So if it wasn't for the spotty Internet connection and the 3 geckos I can see from where I am sitting, I could imagine I was home right now because Scrubs is on TV while I type and Friends is up next :-)
My teaching of American slang included the term “chick flick” today. Shibu then mentioned it later to me...only he said “chicken flick”. Win.
Except for some spectacularly poor animal handling today, clinic was not terribly exciting. The rottweiler who came in and needed an IV drip (which at home we would have just given under the skin because even though it is slow to absorb, it is easier, less stressful, and the dog wasn't in critical condition) was put onto a metal table when it could have been done on the floor, then his front leg vein was attempted, not even one growl. But of course he did struggle and because his owners were holding him, they let up and it came out and had to be done on the back leg. But first they dragged the table 3 feet with the dog still on it and obviously terrified by the already scary surface making a loud dragging noise and moving below his feet. So by the time they had poked him twice on his back leg, he sent a growl their way and had to be muzzled. At home we would have held him properly with someone distracting with a milk bone and it would have most likely been done with before he had a chance to panic. But that is not the way it is done here and apparently Indian clients would panic if they saw the bump left under the skin when fluids are given there, even though it goes away after everything is absorbed. Just frustrating to watch when I know I could do it better!
The other interesting thing was a necropsy on a pigeon which led to finding tapeworms. Not unusual in mammals, but very odd to find in a pigeon so we will be googling that fo sho.
Shibu was talking to the lady I have tea with after work (the one whose family I have met) and he told me that they all like me very much and I told him, to tell her, that I feel the same. How I can be liked so much when I can barely communicate boggles my mind but I have learned that when in doubt, a smile is the best response. Apparently this has served me well!
Then I got kidnapped again for tea and, though she has very limited knowledge of English, the lady was able to get across more information about her husbands heart attack and his kidney problems. He just recently had the heart attack and she showed the list of medicines for his kidneys alone and the number of meds is insane and the price is quite high for her. She kept tearing up and while she has serious trouble understanding me, I learned that holding someone's hand crosses all language barriers as a sign of empathy.
I then came home and, after dressing in my new ali baba pants and MATCHING top, talked with Margaret,the 73 year old woman who owns the homestay with her husband, and learned about all the saints on her altar, including the newest one who hails from Kerala (more about her in a moment) and what their first miracle was and about her teaching experience and disdain for corporal punishment. The Keralan saint is very important to Margaret because the first time she prayed to her, back when she was only blessed and not a saint, she prayed for a girl and got a daughter! She reminds me of my grandmother because she instantly mothers you and is so sweet and loving to everyone she meets. She says she always has such wonderful tenants like “our Breanna” and was explaining to me how she was going to go to mass at 7 am as she always does but she just didn't for some reason. Then, at 7 when mass would start, it began thundering and lightening which means it would have been storming while she walked home alone. She is very frightened of thunder and lightening and knew that the holy spirit had a hand in keeping her in bed this once. But she did tell Jesus that if it was sunny out that afternoon, she would bring her husband to mass as it was her sons birthday. And lo and behold! It was! Such faith in God is rare and beautiful and she has such a kind heart. The people in this country have been really interesting but some of the women are just amazing!
Back to arguing with the Internet and watching Friends. Tomorrow? Maybe going out of town for the night, but not sure yet!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
oh India...
Not too much important happened today. Shibu and I had our philosophical and sometimes highly insulting conversations. Though I felt quite smug when he tried to convert kilograms to pounds and was way off, mathematics fail. Especially because my weight was being referred to again and so it is nice to be superior in both math and knowledge of dog breeds. If I ever get the opportunity to demonstrate my skills at animal restraint I think it would be quite the ego boost also. It was really lovely today to see the chocolate lab who has come in every day which I am there. She sits perfectly for her IV fluids and her owner speaks in English so it is a twofold bit of awesomeness and I am a bit smitten. And BONUS she is feeling better each day and is starting to eat again, yay!
I have made a conscious decision to speak exactly as I would at home to Shibu because he wants to travel and the better hand he has at American slang the better he will fit in when he gets the chance to go there. This has led to the definition of chill as in “I'm usually pretty chill” apparently in India they would say “I'm cool”. We are also covering every state because we realized that Indians pronounce it O-heeyo, with the last bit being said very quickly instead of Ohio so now we must check his pronunciation of every state. Thank god for these little moments where I know what I am doing because, as Shibu likes to mention at least once a day, I am a child and he is my elder and teacher and thus he must look out for me and boss me around. I take the liberty of smacking him when he is being an ass, but I do think it is rather sweet that he checks each time to make sure I have gotten home okay. At first I was really offended, I'm 21 for goodness sake, I can get home, but he told me that because he is my teacher he would feel extra awful and responsible if something were to happen to me.
I also realized my first crush on an Indian man. He has deep drown eyes, touched my face softly, and flirted with me in the clinic. He also about a foot tall and probably 2 years old but we had the best time playing peek a boo. Also all vets have the same joke with little kids, they draw up a vaccine and then pretend they are going to give the shot to the little kid....it is just as lame in India :-)
Little shopping trip today, bought 2 cotton tops and 2 pairs of Ali Baba pants. Ali baba pants are all the rage with tourists because they are SO cool and comfortable and mine are doubly so as they are silk! Mine are printed and all of them have a crotch which is below the knees and elastic ankles that keep the copious amount of fabric from going over your feet, so it feels like you are wearing a skirt but it doesn't show your bum when you go up the stairs. Win. But the shop owner was the first rude one I have met. Most shop owners ask what you want and take great pleasure in pulling out every piece they have and spreading them in front of you. He did not do this which made the experience much less pressured, but then he scolded me for not folding them properly and for putting them back to quickly. Excuse me? I was probably one of like 5 customers today, I think you can manage to tidy a bit after me. He was even a bit rude when I told him I didn't want to buy his stuff because it was too expensive and scolded me for trying things on without asking the price and messing up his shop. Well you don't take the time to haggle on something you may not even want! If I hadn't gotten 3 pairs of pants and 2 tops for about $12 I would have walked out.
Also bought a tupperware box to keep food in, because ANY time I have food in the room the ants go crazy and I had to throw away all the snacks I got yesterday because the ants found their way into the bag. While I was buying this I remember that I haven't explained the Indian obsession not only with my white skin but with white skin in general. This translates into abnormal amounts of products that mention “skin whitening effects”, “lightening”, and “whiteness”. The commercials on TV sound like Crest toothpaste commercials or the opposite of tanning lotion commercials, boasting about how your skin will be up to 3 shades lighter in however much time. It is so odd when the majority of the world values a tan and I personally think everything looks much lovelier when a person is tan!
In another little dose of India, I had to be driven to 2 stores which I was not going to buy anything from, in payment for my rides to work in the rickshaw. This is also how we brought the price we paid for the rickshaw to and from the elephant camp to 300 rupees. The rickshaw drivers who bring tourists to certain shops are given either a coupon for a liter of petrol or 100 rupees depending on the store. Now some drivers won't tell you why they are bringing you there and some will ask you to do it as a favor, but if you realize that they are making 100 rupees for a ride that is only costing about 10, you can get yourself some nice deals. Most will you drive you for free if you stop a shop, we knocked 400 rupees off the elephant trip by going into 6 or 7 shops total, and some tourists I met have even gotten the rickshaw drivers to split the money with them and made 150 rupees and got a free ride to where they were going. It's saved me quite a bit although I do get sick of going into tons of shops and being told outrageous “tourist” prices, and being told because it is the off season they can give me a very good discount. These discounts are usually only about 25% when really the actual price that should be charged is like 30-50% of what they tell foreigners. They get away with it because we are not used to bargaining. But bargaining does get tiring and so shopping in India can literally be a shop till ya drop experience.
Sorry if this post was a bit scattered! I just had pancakes with honey and some tea with sugar in it for dinner and maybe I'm on a bit of a sugar high :-)
I have made a conscious decision to speak exactly as I would at home to Shibu because he wants to travel and the better hand he has at American slang the better he will fit in when he gets the chance to go there. This has led to the definition of chill as in “I'm usually pretty chill” apparently in India they would say “I'm cool”. We are also covering every state because we realized that Indians pronounce it O-heeyo, with the last bit being said very quickly instead of Ohio so now we must check his pronunciation of every state. Thank god for these little moments where I know what I am doing because, as Shibu likes to mention at least once a day, I am a child and he is my elder and teacher and thus he must look out for me and boss me around. I take the liberty of smacking him when he is being an ass, but I do think it is rather sweet that he checks each time to make sure I have gotten home okay. At first I was really offended, I'm 21 for goodness sake, I can get home, but he told me that because he is my teacher he would feel extra awful and responsible if something were to happen to me.
I also realized my first crush on an Indian man. He has deep drown eyes, touched my face softly, and flirted with me in the clinic. He also about a foot tall and probably 2 years old but we had the best time playing peek a boo. Also all vets have the same joke with little kids, they draw up a vaccine and then pretend they are going to give the shot to the little kid....it is just as lame in India :-)
Little shopping trip today, bought 2 cotton tops and 2 pairs of Ali Baba pants. Ali baba pants are all the rage with tourists because they are SO cool and comfortable and mine are doubly so as they are silk! Mine are printed and all of them have a crotch which is below the knees and elastic ankles that keep the copious amount of fabric from going over your feet, so it feels like you are wearing a skirt but it doesn't show your bum when you go up the stairs. Win. But the shop owner was the first rude one I have met. Most shop owners ask what you want and take great pleasure in pulling out every piece they have and spreading them in front of you. He did not do this which made the experience much less pressured, but then he scolded me for not folding them properly and for putting them back to quickly. Excuse me? I was probably one of like 5 customers today, I think you can manage to tidy a bit after me. He was even a bit rude when I told him I didn't want to buy his stuff because it was too expensive and scolded me for trying things on without asking the price and messing up his shop. Well you don't take the time to haggle on something you may not even want! If I hadn't gotten 3 pairs of pants and 2 tops for about $12 I would have walked out.
Also bought a tupperware box to keep food in, because ANY time I have food in the room the ants go crazy and I had to throw away all the snacks I got yesterday because the ants found their way into the bag. While I was buying this I remember that I haven't explained the Indian obsession not only with my white skin but with white skin in general. This translates into abnormal amounts of products that mention “skin whitening effects”, “lightening”, and “whiteness”. The commercials on TV sound like Crest toothpaste commercials or the opposite of tanning lotion commercials, boasting about how your skin will be up to 3 shades lighter in however much time. It is so odd when the majority of the world values a tan and I personally think everything looks much lovelier when a person is tan!
In another little dose of India, I had to be driven to 2 stores which I was not going to buy anything from, in payment for my rides to work in the rickshaw. This is also how we brought the price we paid for the rickshaw to and from the elephant camp to 300 rupees. The rickshaw drivers who bring tourists to certain shops are given either a coupon for a liter of petrol or 100 rupees depending on the store. Now some drivers won't tell you why they are bringing you there and some will ask you to do it as a favor, but if you realize that they are making 100 rupees for a ride that is only costing about 10, you can get yourself some nice deals. Most will you drive you for free if you stop a shop, we knocked 400 rupees off the elephant trip by going into 6 or 7 shops total, and some tourists I met have even gotten the rickshaw drivers to split the money with them and made 150 rupees and got a free ride to where they were going. It's saved me quite a bit although I do get sick of going into tons of shops and being told outrageous “tourist” prices, and being told because it is the off season they can give me a very good discount. These discounts are usually only about 25% when really the actual price that should be charged is like 30-50% of what they tell foreigners. They get away with it because we are not used to bargaining. But bargaining does get tiring and so shopping in India can literally be a shop till ya drop experience.
Sorry if this post was a bit scattered! I just had pancakes with honey and some tea with sugar in it for dinner and maybe I'm on a bit of a sugar high :-)
oh India...
Not too much important happened today. Shibu and I had our philosophical and sometimes highly insulting conversations. Though I felt quite smug when he tried to convert kilograms to pounds and was way off, mathematics fail. Especially because my weight was being referred to again and so it is nice to be superior in both math and knowledge of dog breeds. If I ever get the opportunity to demonstrate my skills at animal restraint I think it would be quite the ego boost also. It was really lovely today to see the chocolate lab who has come in every day which I am there. She sits perfectly for her IV fluids and her owner speaks in English so it is a twofold bit of awesomeness and I am a bit smitten. And BONUS she is feeling better each day and is starting to eat again, yay!
I have made a conscious decision to speak exactly as I would at home to Shibu because he wants to travel and the better hand he has at American slang the better he will fit in when he gets the chance to go there. This has led to the definition of chill as in “I'm usually pretty chill” apparently in India they would say “I'm cool”. We are also covering every state because we realized that Indians pronounce it O-heeyo, with the last bit being said very quickly instead of Ohio so now we must check his pronunciation of every state. Thank god for these little moments where I know what I am doing because, as Shibu likes to mention at least once a day, I am a child and he is my elder and teacher and thus he must look out for me and boss me around. I take the liberty of smacking him when he is being an ass, but I do think it is rather sweet that he checks each time to make sure I have gotten home okay. At first I was really offended, I'm 21 for goodness sake, I can get home, but he told me that because he is my teacher he would feel extra awful and responsible if something were to happen to me.
I also realized my first crush on an Indian man. He has deep drown eyes, touched my face softly, and flirted with me in the clinic. He also about a foot tall and probably 2 years old but we had the best time playing peek a boo. Also all vets have the same joke with little kids, they draw up a vaccine and then pretend they are going to give the shot to the little kid....it is just as lame in India :-)
Little shopping trip today, bought 2 cotton tops and 2 pairs of Ali Baba pants. Ali baba pants are all the rage with tourists because they are SO cool and comfortable and mine are doubly so as they are silk! Mine are printed and all of them have a crotch which is below the knees and elastic ankles that keep the copious amount of fabric from going over your feet, so it feels like you are wearing a skirt but it doesn't show your bum when you go up the stairs. Win. But the shop owner was the first rude one I have met. Most shop owners ask what you want and take great pleasure in pulling out every piece they have and spreading them in front of you. He did not do this which made the experience much less pressured, but then he scolded me for not folding them properly and for putting them back to quickly. Excuse me? I was probably one of like 5 customers today, I think you can manage to tidy a bit after me. He was even a bit rude when I told him I didn't want to buy his stuff because it was too expensive and scolded me for trying things on without asking the price and messing up his shop. Well you don't take the time to haggle on something you may not even want! If I hadn't gotten 3 pairs of pants and 2 tops for about $12 I would have walked out.
Also bought a tupperware box to keep food in, because ANY time I have food in the room the ants go crazy and I had to throw away all the snacks I got yesterday because the ants found their way into the bag. While I was buying this I remember that I haven't explained the Indian obsession not only with my white skin but with white skin in general. This translates into abnormal amounts of products that mention “skin whitening effects”, “lightening”, and “whiteness”. The commercials on TV sound like Crest toothpaste commercials or the opposite of tanning lotion commercials, boasting about how your skin will be up to 3 shades lighter in however much time. It is so odd when the majority of the world values a tan and I personally think everything looks much lovelier when a person is tan!
In another little dose of India, I had to be driven to 2 stores which I was not going to buy anything from, in payment for my rides to work in the rickshaw. This is also how we brought the price we paid for the rickshaw to and from the elephant camp to 300 rupees. The rickshaw drivers who bring tourists to certain shops are given either a coupon for a liter of petrol or 100 rupees depending on the store. Now some drivers won't tell you why they are bringing you there and some will ask you to do it as a favor, but if you realize that they are making 100 rupees for a ride that is only costing about 10, you can get yourself some nice deals. Most will you drive you for free if you stop a shop, we knocked 400 rupees off the elephant trip by going into 6 or 7 shops total, and some tourists I met have even gotten the rickshaw drivers to split the money with them and made 150 rupees and got a free ride to where they were going. It's saved me quite a bit although I do get sick of going into tons of shops and being told outrageous “tourist” prices, and being told because it is the off season they can give me a very good discount. These discounts are usually only about 25% when really the actual price that should be charged is like 30-50% of what they tell foreigners. They get away with it because we are not used to bargaining. But bargaining does get tiring and so shopping in India can literally be a shop till ya drop experience.
Sorry if this post was a bit scattered! I just had pancakes with honey and some tea with sugar in it for dinner and maybe I'm on a bit of a sugar high :-)
I have made a conscious decision to speak exactly as I would at home to Shibu because he wants to travel and the better hand he has at American slang the better he will fit in when he gets the chance to go there. This has led to the definition of chill as in “I'm usually pretty chill” apparently in India they would say “I'm cool”. We are also covering every state because we realized that Indians pronounce it O-heeyo, with the last bit being said very quickly instead of Ohio so now we must check his pronunciation of every state. Thank god for these little moments where I know what I am doing because, as Shibu likes to mention at least once a day, I am a child and he is my elder and teacher and thus he must look out for me and boss me around. I take the liberty of smacking him when he is being an ass, but I do think it is rather sweet that he checks each time to make sure I have gotten home okay. At first I was really offended, I'm 21 for goodness sake, I can get home, but he told me that because he is my teacher he would feel extra awful and responsible if something were to happen to me.
I also realized my first crush on an Indian man. He has deep drown eyes, touched my face softly, and flirted with me in the clinic. He also about a foot tall and probably 2 years old but we had the best time playing peek a boo. Also all vets have the same joke with little kids, they draw up a vaccine and then pretend they are going to give the shot to the little kid....it is just as lame in India :-)
Little shopping trip today, bought 2 cotton tops and 2 pairs of Ali Baba pants. Ali baba pants are all the rage with tourists because they are SO cool and comfortable and mine are doubly so as they are silk! Mine are printed and all of them have a crotch which is below the knees and elastic ankles that keep the copious amount of fabric from going over your feet, so it feels like you are wearing a skirt but it doesn't show your bum when you go up the stairs. Win. But the shop owner was the first rude one I have met. Most shop owners ask what you want and take great pleasure in pulling out every piece they have and spreading them in front of you. He did not do this which made the experience much less pressured, but then he scolded me for not folding them properly and for putting them back to quickly. Excuse me? I was probably one of like 5 customers today, I think you can manage to tidy a bit after me. He was even a bit rude when I told him I didn't want to buy his stuff because it was too expensive and scolded me for trying things on without asking the price and messing up his shop. Well you don't take the time to haggle on something you may not even want! If I hadn't gotten 3 pairs of pants and 2 tops for about $12 I would have walked out.
Also bought a tupperware box to keep food in, because ANY time I have food in the room the ants go crazy and I had to throw away all the snacks I got yesterday because the ants found their way into the bag. While I was buying this I remember that I haven't explained the Indian obsession not only with my white skin but with white skin in general. This translates into abnormal amounts of products that mention “skin whitening effects”, “lightening”, and “whiteness”. The commercials on TV sound like Crest toothpaste commercials or the opposite of tanning lotion commercials, boasting about how your skin will be up to 3 shades lighter in however much time. It is so odd when the majority of the world values a tan and I personally think everything looks much lovelier when a person is tan!
In another little dose of India, I had to be driven to 2 stores which I was not going to buy anything from, in payment for my rides to work in the rickshaw. This is also how we brought the price we paid for the rickshaw to and from the elephant camp to 300 rupees. The rickshaw drivers who bring tourists to certain shops are given either a coupon for a liter of petrol or 100 rupees depending on the store. Now some drivers won't tell you why they are bringing you there and some will ask you to do it as a favor, but if you realize that they are making 100 rupees for a ride that is only costing about 10, you can get yourself some nice deals. Most will you drive you for free if you stop a shop, we knocked 400 rupees off the elephant trip by going into 6 or 7 shops total, and some tourists I met have even gotten the rickshaw drivers to split the money with them and made 150 rupees and got a free ride to where they were going. It's saved me quite a bit although I do get sick of going into tons of shops and being told outrageous “tourist” prices, and being told because it is the off season they can give me a very good discount. These discounts are usually only about 25% when really the actual price that should be charged is like 30-50% of what they tell foreigners. They get away with it because we are not used to bargaining. But bargaining does get tiring and so shopping in India can literally be a shop till ya drop experience.
Sorry if this post was a bit scattered! I just had pancakes with honey and some tea with sugar in it for dinner and maybe I'm on a bit of a sugar high :-)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
New!
Please note the new Photos page at the top of the screen
I will try to post more frequently and take more pictures though I will only post my favorites or ones that are important to my stories on here. Look for the rest on facebook when I get home!
Gracias for reading guys!
I will try to post more frequently and take more pictures though I will only post my favorites or ones that are important to my stories on here. Look for the rest on facebook when I get home!
Gracias for reading guys!
Lessons Learned
So before I get into my veterinary experiences for today, I think I will give you a little glimpse of my days in India.
To start off I think I am finally prepared to explain about driving in India. Now I have been putting it off as I don't want my parents to have a heart attack but it is the most bizarre experience and I feel a bit selfish keeping it to myself!
There are very few rules about driving in India
1)Honk all the time
2)Fit through any space necessary
3)Slow down abruptly before one of the millions of speed bumps or potholes
4)Do not hit cows
5)Do not hit anything else
6)Go where you need to go by any means necessary
Did you notice that drive on the correct, the left, side of the road isn't listed? Or pass on the right hand side? Or go the correct way on a roundabout? Nothing about right of way?
Yea....those are not important. Check rule number 6, the means is not important! It is much more important to honk at anything that is even remotely in your way and, in very high traffic situations, to weave your vehicle to the front of the queue even if that means that there one bus, 3 motorbikes, and 2 rickshaws all jammed onto one side of the road waiting turn. Now if the vehicle in front of you is going too slow, you may pass as long as there is enough space to wriggle through on either side. If a car is coming from the other direction, you will either speed up and make it or one of you will slow down at the last minute.
Now in America I hate when people speed until the last second and then slam on the breaks, but here? I'm over it. If I wasn't, I would already have an ulcer. The amazing thing is that they are really excellent drivers. Everyone has known at least someone in their lifetime who drove at ridiculous speeds and dared to do what you never would in a car and yet you would trust them with your life because they had such control over the vehicle...and some of you reading may even even be that person. But in India, nearly everyone is like that. It is really something amazing to see, if a bit terrifying. I told Penny once that I think that the Indian driving test should be nothing more than driving in a straight line while someone rolls soccer balls in front of you and you pass if you manage not to hit any of them. There really are not that many accidents, I saw my first one yesterday on the way home from the elephants and I do not believe there were any injuries.
Now that you know about the driving, do you see why I was a bit nervous riding 35 min on a motorbike in the city? Sorry mom and dad, but alls well that ends well :-)
Now on to today! The morning was extremely busy as far as cases are concerned and I watched Shibu reposition and deliver a stillborn baby goat,it took probably half an hour and was very nerve-wracking for Shibu I'm sure as the vet work is carried out on one of 3 tables in an open area in the hospital and at times the place looks like a cinema with everyone standing and watching the veterinarian work. Today Shibu and I both learned that there is an exam/surgery room but they don't use it because the door was hard to open...
That would have been nice to know as it is not good to have 5-15 people on hand to point out any mistakes which may have been made. It is being cleaned so that it can be used for surgeries and other procedures that are best done without an audience.
Bedside manner is very different here. Owners restrain their own animals because they know them best and it is not the veterinarian's job. I have explained to Shibu that it is VERY inefficient because often they muzzle a dog that I could have easily restrained or have to do an injection twice because the owner cannot keep the animal from wriggling about. But I cannot change Indian culture as much as it kills me to watch things done so.....ridiculously!!! It's a puppy for heaven's sake, you don't have to muzzle it, just don't let it bite you. It's the size of a football...But Indians are usually nervous around dogs even if they are small.
Indian culture is something I learn more about each and every day. For example, I am was helping the senior veterinarian with his plans for a clinic he is building and when talking about staff I told him that we do not have a sweeper at Agri-pet (where I work at school) but that the receptionists, technicians, and myself clean during slow moments. It also came up that we have 3 receptionists who work half days and alternating days, etc... Both these things would be unheard of in India. You would only have one receptionist, who would only do receptionist work and would work Mon-Sat and maybe even part of Sunday. No back-up person and no pitching in on other work. It is simply how it is done.
Shibu and I also had a conversation about how he hates that in Western culture relationships are not as strong. Meaning that father-son, mother-daughter, husband-wife relationships in America are not as strong as in India. This may or may not be true as it is important to both parties in a relationship in America that the other person is happy and sometimes that means stepping a bit on the happiness of others. For example, if your mother would really be happy if you stayed home and cleaned house for her all your life, she would not force you into it because it would not make you happy and she wants you to be happy. I dunno if that is the case in India...familial guilt seems to run pretty deep and has large effects on behavior. We also discussed the most common reasons for divorce which he was sure was extra-marital affairs and I told him that it was one of many reasons which also include people who married too young and eventually grew apart. He laughed (still unsure of why, maybe because most women in India are married with 2 children at the age of 26?). We also discussed whether I had met any presidents and whether or not the Monica Lewinsky thing was just a story or actually happened. Sadly I had to tell him that it was a true story. Was also reminded that even though the world hated him, George Bush was our president for 8 years, India is not impressed. Way to go America on both counts
.
So after work the past two days, I have been kidnapped. Sort of. I am sent off in a rickshaw with one of the ladies at work who lives about ¾ of the way home. She speaks little English and before I got to go home yesterday, I had a cup of tea and met her husband, oldest daughter, and grandchild. Today I went to her other daughter's house, was fed snacks, and met her younger daughter, other granddaughter (who was woken up for the occasion), son in law, niece, niece's husband, a neighbor and then was taken back to her house to meet her son. It is so weird watching people talk, being able to pick out enough words to know they are talking about you and not understand a word. Her daughter whose house I visited today spoke English but had trouble understanding me and laughed when I commented on the fact that almost everyone was watching me eat and drink tea. I can't have too much of a conversation but I think just my presence is enough for everyone else and my answers to questions about the size of my family, what I am doing in India, where I am staying, and what I eat are translated and discussed though I cannot understand any of it. I had to use calling my mother as an excuse to leave today after an hour and half of being offered snacks any time I was not eating and the stress of smiling because you have no clue what is going on. They probably think I am just a rather dull but very happy woman. Before I left I was taken to see the new balcony which had a gorgeous wrought iron railing that had peacock shapes in it and I ooohed and ahhed appropriately and I really meant it!
Got a little lost on the way home and ran into some school children who were trying to get me to take 4 kittens home with me. I tried to explain that I lived in a hotel and asked where their mother was until a little boy finally understood and drew his finger across his throat one time, making a face and I understood the universal sign for dead. The kittens barely had their eyes open but when I called Shibu to ask what to do he told me “I know you want to help, but it is not feasible. They will have no where to go and there are too many stray cats. Just put them to the side of the road so they do not get run over but leave them there. There is nothing you can do.” I told him later that it was so against everything I believe in to leave them there to starve, but there is no animal shelter to take them too and I miss America's systems. He understood and felt the same way but it did not really help scrub off the guilt even though there really had been nothing I could have done. Such lessons are hard learned and make me more determined than ever to prevent things like this from happening when I have the ability.
I am an oddity here because I call street dogs over all the time for a quick scratch on the head, baby talk to our patients while stroking their head to calm them, and want to play with each puppy that comes in. The street dogs are all so sweet and get the happiest looks on their little faces when you give them attention. One quick cuddle and you are fast friends, people in America would kill to have such friendly and well behaved dogs. At Mad Dogs Trust I found that the street dogs were often the most well behaved for exams and in fact not once did any of them growl at me or try to snap even when I was cleaning very extensive wounds. I don't know if I mentioned Spartacus who had a wound which covered where his ear used to be and did not need restraining at all to have it cleaned; he simply gritted his teeth and looked pained until we were finished. Your loss America, too bad I cannot ship you some of these amazing dogs!
The rest of the day I spent running errands and having dinner and am now watching What
Happens in Vegas in our living room area. Oh also talked to my mommy, cuz, well...a girls gotta talk to her mom! Working again tomorrow and I cannot wait.
Appreciate our nicely organized animal shelters and go adopt a shelter dog!
To start off I think I am finally prepared to explain about driving in India. Now I have been putting it off as I don't want my parents to have a heart attack but it is the most bizarre experience and I feel a bit selfish keeping it to myself!
There are very few rules about driving in India
1)Honk all the time
2)Fit through any space necessary
3)Slow down abruptly before one of the millions of speed bumps or potholes
4)Do not hit cows
5)Do not hit anything else
6)Go where you need to go by any means necessary
Did you notice that drive on the correct, the left, side of the road isn't listed? Or pass on the right hand side? Or go the correct way on a roundabout? Nothing about right of way?
Yea....those are not important. Check rule number 6, the means is not important! It is much more important to honk at anything that is even remotely in your way and, in very high traffic situations, to weave your vehicle to the front of the queue even if that means that there one bus, 3 motorbikes, and 2 rickshaws all jammed onto one side of the road waiting turn. Now if the vehicle in front of you is going too slow, you may pass as long as there is enough space to wriggle through on either side. If a car is coming from the other direction, you will either speed up and make it or one of you will slow down at the last minute.
Now in America I hate when people speed until the last second and then slam on the breaks, but here? I'm over it. If I wasn't, I would already have an ulcer. The amazing thing is that they are really excellent drivers. Everyone has known at least someone in their lifetime who drove at ridiculous speeds and dared to do what you never would in a car and yet you would trust them with your life because they had such control over the vehicle...and some of you reading may even even be that person. But in India, nearly everyone is like that. It is really something amazing to see, if a bit terrifying. I told Penny once that I think that the Indian driving test should be nothing more than driving in a straight line while someone rolls soccer balls in front of you and you pass if you manage not to hit any of them. There really are not that many accidents, I saw my first one yesterday on the way home from the elephants and I do not believe there were any injuries.
Now that you know about the driving, do you see why I was a bit nervous riding 35 min on a motorbike in the city? Sorry mom and dad, but alls well that ends well :-)
Now on to today! The morning was extremely busy as far as cases are concerned and I watched Shibu reposition and deliver a stillborn baby goat,it took probably half an hour and was very nerve-wracking for Shibu I'm sure as the vet work is carried out on one of 3 tables in an open area in the hospital and at times the place looks like a cinema with everyone standing and watching the veterinarian work. Today Shibu and I both learned that there is an exam/surgery room but they don't use it because the door was hard to open...
That would have been nice to know as it is not good to have 5-15 people on hand to point out any mistakes which may have been made. It is being cleaned so that it can be used for surgeries and other procedures that are best done without an audience.
Bedside manner is very different here. Owners restrain their own animals because they know them best and it is not the veterinarian's job. I have explained to Shibu that it is VERY inefficient because often they muzzle a dog that I could have easily restrained or have to do an injection twice because the owner cannot keep the animal from wriggling about. But I cannot change Indian culture as much as it kills me to watch things done so.....ridiculously!!! It's a puppy for heaven's sake, you don't have to muzzle it, just don't let it bite you. It's the size of a football...But Indians are usually nervous around dogs even if they are small.
Indian culture is something I learn more about each and every day. For example, I am was helping the senior veterinarian with his plans for a clinic he is building and when talking about staff I told him that we do not have a sweeper at Agri-pet (where I work at school) but that the receptionists, technicians, and myself clean during slow moments. It also came up that we have 3 receptionists who work half days and alternating days, etc... Both these things would be unheard of in India. You would only have one receptionist, who would only do receptionist work and would work Mon-Sat and maybe even part of Sunday. No back-up person and no pitching in on other work. It is simply how it is done.
Shibu and I also had a conversation about how he hates that in Western culture relationships are not as strong. Meaning that father-son, mother-daughter, husband-wife relationships in America are not as strong as in India. This may or may not be true as it is important to both parties in a relationship in America that the other person is happy and sometimes that means stepping a bit on the happiness of others. For example, if your mother would really be happy if you stayed home and cleaned house for her all your life, she would not force you into it because it would not make you happy and she wants you to be happy. I dunno if that is the case in India...familial guilt seems to run pretty deep and has large effects on behavior. We also discussed the most common reasons for divorce which he was sure was extra-marital affairs and I told him that it was one of many reasons which also include people who married too young and eventually grew apart. He laughed (still unsure of why, maybe because most women in India are married with 2 children at the age of 26?). We also discussed whether I had met any presidents and whether or not the Monica Lewinsky thing was just a story or actually happened. Sadly I had to tell him that it was a true story. Was also reminded that even though the world hated him, George Bush was our president for 8 years, India is not impressed. Way to go America on both counts
.
So after work the past two days, I have been kidnapped. Sort of. I am sent off in a rickshaw with one of the ladies at work who lives about ¾ of the way home. She speaks little English and before I got to go home yesterday, I had a cup of tea and met her husband, oldest daughter, and grandchild. Today I went to her other daughter's house, was fed snacks, and met her younger daughter, other granddaughter (who was woken up for the occasion), son in law, niece, niece's husband, a neighbor and then was taken back to her house to meet her son. It is so weird watching people talk, being able to pick out enough words to know they are talking about you and not understand a word. Her daughter whose house I visited today spoke English but had trouble understanding me and laughed when I commented on the fact that almost everyone was watching me eat and drink tea. I can't have too much of a conversation but I think just my presence is enough for everyone else and my answers to questions about the size of my family, what I am doing in India, where I am staying, and what I eat are translated and discussed though I cannot understand any of it. I had to use calling my mother as an excuse to leave today after an hour and half of being offered snacks any time I was not eating and the stress of smiling because you have no clue what is going on. They probably think I am just a rather dull but very happy woman. Before I left I was taken to see the new balcony which had a gorgeous wrought iron railing that had peacock shapes in it and I ooohed and ahhed appropriately and I really meant it!
Got a little lost on the way home and ran into some school children who were trying to get me to take 4 kittens home with me. I tried to explain that I lived in a hotel and asked where their mother was until a little boy finally understood and drew his finger across his throat one time, making a face and I understood the universal sign for dead. The kittens barely had their eyes open but when I called Shibu to ask what to do he told me “I know you want to help, but it is not feasible. They will have no where to go and there are too many stray cats. Just put them to the side of the road so they do not get run over but leave them there. There is nothing you can do.” I told him later that it was so against everything I believe in to leave them there to starve, but there is no animal shelter to take them too and I miss America's systems. He understood and felt the same way but it did not really help scrub off the guilt even though there really had been nothing I could have done. Such lessons are hard learned and make me more determined than ever to prevent things like this from happening when I have the ability.
I am an oddity here because I call street dogs over all the time for a quick scratch on the head, baby talk to our patients while stroking their head to calm them, and want to play with each puppy that comes in. The street dogs are all so sweet and get the happiest looks on their little faces when you give them attention. One quick cuddle and you are fast friends, people in America would kill to have such friendly and well behaved dogs. At Mad Dogs Trust I found that the street dogs were often the most well behaved for exams and in fact not once did any of them growl at me or try to snap even when I was cleaning very extensive wounds. I don't know if I mentioned Spartacus who had a wound which covered where his ear used to be and did not need restraining at all to have it cleaned; he simply gritted his teeth and looked pained until we were finished. Your loss America, too bad I cannot ship you some of these amazing dogs!
The rest of the day I spent running errands and having dinner and am now watching What
Happens in Vegas in our living room area. Oh also talked to my mommy, cuz, well...a girls gotta talk to her mom! Working again tomorrow and I cannot wait.
Appreciate our nicely organized animal shelters and go adopt a shelter dog!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
And I got a little behind on blogging....
Oops!
Well I am really loving shadowing at the hospital although Indians are very blunt as a rule and when I asked Shibu to translate what a lady we work with was saying about me he informed me that she says I will be hard to marry off because I am tall and big. So that's...awkward. But I laughed anyhow!
Sunday I did not shadow because Shibu's grandfather is ill with cancer and he had to go see him so myself and two girls I met in Goa who are staying in the same hotel as me (I recommended it to them when in Goa not thinking that I would be living there also) went on a cruise in the backwaters of Kerala. It was so gorgeous! a big wooden boat just floating for 7 hours in the sun with the palm trees all around and we stopped to see how to make.... calcium hydroxide? maybe...something out of shells with a chemical process that made me think of my dear friend Matt Smola although I meant to remember the process and promptly forget even the name of the substance. We also saw how to make rope out of coconut fiber and ate a delicious Keralan lunch served on a banana leaf and eaten with your hand. Only your right hand is used to eat food and I am getting much better at the technique. It is kind of complicated and Shibu laughed at me for most of lunch while I tried to oush rice in with my thumb without touching my mouth with my fingers and usually spilling rice down my front. But now I look like a pro!
Then Monday was a boring day because of HARTHAL. Always all caps. I dunno why. It was an India-wide strike because of the increase in petrol prices and all but 2 restaurants were closed and most shops so we ( Laura, Beca, and I) wandered a bit, ate, and bought pastries to eat for dinner later. We also read a lot, watched TV, and let Beca, an illustration major, draw on us with henna. Which by the way looks awesome and proves that a girls night in is a concept that spans continents.
Today we awoke at 5:30 to get in a rickshaw at 6am. Ew right? Butttttt!
I got to touch an elephant!!!! We went to the Kononadu elephant training camp and walked to the river to watch and help bathe the elephants. So much less structured than here, I got to cuddle on the 7 year old named Asa as long as I wanted and was smitten by her ever moving trunk and her sweet eyes which were eye level with mine at her age. The little 4 year old, Alesha was also gorgeous and when I ran my hand down her trunk, the tip reached out and curled around my finger and I think my heart stopped beating. The two adults were absolutely massive and made me nervous, excited, and amazed all at the same time. They feel nothing like you would expect, both stiff and rubbery and the bristles on their heads and body feel like toothbrush bristles against your hands.
It was interesting to note how the younger two were treated as opposed to the older 2. The younger ones were constantly being talked at and smacked with sticks, and when I say smacked you must understand that the hardest I could hit would have barely phased the elephants, because they must not be allowed to get away with any misbehavior. If a young elephant wanders about and plucks at your hair it is cute, if it does it when as tall as a house, it may squash 6 people on the way. It was a bit like watchin a mother bathe a two year old. I imagined the conversations went like this although I could not understand the language of the Mahuts.
"Lift your leg I have to wash them"
elephant tries to sit
"no no your leg!'
"now behind your ears"
elephant rolls over
"oh come on seriously behave yourself and it's filthy back here what did you roll in?"
It was marvelous and I am so glad I went! Then we went on an elephant ride, very short but the feeling of sitting on an elephant bareback, even with 2 other people, and feeling the warmth of their skin radiating onto your legs and their muscles barely registering the extra weight, it is simply addictive. I cannot wait to schedule a trek into the wildlife preserve on elephant back, the forestry department elephants are trained at the training center we went to and now I know that whatever the price may be it's worth it for this kind of experience.
Then we went shopping and Beca and I bought a silk patchwork quilt which cost 4000 at the start and we argued down to 1050 for each. It's king sized and gorgeous and cost about $20. Hell yes! Even though the haggling does leave you quite exhausted I tell ya!
Oh and my laptop cord got fixed for free, all I had to pay for was the plug for 6 rupees (12 cents) and I gave the guy 10 rupees because he was so nice. Now I must go eat cuz I'm starving and the girls leave tomorrow :-( But I will make more friends soon I'm sure and I will be at the hospital again tomorrow woohoo!!!!
Well I am really loving shadowing at the hospital although Indians are very blunt as a rule and when I asked Shibu to translate what a lady we work with was saying about me he informed me that she says I will be hard to marry off because I am tall and big. So that's...awkward. But I laughed anyhow!
Sunday I did not shadow because Shibu's grandfather is ill with cancer and he had to go see him so myself and two girls I met in Goa who are staying in the same hotel as me (I recommended it to them when in Goa not thinking that I would be living there also) went on a cruise in the backwaters of Kerala. It was so gorgeous! a big wooden boat just floating for 7 hours in the sun with the palm trees all around and we stopped to see how to make.... calcium hydroxide? maybe...something out of shells with a chemical process that made me think of my dear friend Matt Smola although I meant to remember the process and promptly forget even the name of the substance. We also saw how to make rope out of coconut fiber and ate a delicious Keralan lunch served on a banana leaf and eaten with your hand. Only your right hand is used to eat food and I am getting much better at the technique. It is kind of complicated and Shibu laughed at me for most of lunch while I tried to oush rice in with my thumb without touching my mouth with my fingers and usually spilling rice down my front. But now I look like a pro!
Then Monday was a boring day because of HARTHAL. Always all caps. I dunno why. It was an India-wide strike because of the increase in petrol prices and all but 2 restaurants were closed and most shops so we ( Laura, Beca, and I) wandered a bit, ate, and bought pastries to eat for dinner later. We also read a lot, watched TV, and let Beca, an illustration major, draw on us with henna. Which by the way looks awesome and proves that a girls night in is a concept that spans continents.
Today we awoke at 5:30 to get in a rickshaw at 6am. Ew right? Butttttt!
I got to touch an elephant!!!! We went to the Kononadu elephant training camp and walked to the river to watch and help bathe the elephants. So much less structured than here, I got to cuddle on the 7 year old named Asa as long as I wanted and was smitten by her ever moving trunk and her sweet eyes which were eye level with mine at her age. The little 4 year old, Alesha was also gorgeous and when I ran my hand down her trunk, the tip reached out and curled around my finger and I think my heart stopped beating. The two adults were absolutely massive and made me nervous, excited, and amazed all at the same time. They feel nothing like you would expect, both stiff and rubbery and the bristles on their heads and body feel like toothbrush bristles against your hands.
It was interesting to note how the younger two were treated as opposed to the older 2. The younger ones were constantly being talked at and smacked with sticks, and when I say smacked you must understand that the hardest I could hit would have barely phased the elephants, because they must not be allowed to get away with any misbehavior. If a young elephant wanders about and plucks at your hair it is cute, if it does it when as tall as a house, it may squash 6 people on the way. It was a bit like watchin a mother bathe a two year old. I imagined the conversations went like this although I could not understand the language of the Mahuts.
"Lift your leg I have to wash them"
elephant tries to sit
"no no your leg!'
"now behind your ears"
elephant rolls over
"oh come on seriously behave yourself and it's filthy back here what did you roll in?"
It was marvelous and I am so glad I went! Then we went on an elephant ride, very short but the feeling of sitting on an elephant bareback, even with 2 other people, and feeling the warmth of their skin radiating onto your legs and their muscles barely registering the extra weight, it is simply addictive. I cannot wait to schedule a trek into the wildlife preserve on elephant back, the forestry department elephants are trained at the training center we went to and now I know that whatever the price may be it's worth it for this kind of experience.
Then we went shopping and Beca and I bought a silk patchwork quilt which cost 4000 at the start and we argued down to 1050 for each. It's king sized and gorgeous and cost about $20. Hell yes! Even though the haggling does leave you quite exhausted I tell ya!
Oh and my laptop cord got fixed for free, all I had to pay for was the plug for 6 rupees (12 cents) and I gave the guy 10 rupees because he was so nice. Now I must go eat cuz I'm starving and the girls leave tomorrow :-( But I will make more friends soon I'm sure and I will be at the hospital again tomorrow woohoo!!!!
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