Fancy a Chalet?

Whole foods doesn't sell gingerbread houses. It sells gingerbread CHALETS.

 

First field visits - Uttar Pradesh

Two weeks ago, I made my first trip to the countryside. To a city called Bijnour, in the province Uttar Pradesh. While the name sounds french and romantic, it is typically Indian. About 5 hours outside of Delhi by car, and within 100 kilometers of Uttar Pradesh's most famous landmark, Taj Mahal, I met with rural health providers, doctors, pathologists and even one man who was wanted for attempted murder. (eek! thankfully they told me that AFTER I interviewed him. Thanks, guys.)

Meeting with first clinic owner. Behind us are the computer, webcam and special remote diagnostic equipment. My first telemedicine consultation was actually a blast. :)

Outside a prenatal counselor's home.

My guides: Danesh, Negi and Gajender.

SkyCare painting outside a rural health provider's home.

Gajender translates during an interview with another rural health provider. And check out the goats!

Village kiddies stopped to see what all the fuss was about.

Water at the hotel in Bijnour. Thirsty?

My touring crew meeting with a pathologist at his lab.

SkyHealth branding - denoting this clinic as part of the SkyHealth network.

One of the many countless factories that dot the road from Delhi.

Snapping pictures while waiting for the clinic owner to bring us orange soda (at his insistence).

Rural mechanic shop and roadside stand, with a beautiful new SkyHealth ad on the side of the building.

A local game of cricket, in front of an old temple.

Deeelish lunch. Rice, paneer (cheese with sauce) and various forms of dhal (beans).

That's how we got back to Delhi! (ok maybe not...)

Mi casa

The Evitorial Page has been lacking posts lately, despite the fact that I've been in Delhi for over a week! I apologize... and the truth is that I have not had a camera. For shame, for shame.  I finally got one working and updates will follow suit. For now, here are a few shots of my apartment in New Delhi. I'm in a safe 'hood and have a lovely roommate (who is also the landlord). You'll see some traditional Hindu god statues in these shots... and traditional Indian kitchen, cookware, etc.

In other news, I just spent 48 hours in rural Bijnour, in the Uttar Pradesh province, and once I can get photos off of a borrowed camera will provide a full report!

My bedroom. Twin bed with only a sheet on it. No A/C.

Dining room (see the super large fan on the floor! Breeze and fans are the keys to comfort during monsoon season.

Singe and washing machine. Note the common Asian water heater above the sink. Turn it on and off each time you want hot water, rather than leave it on all the time... there's one in every bathroom as well. Same principle. And it's so hot here right now that I barely use mine!

Cooking range and shelves. And the amazing mango-infused cornflakes I bought today. They were so good that they will get their own post.

First Impressions

Day 3: Delhi is great so far. Day 1 was overhwhelming; based on my first impression (and probably jetlag), I was very wary of the city and everyone in it. The fact that after picking me up at the airport, my cab driver drove away with my two big bags when I wasn't looking did not help. My Indian roommate was able to track him down through the cab company and despite his flimsy excuse get them back for me. That left me feeling relieved and lucky, not to mention chastened.

Day 2 brought more comfort, and Day 3 has me feeling borderline familiar. I feel as though I can read people better, and am seeing more women out and about. It's a wonderful city, and I'm looking forward to exploring the infinite sites, activities and people here.

Some impressions and surprising lessons so far:

• Few women take public transit or walk around alone. The ratio of men to women in cabs/trains/buses is about 30 or 40:1. I'm told that women generally drive (or are driven), or stay at home. Our entire office is run by a woman, so it's clear that there is gender equality, but in public it's less common another woman, especially alone.
• There are a lot of people in this city. "Duh," right? But even Captain Obvious would agree it's unlike anywhere else in the world. With people constantly coming/going/honking/running/chatting in close proximity, it's like a bustling ant hill at all times. Navigating the chaos is getting easier with each day.
• I need to learn Hindi! Before coming, I was told that "everyone speaks English." While this is true at the office, it's not true on the street. I will feel more comfortable navigating the city once I can communicate.
• Only major roads have street names (as far as I can tell). A house's location is determined by its neighborhood and what block it is on, but there is no sense to the order of blocks or the shape of the roads. So I better start memorizing some maps!

Looking forward to learning more about the culture and the city and sharing as I go. A major victory is that I found a permanent place to live in a safe neighborhood (yay!), and will move in on Saturday.

Arrived in New Delhi safe and sound!

First day of work is 8 hours from now (it is 1 am here). More soon!

Great Sinatra/Springsteen Quote

While I've kept this blog to just travel updates (I'll be in India in one week!), I am also a huge Sinatra fan, and today I can't help but share a new item that I loved instantly. It is a quote by my favorite living artist (Bruce Springsteen) about Old Blue Eyes that expresses both American legends with perfect pitch:

My first recollection of Frank's voice was coming out of a jukebox in a dark bar on a Sunday afternoon when my mother and I went in searching for my father. I always remember she said, "Listen to that, that's Frank Sinatra, he's from New Jersey." It was a voice filled with bad attitude, life, beauty, excitement, a nasty sense of freedom, sex, and a sad knowledge of the ways of the world. Every song seemed to have its postscript, "and if you don't like it, here's a punch in the kisser.” But it was the deep blueness of Frank's voice that affected me the most, and while his music became synonymous with black tie, the good life, the best booze, women, sophistication, his blues voice was always the sound of hard luck, and men late at night with the last ten dollars in their pockets, trying to figure a way out.

On behalf of all New Jersey, Frank, I wanna say: "Hail Brother, you sang out our soul.”

- Bruce Springsteen

And if you're a real Sinatra fan, you should also check out my #1 favorite Sinatra letter of all time, which ends with Sinatra making the following offer to a journalist:

...if you are a gambling man, [and]:

a) You prove, without a doubt, that I have ever punched an elderly drunk or elderly anybody, you can pick up $100,000.

b) I will allow you to pull my "hairpiece"; if it moves, I will give you another $100,000; if it does not, I punch you in the mouth. How about it?

(Signed, 'Sinatra')

In today's 24-hour-a-day entertainment cycle, a modern-day PR spokesman would never let that letter be written... but I bet it would feel SO good if they could!

Any other Sinatra/Springsteen fans out there, holla back. :) In the meantime, back to keeping the rest of you posted on my adventures!

Next stop: India

The Evitorial Page is back.  This summer, I'll be in New Delhi, interning with a great organization that uses cutting edge technology to deliver healthcare in rural areas - connecting patients to world-class doctors in a city 15 hours away! And they do it using local entrepreneurs. Those are a lot of buzz words but I promise it's SUPER COOL.


Read up on World Health Partners here: http://worldhealthpartners.org/default.aspx

Many thanks to The Blakeley Foundation, and the Blakeley family, without whose generosity and support of The Fletcher School, this opportunity would be impossible.

There are shots to get, plane tickets to book and an apartment to find...
Can't wait to tell you more!