The Dirty Details-- UPDATED

This experience is unique from most of my travels because there is so much to tell and explain, but there is also a lot that I take for granted. Being here is not NEW to me. When I was in Spain I wrote about every Cafe-con Leche and european plaza I saw. Here, I take the cafe-con-leche for granted. I'll walk you through a day so you get a picutre! Ok, so up until a few days ago I was sleeping on the rooftop terrace (now for fear of rain I sleep downstairs in Daxa Auntie's room). Everynight I would take my futon-like matress upstairs and a fan to ward off mosqitoes. I would usually wake up a little after sunrise (6, 6:30) and go down and make my breakfast. Unfortunately here it's like europe. They don't eat much in the morning. I have resorted to biscuts and milk with Bournvita (similar to ovaltine). Daxa auntie would usually wake up an hour or so later. We'd get ready and go to the clinic. The first few weeks I was out doing the surveys I mentioned before. Did I mention our findings? I will next time if I haven't already. I was working with two other guys, Sharad and Vinnay. I think Sharad is around 30 and Vinnay is 25. They're both older, but within my age range enough that we've become friends. They spent most of the day teasing me and I spent most of the day thinking of as many clever responses as I could in Gujarati.

By week three I was starting to get antsy and annoyed. I was sick of the surveys and I was tired of being a spectator. I was in conflict as to what to do, but I talked to Daxa Auntie and she was great about it! Starting next week I am going to go to the village schools and perform health check ups. There are so many schools that she can't go everywhere. She is going to teach me how to look in eyes, ears, throats and noses. If I find any problems I can refer them to the hospital or to her clinic. I will also play health education games with the children. We try to get simple messages across like how infection spreads etc. Daxa Auntie even wants me to give the kids a lecture on the digestive system. THAT makes me nervous, I have to learn all the relevant vocab, but I'm up for the challenge!

So now I am taking a mini vacation and visiting some friends and family in the city. I'm going to do some shopping etc. Then I'll go back to Dharampur. As soon as we are ready to start the health projects, I will move out into the villages and stay in guest houses. It will be easier than having to commute from the town every day.

Ok so I forgot to add the dirty details component of this entry! Let's see...dirty..well, I use a squating toilet. It's porcelin, in case you haven't seen one, and frankly, I have come to like it better! Squatting is much more conducive for well, the related bodily functions!

I actually don't wash my hair that often. You'd think in all the sweat and heat I would, but actually its the oppoiste. I keep my hair tied back all the time so if its greasy it doesn't really matter. I try to go at least 3 days without washing it. It's been glorious because now my hair is soft and shiny!

For lunch, I eat Gujarati made vegetbles with a lentil soup, rice, and rotis made from wheat. When I was littled I HATED this diet but right now I am loving the ready made food. My only compliant is that they only eat 2 main meals a day and its hard for me to stuff myself in one sitting.

Humm ok, that's all I think! Hope that's dirty enough..I keep checking for posts so let me know if there are questions!! :)