Report of 2 Jan '09
Happy New Year!!!
May this year bring you good health and everything that makes you happy.
I am in my bedroom, blogging away. I have taken 3 months' leave from the Banyan as Naren and Navin have board exams approaching. It is not at all uncommon for parents here to take leave - coordinating tutors, ensuring that the candidates' focus is not wavering, supplying nutrition and nourishment, being available to commiserate, all these are de rigeur. So here I am. Do I think my career is going to suffer for this time that I have taken to raise the kids? Certainly not - finances have suffered, but the heck with that. Where else will I get the time to listen to these chaps talk, tell me about their day and life, hug and be hugged? Why would I miss our narration of respective lists of 5 favorite songs ever, when Navin mentioned that his list contained one of his brother's band's original songs? Quel moment - that was magnificent.
So I am home, but the patients are a-coming. One of my friends from Madurai was in town, and ended up feeling unwell, so made a beeline for my house. I checked her blood pressure (bp), found that it was high, and heard from her husband that she had reduced her bp medicines of her own volition. We had a long discussion of the need to take meds as prescribed (patient "adherence"), the ills of high blood pressure, and then we concluded the visit. She stated she felt reassured at the end of the visit, and I was happy to hear that. I am always surprised when patients get effusive in their thanks, as I am just doing my job, pretty much as a Wal-mart greeter would.
Our neighbor's maid is extremely poor and educating her daughters with piranha-like tenacity. As I climbed the stairs to our flat today, the older daughter, Ms. E, was sitting outside her mother's employer's flat and stopped me and asked if I could teach her English. I admired her boldness and her desire to learn, and we will probably set up weekend sessions as time allows. When an impoverished woman wants to improve her lot in life by educating herself, that is right in my scheme of things that I want to assist with.
I'd better wind up. New Year's Eve was spent going to bed early, and NY day was spent with the fam eating junk and watching "Primal Fear" and "Sling Blade" - both gifts to my movie buff boys.
Unw, may your blessings be as rich as mine -
R
May this year bring you good health and everything that makes you happy.
I am in my bedroom, blogging away. I have taken 3 months' leave from the Banyan as Naren and Navin have board exams approaching. It is not at all uncommon for parents here to take leave - coordinating tutors, ensuring that the candidates' focus is not wavering, supplying nutrition and nourishment, being available to commiserate, all these are de rigeur. So here I am. Do I think my career is going to suffer for this time that I have taken to raise the kids? Certainly not - finances have suffered, but the heck with that. Where else will I get the time to listen to these chaps talk, tell me about their day and life, hug and be hugged? Why would I miss our narration of respective lists of 5 favorite songs ever, when Navin mentioned that his list contained one of his brother's band's original songs? Quel moment - that was magnificent.
So I am home, but the patients are a-coming. One of my friends from Madurai was in town, and ended up feeling unwell, so made a beeline for my house. I checked her blood pressure (bp), found that it was high, and heard from her husband that she had reduced her bp medicines of her own volition. We had a long discussion of the need to take meds as prescribed (patient "adherence"), the ills of high blood pressure, and then we concluded the visit. She stated she felt reassured at the end of the visit, and I was happy to hear that. I am always surprised when patients get effusive in their thanks, as I am just doing my job, pretty much as a Wal-mart greeter would.
Our neighbor's maid is extremely poor and educating her daughters with piranha-like tenacity. As I climbed the stairs to our flat today, the older daughter, Ms. E, was sitting outside her mother's employer's flat and stopped me and asked if I could teach her English. I admired her boldness and her desire to learn, and we will probably set up weekend sessions as time allows. When an impoverished woman wants to improve her lot in life by educating herself, that is right in my scheme of things that I want to assist with.
I'd better wind up. New Year's Eve was spent going to bed early, and NY day was spent with the fam eating junk and watching "Primal Fear" and "Sling Blade" - both gifts to my movie buff boys.
Unw, may your blessings be as rich as mine -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
7:00 AM
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