More fun and adjustment

First of all, here's the pic of me with the kids who we played soccer with. Great times....onto the blog.

So after almost a week here in Bombay, I'm starting to feel like I've adjusted a bit to the culture. The first few days here felt like a whirlwind, but I'm not quite so overwhelmed now when I'm walking around, etc. It's nice to feel a bit more comfortable now, and even though I am as white and foreign as I have ever been, I don't feel like I'm sticking out quite as much (it's all in my head, of course I am sticking out like a sore thumb).

Anyway, since our last little blog-visit, a few things have happened. Yesterday afternoon I went to a community-based clinic where I'll be shadowing for the rest of the week. The doctor's name is Dr. Apte, and he is basically the coolest dude ever. He spent the first 20 minutes or so asking us about ourselves, what kind of doc we want to be, etc., and he made sure to ask about our interests. As it turns out, he's an avid cricket player, and he loves to sing. In fact, for better or for worse, I told him I would do karaoke with him on Thursday night, so who knows what that will amount to. This could cause a lot of international embarrasment for the United States. Let's just hope there are no cameras around, I don't want to be the next William Hung. Anyway, Dr. Apte's clinic was pretty obviously for wealthy people of Bombay, and it seemed to me that he was "family friends" or "cousins" with every other patient. He was a very warm doctor, and his patients obviously love him. A few interesting observations...1) Since money is a bit more scarce here, they don't rely quite as much on expensive tests to make a diagnosis. They tend to use more clinical diagnosis, and I was amazed by how quick his H & P went. 2) After the visit, which was usually about 5 minutes, the patients paid Dr. Apte directly, usually only a few hundred rupees, which comes out to about $5-10. Anyway, it was a cool experience, and I'm looking forward to heading back there in a few hours.

This morning we went back to the leprosy hospital, and we actually got to see some patients this time. As I said, there's not much of an inpatient unit because leprosy cases are generally manageable on an outpatient basis. The patients that we did see were staying at the hospital to take care of their foot ulcers. Many of them had some pretty significant deformities, which looked pretty horrible. We also saw one patient who was coming in for the first time, and she had the infectious (early) form of the disease. She had hypopigmented lesions all over her back, and I think she was starting to get some deformities as well. It's pretty crazy to see this disease, since it's something most American doctors never think about. I doubt I'll ever really see it again unless I'm traveling to 3rd world countries.

Beyond that, all is well. I'm enjoying the food, and I'm eating plenty. My diarrhea bet with Jesse is still going strong, both of us have been without problems. I think my system is adjusting to the food, so I might start getting a bit braver with the foods that I eat (within safe limits, of course, don't worry Mom). The Indian people are really nice and helpful, and I'm enjoying getting to learn a bit about the culture. I'm hoping to pick up a few phrases in Hindi, as it's turning out to be less English-friendly than I thought it would be. So, basically, all is well. Check back soon for more fun updates!