Alright, so in this post, I'm going to try to give you all a brief introduction to CMC or the Christian Medical College of Vellore, which is the institution where I will be conducting the bulk of my research, the city of Vellore, and what my first week here was like.
CMC is (copying from their website) 2234 bed, multi-specialty, tertiary care teaching hospital, which is made up of a vital, diverse, and inter-denominational community. CMC Vellore affirms a shared commitment to the 'whole person' in the spirit of Christ, to the pursuit of professional excellence and the care of those who are disadvantaged, disabled and marginalized. This university and hospital has been consistently ranked as the number one or number two medical school in all of India, so I feel greatly privileged to be working here. There is so much that I could say about this place, but I feel like the work that they do is exemplified by the teeming masses of people that I pass by each day. Exhibiting what seems to be endless reserves of patience, hundreds, if not thousands, of patients sit or stand or lie waiting to be seen by a physician. And the physicians work as hard as possible so that every patient is treated to the best of their ability. They are faced daily by a shortage of resources, frequent power cuts, and various other obstacles and still this hospital is able to provide world-class care and undertake state of the art procedures. It is amazing...
Vellore, the city in which I am now living, is (again copying) the headquarters of Vellore District in Tamil Nadu, one of the southernmost states of India. The population of the town and it environs is about 300,000 and it serves as a marketing centre for a fairly prosperous agricultural area. The streets are lined with small shops and crowded with people, cyclists, cars, buses, lorries and livestock. Literally. The people here are made up of all religions, including Hindu, Christian, and Muslim and daily live side by side. After reading from several sources that Vellore is a small city, I had a somewhat romanticized view of what I would find here. That viewed shifted within the first 30 seconds of being in Vellore. I don't know if I have the words to describe what life here is like, but it is chaotic and vibrant and loud and ever changing and basically every other adjective that you can think of.
And on my second day, I had to brave it all. I live at the CMC campus in Bagayam, which is about 7 km from the main hospital. My second morning in Vellore, I took a bus to the hospital, navigated my way to the canteen, and with a stroke of luck, found the office of Dr. Dilip Mathai, my advisor. Thankfully, I was helped along the way by a friendly Tanzanian physician, Peter, who is also here at CMC to study and work. The day was consumed by meeting with research associated, Dr. Dilip, Dr. K.R. John, several DOTS clinic nurses, and quite a few other members of the CMC community. After a few hours, it all began blurring together. But one key to getting anything done here (and everywhere) is knowing the right people, so making connections from the very beginning is very important.
After that beginning, it became clear that getting my project off the ground was going to be a lot of work and was going to take some time (I'm still working on it). My first day was a Thursday. Friday was similar, filled with lots of meetings and discussions and just some familiarization with campus and the hospital. I spent the weekend relaxing on campus and just trying to adjust to the fact that I was really in India. It was still sinking in at that point.
The next week, I began working in earnest. I collaborated with several medical students on a presentation on TB/HIV coinfection, had a tour of the microbiology department where I hope to be working, and started hammering out some details of my own research. By Friday, it was clear that I will be conducting two studies (which I'll say more about in another post). The first will be an examination of case management and the social impacts of drug resistant tuberculosis. The second will be an analysis of the accuracy of a new diagnostic tool in possible pediatric TB cases. I'm excited about both, but like I said, I'm still in the very beginning stages.
Some highlights of the week were: Going to Darling Residency, a hotel in Vellore, for dinner in the rooftop restaurant with the other international students. I've already met people from several countries...this is going to be a truly international experience. Spending time in the market, experiencing the market when the power went out, and buying an Indian cell phone, which allowed me to call home for the first time! And, moving into my new room in a building called Big Bungalow Annex. First impressions were somewhat negative, but it has definitely grown on me! Oh, and the food (most of it anyway) is wonderful here! No problems yet and I have enjoyed everything that I have tried. It is a common occurrence for me to order a meal and have absolutely no idea what it is, but that is all just part of the fun!
Well, that was my first week...
While I am sitting here, I just have to mention something that happened this afternoon. Sitting on the town bus, headed back to campus, the woman next to me started up a conversation. We chatted for some time and were actually able to learn quite a bit about each other. She was interested in where I was from, what I was doing in Vellore and how long I'd be there, my family and if I liked the food (a common question) and basically just things about me. Just before I got off the bus, she turns to me and says, "Well, I live at the next stop and you should come to my house for dinner sometime. And if you ever need anything or any help, just come by." She gave me directions and we parted ways. But this experience is something so typical of the people that I have met so far. Even if they have very little, they are completely willing to share it with you. They are interested in your life and especially in helping you become a member of the community. It is really an incredible show of kindness and one which you would not frequently encounter in the U.S. I hope that I do see her, Ipsy, again and I hope that we do have a meal together... Her kindness in this one short conversation had a huge impact on my day and again renewed my belief that I really can live and thrive here for nine months.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Orientation in New Delhi
So, this is the first of several "catch up" posts that I'll be writing in the next few days. Hopefully, by the end of the week I'll be up to the present! Basically, I have now been living and learning in India for over three weeks and I have a lot to report from that short time. I'll start from the very beginning.
On August 15th, I left my family and my home to begin my journey to India. Saying goodbye to my parents and sisters in the airport was tough. It was especially hard to walk down the line to security and to see them standing outside the barriers. I had this insane urge to just leap over the people in my way and turn back before even beginning. Luckily, I suppressed this urge, but it was close... Once my emotions had calmed somewhat, I was able to begin really processing what I was doing. It is amazing that although I had been thinking about going to India since August of 2008, it wasn't until I was in the airport, departing, that what I was doing truly struck me. The mind is a funny thing. As reality hit, I was filled not only with fear, but also with a great deal of excitement. Like I said, I'd been thinking about this journey for more than a year and to finally begin was exhilarating. Although the actual physical trip to India was definitely not exhilarating!
From Denver, I hopped a three hour flight to Chicago where I had a five hour layover. In Chicago, I ran into two other Fulbrighters headed to India and it was a great feeling to no longer be completely alone. We boarded a 777 and began a 14 hour flight to New Delhi. Despite being somewhat of a nervous flier, the flight wasn't bad. Decent food, free movies, and an empty seat next to me all helped improve the atmosphere. We finally arrived in Delhi at about 10 p.m., fetched our luggage, met the Fulbright welcoming group, and headed to our hotel. It turned out that there were actually 7 Fulbrights on the flight, most of whom I hadn't met.
My Fulbright experience began with a whirlwind two day orientation program in New Delhi. After a few hours of sleep, we spent the day engaged in meetings and sessions all meant to help us transition to Indian living. We were also privileged to meet the new Indian Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao. She spoke with us about India's foreign relations and showed a lot of interest in our projects. It really was an honor that she made time in her busy schedule to meet with us. The day was packed and by the time our first break rolled around at 5:30, we were all on the verge of collapse. But, we only had about two hours off and then it was back to the Fulbright House for a beautiful welcoming dinner. Despite our exhaustion, the sessions and the dinner really were worth it.
Day two began early and was again packed with informational meetings. The most impressive was one with a professor who came to discuss doing research in India. He had actually read all 45 proposals and prepared contacts and information and advice for each person. Sadly, he knows very little about the medical field, so he didn't have too much for me, but it was still incredible the amount of time that he must have spent preparing.
Well, orientation ended and I raced back to the hotel, packed my things, and hopped in a taxi with two others who were also headed for Chennai. Nothing very exciting to report from this leg of the journey... Basically, I took a three hour flight to Chennai, spent one night in a hotel, and then had a two hour taxi journey to Vellore. I arrived around mid-day, was welcomed into my room (a temporary home for about a week), and collapsed. I think I slept on and off almost the entire day, which was desperately needed. In the midst of a somewhat sleep deprived haze, it struck me that I was actually, finally there. I was in Vellore, the travels were over and everything was really beginning. I could hardly believe it...
On August 15th, I left my family and my home to begin my journey to India. Saying goodbye to my parents and sisters in the airport was tough. It was especially hard to walk down the line to security and to see them standing outside the barriers. I had this insane urge to just leap over the people in my way and turn back before even beginning. Luckily, I suppressed this urge, but it was close... Once my emotions had calmed somewhat, I was able to begin really processing what I was doing. It is amazing that although I had been thinking about going to India since August of 2008, it wasn't until I was in the airport, departing, that what I was doing truly struck me. The mind is a funny thing. As reality hit, I was filled not only with fear, but also with a great deal of excitement. Like I said, I'd been thinking about this journey for more than a year and to finally begin was exhilarating. Although the actual physical trip to India was definitely not exhilarating!
From Denver, I hopped a three hour flight to Chicago where I had a five hour layover. In Chicago, I ran into two other Fulbrighters headed to India and it was a great feeling to no longer be completely alone. We boarded a 777 and began a 14 hour flight to New Delhi. Despite being somewhat of a nervous flier, the flight wasn't bad. Decent food, free movies, and an empty seat next to me all helped improve the atmosphere. We finally arrived in Delhi at about 10 p.m., fetched our luggage, met the Fulbright welcoming group, and headed to our hotel. It turned out that there were actually 7 Fulbrights on the flight, most of whom I hadn't met.
My Fulbright experience began with a whirlwind two day orientation program in New Delhi. After a few hours of sleep, we spent the day engaged in meetings and sessions all meant to help us transition to Indian living. We were also privileged to meet the new Indian Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao. She spoke with us about India's foreign relations and showed a lot of interest in our projects. It really was an honor that she made time in her busy schedule to meet with us. The day was packed and by the time our first break rolled around at 5:30, we were all on the verge of collapse. But, we only had about two hours off and then it was back to the Fulbright House for a beautiful welcoming dinner. Despite our exhaustion, the sessions and the dinner really were worth it.
Day two began early and was again packed with informational meetings. The most impressive was one with a professor who came to discuss doing research in India. He had actually read all 45 proposals and prepared contacts and information and advice for each person. Sadly, he knows very little about the medical field, so he didn't have too much for me, but it was still incredible the amount of time that he must have spent preparing.
Well, orientation ended and I raced back to the hotel, packed my things, and hopped in a taxi with two others who were also headed for Chennai. Nothing very exciting to report from this leg of the journey... Basically, I took a three hour flight to Chennai, spent one night in a hotel, and then had a two hour taxi journey to Vellore. I arrived around mid-day, was welcomed into my room (a temporary home for about a week), and collapsed. I think I slept on and off almost the entire day, which was desperately needed. In the midst of a somewhat sleep deprived haze, it struck me that I was actually, finally there. I was in Vellore, the travels were over and everything was really beginning. I could hardly believe it...
Monday, September 7, 2009
Better Late Than Never
Vannakum (Hello in Tamil),
I have finally gotten around to setting up this blog now that I have been in India for over three weeks! But as I say in the title of this post, better late than never. Hopefully, I will be able to update frequently and keep everyone informed about my journey, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, over the next nine months.
As I'm sure that many of you who will read this know, I will be spending nine months in India on a Fulbright Scholarship. The goal of the Fulbright is to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. And they go about doing this by sending American students and Professors all over the world to conduct research, to teach, and to experience the lifestyles and cultures of places near and far. The purpose of my nine months in India has several facets, but there are three that I hope to concentrate on. The first is the reason why I received this scholarship...to conduct research on tuberculosis at Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. CMC is one of the premiere hospitals and medical schools in all of India and I am privileged to work and live here. Interacting with the physicians and students here and experiencing first-hand how a non-American medical system functions is going to be an incredible experience.
Secondly, I want to truly experience the Indian way of life. My hope is that I will be able to break away from my comfort zone and enmesh myself in Indian culture. I know that I will never be able to completely fit in, as I am separated by barriers of appearance and language and background, but I don't want to be a stereotypical tourist either. I think that I will gain the most benefit from simply living here, without restrictions and without judgement. Although I have already found this a challenging task in many ways, in three short weeks I have already reaped the benefits of this policy as well. And I still have a long way to go before I am able to be completely accepting and to fully let go of my fears and doubts.
Finally, I hope to travel... And I have already leapt into working on this goal! Vellore is an incredible city to be in because it is truly Indian. Apart from a few other international students at CMC, there are no foreigners in Vellore. It is not a commonly traveled stop for tourists (it isn't even listed in the Rough Guide to India) and so life here is still very Indian. For example, there is not even one Western restaurant to be found...at least not one that I've spotted. I suppose there could be some hiding somewhere. I'll have to keep exploring. But because Vellore is so small, it also presents only one small piece of the whole huge, complex, and intricate puzzle that is India. Over the course of the next nine months, I want to push myself to visit and witness as many pieces of India as I possibly can.
Since I am so late in getting this blog set up, I have three weeks of information to share with all of you! Over the next few days, I am going to post some emails and journal entries detailing my experiences thus far and try to get caught up. I'll also try to put up a post with more details about CMC, Vellore, my research, what daily life in Vellore is like, and some of the every day things about Indian life that have really struck a chord with me.
This is the furthest away that I have ever been from my family and it is the biggest adventure that I have ever undertaken. I am often filled with fear of the unknown and sometimes think about how easy it would be to just give in and come home to where I know that I am safe and loved and where I fit in. I don't think I thought about what it would be like to live in a place where when you walk down the street everyone knows that you don't truly belong. It is something of a hard transition, but despite that I am already falling in love with India. But as I make this transition, I would love to hear from all of my friends and family back home! Keep me updated about your lives and adventures as I tell you all about mine! You are all always in my thoughts...
I think I'll end this first post with a quote that I wear around my wrist and that came from the man recognized by most as the founder of India, Mahatma Gandhi:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
With this journey I am trying to be and do, rather than simply watch. I hope that in some small way I can live up to these famous words.
I have finally gotten around to setting up this blog now that I have been in India for over three weeks! But as I say in the title of this post, better late than never. Hopefully, I will be able to update frequently and keep everyone informed about my journey, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, over the next nine months.
As I'm sure that many of you who will read this know, I will be spending nine months in India on a Fulbright Scholarship. The goal of the Fulbright is to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. And they go about doing this by sending American students and Professors all over the world to conduct research, to teach, and to experience the lifestyles and cultures of places near and far. The purpose of my nine months in India has several facets, but there are three that I hope to concentrate on. The first is the reason why I received this scholarship...to conduct research on tuberculosis at Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. CMC is one of the premiere hospitals and medical schools in all of India and I am privileged to work and live here. Interacting with the physicians and students here and experiencing first-hand how a non-American medical system functions is going to be an incredible experience.
Secondly, I want to truly experience the Indian way of life. My hope is that I will be able to break away from my comfort zone and enmesh myself in Indian culture. I know that I will never be able to completely fit in, as I am separated by barriers of appearance and language and background, but I don't want to be a stereotypical tourist either. I think that I will gain the most benefit from simply living here, without restrictions and without judgement. Although I have already found this a challenging task in many ways, in three short weeks I have already reaped the benefits of this policy as well. And I still have a long way to go before I am able to be completely accepting and to fully let go of my fears and doubts.
Finally, I hope to travel... And I have already leapt into working on this goal! Vellore is an incredible city to be in because it is truly Indian. Apart from a few other international students at CMC, there are no foreigners in Vellore. It is not a commonly traveled stop for tourists (it isn't even listed in the Rough Guide to India) and so life here is still very Indian. For example, there is not even one Western restaurant to be found...at least not one that I've spotted. I suppose there could be some hiding somewhere. I'll have to keep exploring. But because Vellore is so small, it also presents only one small piece of the whole huge, complex, and intricate puzzle that is India. Over the course of the next nine months, I want to push myself to visit and witness as many pieces of India as I possibly can.
Since I am so late in getting this blog set up, I have three weeks of information to share with all of you! Over the next few days, I am going to post some emails and journal entries detailing my experiences thus far and try to get caught up. I'll also try to put up a post with more details about CMC, Vellore, my research, what daily life in Vellore is like, and some of the every day things about Indian life that have really struck a chord with me.
This is the furthest away that I have ever been from my family and it is the biggest adventure that I have ever undertaken. I am often filled with fear of the unknown and sometimes think about how easy it would be to just give in and come home to where I know that I am safe and loved and where I fit in. I don't think I thought about what it would be like to live in a place where when you walk down the street everyone knows that you don't truly belong. It is something of a hard transition, but despite that I am already falling in love with India. But as I make this transition, I would love to hear from all of my friends and family back home! Keep me updated about your lives and adventures as I tell you all about mine! You are all always in my thoughts...
I think I'll end this first post with a quote that I wear around my wrist and that came from the man recognized by most as the founder of India, Mahatma Gandhi:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
With this journey I am trying to be and do, rather than simply watch. I hope that in some small way I can live up to these famous words.
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