physician, watching him examine several patients with Dengue Fever (apparently there are multiple cases of this in Bangalore right now) and listening to him question a resident about the effects of diabetes. The physician also gave us a little lecture about how it’s necessary to do a thorough examination and history when you first meet a patient. I think he thought we were medical students because he even told us the best book to buy that would explain this! Unfortunately, though, the physician was done at RMH very early in the afternoon (he works at another hospital in the evening)…..so we spent a large chunk of the afternoon waiting once again to see the medical director about the rest of this week. Luckily he said we can be on the wards the rest of the week, so thankfully we won’t have to bug him anymore!

Day 37:

Today we were in Casualty once again. We were actually supposed to be in the lab, but when we got there this morning, they gave us a brief tour and told us we could come back after 4 when the doctor would arrive. So we decided to spend the day in Casualty, where we would hopefully be guaranteed to see some interesting cases….and we did! We saw a cast come off, many IV’s get put in and blood drawn, a failed endoscopy (we actually got kicked out of the room because the patient wasn’t cooperating and the doctor was getting angry), a colonoscopy. We also got an impromptu lesson in X-ray reading and how to spot fractures in an examination. This specific patient had completely fractured her femur near its head and after showing us how to interpret the x-ray, the doctor then showed us how the patient’s shortened and externally rotated leg indicated this fracture. After the other kid left, I was observing a bronchioscope and was actually able to assist a little! I was really only helping get the biopsied tissue into the container, but still, it’s better than nothing!

Finally, we had a death on the unit, which most definitely dampened everyone’s mood. The patient was brought in in cardiac arrest and without a carotid pulse, which apparently means it’s not even possible to shock the patient to bring them back. The nurses quickly started CPR, but their efforts didn’t last very long. Although it was hard to see, it wasn’t that much of a surprise, as she basically came in with a look of death about her. But even so, it’s pretty hear-breaking to see all the family members crying both at the patient’s bedside and outside the unit.

After Casualty, I headed over to the lab to see if anything was going on. It’s was small, but interesting to see everyone at work. I watched one of the lab techs working with samples for a little, and then watched another tech dissect a variety of biopsy samples, which was really interesting! She had actually spent one year of high school in Cleveland and an internship at Johns Hopkins, so it was fun to talk about that. 

Days 35 & 36
(6/23 & 6/24)

We spent yesterday afternoon at the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. It’s a 240-acre garden with a variety of paths, trees & flowers, and a lake. It’s also right in the middle of the city. Amanda and I spent our entire time there looking for the elusive aquarium. We found several maps that all showed the building (but never our location) so we basically just spent a lot of time wandering aimlessly, but we did manage to see the majority of the park over the course of our wanderings, which was nice. I think half the city was there (and the majority of them couples) and while that’s not necessarily my idea of a nice relaxing afternoon in nature, it was nice to see some green!

Today we went to the opening of the Autism Resource Library at the hospital. We (Lilly and GSE kids) carried some of the books over in our luggage so the Rotary club wanted to thank us, although I don’t think we actually did enough to deserve all the recognition at the meeting. After lots of required formalities and networking (as Cathy told us to do), we had lunch. This was probably the best part of the day and unfortunately we had eaten breakfast, because there was a ton of food. They served a traditional South Indian meal on leaves and said they were going to challenge us with a silverware-less meal. They did give all us foreigners spoons, and I am proud to say none of us actually used them!

Tonight we just hung out together and Sam made a really good daal dish.

Small temple on top of the hill

Tired puppies

Lunch
Only part of the food, and trust me, it tasted much better than it looks!

Days 33 & 34
(6/21 & 6/22)

I spent both Thursday and Friday in the ER, or Casualty as it’s called here. While other units are nice, they are always the same type of case or treatment; but in Casualty, it’s constantly changing. I know a lot of times this type of unit is highly stressful, but I also think it would be nice to be constantly challenging yourself with different types of cases. For example, in the span of two days, I was able to see several people come in with fevers; a young boy needed a dressing change for a head wound; several accidents that required sutures; a bronchioscope to investigate a tumor; a diabetic woman with hypoglycemia brought in by ambulance; a woman with cellulitis (infection of the soft tissue). Keeps you constantly on your toes, that’s for sure!

I’m definitely finding out that a big part of the experience is who you’re working with. Luckily the nurses and doctors have all been nice, but I found it to be especially fun in Casualty. The doctors seemed more involved in care and the nurses were a riot! It’s funny because when I first came in they (nurses) were a little reserved and we didn’t talk that much. But then all of a sudden it’s like a switch is flipped; everyone started joking around more and they decided to give me a tour of the unit (keep in mind I had been there several hours already and it only has about 10 beds, so I’d pretty much seen it anyways)! And of course all the questions begin too: where do you stay? Are you alone? Did you eat breakfast? Have you had lunch? Are you in MBBS (India’s medical school)? How does it work in America? What’s this called in America? But overall it was a great experience! I’m supposed to be on a different unit Monday but when the nurses found out I’d spent three days on OPD but only two with them, they told me I had to come back Monday, so we’ll see!

Thursday I unfortunately had to leave early to go to a CSIM event with the GSE kids. They have weekly speakers and this week one of the speakers was a doctor who started a rural hospital and school in Mysore. It was interesting because when I asked him about incorporating traditional medicine with allopathic medicine, he answered that they just want to alleviate pain and suffering, whatever method that may be. It sounds like they really try to incorporate all types of medicine in order to best help the patients and their beliefs. I really wasn’t expecting this answer because the doctors at RMH view traditional medicine as a real hindrance; patients will use traditional medicine, not really be helped, and then come to the hospital even sicker and expecting a cure. I guess it makes sense to incorporate and be mindful of all types of medicine, but I really emphasize with the doctors who are expected to save the world. But in the end, I guess it’s just about giving patients all their options and then letting them choose.

Friday night, Laura brought in one of her friends to speak about his work with art in under-privileged communities, which was really interesting.

Days 31 and 32:
6/19 & 6/20

Today and yesterday were both spent on the outpatient unit. It’s interesting because the doctor sees mostly elderly patients and even though she’s providing treatment and advice, most of the appointments end up being counseling sessions. Patients are stubborn and won’t exercise to lessen the effects of their diabetes. Or they live alone and spend all day thinking about what would happen if their cancer from five years ago returned, instead of finding activities to occupy their mind. And so the doctor spend the majority of the appointment hearing about their lives, their complaints, and trying to counsel them to listen or fix things in their life. Definitely interesting, although I think I would prefer something with a little more variety.

We didn’t have to be at work until noon today, so I decided to see whether I could visit the disability school associated with the hospital (they’re both funded by Rotary). I could, and spent several hours with the Autism unit observing their outdoor exercise/play time and then classroom time. The school has about 150 kids, all with a variety of physical and mental disabilities and varied ages.

Also, a short note about doing internships: do not bring your little sister to work just because she’s 15, kindasortofmaybe wants to be a doctor but really thinks she wants to be a vet. It’s just awkward for everyone involved. I may or may not have had experience with this awkwardness today (and no, it was not my sister because she’s in the states and wants to be an actress!!).

Day 30:

Today we were on the OPD (outpatient) unit. I didn’t realize RMH offered so many specialties, but there was a board listing them all- probably at least 15 different types. However, being such a small hospital, I think each specialty only has one or two rooms each. The doctor we were shadowing, for example, had one room with a desk for herself, chairs for the patients, and an examining table with a curtain. This doctor was a general practitioner specializing in diabetes care. We basically just sat in the room and listened to her talk with patients for three hours. It was interesting, but being here definitely emphasizes the language barrier once again. I feel like I’m in my own world for the majority of the appointment just kind of zoning out, until either the patient speaks a little English or the doctor would explain what was going on. It was also interesting because I felt like the patients I saw today were much more put together- dressed nicer, maybe cleaner, less hardened by work- than past patients I’ve seen. I’m not really sure why this would be the case, but it was interesting to notice. I’ll have to try to ask again.

Tonight we made ourselves a paneer dish with roti, with mangoes for dessert!! We also tried and failed at opening a coconut, although found some pretty hilarious videos in the process of trying to figure out how to eat one!

Days 28 & 29:
(6/16 & 6/17)

This weekend was pretty relaxing and I spent a lot of time just doing nothing, which was nice. Today was great because I was able to meet up with one of Anna’s friends from her trip to Delhi….it truly is a small world! We rode the metro (my first time, one of the cleanest parts of the city I think!) on the way to Corner House, an awesome little ice cream place! Other than that, it was just nice to talk to get to know her better.

Also Happy Father’s Day to the best dad ever!! I wish I could be there to celebrate, but I hope you have a great day! J

Day 27:
(6/15/12)

Yesterday was another great day in OB! I got to watch all the babies get baths and vaccinations. So adorable (baths, not vaccines)!! I also got to watch another birth right after I arrived! Later in the afternoon, I went with the nurses to this lecture about cleanliness in the hospital. From what I understand they have these classes every Tuesday and Thursday for all units of the hospital…but it was Friday, so I think this one was an exception. Kind of boring, but still interesting to learn about the procedures. And we got food, which was a bonus! I stayed at the hospital a little later hoping I might get to see one final birth, but the mom was not progressing fast enough, it was going to be at least a couple more hours, and it was getting late, so I left.

Nursery
But not actually equipped to handle high-risk babies. The isolates are only used for warming.

Labor and Delivery room
Moms are transferred here once in active labor and stay a couple hours after delivering before being transferred back to the ward.

Day 26:

Today was an awesome day, and definitely made up for the lack of business in ICU! I was on the OB unit, and it was CRAZY!! The kid who crashed my internship got kicked off the unit because the women didn’t want him observing, so I had the whole day to myself without anyone tagging along! At first I felt a little out of place because the unit didn’t seem prepared to have interns/observers at all. The doctors were preoccupied with all the patients, and told me repeatedly they were sorry they didn’t have time to explain anything. So instead, I just wandered around the ward talking to the patients. I eventually ended up rocking this adorable two-day-old baby girl to sleep while talking to her mom and grandma. They were so nice! And they actually let me participate in this little traditional ceremony (or rather, told me that I was going to do this without any choice). There was a little bit of a language barrier, but apparently it’s customary to let newborns suck on sugar water (off your finger) so that they’ll like you, and I guess I was the first to do this for the baby! A pretty big honor, if you ask me! They also told me that I needed to give them baby name ideas by tomorrow, so if anyone has any let me know! Ha

After all the baby cuteness, I decided to try and watch some procedures, and ended up getting to watch the anesthesiologist place several epidurals. It’s done almost exactly the same in India and the US, but still cool to see!

And finally, the highlight of the day, I got to watch a baby being born! I was literally standing right next to the mom and got to watch everything, something that would never happen in the states! C-sections are neat, but natural births are even better! Sure makes you appreciate life, although after seeing all that pain (and an episiotomy), watching a birth would make anyone not want to ever have kids. It’s probably good most patients don’t actually know what goes on during procedures (like during the eye surgery or a birth) because guaranteed nobody would ever follow through!! I have to say though, births in India are a very lonely affair. From what I observed, once moms receive epidurals (or are far enough along) they’re transferred out of the main ward into a delivery room. However, they are there all alone. This particular mom labored by herself for at least an hour or hour and a half while the nurses just did their work all around her. And even when it came time to actually give birth, it was just the doctors and nurses. No mom, no husband, no relatives. That’s actually true for the main ward as well. Most of the women had a female relative with them, but there just isn’t room for entire families to visit. Another thing is that the OB ward is almost entirely female-dominated (as in, all the doctors and nurses are women), which is a nice change from the very male-dominated wards in the rest of the hospital, and which could be why most of the husbands weren’t even present.

Such an adorable baby!

Proud grandma

Happy momma

Day 25:

Today was another long day on the unit. There was practically nothing going on all day, which is great for the patients but really dull for us when we want to see stuff! It was nice, though, when the woman doctor I mentioned yesterday arrived. It’s amazing how some people are just natural teachers…one of the patients was having irregular heart rates and she was looking at the monitor, which led to an impromptu lesson about heart rates and pulse ox’s. Basically you know there are arrhythmias if the peaks on both the pulse and oxygen saturation don’t line up, and above all machines only aid in care, and you as the doctor are ultimately the one who needs to understand and be able to interpret the science behind the machine. It’s interesting because I never would’ve thought to ask about the machine because I know its general function; however, once she started explaining, I ended up asking a lot more questions! This doctor also helped us interpret an x-ray (it showed fluid in the lungs) and explained deep vein thrombosis (the reason why people wear those really tight socks after surgery). So it ended up being a decent afternoon, and we’re onto OB tomorrow!

Dinner at Moledina's on Monday

ICU

X-ray machine

Days 23 & 24:
(6/11, 6/12)

The first part of the week we’ve spent in the ICU unit, and it has been much different than I expected. The unit is extremely small- only 8 beds- and is much less busy compared to US hospitals. Yesterday there were two patients in the unit and then they both got moved to the wards. And then today there were two more patients and a third arrived late in the afternoon. The unit is eerily quiet, and the machines don’t really even make noise, which is also different from what I remember from the states. Since RMH is a pretty small hospital, it doesn’t get many major traumas, so the ICU’s main source of patients is surgery. The first 24-30 hours after surgery are the most critical, and all patients are required to spend those hours in ICU being closely monitored before being moved to the wards.

Our time in ICU has actually been pretty boring. At least from what I’ve seen, most of the work is just maintaining the patients’ condition. One of the doctors told me she thinks ICU is one of the easiest fields because it’s common sense and just about regaining and maintaining homeostasis- what’s wrong, what’s causing the problem, and what can be done to fix it? So far that has been nothing more than monitoring airways, extubating, taking blood pressure, cleaning wounds, and setting up IV’s. This stuff is so basic that I don’t even have that many questions, making it hard to connect with the nurses/doctors and difficult to know what to ask them. I would never wish sickness upon someone, but I guess in some way I do wish there would be a little more action on the unit. But such is the ebb and flow of a hospital; last week it was crazy, this week is quiet, and probably it’ll be crazy again next week.

Aside from the long boring days, I did have a really nice chat with one of the women doctors this morning. We ended up talking about the unequal gender ratios in India and how infanticide is a now-illegal but still very common practice. We were also talking about how many times doctors in villages are seen and treated as God, but that in hospitals it is different; in hospitals, patients expect to be cured when in all reality mistakes do happen. Homeopathic medicine is also an issue because while it is usually harmless and can supplement actual care, many homeopathic-trained people also practice allopathic medicine (without actual training), leading to a whole range of problems. Patients then find their way back to allopathic doctors, expect to be cured, and get angry when there are issues. Finally, we talked about how a lot of times in India doctors may withhold information or make certain decisions for the patients, but that the doctors in ICU (and this doctor specifically) are making a concerted effort to give patients and their families all information available, and then allow them to make treatment decisions based on that information. This doctor shared a quote, and we both agreed it is the way doctors should handle themselves:

“From inability to let well alone; from too much zeal for the new and contempt for what is old; from putting knowledge before wisdom, science before art, and cleverness before common sense; from treating patients as cases, and from making the cure of the disease more grievous than the endurance of the same, Good Lord, deliver us.”

~Sir Robert Hutchison

Day 22:

Today we woke up and went to a talk about economics and businesses Laura set up through someone she knows from study abroad. I didn’t really have enough background information to actually understand everything, but it was still interesting! We spent the afternoon out shopping for various gifts and work clothes. Tonight, we had a really great dinner. It was Matt’s birthday, and some of the girls made a really great dinner and dessert!

More blood pressure!

Cows literally have right-of-way all the time!

Days 19, 20, 21:
(6/7, 6/8, 6/9)

Thursday I spent the entire day in bed trying to recover from this terrible cold I seem to have woken up with, but Friday I was feeling better so back to work I went! I and this other kid who showed up the other day (who’s in Bangalore visiting family and is apparently doing an internship at RMH while he’s here) were in the Early Intervention Center most of the afternoon. Early Intervention provides services to children ages 0-6, at which point they can then begin receiving services through school. It was really interesting because we were able to watch the therapists conduct sessions with children with a variety of different disabilities. It was also interesting talking to the therapists and hearing their point of view on their job…because of the hospital being funded by donations (and patients paying a very minimal fee each week), the center’s resources are severely limited in the services they can provide. In addition, the expenses of therapies for disabled children can add up really fast, so the center tries to provide as many types of therapy as possible. This way, parents limit the amount of time they need to take off work to attend therapy and reduce the amount of centers they need to visit. Also, parents are encouraged to attend the sessions so that the therapists can teach them exercises and skills to work on at home.

After work we went out for Tibetan food, which was really good!

Today has been spent relaxing but also planning trips for the remainder of our time here. Time is flying by, and we’re running out of time to figure out all our plans!

Day 18:

I spent this morning at the eye care center, where the doctors were doing post-op checks on all of the patients. I helped put eye drops in and gave them sunglasses, and then the patients were bussed back to their village. They’ll receive one final check-up when the RMH doctors return next month to hold another clinic in the town.

This afternoon was spent working with some of the social workers. I was able to observe a young girl’s disability evaluation and then spent the afternoon working on a pamphlet the center wants in order to tell people about all their services.

In other exciting news: we had the first rains of the monsoon season today!

Giving eye-drops

Done with surgery!

Day 17:

Today was a much better day! I thought I was going to be on ICU this week, but apparently I’ll be spending it in the eye care center. After an extremely slow morning, I was able to observe surgeries all afternoon! The surgeries were to remove cataracts from the patients who were brought in yesterday afternoon. I helped put drops in the patients’ eyes, watched them receive local anesthetic (yes, they are awake during surgery), and then was able to observe all the surgeries! There were also two women doctors, so it was really nice talking to them. I think I must have explained the American education system at least a half dozen times while I was waiting for the surgeries to start. India goes about college and med school slightly different, and everyone here thinks I’m already in med school, so I have to explain!

In other exciting news, I was proud of myself because I managed to get to and from work using the buses all by myself, and trust me, it's a lot more complicated than any bus system in America!

Waiting for surgery

Operating Room

View of an eye

Day 16:
(6/4/12)

Yesterday I spent the day at a village where doctors were testing people for cataracts. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it was kind of a let-down and slightly boring. The village was not what I had pictured, more like a town, although still very rural and lacking resources. The doctor was just testing people really quick in an attempt to get through everyone (there were probably close to 100/150 people there), and I found myself just sitting and watching most of the day. Also, it was kind of annoying because all these different rotary members (rotary helps fund both RMH and this rural hospital) kept coming into the room and just wanted to get group pictures with all of us, seeming to care more about the picture and talking with us than the actual clinic being conducted. This town was also three hours away, meaning it was a very early morning and a late night. Still, it was nice to experience something different. Apparently staff from RMH travel to this town once a month to provide care. The people that need cataract surgery and bused back to Bangalore, receive the surgery, are bused back, and then receive a follow-up when staff members return the following month. I know it is appreciated as well because one of the doctors was telling me that they had very few specialists on staff, which was why people from RMH come, but it sounds like it’s making a huge difference!

On a positive note, we did get to see the countryside on our way to the town and boy is it beautiful! Palm trees, rice and sugar cane growing, green everywhere, and a clear blue sky to boot! I think it’s the first time I’ve seen the sky since I arrived in India!

For dinner, a small group of us met Laura (GSE TA) to talk about how the trip is going so far. We ended up at this American place and I had pizza, which was a nice break from all the spicy Indian food! We also had a nice conservation about some of the issues we’ve been dealing with so far. I think at least for me, even though I’m still having a great experience, the novelty has started to wear off a little. It’s starting to set in that I really am living here halfway around the world from Ohio. I’m still unsure about how to interact with my co-workers based on Indian standards. My workplace is extremely male-dominated and I wish there were more women around. The pollution really sucks and public transportation is definitely not that exciting anymore. It’s frustrating and tiring have to deal with such a big language barrier everyday all day. I think some of this is to be expected though, and it’s not like I’m the only one here feeling this way!

Town where the clinic took place

Beautiful countryside

Days 14 & 15:

(6/2/12-6/3/12)

Two weeks! Hard to believe we’ve already been here two whole weeks! Most people would be ending their vacations by now, and we’ve still got another six weeks left!

Yesterday Yoshi, Phu, Maria, and I decided to take a little trip outside the city. Our destination was this place called Nandi Hills, which according to the guidebook is a big weekend get-away for people living in Bangalore. After a late start, we managed to get to the Central Bus Station, where we took two different buses and eventually ended up at Nandi Hills after a two hour trip. Once there, it was definitely different than I was expecting. The books made it sound like there would be hiking in the hills, but turns out it’s basically just a park/campground on top of a hill! Nevertheless, it was still really nice to get out of the city and see something other than buildings and trash.

We had the entire afternoon, so we walked around and ended up at one of the temples on the hill. It was actually a really old but interesting temple! We started talking to the man in charge of it, and he ended up inviting us to his house. We thought he was going to show us the artwork he makes from tree roots, but instead we saw his entire coin/bill collection! It was actually real neat- he has a ton of stuff and even coins from hundreds of years ago! We took another bus back from the hills and got back into Bangalore late last evening.

Think these monkeys are cute? Don’t let them fool you! These little suckers are evil! They will go to any extent to steal your food, and one even jumped on top of Maria’s backpack in an attempt to steal her food!

View from the top!

Maria and I

Today we’re just relaxing and doing laundry before heading off to tea at an incoming Wooster freshman’s house.

Day 13:

Today was my last day on the dialysis unit, and it was definitely a great way to end this week! I took almost all of the patients’ blood pressures on rounds (supposed to be done every half hour), watched sutures getting taken out, assisted the nurses with a variety of procedures, and also got to take out the needles once dialysis was finished!

I also spent a lot of my time just talking with the nurses, which was nice! They tried to teach me kannada (the local language), and basically laughed at my failed attempts to speak anything! I hadn’t had time to get food for lunch, so they offered to share their food once lunchtime came around. Each person brought a different dish, so we all shared the different types of food! If anything, I learned how hospitable Indians are this week, but I also learned that they are extremely nosey!! Mr. Ramesh brought a letter to the unit (it’s for Navee, so she can register), and each one of them asked me about it and who the man was. They also attempted to read the letter, but unfortunately for them it was stapled shut!

It’s crazy how quickly you can make friends with people, even when you really don’t even share a common language. It’s hard to believe I blindly followed half of the nurses to lunch just on Monday, when by the end of the week we can at least talk and laugh together! Everyone was so nice, and I’m hoping maybe I’ll see them around the hospital in the coming weeks. However, even though the staff was great, I will not be sad to move onto a more exciting unit other than dialysis!

Two of the nurses I worked with

Hard at work taking blood pressure on rounds!