It's official- my sweat smells like curry.  And seeing as how I sweat persistently throughout the day... Let's just say I fit in well.

India reminds me of Philly in the way you could be walking down the street and within minutes go from smelling yummy fried foods to sewage to cologne to fish markets to exhaust.  Although, I have to say, the hospital smells better than any in the US. Even without air conditioning. I think it's because the patients are all continent. The hospital is rustic and filled with shrines dedicated to the woman who founded it. You're required to remove your shoes before you can enter the ICU. The patients, nurses, doctors and staff are so sweet and we're always welcomed with a warm smile (usually accompanied by a quick welcome head bobble).  The babies are garnished w gold jewelery and have dark ash on there eyes w a third eye painted in between their brows. There was a cow running down the middle of the road on our way home last night. We see something new and totally foreign every day... It's so amazing to be here.  I'm so thankful.

We have big plans for an hour long deep tissue massage tomorrow... For 17 bucks.  Thank you, US dollar. It'll be my first professional massage ever. I'll probably just end up being too ticklish to enjoy it... I'm excited to see!

-Cathy 

Sent from my iPod

Skin hunger

Oatmeal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our gym has oatmeal!!!! You have NO idea how
wonderful that is. Imagine going out to Indian dinner everyday for
every meal for a week and then extrapolate for a month. There is no
such thing as breakfast here... So you eat curry at 8am (and unlike
Cathy, I do not yet smell of curry... I don't think...)

Anyway his gym is awesome. Free wifi, yoga and spinning classes, state
of the art equipment, everyone gets a personal trainer and personal
work out plan, and a spa where everything is 50% off for members. It's
kinda expensive ($17 per week) but it's worth it. My only complaint is
that you have to hear about their blood group diet and I am definitely
a skeptic. Not decided though so if anyone has more info, please
share.

So skin hunger... Haha. When we were in yoga class tonight (which was
so good), he instructor kept coming by me and Cathy and touching us.
Not in a weird way. Actually it was probably because our muscles are
so tight and they probably aren't used to seein that in women. Anyway
it felt SO good! ... Not to knock the massage Cathy gave me at 3am one
night when we were awake from jet lag but .... :-P
So we decided to get massages here tomorrow. We looked at the list
and found out an hour massage is 750 rupees. Aka $17!! I may get one
every week.... Or five.

In other news, things are goin well. We are seeing so much crazy stuff
on derm which is awesome but disgusting. Skin conditions are seriously
so gross. And all day I'm itching bc we are talking about it and I'm
seein all these itchy people ahhhhh

We saw our first case of leprosy today. And no not with limbs falling
off. But with severe atrophy of he guys hand from nerve damage. And we
saw leishmaniasis the other day. Also Addison's disease changes, a 60
year old lady with clubbed feet, cutaneous larvae migrans...

Everyone we work with is SO nice! Esp the young ladies who are
interns/residents. They are very talkative and give us so much advice
about life here. We would have had no idea we have to get blouses
stitched for out sarees and stuff like that. The main attending is
really nice and such a good doc but he KILLS me with the head bobble.
You can't tell if he is answering yes or no and also you can't tell
when he's asking a question or making a statement with a dramatic
pause. It's ridic.

But something that sucks about work (besides no AC in the hospital and
he constant sweat running down my back)... They work 7 days a week!
WTF?! This really throws a wrench in our plans to go to varkala, he
tea fields, and the wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. It's depressing not
habit a day off to look forward to. The mindset is so different here.
They don't even care about anything but work. In a way it's admirable
but I am SO thankful not to live here. We will probably ask for next
weekend off to go to the wildlife place bc theres no way I'm missing
seeing tigers! I don't think theyll mind but we do fel bad asking off
every weekend. At least Sunday is jut a half day.

Ok time to go home from this awesome gym. I get palpitations on the
autorickshaw ride home bc of how crazy they drive here. Like
seriously, is it necessary to be 0.5 inches away from the giant truck
in front of you? Or honk your horn 3 times for every car, truck,
motocycle, person, goat that comes within 4 feet of you? And is it
necessary to drive 50mph on dirt roads with speed bumps when you have
to slow down every 40 feet for a pothole anyway? And is it necessary
for he stench of fish and shit to be in the air EVERYWHERE? And is it
necessary to carry elephants in trucks? I really don't think so...
Well maybe the last one :-)

Xoxo
Laura

Mini streets require mini cars and trucks... I was running on the
treadmill today at this awesome gym we discovered watching the cars go
by thinking to myself, 'wow, I kinda feel at home right now'... And
then an open bed tonka style truck drove by with a 12 ft tall elephant
in the back. The sides on the bed came up to it's ankles. It was
awesome.

Sent from my iPod

SOOO..... My initial impression of India: Awkward.

#1. Awkward trying to interpret the head bobble. "Umm... so yes then?
no? maybe? Its okay?"

#2. Awkward flushing your toilet and watching it drain into the
channel in front of your residency. Ew.

#3. Awkward trying to eat rice dishes with your hand. Imagine
watching this girl, twice/three times the size of the average Indian
person, shovel rice medley into her trap while starving... not a
pretty sight.

#4. Awkward Flushing and realizing there is no toilet paper and only a
bucket of water with a small pitcher inside... you do the math.

#5. Awkward feeling the sweat drip off your forehead while being
forced to wear long sleeve shirts and pants. Seriously, wtf.

That being said... India is incredible. The streets are so narrow and
packed full of houses, shacks, cafes, stores, trees and brush. You
feel like you're driving through a huge jungle labyrinth with no
lights, street signs or sign of organization period. They are so
vibrant and unlike anything I've ever seen. I'm a big, wondering,
tunic wearing, wide eyed gaper that doesn't know what to do with
myself. I love it.

~Cathy

second post

Hey everyone! So we are settling into India living more and more every day... I'm too lazy to write about going to Fort Cochin, going on a canoe backwater ride, and playing with baby elephants (!) for now... I'm gonna let Cathy post about those... this is partly because I'm lazy but also partly because I am at a different internet cafe than I told her (because the other one wasn't working) and i'm a little worried she's gonna freak out when she can't find me lol. so what i WILL tell you about is my most recent funny happening...


here's how it went...

setting was the student/doctor canteen (dining hall) at the hospital... (in case anyone cares we are at Amrita School of Medicine and Sciences in Edapelly which is a suburb of Kochin)...

i'm waiting in line for my paneerchilyfy (i had no idea what that was that i ordered by the way but it ended up being delicious) and this young indian man comes up to me:

him: "hello are you a doctor studying here?"
Me: "no i'm a medical student studying here"
him: "oh i am a medical student too" and then said some stuff in his accent that i couldn't understand but pretended to because it is too tiring to figure out exactly what everyone is saying. i think it had something to do with his class or somethig. "Where are you from?"
me: "oh cool. i'm from america. what year are you?"
him: "OH america! i'm a 4th year. what are you stationed doing?"
me: "huh?"
him: "what subject are you stationed in?"
me: "OHHH dermatology. what about you?
him: "surgery. we have a post exam this friday. this test then that test blah blah hard to understand"
me: "oh that's nice"
him: "what is your name?"
me: "laura. what about you?"
him: "sidhasjkghjsg"
me: "sidhasddhfskd?"
him: "no sidhafbngbfg"
me: "oh! sudhafnklfdghk?"
him: "no siddfssdfhg"
me: "OH........ ok"
him: "maybe I can catch up to you"
me: "ehh haha ok"
him: "i am busy now with blah blah hard to understand accompanied by a point to the hospital"
me: "oh ok"
him: "but maybe tomorrow. i catch up to you."
me : "uhhh ok"
him: "ok will you be in the library tomorrow?"
me: "yeah i think so"
him: "ok i will see you tomorrow after work blah something about spending time together"
me: (in my head) 'oh shit'


and THAT is how i somehow agreed to go on a date with a 21 year old... (medical students GRADUATE when they are 22 here). to answer questions.... NO i'm not going (don't worry dad). and yes he was actually really cute (to all the ladies wonderign) but he looks 5 years younger than me... oh wait. he IS.

anyway... i thought you MAY enjoy that story. that's kinda an example of the kind of interactions we have here as far as conversationg anyawy

ok i'm going to go study some (wow i know!)..

oh and we probably saw leprosy today but i'm not positive bc it's kinda a mystery we "will talk about tomorrow". also saw pemphigus vulgaris which was cool. AND they don't use gloves here. the docs like "feel this!" while cathy and i hesitate but then we kinda have to or we're not gonna learn. i'm assuming that if he touches it, its ok.. and i'm washing my hands A LOT.

k love,
Laura
(hopefully cathy will write later)

ps - i would write more on this but the keyboards here are so annoying that they make typing incredibly energy consuming

pps - the indian head bobble is KILLING ME. cathy and i have decided we kindof hate it

first post

hey everyone! we got to india safely and without any trouble... jet airlines is AMAZING. best plane ride EVER. the cab ride here for $10, however was insane... i can't believe more people don't get his by cars.

we are sitting shoeless in an internet cafe dripping in sweat and it smells like corn and fires, which is a nostalgic smells for anyone who has been to a 3rd world country.

i'm gonna keep this short because we have to go pretty much figure out where the hell we are compared to the rest of the city... because we are definitely not in a place that there are any other tourists... i don't think i've seen one non-local. which is cool, but at the same time intimidating. BUT... we have a TV in our room! watched the cable guy for a bit. what we don't have - sheets... or a shower (besides a bucket)... how are you gonna have a TV with what seems like cable and not have sheets?? we will try to go find some.

ok off for now. this internet cafe is 50 cents per hour so i have a feeling we'll be here a lot. we hope to go take a day trip tomorrow and find some elephants to ride! (and wash!!  I found a place that you can help bathe them... which i'm really excited about but cathy was like "um shouldn't they be paying YOU for that" haha)

love,Laura (and cathy)

ps - wearing clothes that are not form fitting and cover you all up make me feel like a big... lesbo (? is that less offensive than what i wanted to write? i dunno.. you know what i 'm sayin')

xoxoxoxo

The Ladies are on the way...........

…safe travels ladies!