I'm Ron Burgundy?
First of all, let me say that even though I am halfway across the world, I'm SO psyched that the Mavs are in the NBA Finals. Dirk is well on his way to the pantheon of the NBA greats. Plus he's a bona fide lock for the NBA All-Ugly team.
In other sports news, I've learned a lot about the Indian national sport of cricket, and it's actually a pretty cool game. It's a bit confusing at first, and it definitely has its quirks. For example, at some pre-determined time during the game that I can't figure out, everyone just stops playing and goes for tea. They then come back an hour or so later and finish the game. Weird, right? Apart from its idiosyncrasies, though, it's a pretty cool game, and we all want to find a place to play. Apart from that, the hackey sack skillz are still on the rise, and Jesse and I think we might even be decent by the end of the trip.
More fun stuff...this weekend we are going to Goa, which is a beach province about 100 miles south of Mumbai. It's a bit risky since the monsoon is coming, but the worst case scenario is that we sit around drinking beer in our hotel instead of on the beach. Goa is supposedly really nice, kind of like the Saint Tropez of India. If nothing else, it will be great to relax and get away from the mad rush that is Mumbai. Apparently Goa is also the one place in India where the majority of people are Christian, so it will be interesting to contrast that with the many religious affiliations that are seen in Mumbai.
Onto the medical stuff we've been doing. For the past 2 days, we've been at Savurdaya Hospital, which is a private (yet completely run down) hospital about 15 minutes away from us. Yesterday we walked through the TB ward and observed some patients. We didn't wear any masks or anything, so I'm quite sure that I'll seroconvert and not be able to drink for 9 months upon my return to the US. I seriously hope that doesn't happen, but if it does it's not the end of the world. Don't worry Mom, there's not much of a health risk, just that I'd have to be on meds for a while. After touring the TB ward, we went down to the HIV testing clinic and saw patients there for a bit. It was a good experience, and we got to learn quite a bit about the Indian health care system. I'm quiet impressed with health care here, as it is definitely more advanced and comprehensive than I expected. There are some huge public health issues, but in some ways access to care is better for the Indian poor than it is for the US poor. Probably more on this later...
Anyway, I'm off to clinic with Dr. Apte, and then I think I have to fulfill my promise that I will sing karaoke with him at a bar in Bandra. This has the potential to be quite a scene. Namaste!
In other sports news, I've learned a lot about the Indian national sport of cricket, and it's actually a pretty cool game. It's a bit confusing at first, and it definitely has its quirks. For example, at some pre-determined time during the game that I can't figure out, everyone just stops playing and goes for tea. They then come back an hour or so later and finish the game. Weird, right? Apart from its idiosyncrasies, though, it's a pretty cool game, and we all want to find a place to play. Apart from that, the hackey sack skillz are still on the rise, and Jesse and I think we might even be decent by the end of the trip.
More fun stuff...this weekend we are going to Goa, which is a beach province about 100 miles south of Mumbai. It's a bit risky since the monsoon is coming, but the worst case scenario is that we sit around drinking beer in our hotel instead of on the beach. Goa is supposedly really nice, kind of like the Saint Tropez of India. If nothing else, it will be great to relax and get away from the mad rush that is Mumbai. Apparently Goa is also the one place in India where the majority of people are Christian, so it will be interesting to contrast that with the many religious affiliations that are seen in Mumbai.
Onto the medical stuff we've been doing. For the past 2 days, we've been at Savurdaya Hospital, which is a private (yet completely run down) hospital about 15 minutes away from us. Yesterday we walked through the TB ward and observed some patients. We didn't wear any masks or anything, so I'm quite sure that I'll seroconvert and not be able to drink for 9 months upon my return to the US. I seriously hope that doesn't happen, but if it does it's not the end of the world. Don't worry Mom, there's not much of a health risk, just that I'd have to be on meds for a while. After touring the TB ward, we went down to the HIV testing clinic and saw patients there for a bit. It was a good experience, and we got to learn quite a bit about the Indian health care system. I'm quiet impressed with health care here, as it is definitely more advanced and comprehensive than I expected. There are some huge public health issues, but in some ways access to care is better for the Indian poor than it is for the US poor. Probably more on this later...
Anyway, I'm off to clinic with Dr. Apte, and then I think I have to fulfill my promise that I will sing karaoke with him at a bar in Bandra. This has the potential to be quite a scene. Namaste!
posted by david.m.marcus at 4:24 AM
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