The Vellore Four are back from a weekend getaway in Pondicherry and I finally have internet to record all of the amazing events of the last 72 hours. So I’ll start with Thursday. This may have been my most favorite day of all of my favorite days ever in history. I know that’s bold. But it’s true and I’ll detail it for you now. The Vellore Four split up today to travel with two nurses into villages surrounding the town. Andrea and I went with Greta, a young nurse from the CHAD hospital in Vellore, and another woman who works as the public health liason (PHL) for the villages. We piled into a safari truck for a full day trip and on the way Greta explained the system that is in place for keeping tabs on the health of the villagers. Greta oversees 20 villages, which is around 20,000 people total. Today we were going to visit patients in their homes to perform antenatal and newborn exams, geriatric care, and also pay a visit to an elementary school associated with CHAD.
The landscape on our trek was some of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced. The fields of rice and rich green palm trees was completely stunning and I just wish you could see it in person because my photos cannot do it justice.
We arrived at the first home and were instructed to remove our shoes at the door. While doing so we noticed these huge ornate chalk drawings in the dirt outside the front door. Greta explained that these are to welcome the gods into the home and that although the drawings are now done with chalk, they used to be drawn with rice powder which was important for feeding the ants. (I’ve always thought the majority of people were making efforts to rid the world of ants. Not so in India where there could be some rebirth ancestral tie thing going on.)
Inside the house we all sat “Indian style” in a circle on a mat draped over the dirt floor and placed a newborn baby in the center of the make shift exam table. After performing a newborn check up we enjoyed homemade hot chai tea in tiny tin cups with the new mother and baby. I asked Greta about the black mark on the forehead and left cheek of the baby and also if I could take a photo of the child. Greta informed me that the spots were to make the child ugly so that the gods would not kill the childs spirit and take her. She also explained that no photos are taken of children under 5 years due to a fear that the kid's spirit will be stolen by the gods. Uh, so that was scary and I decided against a baby Glamour Shot photo sitting. The rest of our morning was spent providing similar care to villagers in exchange for chickpea casseroles and onion quiches and the most generous and humble hospitality I’ve ever felt. Lunch was on a mat in the open center courtyard area of a patient’s 600 year old home . Andrea and I, being told to pack a lunch, pulled out our granola bars and Nalgenes and laid them on the mat. Soon, however we felt like fifth graders drooling over our classmates fruit rollups. The nurses had brought “Thali” meals which are basically rice with all of these wonderful curries and pickles and beans that you mix all together and eat with your hands. I think the nurses were tired of our staring and eventually forfeited some bites for us to sample.
In the afternoon we made a home visit to an elderly lady with hypertension. When asked if we could take a pic of her in front of her home with the best backyard view ever, she said yes and then proceeded to spend 20 minutes changing into her very best sari for the photo shoot. Such a beautiful woman. (see photo up top.) With the help of one of the villagers, I also developed a taste for the Indian coconut. The way this deal works is they cut the top off for you and you drink “coconut water” first. Then when you’re done they chop it in half for ya, knock off a little shell for a spoon for the coconut meat. And there you have it. The ultimate two in one beverage snack Lunchable. Greta noticed the shock on our faces at the novelty of this item and when we said we don’t have this at home she questioned, “But then how do you get your coconut water to drink then?” We laughed and explained the scarcity of coconut water in the US.
After tossing out the coconuts we visited the elementary school where I think I maybe said bye 55,000 times to the children who it turns out really like to wave and say bye over and over and over and over and over. We ended the day with a stop by the gypsy village and were serenaded by an elderly gypsy woman hollering a tune that sounded somewhat like an Elvis remake of “This little light of Mine.”
I think that about sums up the best day ever but get excited for the next posting. (also known as Weekend-o-Adventure and puking out bus windows.)
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