Report of 26 Jan 2018

Hello from our sitting room -

The sea is visible, on our balcony table are a couple of drawers [from our dresser] that Scott uses and is to clean out, and I am blogging.  There is a game of cricket on downstairs and the whack of the ball + cheers are occasionally heard. 

Both boys are back to their lives elsewhere and that is good, overall.  We miss them, of course, and I was particularly happy to walk by their room in the mornings and see them asleep: our house, our sons, our family.  We did a lot of talking when they were here and it was - as always - wonderful.  The joy of raising boys - these 2, at any rate - is that all the issues are on the table.  My teenage hormone-laden fights with my parents were silent, dour, lengthy dramas.

Navin returned from Japan last week and we made a quick trip to Madurai so that he could take leave of my Dad and have the spirit of his late Grandmother be with him as he embarked stateside.  We had a good visit; the ladies who help my father's household have seen both our sons as pre-teens and Navin took leave of them as well.  We then attended the wedding of one of Navin's friends; it is always a joy for me to be included in these ceremonies, like one of our own children getting married.  Zaineb married Visvesh, crossing lines of faith and it was a beautiful evening, with good friends, our children's soulmates and excellent food.  Zaineb's parents made sure we felt welcome - very lovely. 

The Banyan is nice.  Vandana, one of the 2 founders, won a prestigious international award - please Google and you will get all the details.  Vandana and Vaishnavi have tirelessly crusaded for the mentally ill and the Banyan will be 25 years old this year.  Vaishnavi now works for disability rights and we are sure that cause will also go far. 

I was back at the B this week after holidays for Pongal.  Navin was leaving on Monday night, so I told the staff to finish accepting patients earlier in the day, and we saw many patients by the time I left at 11.15 AM: staff support was excellent and we clipped through.  As I have said before, patients with high blood pressure only need to be evaluated once a year; at our clinic, these folks come every week.  They are treated with great respect by my colleagues and catch up with each other in the waiting area, as most of them are from Kovalam or nearby villages; thus a little socialising, a little medicining - all good.  Some do come from far away and I am perennially impressed at that. 

I got home to find Navin still asleep :) and then he woke up, and together, we settled a giant mess with his airline ticket.

Private practice is also fine.  It is nice to practise medicine, it is a privilege to be in this profession.

Unw -

R  

Report of 14 Jan 2018

Well, time flies, doesn't it.

I had blogged on New Year's Day, and before you know it, here we are 2 weeks later.

Happy Pongal!  It is the harvest festival today, and we have eaten the customary sweet rice - with jaggery, raisins and cashews - and I have eaten at least 2 sticks of sugarcane.  We hope farmers the world over have a bountiful harvest. 

Naren left on 2 Jan, and Navin spent that week vegging and hanging with friends.  My sister and her family came to town, we met them at a local restaurant.  Then, Navin and I went to Mysore and Coorg.  Coorg is a hill station, my mother was from there.  There was speculation that the Coorgs were descended from Greeks (when Alexander the Great made it to India), and that has since been disproven, apparently.  The Coorgis (or Kodavas) are a good-looking people.  Coffee is grown in Coorg and a whole lot besides - rice, pepper, cardamom.  Oranges and guavas grow wild.  It is a pretty place.  Navin and I visited relatives, he touched feet before leaving; he will start a new job soon and must take everyone's blessings.  We spent the night in Mysore, first having dinner with my cousin Nandu and his family, including his son Ashwin, who has special needs.  Ashwin is unfailingly happy to see my sons and we had a rollicking good time.  We stayed with my aunt, Chitra, who made a phenomenal breakfast the next morning and took us out for lunch.  Then Navin and I took a comfortable day train back to Chennai.

Work has been good.  I had not been at Kovalam's Monday clinic for 3 weeks - from 18 Dec to 8 Jan - and had let all the patients know I would not be there on 25/12 and 1/1.  Otherwise, I would have heard about it from them.  No one is particularly bashful about berating the doctor here, and I like it.  We saw hordes of patients, including one poor lady who's had a stroke and was accompanied by her 9 year old son.  I asked why the son was out of school and both said it was because he had to accompany her to the doctor.  The Nalam worker - a community/village worker, part of a program made possible by Grand Challenges, Canada - was contacted and we made arrangements for someone to check on the patient + accompany her to appointments so that the 9 year old did not have to be primary caregiver. 

Private practice is also therapeutic.  We had a fair number of patients last week, and a memorable one was a 16 year old who had attempted self-harm.  On probing, it turns out that she and siblings are here working, her parents have died and her Grandmother back in the village raised this family.  My heart was yanked out of my chest: when my sons were teenagers, their interests were appropriately video games and such, and here was a teenager, working to support herself and her family.  I referred her to the Banyan and the case manager is following up.  There is nothing like knowing there is a little support for the patient and family to feel a bit stronger.

Naren is well and has company.  Scott and I returned to work 2 weeks ago.  Family Day will soon be celebrated at the Banyan - with biryani and fruit and chocolate, and games and carnival rides for the children of the staff.  It is nice to be at the providing end of this equation.

What have I accomplished in my time in the world - educated some women enough to be of nursing caliber, treated some patients, married a fun young man whom my family loves, bred 2 children who will hopefully never turn their backs on someone in need, and danced and written.  It has been a good life.

Unw -

R  

Report of 1 Jan 2018

Happy New Year!

Time flies, eh?  Here we are at the start of another year.  Both boys are in the house, as is Scott; this is a fine way to ring in the new year.  Naren leaves early tomorrow and Navin will be here for about 3 weeks longer.

The schedule got a bit frenetic the last few weeks, with getting things ready for Christmas and juggling 2 jobs, thus I could not blog.  Navin flew in first, landing on the 21st, and Naren came on the 23rd.  My father came on the 24th morning, then other relatives filtered in.  We hosted the Christmas celebration and that was grand fun: all those available to come did so.  There was very genial conversation, a lot of food and I managed to find the time to exercise, too.  The young people went out to a hookah bar on 25th night - this hookah is a thing, by the looks of it.

Work has been good.  I have tried to fit it in while juggling the paramount want to be home when the boys wake up, make them breakfast, etc.  We saw "Star Wars" together and enjoyed it.  We also visited some dear friends who unfailingly wish the boys well, and those visits made for some great memories.  Then the boys hung out with their own friends, which was fine.  They spent New Year's Eve celebrating with friends, and have stayed with us all day New Year's Day. 

I cannot think of a better way to ring in the New Year.  We wish you good health and abundant happiness in 2018!

Unw,

R and the 3 Weiss men