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