Report of 20 Aug '06
Hello from Chennai!
It's a balmy 90-something, I think, the laundry has dried on our balcony, Naren is cramming math for an exam tomorrow, Scott is near him grading Spanish, Navin is at a Book Club meeting and soon we will have some rice and curry for lunch, accompanied by ginger pickle (a spicy relish) that I bought yesterday.
The flight was uneventful, the best attribute of a flight. I'd stashed my deodorant, perfume, toothpaste, etc., in my checked-in luggage and I landed a tad stinky but happy. Security did not stop to question me, and no one anywhere asked to see my green card on departure. Immigration procedures on departure appear non-existent (in fact, they appear to be left to individual airlines), and I am a bit surprised at this. Scott was working Sudoku when I exited Chennai airport and missed my exit completely, but he's easy to spot (6'3" and white, in a country where there are many short brown people) and we got home quickly.
Last Sunday, I moved out of the Simons' home back to the Tabers' place. It was nice to be there and I spent a ton of time packing (and throwing). There was still chocolate to lug (this is heavy!) and books to pack (also heavy), but we managed. Colleen Taber was kind enough to drive me to Chicago, and we ate a junk food b'fast en route - very tasty.
I was privileged to get in a couple of valued interactions before I left: Ruth Ranalletta, Boni Hypes and Tamela Horkay (all of whom worked/work in Medical Education at St. V) took me out for dinner on Monday. It was fun, and esp good to talk of the process of getting re-used to the U.S. after being in India, etc. These ladies are warm-hearted folks, and Tami has also given me clothes for my fatherless niece, Sanjana. Sanjana is rather well-dressed thanks to Tami, and other friends w/ young daughters, like Anita Sigler. I also managed to see Kris Rea and her toddler daughter, Isabella. I spent a month at Kris's place in June, and it was nice to be back there. One of the attributes I really value in Kris is her straightforward speech and manner, and we sat gabbing of many things, which was memorable. I also spoke of my work in India at Citizens and it was nice; the Citizens crowd is very interactive, and when I speak of the atrocities my patients have often had to endure, there are usually chants of "Shuuuut up," and "You'rrrrre kidding me." This makes things very lively. There was also a meal and a farewell cake, and I left Citizens on the 16th.
Perhaps next week, I'll write of patients I saw at Citizens before I left. One of them, Ms. F, had come to me after hurting her back at work at daycare. I treated her, she got better, and then returned to me stating that her bosses made her climb stairs (which made her back pain worse), and the story didn't completely jell. The insurance adjuster got involved, asked for documents, saw that I'd noted her back was not tender on subsequent exams, and called to speak to me. I told her what the patient had told me, she mentioned that the story was different from the employer's viewpoint, and then an independent adjudicator, Anastacia, also got involved. She came to see me, and I liked her on sight. We spoke to the patient together, though I'd fired her from the clinic by then (her story to me that her bosses had made her climb stairs was a lie, and I don't like my patients lying to me about health issues). As it turned out, the patient had elected to climb the stairs as she apparently had felt better. Sigh. There was compensation involved, as the injury had happened at work, and I imagine a subsequent "injury" also qualified. I was really livid, and ended up raising my voice w/ the patient, as I work in a country where one earns nothing if one is disabled, and my patients claw at the walls to stay healthy. Thank goodness for Ms. Hilda, our Spanish liaison, who stayed calm and composed, and educated the patient that her actions reflected poorly on herself and the entire Hispanic community.
Ok, see you next week. My stomach's rumbling and I'm off to eat some rice and ginger pickle.
Unw -
R
It's a balmy 90-something, I think, the laundry has dried on our balcony, Naren is cramming math for an exam tomorrow, Scott is near him grading Spanish, Navin is at a Book Club meeting and soon we will have some rice and curry for lunch, accompanied by ginger pickle (a spicy relish) that I bought yesterday.
The flight was uneventful, the best attribute of a flight. I'd stashed my deodorant, perfume, toothpaste, etc., in my checked-in luggage and I landed a tad stinky but happy. Security did not stop to question me, and no one anywhere asked to see my green card on departure. Immigration procedures on departure appear non-existent (in fact, they appear to be left to individual airlines), and I am a bit surprised at this. Scott was working Sudoku when I exited Chennai airport and missed my exit completely, but he's easy to spot (6'3" and white, in a country where there are many short brown people) and we got home quickly.
Last Sunday, I moved out of the Simons' home back to the Tabers' place. It was nice to be there and I spent a ton of time packing (and throwing). There was still chocolate to lug (this is heavy!) and books to pack (also heavy), but we managed. Colleen Taber was kind enough to drive me to Chicago, and we ate a junk food b'fast en route - very tasty.
I was privileged to get in a couple of valued interactions before I left: Ruth Ranalletta, Boni Hypes and Tamela Horkay (all of whom worked/work in Medical Education at St. V) took me out for dinner on Monday. It was fun, and esp good to talk of the process of getting re-used to the U.S. after being in India, etc. These ladies are warm-hearted folks, and Tami has also given me clothes for my fatherless niece, Sanjana. Sanjana is rather well-dressed thanks to Tami, and other friends w/ young daughters, like Anita Sigler. I also managed to see Kris Rea and her toddler daughter, Isabella. I spent a month at Kris's place in June, and it was nice to be back there. One of the attributes I really value in Kris is her straightforward speech and manner, and we sat gabbing of many things, which was memorable. I also spoke of my work in India at Citizens and it was nice; the Citizens crowd is very interactive, and when I speak of the atrocities my patients have often had to endure, there are usually chants of "Shuuuut up," and "You'rrrrre kidding me." This makes things very lively. There was also a meal and a farewell cake, and I left Citizens on the 16th.
Perhaps next week, I'll write of patients I saw at Citizens before I left. One of them, Ms. F, had come to me after hurting her back at work at daycare. I treated her, she got better, and then returned to me stating that her bosses made her climb stairs (which made her back pain worse), and the story didn't completely jell. The insurance adjuster got involved, asked for documents, saw that I'd noted her back was not tender on subsequent exams, and called to speak to me. I told her what the patient had told me, she mentioned that the story was different from the employer's viewpoint, and then an independent adjudicator, Anastacia, also got involved. She came to see me, and I liked her on sight. We spoke to the patient together, though I'd fired her from the clinic by then (her story to me that her bosses had made her climb stairs was a lie, and I don't like my patients lying to me about health issues). As it turned out, the patient had elected to climb the stairs as she apparently had felt better. Sigh. There was compensation involved, as the injury had happened at work, and I imagine a subsequent "injury" also qualified. I was really livid, and ended up raising my voice w/ the patient, as I work in a country where one earns nothing if one is disabled, and my patients claw at the walls to stay healthy. Thank goodness for Ms. Hilda, our Spanish liaison, who stayed calm and composed, and educated the patient that her actions reflected poorly on herself and the entire Hispanic community.
Ok, see you next week. My stomach's rumbling and I'm off to eat some rice and ginger pickle.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
11:26 PM
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