February 11, 2009

Today was our first day in the hospital doing clinicals. We started off like everyday with devotions at the hospital. It is Chantel’s birthday today so after the devotion, they gave her flowers and a kiss on each cheek. All nine of us were spread through out the hospital in different units.
Crystal: pediatrics
Jenny: pediatrics
Chantel: OB/Maternity
Sara: Emergency room
Nicole: Medical/Surgical
Rebekah: Medical/Surgical
Kyle: ICU
Jessie: ICU
Charity: Operating room
We enjoyed our first day, but all realized how much health care is different here than in the U.S.
Crystal’s Experience of her first day:
Jenny and I got to work on the pediatric unit and we spent most of our time in the ward with 14 beds. There are private rooms available but those are typically reserved for families who pay extra. Otherwise, it is free to stay in the ward. The hospital covers the majority of the cost for each patient, but some specialized care requires some extra money. The mothers are allowed to stay with their children and actually sleep and sit on the beds with their kids. They do the majority of the care like washing and feeding while the nurses manage the medications and medical care. Most of the kids are in the hospital for cleft lip/palate repairs, water-born diseases, thalassemia, and pneumonia. Four of the patients were orphans from Missions of Charity, the orphanage founded by Mother Teresa. Unfortunately, we do not get to help out a lot with the health care. Because we do not have a license in India, there are a lot of regulations about what we can and cannot do. We did get to help out with vital signs, but they only take Pulse, Temp, and the Respiratory Rate. I have only seen doctors use stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs, which we use in the States all the time.
One of the staff members surprised us and brought in an amazing chocolate cake for Chantel’s birthday lunch. Our afternoon was full of excitement as we went shopping with the nursing students for Indian outfits! It was a bit overwhelming, but fun to shop and pick out our individual salwar (pants and long shirts with a scarf…think Jasmine from Aladdin).
We finished our day off with our first dinner out!! We went to “The BBQ” which to our surprise was a Chinese restaurant. They had balloons around our table and was a great ending to Chantel’s birthday!

February 12, 2009

We started our day off with clinicals again…the same units as above, but definitely more unique and memorable experiences.
In the afternoon, we went to a village on the outskirts of Calcutta and visited a small clinic that Mercy Hospital is starting up. It was refreshing to see a quieter town. Cows just roam the streets and literally almost bumped into us! It was so weird..haha! An elderly couple in their 70’s that our guide knew invited us in for tea and told us a little bit of their story. They were running a school of 60+ students, which is a really big deal in small towns of Calcutta. Education is not valued at all and boys are expected to work and girls are expected to either help out at home or become servants in the larger homes. Lack of education cripples the girls because the Indian families view girls as burdens, and therefore either makes them work for money or gives them away to be married at a young age. Once they are married, many of them are frequently abused. If the girls have an education, they can help provide more money for their families and thus their value increases. They also have more say in who and when they marry so education is very good. Many of the children at the school also have disabilities and normally would have been left to die if it wasn’t for this school that has given them value in society. A few of the things they teach the kids are sewing, electrical work, math, and music. It was so great hearing this couple’s story because they are so happy to serve the Lord, despite their age and the hard work that it takes to run a school. We were truly blessed by the experience.

February 13, 2009

Today we visited Mother Teresa’s home and got to see her gravesite and read about her history. The nuns still live there and we visited with a few of them. While we were in the Nunnery, we saw more cultures represented in that home than we noticed in the entire city. As we signed the guest book, we noticed that the other people who had just signed it were from Japan, China, Ukraine, Italy, and America…. Just today! She truly has impacted the world and it is great that so many people have the opportunity to see what a true servant of Jesus looks like. Afterwards we visited the Missions of Charity orphanage that she founded and we got to hang out with the kids, and feed some of the younger children. That was also a fun experience! Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed, but each of us left with a mental picture of the children that we will never forget.
This afternoon, we walked to McDonalds just down the street! We needed a little American ice cream! It was so good and fun to get out and go on a walk through the busy city!

February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! We love and miss you! Today is Saturday for us—but simply another work or school day for people in Calcutta. We started our day with devotions and once again embarked on our big red bus! We went to Dum Dum clinic in a small village outside of town with a doctor and a couple of nurses. This doctor, from Mercy Hospital, goes to this village every other Saturday to offer health care to this rural population. The people had signed up prior to our arrival and were waiting in line when we got there. We arrived and set up the clinic in a one room building. Each person had a card with their name on it that they brought to the doctor sitting at a desk. They talked to the doctor and he examined them with his equipment (a flash light and a stethoscope) and wrote his diagnosis on their card along with a prescription for medications. Next, they went to outside the building to a window in to the nurses where they received their medications. He told us that he usually sees about 70-80 patients each time he goes there. He was very interactive and explained the situations and diagnoses to us. We also got to help by taking blood pressures!
We took ourselves out to an amazing Italian restaurant for Valentine’s Dinner…well, Dr. C. paid for it. We had pizza and pasta, which was a comfort food after all the Indian meals we have had!
February 15, 2009

Today is Sunday and we went to the morning and evening church services. The evening was a special Valentine’s Day service, called “Slumdog Lover.” It was a great message as the pastor related Jesus to the ultimate slumdog lover—he loves all of us with grace just as we are! The name came from the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” which was filmed here in India. If you have not seen it—you should! It will open your eyes to the life a young boy living in India. Overall, we had a great Sunday and rested up for our next week of clinicals!

February 16, 2009

Today, we began our second week at hospital and each moved to a different unit.
Jenny: OB/Maternity
Sara: ICU
Rebekah: ICU
Nicole: Medical/Surgical
Crystal: Medical/Surgical
Kyle: Pediatrics
Chantel: Pediatrics
Jessie: Operating Room
Charity: Emergency Room
You will have to hear stories from each of us—we all had great, yet different experiences!
We had the opportunity to tour a large hospital known for their cardiac care and renal transplants. It was interesti ng and we were able to see where many people in this area are transferred for these specialties. In the future, our nursing students may have the opportunity to work at this hospital also!
Oh, by the way…we have new neighbors! A group of 20 new, young nurses moved into the other two bedrooms on our floor. They came from a village up north and are interning for 6 months to get jobs at Mercy Hospital. They are SO friendly and want to know everything about each of us. We feel like celebrities when we are around them. They stare at us, stroke our skin, pinch our cheeks, hold our hands, ask us our beauty secrets, and want to know everything about us and the United States. There are so many of them—but we are having fun getting to know them and their culture. They do not speak Bengali or Hindi, so they must use their English to talk while they are here—which is sometimes hard to understand. I’m sure we will have more stories to tell you about our fun times with them…we are planning a dance/henna party with them soon!

February 17, 2009

This morning we began with clinicals in the same site listed above. Each of us have such different stories that it is hard to capture all of it!
This afternoon we another unique experience in a rural clinic. This was a mobile clinic that visits that visits this village once a week. They said there were 1,200 homes (all make-shift shacks) in this small area. This was by far one of the poorest communities we have seen! There were children everywhere staring at us as though they had never seen anyone white before (maybe they hadn’t). It was touching to see this doctor offer health care to so many people for free. We had fun with the children, teaching them to high five and take pictures! As we were having fun with all the children, a woman came and motioned Chantel over to a mother holding her son on the ground. He was mentally handicapped and was born with club feet making it impossible for him to stand or walk. The woman pointed up at the sky, pointed at the boy’s feet, and then pointed to her—Although Chantel could not understand their language, she understood that she wanted prayer for the child. Chantel knelt down in the dirt and touched the boy’s feet and began to pray out loud. It was incredible as a huge group (over 30 people) gathered around to hear and watch. She prayed that he would be healed in the name of Jesus and prayed for strength for their family. Chantel took the boy in her arms and the woman motioned for more prayer. Crystal joined in and also prayed aloud for healing. This was an amazing opportunity as we realized later that this group of people worshipped Hindi gods. We will continue praying for this little boy and trust in God for their family!