Karunalya Catholic Hospital

The bus ride to Karunalya

This morning we woke up bright and early to walk to the nearest village. It was so nice to see how the indian people in rural villages live. They were all so friendly and everyone wanted us to talk with them and take pictures of their children. It was so interesting to see little huts that had satellite dishes out front. It was a nice little morning walk and some desperately needed exercise.

Today we were lucky enough to get to go on another excursion off site. We visited the Karunalya Catholic Hospital, which in Tamil means sacred heart. We ended up having to take the school bus to the hospital meaning that we didn't have air conditioning, but I really enjoyed just opening all of the windows and letting India in. I think I looked around at the scenery more today cause I wasn't confined in my nice temperature controlled vehicle. There was this beautiful house along the way that I wish I would have taken a picture of because I decided it was my perfect Indian dream home, nothing big and fancy, just the right size and beautiful and clean with pretty plants out front. Once we got to the hospital we set up three teams, once to check people in, one to take vital signs and check blood sugars and one to pass out medications. It was fun to be able to practice our basic nursing skills and also to try and communicate medical terms to people who couldn't speak our language. Not too many people showed up today because the indian gov't decided to pass out rice for free to anyone who showed up at a certain gov't building, so naturally most people went there instead. But we did make a new friend named Tavi who had so much personality. He loved to dance and even made me a little camera out of paper that would open when you pulled the sides. It was also so nice to work with the nuns who had dedicated their lives to helping other people. They were a delight to get to know. After most of the people went through we had some extra time, so we helped them make cotton balls and Qtips. I now have two more things to be grateful for. They are both such simple things that we can just pick up at the store, but out here they have to make their own.

After we left the hospital we stopped by a friend of our driver who has his own little farm out in the middle of nowhere. He had his own banana trees, papaya trees, chili fields, eggplants, sugarcane and much more. He was so excited to show us around and point out all of the plants that had herbal and medicinal purposes. He even showed us how to strip and eat the sugarcane. He was quite the charismatic man and not bad looking either. His wife was so kind and had the most beautiful white hair, I loved her. After the farm we stopped at an Emu farm for a quick look before jumping back on board and heading home.

I really enjoyed the bus ride back because it really got me thinking. My friend Whitney and I started talking about how we wonder why in the premortal life we were chosen to be sent to nice families who taught us the gospel and gave us opportunities that much of the world doesn't have access to. We both started to get emotional and had to not look at each other to keep from crying even more. It's nice to not be the only one who's emotions are close to the surface. Later we were talking with Kim aka Kim one, a volunteer coordinator, who said something that really rang true to me. She said that when you come to India you are your raw self. Everything is stripped away and you are in your most organic form. You don't have your usual comforts and accessories, but it gives you an opportunity to see yourself for what you truly are and to examine yourself through a whole different lens. I have already seen myself in ways I haven't ever before. One of my friends had me listen to her iPod the other day for a few seconds and it felt so foreign to me. I haven't listened to music for so long and it kind of feels good. I have learned how to stretch myself in areas I haven't been able to before. I've learned how to accept the risk of getting sick, learned how to relate to younger girls who's culture is world's apart from my own, to embrace the bucket shower, and to learn patience with different personalities and cultures. It is kind of funny to see what people are doing on facebook and realize that I am half a world away from it all. I am beginning to gain a new perspective on what is really important in life and hope that I just keep on learning.

Gracie and Pria

Tonight at playtime I spent most of it with Gracie and Pria, two on my favorite girls. They are so hilarious and so much fun to watch interact with each other. Family time was really interesting tonight because we asked the girls about cultural things involving marriage in India. They told us that instead of wearing wedding bands, the woman will wear a rope around her neck with one gold bead on it for the first three months and then a thinner rope with multiple beads after that. They also said that married women wear toe rings as well to signify that they are married. The rope is only seen at the top of the sari near her neck and the beads are hidden away under the rest of the sari. It was so fun to see their reactions to how men propose to women in the united states and their excitement to share their culture with us. I love those moments when our two worlds collide, it is always so amazing to hear how different we are but also how similar we can be at the same time.