Report of 17 Apr '05
Ribs and cheesecake for b'fast - welcome to Texas! Once I saw a bumper sticker - Indian by birth, American by choice, Texan by the grace of God. Yee haa!
We left India last week, flew into Chicago and were most considerately met by Colleen, our friend, who drove us to her home in Carmel, Indiana. After a lovely evening unwinding, and the boys hurriedly catching up w/ their friends in Carmel, we turned in. I left for San Fran on Tuesday, got to the hotel room graciously shared by my friend, Olivia, and slept. The conference of the American College of Physicians was over the next 4 days, and there were some excellent teaching sessions. I saw my former staff physician, Dr. Mark Henderson, who taught a session in his usual very clear manner. I also saw a couple of classmates from med school - Mikeanne and Carla - and it was good to catch up w/ them. The conf was made that much more bearable by Olivia's sweatshirt, which she thoughtfully lent me, when she saw I was freezing some body parts off and that my sweatshirt was woefully inadequate. We also saw some of the sights in SF, not new to either of us, but fun nonetheless, and more so due to Olivia's gentle presence and Texas-sized sense of humor.
There was a session on diabetes, which had the remarkable observation that 65% of Americans are overweight. Think about that - 65%!!!! The speaker endorsed lifestyle changes (such as walking and sugar and salt restriction, the latter to control blood pressure), which I have had success with in my patients, because many of them simply cannot afford the alternative - medicines. I spoke of my experience w/ it in my chosen clientele, and some people came up later and discussed it w/ me - it was a lively interchange and I liked it.
I took a "red-eye" to Houston and got to the home of Sharon and Keith Braxton, friends of many years. They had organised a large dinner, and gathered a crowd to hear of my work. The food was fabulous and Sharon and Keith outdid themselves in making me feel welcome. It was nice to speak of my work and all the pics of the Banyan and my life in India did cause a little homesickness. The Braxtons' friends were extremely nice and also engaged me in discussion, much of which convinced me that the essence of humanity is universal - not American, not Indian, not Martian. We have similar characteristics, do we not - worries about our children, a corner for the poor, a sense of humor which is vital for survival.
My friend Tori will get me today and I will spend an evening w/ her and her family. I sure appreciate that opportunity. Tho' my first few days in the U.S. were unsettling, w/ the unexpected cold, homesickness and missing Scott, causing me to want to catch the next plane home, the innate goodness and kindness of folks in the U.S. is causing me to have a renewed appreciation for the people here. Tori and her family exemplify this nicely.
More soon.
We left India last week, flew into Chicago and were most considerately met by Colleen, our friend, who drove us to her home in Carmel, Indiana. After a lovely evening unwinding, and the boys hurriedly catching up w/ their friends in Carmel, we turned in. I left for San Fran on Tuesday, got to the hotel room graciously shared by my friend, Olivia, and slept. The conference of the American College of Physicians was over the next 4 days, and there were some excellent teaching sessions. I saw my former staff physician, Dr. Mark Henderson, who taught a session in his usual very clear manner. I also saw a couple of classmates from med school - Mikeanne and Carla - and it was good to catch up w/ them. The conf was made that much more bearable by Olivia's sweatshirt, which she thoughtfully lent me, when she saw I was freezing some body parts off and that my sweatshirt was woefully inadequate. We also saw some of the sights in SF, not new to either of us, but fun nonetheless, and more so due to Olivia's gentle presence and Texas-sized sense of humor.
There was a session on diabetes, which had the remarkable observation that 65% of Americans are overweight. Think about that - 65%!!!! The speaker endorsed lifestyle changes (such as walking and sugar and salt restriction, the latter to control blood pressure), which I have had success with in my patients, because many of them simply cannot afford the alternative - medicines. I spoke of my experience w/ it in my chosen clientele, and some people came up later and discussed it w/ me - it was a lively interchange and I liked it.
I took a "red-eye" to Houston and got to the home of Sharon and Keith Braxton, friends of many years. They had organised a large dinner, and gathered a crowd to hear of my work. The food was fabulous and Sharon and Keith outdid themselves in making me feel welcome. It was nice to speak of my work and all the pics of the Banyan and my life in India did cause a little homesickness. The Braxtons' friends were extremely nice and also engaged me in discussion, much of which convinced me that the essence of humanity is universal - not American, not Indian, not Martian. We have similar characteristics, do we not - worries about our children, a corner for the poor, a sense of humor which is vital for survival.
My friend Tori will get me today and I will spend an evening w/ her and her family. I sure appreciate that opportunity. Tho' my first few days in the U.S. were unsettling, w/ the unexpected cold, homesickness and missing Scott, causing me to want to catch the next plane home, the innate goodness and kindness of folks in the U.S. is causing me to have a renewed appreciation for the people here. Tori and her family exemplify this nicely.
More soon.
posted by Renu Weiss at
9:49 PM
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