Friday, July 18, 2008

13 days and still no word of where I will be

On July 10th, 2008, 21 days prior to departure; James Taylor, my contact in India replied to an email concerning my living arrangements and volunteer placement.  James said " . . .apologies for the delay in uploading your placement and accommodation details to your myprojectsabroad webpage; I fully anticipate that it will be done within the next couple of days." 8 days after receiving that email, I have yet to hear back from Projects-Abroad.  

Everything on my end of things has been taken care of.  I have obtained a 6 month multiple entry visa for the country of India.  received four vaccinations for: polio, meningitis, Hep. A, a tetanus boost, and just started an oral typhoid vaccine.  I also have prepared for the mosquitos of India by obtaining a mosquito net for my bed, 4 cans of Off backwoods, and most important a prescription for 80 pills of doxycycline. 

Soon I will be setting up a Pbase account which will store all of my photos from my trip and I will be putting up a link to that site from this blog so that everyone can view my pictures.  Also be on the look out for video blogs once the trip has begun.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Three weeks and no accommodations or placement. . .

Three weeks until the adventure begins, yet I still don't have any more details about where I will be staying or what I will be doing.  

Lately I've been thinking about how living in India will be different from living in the States, and I think I've come up with something that will be different.  This list is based off of what I've been told, what I've read, and what makes me laugh.   Once I'm in India I'll make another list of what the biggest differences actually are.

so here goes ( In no order):

-Height.  Average height of a male in India: 5'5". Average height of a male in the State 5'11"- 6'0"
-Lack of eating utensils.  
-"Restrooms" that are a squat toilet, and a bucket of water instead of TP
-The amount of animals that roam the streets freely
-Polio,  India is one of the few areas that has not eradicated the crippling disease.
-Monsoons.  
-Clothing.
-No eating beef and/or wearing leather

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

One Month Untill Departure

June 31st, 2008, exactly one month from today I will be boarding a plane for the first time in 8 years.  The plane will take me to the famous O'Hare airport in Chicago then on to Brussels Belgium and finally, two days after leaving Seattle, I will arrive in Chennai India.  

At the moment I have no idea of were I will be staying or where I will be volunteering.  All that I know is that I will be in or around the city of Sivakasi, which is located in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.  As far as my living accommodations are concerned.  Their are several option including: living with a host family, staying in a hostel,  having a room at a hospital, or living at the projects-abroad office.  Each one has its own unique pros and cons, and i look forward to finding out more about my living accommodations. 

This trip will be giving me the opportunity to see a whole new aspect of medicine that will vary greatly from the western medicine which I am currently being exposed to.  More then anything, this trip will be an adventure.  Living for six weeks in a 3rd word country and traveling alone will hopefully provide me with a life changing experience. 

This blog is to share with everyone back home my adventures and shenanigans in India