Meeting Dr. Philip

The students came back Saturday afternoon for lunch and then donned their salwar suits for the first time to walk over to the hospital compound for an orientation with Dr. Philip (the Medical Superintendent of the Lady Willingdon Hospital whom we have been planning everything with).

We walked over to the compound which is conveniently located within a 2-minute walk of the hotel.  Dr. Philip met us and welcomed the students and staff to the hospital.  He then gave us a tour of the hospital buildings and discussed how the hospital runs and how the student's rotations would fit in.

We saw the maternal and child health ward including the delivery room and antenatal clinic, the laboratory, the emergency room, the ICU, and the outpatient department (or OPD).  The student's eyes progressively widened further and further as they learned not only the extent of the hospital's services (which was significantly larger than many had realized), but also just how much they would be allowed to observe.  Dr. Philip explained that if they left their cell phone numbers with the nurses in the maternity ward and emergency room, they could be called to come observe whenever an accident or delivery came in.  He told them they could observe in the operating room as he performed both major and minor surgeries, in the clinic for pregnant women and immunizations for children, and to attach themselves to a doctor in the outpatient clinic and follow them throughout the course of their day.  If they were really feeling adventurous, they could even be "on call" in the evenings/overnight in the emergency room to be there as the cases came in.

We also talked about how the groups would go out into the community with the village health workers and would each live for a week in the hospital's peripheral community health clinic in the small village of Jibhi - about a three-hr drive from Manali.

The students and faculty were bowled over by how open the hospital was to having them observe and integrate into the daily life of the hospital and all of our excitement could hardly be contained.

After a bit of talk on the TB research and a nice cup of chai in the OPD, we made our way back over to the hotel.

Nathan and Jacob told me how impressed they were with Dr. Philip - how intelligent and collected he seemed, as well as how thrilled they were to get to be so hands-on and to see such a wide-variety of health issues in varying contexts.  I pulled out a chair for a rest in the courtyard and slowly almost all of the students trickled in, joining me under the table's umbrella.  We had a wonderful, spontaneous conversation about their reactions to the hospital orientation, and I was filled with happiness when they universally echoed their excitement and highly positive impressions of the hospital.

While many questions remain unanswered, after so much fretting as to just how this whole thing was going to work (and would it even really!), I felt a huge sense of relief and happiness wash over me, coupled with enormous excitement about the adventure that is surely in store for all of us over the coming month!

Saturday, May 28th

It's 4am monday morning, but since I am up from a splitting headache, I figured I would try to catch up on my blogging....

I woke up Saturday morning wishing with all my might that I had successfully conveyed to dear "uncle" that if he didn't meet a certain minimal level of expectation we would be out of there/I would ruin his business's reputation.

Many of the students went off in the morning to continue their never-ending rounds of shopping in Old Manali or some small treks in the area.  I decided to stay in to finish up some work and be sure everything was set for the start of the actual class on Monday.

Mid-morning, Shavan, Bimsim and some of the other staff knocked on my door and asked if they could clean the room.  Good start, I thought...

I went outside to work so they could have their space and watched from a distance.  Suddenly, the floors were swept, the bathroom tile was spotless, and the beds were nicely made with newly bought sheets and pillowcases.  The only issue was that they did not know how to make a bed with a top sheet (this is not typically done in India, apparently), so we had a fun little lesson on the finer points of bed-making -American style.  

The result was really quite impressive.  When the kids came back for lunch, the first thing Abby said to me was, "The rooms are so clean!  It's so nice.  I don't know what you said to them, but apparently it worked..."

Finally, I thought.  It was like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders.  It seems like a small thing when you write about it here, but for those of us living in the situation, and more importantly, responsible for the relative comfort of the students, it had turned into a maddening environment.
A wave of relief and sympathy also washed over me as I realized that 98% of the issue was different cultural expectations and not the staff's unwillingness to be helpful.  This helped me reckon the two experiences I had had with them too.  Most of the time I thought the staff were absolutely wonderful... making sure I had everything I needed and was safe (especially when I was here alone before the others arrived).  They had responded very quickly to one-time needs/events, it was the daily, repetitive things that were the problem.  And sometimes it is the small details that make the biggest difference.  For us, having the bathroom floor mopped and clean (instead of covered in water from our bucket bath) made a huge difference because we are not used to having water all over the floor since our bath/shower is in an enclosed space.  For many Indians, however, this is perfectly normal and does not bother them.  So once we were able to specify the little things that were specific to us, but that would make us more comfortable, and convey the expectation that they be done regularly without being retold, the result was tremendous.  Everyone's dispositions have been greatly improved and we are all more comfortable.  This also proved to be a valuable lesson which I tried to share with the students... sometimes understanding why people respond in the manner they do is just as important as their actual actions.  They are undoubtedly going to be faced with similar cultural misunderstandings and communications, and the sooner they can identify that that is the issue, the sooner a compromise or resolution may be reached.

don't worry, things have improved considerably... will update soon

The Start of a Great Adventure...

The last few days have been a complete whirlwind with the arrival of the students and other faculty.

The first day was pretty rough.  The hotel was not nearly as clean as it was supposed to be and there was an amazing inability to procure one towel per person.  I grew increasingly frustrated with my inability to communicate directly with the staff, who do not speak English.  My anger was more at my lack of Hindi knowledge then their lack of English though.  After all, I am in their country...

The students were worn out after a very long journey and the initial adjustments were a bit challenging.
Most of them were real troopers, but we were all so overtired and short-tempered at that point, that it was not the most pleasant of evenings.  The worst was when Sunny and I went to see the room that two of the boys were sharing to find the bathroom floor covered in 3 inches of water and reeking of various unpleasant scents.  Of course the power proceeded to go out while we were examining the bathroom, making that little adventure all the more fun.

However, Sunny worked his magic yet again and within 30 minutes had the students in a new "family suite" which is really quite lovely... Im frankly jealous of the luxury :)

Friday proceeded a bit more smoothly, and everyone was in a much better mood after a good night's sleep.  Yet, this inability to come up with a single towel or extra sheet, continued to irk me.  I am used to asking for something and having it be done.  When I ask that there be one towel per person each day, I expect to see a towel in the room, and not to have to ask for it 6 more times in order for it to appear.  My frustration also with the frequent power outages and even more frequent inability to connect to the WiFi we installed did not improve my disposition.

We spent most of the day Friday out with the students, picking up more essentials.  Getting SIM cards in India is ridiculously tedious.  Passport photos, copies of visas, the works...  multiplied by 15! But we got through it.

However, by Friday night I was completely fed up with the lack of responsiveness to our requests.  I came to find that the hotel did not possess enough towels for each of our group to have one.  Given that they had known for the past 9 months that there were 20 of  us coming, this seemed inexcusable.  We are paying a hefty sum for their services, and while I don't mind simple accommodations, I had been very explicit that I expected the rooms to be clean and there to be basic amenities (e.g. towels, clean sheets. etc.).

I was speaking to Sunny about the continuing problems when I spotted his uncle (who has leased the hotel) go into the guesthouse at the front gate.  I decided I would convey through body language what I was unable to convey through words given our language differences.

I took off for the guest house, with Sunny racing ahead of me to warn his uncle and Bimsim, the manager.  Sunny's uncle jumped up from his seat and through up his hands in front of his face as if I was going to hit him!  I started yelling and pounding on the front desk with Sunny trying to translate as best he could.  Much head-bobbing ensued, but after about an hour we seemed to have reached a resolution.
It seems that much of the problem was a cultural misunderstanding of expectations (as well as Sunny's uncle's attempts to not spend a penny more than he has to).  While I expected that the things I asked for be done on a daily basis, the staff expected me to ask every time we wanted these things done.

Sunny and I proceeded to create a detailed checklist for the staff to complete each day.  Clean the rooms; sweep the floors; mop the bathroom; pick the hair out of the drain; make the bed; provide a clean towel; etc. etc.   Then he and I went to the market in the night to buy hand towels and bath mats (things one would generally think a hotel would possess).

I went to bed and crossed all of my fingers and toes that it would be better the next day...

Hello from Manali!

So I finally arrived yesterday morning after a bit of flight adventure.  The flight from Delhi to Kullu was one of the most breathtaking scenes I have ever seen. We flew through the Himalayas and then followed the course of the Beas River to land at Bhuntar Airport.

Sunny's friend and neighbor from Dharamsala who works for Kingfisher Airlines greeted me at the door of the airport.  Sunny arrived a few minutes later and it was wonderful to see him after so many years!

We drove for about an hour and a half through the apple orchards and mountains, through Kullu Valley until we reached Manali.  The little children standing on the sides of the street in their proper school uniforms waiting for the bus nearly melted my heart... they were so adorable!!

We are staying right in the center of Manali at the Hotel Kanchan Grey.  It is quite literally just across the street from the Hospital, which will be perfect.  The hotel is simple, but clean, and the staff have been very accomodating of all my undoubtedly very strange requests. 

Last night I had a wonderful dinner at Sunny's apartment, with his colleague and manager.  The aloo gobi was absolutely delicious!  I have also been introduced to many friends and neighbors, all of whom have been incredibly warm and welcoming.

I am anxious to meet the doctors and staff at the hospital now that I have settled in slightly and have made arrangements for the few additional things needed at the hotel.

I was excited to brush up on my bargaining skills this morning.  I wanted to buy a simple black dupatta (shawl/scarf that women where around their neck).  I finally found a lovely pashmina, but the shop owner wanted more than $20 U.S. for it or about 1000 rupees.  I laughed at the absurdity of this price and  managed to get him down to half of that.  Still expensive, but a lovely quality piece that will go with everything.

I did have a very strange wakeup in the night when several men came pounding on my door around 3am and said that the police were at the hotel.  I quickly got them away, relocked the door, and alerted Sunny.  Nothing has come of it, thankfully, but it was really quite bizarre.  That reminds me that I need to ask the hotel staff if they can drill a peep-hole in the door. 

Internet should be installed either today or tomorrow at the hotel, so I will get to stop breaking into Sunny's bank to use the computer!  So look for more updates soon.

Can't wait for the students, my Mom and Mili to arrive on the 26th... especially now that my Mom finally got her visa!

Manali

Arrived in Manali this morning,  after an unexpected, but very pleasant night in Delhi with Mili's boyfriend and his roommate.  They are absolute lifesavers!!

Soon will have more internet access and will update more soon.

Can't believe I am finally here!  It is amazing to be back in this beautiful country.

Visa

Hallelujah!! I have a visa...

The day is approaching...

Take-off is looming in the near distance... 4 days and counting.

So much is left to be done.  

Have I ordered everything humanly possible from the internet?  Check!

Have I seen everyone before I go?  In process...

Have I finished my final exams?  Not yet...

Do I have my visa... no!!!  Off to yell at people in person tomorrow

Am I otherwise fully prepared?  Absolutely :)

It is really hard for me to believe that after all of these years (7, that is), I am finally returning to India.  Not that the thought of going back is foreign; I have dreamed of it often.  However, the reality, that it is actually happening and is not just a fantasy, is new.  

But one step at a time.  Study and take my Biostats II Final Wednesday.  Pack my bags.  See my friends.  And then hit the tarmac, ready to takeoff.