My first day back from Thailand/Vietnam, I went to the Dr. I knew I had an ear infection (thanks to the constant ones growing up). My first Dr experience was interesting, yet not as bad as I had expected.
First of all, you don't need insurance to see a dr. It costs about $5 for a consultation and then you pay for whatever drugs you need, which are also really cheap. When I got there, the ENT (ear, nose & throat specialist) wasn't working so they sent me to a general dr, which I thought would be totally fine. When I got in the office, I told him what was wrong and he proceeded to pick up a flashlight and look at my ears. He said "I don't see anything". Well no shit! I could have done that for free at home - I know that you can't see ear infections with a flashlight!!!
So I insisted that I see the specialist and he confirmed that my ears were screwed up. Then he ordered an x-ray of my head to check for a sinus infection, which of course is really weird in general. I wasn't really that stuffed up and have had zero sinus infections before, but he insisted. The x-ray machine was super old and they told me to lay on my stomach with my chin on a line and my mouth open. I said "are you serious?" And they started laughing at me - crazy Americans... After that, no sinus infection and he prescribed me drugs that did absolutely nothing. A week later, I consulted my Dr. from afar - Raquel. Got those drugs now and hopefully my earaches go away soon!
The rest of this week consisted of dinners, karaoke at our favorite Thur night spot, lots of reading, and a visit to a local school to play with the kids.
Volunteering at a Local School
The school I visited is one that Google is helping by getting them supplies, water, trash cans, etc. It's crazy - I felt like I was Angelina Jolie visiting the schools and I even was asked if I was a movie star. I told the little girl that of course I was :) Anyway, the kids LOVED my camera and phone and wanted picture after picture taken of them. I was literally mobbed by them all! I probably took 200 pictures and here are a few of my favorites. I want to go back and help and have tried to volunteer to teach English, but it's hard b/c you need to know the local dialect, which of course I don't. I guess my camera and willingness to be mobbed will have to do for now.
General Thoughts on Living in India
One of my Facebook friends, Dmitry posted such an amazing observation of India, I thought I would steal his material to try to explain to everyone else what it's like living here.
"A lot of people ask – “What is it like?”. There really is no one neat adequate answer – India is too complicated a place for one reaction. Every corner you look you see desperation, hope, love, grandeur, destitution, guilt, ambition, dirt, beauty – and you see it all at once." Dmitry's blog: http://dmitryindia.com
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