Safe in North India

Since I last wrote there's been lots of excitement, not the least being the bomb blast in Delhi 3 hours ago (where we landed this morning). The news at this point is saying 25 dead and 90 njured... I've been trying to phone home since I heard the news, finally just got a message through to Deane and Wes and talked to mom as well. Anyways our group of 9 is together and doing well.
I'm really looking forward to arriving in Kelowna in 2 and 1/2 days... It's been absolutlely wonderful but it's been a month and a long time since I've been home.
We're currently in Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal; tomorrow we wake up at dawn to see and hear the sounds of the Taj before the morning commotion. The seminar wound up for me with a last two days spent in the obstetrics and NICU units then out in a very rural primary health centre (two great days). Then we headed to yet another beach resort and enjoyed not only the beach, etc but two evenings of student presentations. They really grew a lot, and learned a lot about not only medicine but India and her people too. Probably my last post, see you soon! Love Barb

Photos

Well for the first time I'm able to add some pictures but can't figure out the slide show thing yet...anyways maybe I'll put some on facebook. I have tons of pics and luckily they are less expensive here so I'll have some hard copies to share when I get home :) Anyways here's a sampling of some of our adventures...

Weekend oasis

I typed up an update this morning and it didn't save, there's a super slow computer in the girls' residence that I'm not too fond of right now!! Anyways, I wanted to tell you about my weekend, we went to a French community called Pondicherry, supposed to be a 4 hour drive but it became 7 due to a road block. Anyways once we got there, it was all forgotten- this place was a 4+ star resort, and my goodness it was beautiful and classy. I got tons of pictures of the flowering trees, they were magnificent (as was the food). A huge pool, a beach just like Veradero Cuba, warm lovely showers, bathrooms with both TP and towels (mom and dad will appreciate that, having lived here). We could play pingpong (and did, of course!!), tennis, tons of stuff. The highlight was that one of the other teachers treated me to a full body Aruvedic massage- oil from head to toe, very invigorating (Bec NOTHING like the one we had in Calgary!). Then yesterday another treat, an outdoor yoga class with a world-class master teacher. Inspired me to do this when I get home, just like you, Laura. I love my family, my country and so much else about my life but I must say I'm falling in love with this country and her culture and people way more so than in the 70's. I hope I can share this country with all of my wonderful family one day... Today's the day I'm focusing on breastfeeding teaching and practices--they stopped bottle feeding here at CMC in 1995 so it is really cool to be in a baby-friendly hospital. Then later today I meet up with one of Carrie Vossler's local counterparts. One more clinical day here tomorrow at the Rural Health Centre, then three more adventures before I head home--Mahaballipuram (beach), Chennai again, and lastly Agra and the Taj Mahal. Love to everyone back home, see you soon!! XO Barb

Oh my goodness!!

Well I just have a few minutes today to update my blog but luckily I can type fast :) We unfortunately have an ill student back at the dorm that I will be going to take care of. Since I last wrote we are in a new city, Vellore, at the world-class Christian Medical College. There are several campuses, we are housed in a beautiful tropical paridise (Wes there are monkeys!!) at the 100 acre medical college that includes a huge family-centred psychiatric hospital (every room opens to an outside jungle-like park area, it is lovely, AND has cooking facilities, and has room for the family to stay), a Community outreach center, a rehab centre and more The rehab centre (as with all the facilities) does Nobel-type research. We were actually invited into the Spinal Cord Stem Cell research area and right in the lab saw a presentation on stem-cell research (amazing videos where Olfactory cells between the brain and nose are regenerated)- 6 months after spinal cord injury rats are able to have crude movement in lower limbs and-this is very cool- regained bowel and bladder control! Trials are starting with humans shortly (and bone marrow cells as well).
Today we were in Emerg/Trauma and that's a whole other incredible story (saw for eg a central line insertion).
To me the most amazing area is the rural health project, on another huge about 100 acre parcel, where they do so much more than lip service to address the determinants of health-- they not only have a hospital, but determined the needs of the unemployed and now have a college for young men to learn air-conditioning repair, motorcycle maintenance, welding, etc. Women join in collective "support groups" and become self-reliant in running money-making businesses like recycling, a turkey farm, bakery, etc. If anyone wants to listen, boy do I have stories to tell!! The health units are quite similar except that they are open 24/7 and have many children delivered there, wouldn't that be something! Well I must go and attend to my student. I'm having trouble with adding photos but will try at our next community. Love to all, Barb

Hey Pam and co.

Pam!! Thanks for your note, say hi to everyone for me and I do think of you guys. It is so amazing seeing community health in action here, so different yet so similar. Now I'm going to post some pics or at least try to :)

Mom's birthday today

Hi again from India. First of all Deane thanks for commenting on my last post, I miss you too and writing on this thing is always emotional for me because I do get homesick when I think of my sweet family (and the hockey I'm missing!). That being said, I'm having just the most incredible adventure and I don't even know where to begin. I'm feeling so much better now thank God, and my days and nights are almost switched around, but I seem to need less sleep here (I wake up about 4:30). The 20 students are just an incredible bunch and they make the three of us oldies feel very included and special. I've spent most clinical days in ommunity health- this country is very hands-on at primary health care, it's something to see. They do outreach health camps, which is really amazing, taking care to people everywhere. We had a presentation about outreach services for kids after cleft palate repair from the speech pathology unit yesterday- their work is groundbreaking and top=notch (in fact this university does very, very complex research on things from stem cell transplants for cardiac patients to phytoresearch in plants that have pharmaceutical properties--they make drugs right here! We had a tour of the 4 acre herb garden today but on of the leading pharmacy researchers, it was something else. The economic disparities continue to be enormous, but anyone taking advantage of the free health care system can have a birth attendant, surgery, TB or leprosy drugs, etc etc. I spent yesterday in the hospital OB/GYN unit with 5 students and we saw not only a birth (WOW!) but lots of breastfeeding moms, teeny tiny sick babies in the NICU, and more. Honestly each day has been about 5 life-altering experiences and it's all kind of hard to process. Well, the realities are also here--this place is not airconditioned and I am HOT so will sign off for now--love to all, Barb

YAHOO!! I made it to India, what an adventure I am having. A gruelling trip here but the coolest ever airplane TV/video/games unit in every seat- Wes would have loved it, you can play 2-person games (like bejewelled). I watched 4 movies and slept quite a bit too. Had layovers in Seattle, Amsterdam then a very interesting all-nighter in Mumbai airport. The domestic part is lovely, the international is scary!! We arrived in Chennai at 6:40 a.m. and stayed awake all day to try to switch around. Unfortunately I did myself in and now have a cold!! So anyways I have some quiet time at this internet cafe a dusty walk away from the university. Crossing the road to get here was crazy- the cars and motorbikes have the right of way so you have to be quick!!

I'm mentoring a group of public health students in the Community Medicine department of the medical school. I can't post pictures today but hopefully will next time. I'm on a really old computer. The university is GORGEOUS and well funded. Our rooms leave a little to be desired but most of the time we have electricity, air con and always have cold water for a shower so it's great. Yesterday the students went to the leprosy centre but unfortunately I was tied up with a bigwig ceremony (lots of that here). Anyways today we had an incredible lecture on leprosy then went to the TB (DOTS) program and HIV/AIDS counselling centre for pregnant women. The ladies and their husbands get tested- I will have a great inservice when I get back at work if anyone wants to listen :)

The rest of the week we are going to a community health centre, Alcohol and Drug treatment centre then finish at an HIV/TB sanitorium. Our days start at 7 and we go full tilt finishing with an optional field trip at 5 (although the buses seem to run at least an hour late...). FIeld trips include things like a trip to an orphanage, bazaar for shopping, the beach, and a 5 star hotel.

India has changed since 1979--there is much more prosperity evident everywhere because of the flourishing IT industry. That being said there are still huge socio-environmental problems like garbage everywhere, dirty water, poor people in bare feet (but very, very few beggars). The air isn't bad, though. Mumbai was awful and apparently Delhi is as well.

I miss my family and am sorry I am not with the new hockey players but I bet you guys are doing OK without me there. Deane it was so good to talk to you last night, boy a month seems like it's going to be a long time to be away...I'm going to call once a week. Wes, be ready for school, please don't spend all your money before I get home and have a great time in net next week. Good luck getting your courses sorted out, talk it over with dad before Tues. Laura, have an AMAZING time in Vienna, hope you got a great tenant and that you are leaving relaxed and happy. Becky thanks for being the mom in my absence, and sorry you've been chased out of your room but I hope things are going well getting ready for Calgary. Mom and dad, love you- both sides :) And Kand J too of course. And hi to my other "family" at the health unit.

Hey any requests from anyone for clothes?? They are SO cheap here. let me know on facebook or reply on this blog.

That's it for now, love Barb