Marcy’s Blog

Life in India

Last week I enjoyed my rotation in the inpatient orthopedics department.  The majority of patients I saw were recovering from a total hip or total knee replacement surgeries.  I also saw a couple patients recovering from tuberculosis that left them paralyzed and I also observed a total hip replacement surgery.  The therapists challenged me very much last week, asking me questions about various diagnoses and specific treatment interventions.  I’ve started carrying a little notebook around with me so I can write down everything that I’m observing and learning during my stay here.

This weekend I stayed in Vellore to relax and catch up on sleep!  Saturday night I went to a wedding reception for a brother of one of the physiotherapists I work with.  It was a Christian wedding so it was more westernized than Hindu weddings (so I’ve heard).  It included some of the same traditions of a wedding in the U.S. such as a unity candle, a short message about marriage by the minister, stories about the bride and groom, a picture slide show, and they cut the cake.  Other parts were also very different; we went downstairs to eat dinner and the room was full of rows of tables, but there wasn’t enough room for everyone to sit down so you had to wait for someone to finish and then take their seat.  They served dinner on banana leaves, which consisted of different varieties of rice and ice cream.  No utensils were offered so I got to continue practicing eating with my right hand only.  It was alot of fun and I went with some other international students and CMC students so we had a good time together.  I also got to wear my fancy Indian outfit and put Jasmine flowers in my hair, so it was nice having a chance to dress up for once!  On Sunday I went to a local church service with some CMC students.  The worship service was very good and the message was also challenging.  It’s such a great experience worshiping God with people from a different culture; it reminds me that wherever I am God is still the same and he loves all people no matter where they are from.  I also went to the pool Sunday afternoon to cool off, it was so relaxing and refreashing!

This week I will be doing a rotation at the rehabilitation institute; here they see patients primarily with traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries.  I’m looking forward to this rotation because I really enjoy inpatient rehabilitation.  I will also be spending a day going out into the slums and poor villages of Vellore doing home visits.

I thought I’d end this post with a few things about Indian culture I experience every day: (in no specific order)

1. very busy, hectic traffic and they drive on the other side of the road

2. autos, bikes, motorbikes, buses honking constantly

3. dosas - rice flour fried and they add different ingredients to it like egg

4. freash pineapple juice (very yummy!)

5. streets full of people, trash, and random animals running around - dogs, cats, cows, donkeys, goats, and occassionaly monkeys

6. every work day from 10-10:30am I get to take a coffee/tea break, of course I always choose the chai tea (also very yummy!)

7. crowded buses - people keep coming into the bus until it is completely packed, people even ride hanging out of the door

 8. random electricity and water shortages 

9. meeting nice people that are always interested in where I come from and if they speak English they like to have a conversation

10. for saintation purposes at the hospital in specific rooms and stores you take off your sandels before you enter

Always something new to experience every day in India, but I’m enjoying it!  I’m so thankful to have this opportunity and I appreciate your prayers very much!