A very late traveling home post with pictures and way better internet

Dearest readers,

I wish I could say I waited until my country's independence day on purpose to write about my return to the states, and that I did this on purpose - sorry guys, I have just been really busy on my return, and also needed a few days to reflect and really take in everything. 

Before I get to how I feel now when I return, here's a quick recap of my trip home/my pseudo last day.

Okay folks, I woke up at holy-cowin 6 in the morning in order to see Trichy's famous Rock fort with Dawn before we left for good. If you don't know what Trichy's rock fort looks like from below, here it is:

(thanks google images)

We hiked from the bottom, which is a series of "indoor" stairs where every so often there are small hindu shrines where people can worship. The stairs then open up to this sort of pass and another set of stairs to these gorgeous views. 

Our wonderful guide Pragathi took our picture with the view

But we had a few issues getting our camera woman to change her angle ;) 

But we did! Yay!

After our visit to Rock fort, we did some last minute shopping and headed back to the hostel for the last time. The four of us packed our things, had our last supper

Of our favorite foods, Parrota, tomato soup, steamed vegetables, and veggie curry. It was full of deliciousness and sadness all at the same time. We then sadly loaded up into Dr. Relton's car and headed to the airport. 

Okay guys, here's the deal about Indian airports. They are NOT KNOWN FOR THEIR EFFICIENCY. We didn't have too many problems in the Trichy airport, but once we arrived in Chennai it was like the circus was running the airport. Emily and I (Allie and Dawn went to Delhi on their own adventures!) had a four hour layover in the Chennai airport and we used almost all of it getting our tickets, (long line full of confusion and 20 bags checked per person) going through immigration (for a very populous country, with lots of people going back and forth in a major airport, you would think that more than 2 people would be running the immigration counter), and going through security, we only had 30 minutes left to get on our flight. Luckily for us though the flight was an hour late, and we were one of the first people to get in line for our flight (you don't know the gate your plane is on until right before you board, and they put it up really fast and sneakily). But unfortunately, because our Chennai to Delhi flight was late, our connecting 14 hour flight to JFK was pushed back as well. So instead of boarding at 1 o'clock in the morning, we boarded at 2:30 am. Despite it being so early, the Delhi airport was bustling! Side note kiddies, if you can't find any touristy souvenirs, just wait till you get to the Delhi airport, its allll there!

Anyway, we then got on the modern Mayflower back to the United States. It was kind of odd, as our 14 hour flight went on, the plane began to smell and look more and more like an Indian city. For instance, the smells emanating from the bathrooms and different sections of the plane, and all of the aisles began accumulating large amounts of trash. Luckily, we landed before any goats could be found. 

But we arrived in JFK and got through customs and security no problem! So because we had a little extra time, I was able to have my first meal back in the States - a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from McDonalds. Though I did feel kind of culture shocked from just walking into an American airport, that biscuit was surely delicious. 

Then we flew back to Charlotte! I was glad to be coming home, but was really really sad that I left India and I felt like even though I was coming home, I wasn't coming home the same. They aren't kidding when you say you come back a little bit changed.  

I would definitely come back to India no questions asked, though I would definitely come back wiser and take up more opportunities.

Overall, thank you all for reading and hopefully this won't be my last adventure abroad!

"You take picture with Jesus" and other tales from my last full daylo

Hello dear readers,

Well...here it is, my last full day in Trichy. It was definitely a full one, and I am very sad that this trip is coming to an end so quickly. I feel like I will take the skills and memories with me the rest of my life - a truly life changing experience. So without further ado, my last day!

First, Alex, Dr. Rohini and I visited the Mount Tabor mission hospital located just outside of Trichy. Dr. Rohini told us that this set up is very similar set up to what would be seen in a government hospital, which we were not able to see on this trip, so I was glad I got to at least get a feel for what a government hospital would be like.

The outside of Mount Tabor Hospital

The mens ward at the hospital

The hospital lab

I have many other pictures of the hospital that I will be sure to upload to the blog and explain better. In short, the hospital is associated with christianity, though we were unsure which exact faith, though there were nuns (this was the first time I had EVER SEEN A NUN IN REAL LIFE) who showed us their convent along with the rest of the hospital. This mission hospital is mostly an orthopedic hospital, but does contain specialists ranging from OB/GYN to dermatology. They all work in the same hospital and people from more of the rural areas go there for care. Seeing the hospital was a great experience, and really rounded out my healthcare "tour" I think. I just want to take a a quick minute and thank Dr. Rohini from the bottom of my heart. She has done so much for all of us and has set up so many wonderful experiences that we otherwise would not have gotten to see. She is absolutely wonderful and I will miss her dearly!

After Mount Tabor I had a short time to shadow for the last time at Janet Nursing Home. I only got to see some OP patients before Alex came in to get me for lunch, but before we left we were able to get many pictures with all the wonderful nurses who taught me so much culture and were so friendly and sweet to me while I was at Janet. 

Alex and I and the nurses (from left to right) Rahila, Sophia and Saranya

The nurses Saranya, Sophia and Vijaya (Dr. Victorias nurses) and I

Alex and I along with the wonderful reception nurses. 

At the end of our picture taking though, Isabella, one of the nurses that speaks little english. stood me in front of the very large mural of Jesus with the little children and just said in a very commanding voice "You take picture, Jesus" So I thought that meant "Oh, she's taking a picture of the jesus mural before we go" But apparently she  had other intentions, and so this picture was taken.

Anyway. I was very sad to leave them, but I have their contact info and will be sure to keep in touch! 

We then had one of our last Indian lunches, which was actually a Thai/Italian mix, with alfredo noodles and spring rolls. It was delicious nonetheless. We then went for a round table session with the MSW students at Bishop Heber College! It was really really cool, we talked about the education system here and in India, social work, marriage, the caste system, and many more topics. I should have pictures from this tomorrow hopefully, though I will not be able to post anything till I am back in the states. Regardless, it was an awesome experience, and I think if we had done this session earlier, we would have definitely made some awesome friends!

After that we topped off our evening with another, more traditional Indian wedding! We started off by seeing the ceremony in Dr. Ravi's church that his father started and built (this was another awesome Stephen excursion, again, the Stephens are amazing) 

Here is the church the couple was married in

Here is the reception. A little different than from back home

 The ceremony part of the wedding was very similar to american christian weddings (except this one was all in Tamil) but the reception is slightly different. There are still toasts and the cutting of the cake, but the couple is on this stage the entire time, standing. And this couple has to greet and thank and take pictures with each and every person/family that lines up to see them. Once the guests pay their respects, they go upstairs to a separate room and eat. When you aren't eating at the reception, you are watching the reception go on theatre style. It was really neat to be able to experience though. We also got to eat at the reception, banana leaf and all! They serve you on your big banana leaf these portions of curd rice, mutton byriani, chicken and some sort of curry gravy. They come around with these HUGE tin buckets giving you portions of food. And, in the traditional Indian way, you eat with your hands, or right hand specifically. So I got to eat rice and gravy and curd rice all with my hands! It was super cool!

We then ended our day by visiting our favorite ice cream place, Ibaco for the last time. I got mango ice cream (of course)

Tomorrow, Dawn and I are getting up early to see Trichy's famous rock fort! I can't wait to see it and take lots of pictures, but sadly this may be my last blog post before leaving India. This time flew so fast and I am definitely in no state to leave, but maybe I will visit again some day! I am definitely not done posting, as there are some pictures and stories and aspects of Indian life I want to talk about, but have not had the time to really write about.

Well, till next time, Poitu Varen!

Today just "breezed" by!

AHHH!!! COUNT DOWN TO LEAVING - NEVER! NOT READY TO LEAVE YET AHHH!!!...

Hello all!

It came to my attention that yesterdays post was not as brief as I had originally intended. GET READY FOR A LONG ONE FOLKS. I'm just kidding, but really...nah it will be pretty short today guys, I promise.

So on the medical front, I was joined by 8 other MSW students today. Not medical students - masters of social work students. I thought it was pretty nifty that they expose their clinical social workers to a medical setting and explaining all this medical stuff to them, though it got a little cozy at times today with the crowd of petite women and one giant norwegian. BUT! awesome sidenote, I have befriended all of them! Mission Complete!!  Also, due to the large number of students, Dr. Susheela did a lot of explaining of things today! Even though it was all in Tamil, I feel like I picked up on a few things!

I also saw a case of cervical cancer today. It was sad, because this woman has not kept up on her pap smear or "annual" (like I've said, annual OB/GYN visits are rare as well as regular pap smears) for a long time, and came in with some classic symptoms (irregular bleeding, post-coital bleeding, abdominal pain etc.) only to find that she has cervical cancer - possibly at an advanced stage.

For dinner, Dr. Relton and the principal of Bishop Heber College, along with our guides Shalni and Josephine, took us to dinner at this fancy hotel restaurant called Breeze! It was a delicious buffet that exposed us to many more types of Indian food that we had not previously eaten! It was quite yummy, and we all dressed up. Here are pictures - BAM

It was wonderful and delicious and we were so grateful that they took us to this awesome place!

Other than that, it was a really good day filled with the sights and sounds of India!!

A more detailed blog tomorrow! Tomorrow is my last day at Janet Nursing Home, and we will also get to have a Q&A session with Bishop Heber students! Exciting! :D

The last Wednesday or why I learned lots of Tamil phrases in one day.

Alright guys, due to the fact that I spent an inordinate amount of time talking about what Indians wear, my post about today will be brief (but scroll down for that post, its got pictures and everything).

Well, I woke up with a case of the grumps, whether its because I don't want to leave, the internet not working or me being homesick (or my lack of coffee, have I mentioned I've quit the stuff completely while here?) and so until I got to Janet I was in a bit of a dark mood. But then I saw a c-section where the residing surgeon, Dr. Johnston, asked the nurses in training a bunch of questions and I learned a lot about the type of sutures that are used during a c-section, and the possible complications that can occur post-op. This made me feel a lot better, and again made me realize just how badly I want to do this the rest of my life. The nurses in training on the other hand, were traumatized, as he drilled the life out of the with questions. I cheered them up with my post-op dance though and we went to shadow Dr. Susheela.

So today was make all the babies scream day a.k.a vaccination day, where 50 or so babies were vaccinated with the BCG vaccine (a vaccine to fight off tuberculosis Dr. Susheela said) and the polio vaccine. I have never heard children scream so loud, and never before have I seen so many tint hypodermic needles in my life. There were so many the nurses were kicking leftover ones around on the floor in the doctors office (they have a slightly more lax idea of sharps disposal here, though they still have a separate disposal for it).

Then in the afternoon, I met the "scan doctor" (not sure of his name, he never tells me, I will find out tomorrow, in the meantime, that's what all the nurses call him) and he showed me how to find the spine, and see a normal heartbeat and other major anatomical parts cute little unborn babies should have. It was really dandy! (synonym for cool, trying to branch out here people)

I was also taught lots of Tamil phrases by the nurses, due to Dr. Susheela leaving 45 minutes early unexpectedly. Unfortunately I wrote each phrase out phonetically, so if I wrote any here it would just look ridiculous. But I was able to parrot some of these phrases to our wonderful driver Raja, who laughed and corrected me some, and answered my Tamil phrases with his newly studied English! It was a really great bonding expereience :D

Oh. The nurses also tried to teach me to sing a Tamil song. That wasn't quite as successful. They said we would try again tomorrow >.>

Other than that, I tried gulab jamun which was quite delicious if I do say so myself.

Well, thats all folks! Email or facebook me questions if there is anything in particular you want to know before I leave!

Indian "fashion" BONUS POST YAY

Hallo again!!!!!

As promised, I  am going to post a great array of pictures of Indian clothing! I know I promised this the first week, but I didn't remember I said that until someone told me this week. So here we gooo! (note: a lot of these pictures look like stalker/creep photos...that's because they are - I totally took them from our car for a few days as we drove around town)

FEMALE WEAR

From what I have observed, and from the Indian women I have talked to this month (I find them to be a pretty creditable source) there are three kinds of outfits Indian women wear - Salwar kameez, Saris, and then western wear. Here in Trichy, western wear for women is VERY UNCOMMON. As in, when the four of us go out around town in our linen pants and western tops, we look pretty different from everyone else. So really, traditional womens clothing consists of the salwars and the sarees (saris, sarees, I have seen it spelled multiple ways)

                                                                SALWAR KAMEEZ

Okay so the salwar kameez is probably the most comfortable thing I have ever worn in my life. It consists of a long looser fitting top that is basically the length of a dress, and then long linen/light pants. THERE ARE NO ZIPPERS, NO BUTTONS (I mean not on the pants anyway) AND NO REAL SIZES (okay, I mean there are, like small medium and large and strange numbers that kind of tell the size but vary from salwar to salwar you try on and...yea, especially for ready-mades) BUT ANYWAY - THESE PANTS. ARE DRAWSTRING PANTS (what?!?!?!) Thats right, I have spent this whole month, in drawstring pants. It has been glorious. I have no gage on whether I've lost weight, gained weight, or stayed the same, simply because I JUST HAVE TO TIE MY PANTS. And you may ask "But Dani, there must be a limit to these pants, they can't be too drawstringy right?" Oh my friends

They can. 

Okay, I am exaggerating a little bit, this particular pair of pants is much bigger than my other two pairs, but still, you understand to the extent these pants can go -

And then shrink down! 

Besides the pants, the tops are pretty loose as well, there are rarely clasps or zippers or things like that to get them on. most of them slip on over your head. 

Some are easier to put on than others (especially if they are tighter in the shoulders)

But, even with all that, its super comfy and breathable once it is on.

Finally, you've tied your drawstring pants and found your way into your top, now its time to put on the scarf! Thats right people, this is a three piece set. Now when you first put it on, it looks something like this...but on a not pasty white person.

Note the scarf is NOT wrapped around your neck or tied in some weird trendy way that someone found on Pinterest. Nope, its like an awesome cape, but it still drapes across the front like so. I saw in the movie I went to yesterday that sometimes they just wear it over one shoulder, or they maybe wrap it around once. But I have mostly seen it be worn this way.

Unfortunately, when you're walking around and picking up stuff and all that, your scarf does not stay in its place, and ends up looking like this

or choking yourself like this

or this

Or this

Fortunately though, the Indian women have figured out the extreme usefulness of safety pins and use them to perfectly pin their scarves to their tops like so

Notice that you can't see the safety pins but the scarves are perfectly draped across their shouulders? Yea. Safety pins. 

Anyway, these salwars are worn usually with sandals, rarely with close toed shoes. There are also different types of pants as well, not just the loose pant style I showed you. There is also a more tightly fitted style pant, as well as full length leggings that can be worn. 

Salwars, from what I have learned, are usually worn by younger, unmarried women, though I have seen women of all ages wear a salwar - so I don't think that is a real rule, but is more of an observation. The wonderful Dr. Rohini and Dr. Victoria both wear salwar kameez even though they are both married. Dr. Rohini explained that salwars are more practical for working than a saree (sari?) is, and I believe it. Salwars can also serve as a uniform, as the nurses in training I work with wear an all white salwar with a short sleeved button up over it. Girls wear uniformed color salwars - I have seen pink/maroon and dark blue and brown varieties. Its pretty nifty. But now = ONTO THE SARI/SAREE

SARI/SAREE

Now I have a confession to make - I have not bought a sari, nor have I worn one in a few years, so this is all information I have found from observing and talking with the women here.

Okay, so the sari comes in two parts, sometimes three. There is the blouse, or the half top you see, and then the sari/sash part that makes up everything else. Many times there is also an underskirt where pieces of the sash can be tucked in in order to keep the sari from coming undone, as well as give more modesty to the more sheer sari varieties. I don't know how to wrap a sari, and neither did some people I asked, but I will link you to a youtube video that shows you how here

There are a few kinds of sarees, there are everyday sarees

That are made of a lighter material along with a lighter blouse. 

Then there are more formal sarees

(they placed a sari made of fine fabric on one of these statues in the temple that is another example of a more formal looking sari - I had fewer pictures of formal saris than I thought)

These saris are made of a heavier silk or cotton material and seem to be worn for more formal occasions, though I have seen this style of sari many a time in the doctors office where I have been observing. 

In short, the sari is very long, and a really interesting form of dress. Unlike salwars, where you can buy them "ready made" you almost always have to get the blouse personally fitted to you and the sari portion tailored and cut to you height/ measurements as well in order for it to fit correctly. If you saw the video, the part where they drape the long length of material over their shoulder is also usually safety pinned so it does not fall off, or the end is then wrapped once more around the front to keep the shoulder piece from falling off. 

 I now have one more form of dress (kind of) for women besides western wear which is simple - its modest, quarter length, loose tops and pants, or floor length swooshy skirts. Nothing tight fitting!

. In India, there is a hefty Muslim population, and many Muslims wear the saris and salwars, but when out in public, they were these long dark robes, and occasionally a full on burka like this

I do not see this quite as much as I see simply a long black robe and hijab/scarf to cover the head though. What I have found interesting while I have been here though, is that many women who were this black robe have decked it out in some way. Some women bejewel their robes while others have beautiful embroidery put on all around the edges of it. 

Well, that's womens' wear for ya in a nutshell, now to move on to mens fashion (I promise this will be shorter, as I am not a man, nor do I really know what is in fashion here, I just took a bunch of stalker photos)

MENSWEAR

TRADITIONAL WEAR - THE LUNGI

 Okay, if you thought men only wore skirts in Scotland, you are very wrong. Here in India the Lungi is very popular, both as a form of traditional wear, and as something nice to sleep in. I can't really explain it so here are a bunch of pictures

As you can see, this versatile piece of material can be worn either long or short, and from our group's observations, can be worn with our without anything underneath. In my observations, I have seen many older men wearing this, as well as business casual attire of a button up and light pants, but the younger men here also seem to have a fashion all their own that you don't really see in the states. 

As you can see from my few pictures, the guys usually do a polo or a nice button down, and then pants (woah Danielle go figure) But holy crap, look at the pants people. Bell bottoms and wide leg pants are definitely in style here, and I see many young, skinny men sporting them. Its a very interesting look and I definitely did not expect it to be hanging around south India.

Well, that is all of the clothing I have encountered during my stay thus far in India, and all I know based on observation and knowledge from the local people. If anyone has any further questions, or wants to know more, email me and I will be glad to direct you to more info!

BAM. BONUS POST. COMPLEEEETE!

A late Tuesday Post.

Vannakum!

I apologize for the lateness of this blog post, yet again the internet refuses to comply with two of us, but is mysteriously working for the other two. I guess the internet has decided to bestow its powers only on the worthy ones, and today I was apparently deemed unworthy. When the internet complies I will again be posting regularly.

As for today, it was rather eventful. First thing this morning I saw a medical termination of pregnancy (MTP), or in this case, a voluntary abortion. It was a very simple procedure, tablets are simply given in two forms and then the patient was admitted to the hospital for monitoring and administration of any aid that might be needed. The patient today who came in, like many patients, found out about her pregnancy, but already had enough children with her husband, and so she needed to terminate this pregnancy because she was "simply done with growing her family". This topic, and the fact that so many married women with children come to hospitals for this in India astounded me. Upon some research, some statistics state that abortion in India is five times that of the United States, which I can completely believe. The way it is talked about around here makes it sound like a necessary step that needs to be taken to keep population down or families from having too many mouths to feed or too many children to handle. It is definitely not a "hot topic" like it is in the United States from what I can tell, and many hospitals around the country do it legally. Some practices do not offer this service for personal moral, and religious reasons, but others have no problem offering this procedure safely. I don't completely agree with this mindset, but I would like to understand it better and will conduct more research...when I have internet.

On a lighter note, Dr. Relton and his awesome family took us to the movies tonight! We saw a Tamil movie whose name I can't pronounce, though I have a picture of the movie poster below.

The four of us were a little apprehensive of whether or not we would understand the movie at all, but each Relton family member translated the major points for us and any details we couldn't pick up on our own through context clues. I was really surprised just how much I could understand without knowing the language. Maybe its because I practically live in a foreign film during the day when I shadow and have picked up the ability to observe and understand what is trying to be communicated regardless of whether they are speaking the Englishes or Tamils. Regardless it was really neat to see, the movie was a comedy that sort of resembled Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie, but without the gender change, and ended happily. Tamil movies seem to be much more animated and theatrical, with musical numbers throughout and large gestures and varying moods. I think if I had seen a serious Hollywood style movie I would not have understood near as much.

As well, when people REALLY approved or REALLY liked a part of the movie, they would whistle really loud or clap very loudly, I found that different, and kind of cool, though I can see that potentially getting out of hand. Also, the prohibition of cell phone usage in the theatre is definitely not a thing here in India, and actually really isn't anywhere here in India. People's phones ring all the time and answer them during doctor's visits, during a meeting, in the movie theatre, its crazy! I wonder if people honestly don't mind, and so these cell phone usage laws/guidelines will never be put in place, or if it is because cellphones are still a relatively new commodity...I don't know! But what I do know is, I saw a Nokia bar phone for the first time in 5 years when I first came to India, and though smart phones are prevalent, iPhones are not as popular as Samsung or Android. Its good to know Nokia is till thriving, and that Apple hasn't completely taken over the world.

Also, the movie theatre was really nifty! Here are some pictures.

 The theatre itself was located in a multilevel shopping mall/ hotel where the theatre itself was connected to a food court complete with a Baskin Robbins and CFC (Chennai Fried Chicken). To complete the movie experience we all got movie style popcorn! It was a really great night that has really started to completely round out our India experience.