Blog #4 - June 11 2012

These past few weeks have been lots of fun. We have been able to get a lot of work done as well as enjoy our time here. This week has been a little bit more chill than most because at first I had to run around and get a lot of things set up and started. Now that I am established, I have a little more free time. I go to a dental college M/W/F from 8-1 where I am able to job shadow all sorts of dentists with a wide range of specialties. At the dental college I can also hand out surveys so it helps me knock out two birds with one stone. Those same evenings I job shadow at Dr. Stephen's dental clinic. He does general dentistry. On Tuesday evening I job shadow an implant specialist from 5-8 and that is great as well. In my free time I try to catch up for the week, do homework and read, as well as take time to relax and enjoy everything around me. During my free time I also talk with people on the streets and invite them to take my survey. As far as what I need to accomplish, its all going great. We have been able to try a lot of new restaurants and to me they all seem pretty similar. One night one of the restaurants had the name bbq in it so we were excited. Surprise, all the same items. I am pretty sure I have settled in on my favorite foods now. I am definitely more of a fan of North Indian cuisine than South Indian cuisine, although I have definitely developed a liking for South Indian food since I first came out here. After throwing up a few times and realizing that a few things give you the "motions", your list begins to grow narrower and narrower of what you can eat. I would say in America that we have a wide variety of foods to pick from. One of the Indians here that I was talking with thought that they had a large variety of foods, after thinking and thinking I am still trying to understand this. The people here are great. Nate lost his wallet at one point and a guy held onto it until he saw me, another white guy, at which point he returned it with everything still inside. We have gotten invited to play sports. When we talk with anyone we are treated very courteously. When we have questions that person will drop everything they are doing to help us out. We are offered rides all the time. The other night it was late and pitch black because the power was out and a man offered to take me to Chavadi Pudur which was really nice. Finding places to job shadow and interview have not been a problem because everyone has been so helpful and friendly. If we are on a bus and need to find a place but have no clue what the stop is called, half the bus will chime in to tell the conductor where we want to go. Our neighbors in the village love us. They fill up our water for us with a hose when we are gone. The neighbor boys all around the village love to come and talk with us when we are home. This past Sunday there were 8 or 9 new boys that I had never met before just chilling on our veranda. The women next door offer us food and try to help us out when we need it. However, most of the time we get home late because it takes an hour by bus and then you need to walk home. Plus our appointments and time spent in Coimbatore go a little later into the evening. As of recently I started going to KG Hospital to observe doctors. I have been able to watch a surgery on the kidneys, brain surgery, brachial plexus surgery, and a few other things. It is amazing to be able to watch these since I dont think I would get the opportunity in the states. It doesn't have to do with my research but since I have some extra time it will be very helpful and unique to share these stories as I teach anatomy class. Plus I love the human body so it just fills my heart.