Report of 4 Mar 2007
Hello from sunny Chennai -
Our floor mats have been washed and are drying on the balcony, Scott is taking a nap on the couch, Navin is quizzing Naren in history (his exam tomorrow) and we have returned after a big b'fast outside. Sausages and eggs and fruit and juice - yummy. Staggeringly expensive, but you know, ek din ka sultan (king for a day), as my mother would say. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet and the men are fiscally responsible in their gorging - omelettes, donuts, meat. I eat muesli and yogurt and fruit, and am hungry an hour later.
The patience of the boiling tea kettle strikes again. The blog site is taking forever to come up and I can't sit there and wait.
I had to go the B briefly yesterday and welcomed it. We are hiring a new doctor, as one of our prior ones has quit - mutually agreed-upon decision. I did stay and see some patients at our new facility, which has high-functioning residents. It was a pretty quick affair w/ referrals to dentists and OB's, and I then stayed for a massage. I was happy to hear that Ms. M reached her relatives in Kolkata: sometimes the address given to us is a bus route or "a house near a lamppost in X town." This time, the address panned out and Poornima, one of the social workers who went on the "Rehab" (sending patients home) trip, said that there were copious tears all around at the reunion w/ Ms. M. On my way home in the B's transport, we saw a destitute man having a seizure on the road; there is little to do for a seizure (first-aid wise) other than wait it out, and I called our Helpline to go pick him up. Male patients are then taken to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), and evaluated to see if they have a mental illness. Our team couldn't locate the man by the time they reached, so apparently he got better.
Vandana is sending me to Delhi to be a resource person at a conference organised by the National Human Rights Commission, to run a session on "Homeless mentally ill women." It is amusing to be chosen, as I have always been convinced I have ADD, and to sit and listen to someone else speak always causes me to switch off, and my thoughts head homewards. This time, I am to speak, listen to comments from an expert panel, and then summarise. Yikes. All suggestions welcome, including the most important - how to stay attentive and not wonder about whether Navin took sathukudi (an orange-like fruit) w/ lunch and if Naren ate his pasta.
The veg market had some cases of gastroenteritis today, including the Tomato Lady's husband. I prescribed a tablet for amoebiasis, and told them about the importance of washing hands w/ soap. They looked like it was a novel idea, telling me clearly why our disease levels (esp w/ restaurant food and water) are where they are in my beloved country. The tomato lady was extremely upset at the fact that her husband was ill, and I assured her it would pass.
Tutoring went fine and we were not as short-handed. My poor student had to finish washing dishes at home before she could come and came running in at 5.37 PM (the session goes from 5 to 6 PM). This is the bane of many a girl child in India - she must do chores first before she has a prayer at lessons. Poor things. How fortunate was I to grow up in a house where I could study when/if I wanted.
Naren's exams are in full swing and they appear to have gone ok. Thank you all for the good wishes. His best ones are done - Art and English. He finishes on 26 March and is counting the days, and his money, making plans for later merriment.
Unw -
R
Our floor mats have been washed and are drying on the balcony, Scott is taking a nap on the couch, Navin is quizzing Naren in history (his exam tomorrow) and we have returned after a big b'fast outside. Sausages and eggs and fruit and juice - yummy. Staggeringly expensive, but you know, ek din ka sultan (king for a day), as my mother would say. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet and the men are fiscally responsible in their gorging - omelettes, donuts, meat. I eat muesli and yogurt and fruit, and am hungry an hour later.
The patience of the boiling tea kettle strikes again. The blog site is taking forever to come up and I can't sit there and wait.
I had to go the B briefly yesterday and welcomed it. We are hiring a new doctor, as one of our prior ones has quit - mutually agreed-upon decision. I did stay and see some patients at our new facility, which has high-functioning residents. It was a pretty quick affair w/ referrals to dentists and OB's, and I then stayed for a massage. I was happy to hear that Ms. M reached her relatives in Kolkata: sometimes the address given to us is a bus route or "a house near a lamppost in X town." This time, the address panned out and Poornima, one of the social workers who went on the "Rehab" (sending patients home) trip, said that there were copious tears all around at the reunion w/ Ms. M. On my way home in the B's transport, we saw a destitute man having a seizure on the road; there is little to do for a seizure (first-aid wise) other than wait it out, and I called our Helpline to go pick him up. Male patients are then taken to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), and evaluated to see if they have a mental illness. Our team couldn't locate the man by the time they reached, so apparently he got better.
Vandana is sending me to Delhi to be a resource person at a conference organised by the National Human Rights Commission, to run a session on "Homeless mentally ill women." It is amusing to be chosen, as I have always been convinced I have ADD, and to sit and listen to someone else speak always causes me to switch off, and my thoughts head homewards. This time, I am to speak, listen to comments from an expert panel, and then summarise. Yikes. All suggestions welcome, including the most important - how to stay attentive and not wonder about whether Navin took sathukudi (an orange-like fruit) w/ lunch and if Naren ate his pasta.
The veg market had some cases of gastroenteritis today, including the Tomato Lady's husband. I prescribed a tablet for amoebiasis, and told them about the importance of washing hands w/ soap. They looked like it was a novel idea, telling me clearly why our disease levels (esp w/ restaurant food and water) are where they are in my beloved country. The tomato lady was extremely upset at the fact that her husband was ill, and I assured her it would pass.
Tutoring went fine and we were not as short-handed. My poor student had to finish washing dishes at home before she could come and came running in at 5.37 PM (the session goes from 5 to 6 PM). This is the bane of many a girl child in India - she must do chores first before she has a prayer at lessons. Poor things. How fortunate was I to grow up in a house where I could study when/if I wanted.
Naren's exams are in full swing and they appear to have gone ok. Thank you all for the good wishes. His best ones are done - Art and English. He finishes on 26 March and is counting the days, and his money, making plans for later merriment.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
12:55 AM
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