A Whole Different World

A Whole Different World

Getting adjusted to a new place is difficult, no matter what country you are in. There are so many unfamiliar and different aspects it can be challenging to find similarities and peace of mind. The first couple of weeks in India I felt very over stimulated, however I was able to pull through and learn to appreciate the differences in my surroundings. I found that taking time to be by myself throughout the day, whether at the gym, running, or in my room, and having time to reflect and be calm was essential. As time has gone by I have become more accustomed to my surroundings and need less time in isolation. Helping me get through this period of transition was the wonderful alliance staff, my friends from home and south Africa, my new friends in India, and my wonderful room mate. From the first day, my room mate Devyani has been a rock star. She is extremely considerate, perceptive, and to my surprise leads a very "westernized" life. Having her as a resource to ask questions and talk with has been a blessing and I look forward to developing our friendship more as the semester goes on. Some of my favorite times have been running through the monsoon rains or getting caught in a downpour later in the evening. The warm rains really are something else!

 2013 Fall Semester Alliance for Global Education 

Our schedule for the first week consisted of orientation activities, mostly sitting in a conference room with Katie Jo (our on sight program manager) and Jonathan (from the DC office). After a week of consent forms, paper work, and meeting professors I felt well advised and ready to start classes come  August 19th. The first week of classes also went very well and we have a great selection of classes and professors to choose from. My final class schedule includes; Basic Epidemiology, Public Health Systems and National Health Policy, Ayurveda, Contemporary Indian Culture, Surveillance of Infectious Disease, and Global Public Health. We are enrolled in the department of geopolitics and take courses out of the public health department. Some of our courses are with Indian students, a fabulous way to meet friends and learn from a different perspective, and some are just for the Study Abroad Program (SAP as we are known throughout the college) students. Thus far I have loved all of the courses that I am taking and am extremely interested in learning from the Professors as they have such non-western perspectives and are all eager to work with and educate us.

The two things that I have found the most noteworthy of my time thus far is how accomidating and friendly everyone is and how different time management is. From the moment we entered the campus the faculty and students at Manipal have treated us as guests, a much more respected person in indian culture than in american. The faculty has bent over backwards to provide us with as many opportunities as possible and to make sure our schedules are satisfying. That said it has been a bit of a challenge to navigate the institutional hoops in order to get registered and settled in. The meaning of time is very different... if you plan on meeting someone at 6:00 it is likely that they will not show up until 6:30 or 7:00, expecting that you will do the same. It is a constant battle of "hurry up and wait" in order to get through the day without missing an appointment or offending someone who is "on time". 

The population of Manipal is comprised of the 22,000 students from the university, the faculty and staff, the cities employees/ shop owners and their families, and "others". For a small university town, Manipal is quite a bustling economic area and has everything from fresh fruit stands to pharmacies, a nike store to car dealerships. It is always an adventure to leave the Manipal campus and go into town to enjoy a meal out at one of the fabulous restaurants or do some errands. We have already established local favorites and have discovered the best places to get fresh coconut juice (out of the coconut), banana buns, wonton soup, lassis, and bubble tea! The biggest danger that students face on a daily basis  is from traffic whizzing up to and around tiger circle (the center of town). There has been a number of close encounters ending in blaring horns and running pedestrians but I am starting to get the trick of things. 

The campus of the university is also a beautiful place to explore. There are multiple campuses that house the (over) 20 colleges. The buildings range in age and capacity each with unique architecture. The fountains and landscaping throughout the campus also add to the atmosphere. 

Thus far we have also done a number of enjoyable activities. The students from the geopolitics department took us to a lovely secret beach located at the intersection of a river in the Udupi district and the Arabian Sea. While there we stopped at a small shack and had dinner and a taste of the "local alcohol" made from Todi fruit. 

Playing in the surf

Yesterday we had our first field visit  with the public health department. We went to the Udupi Primary Care Center where we learned about the health care system in India and the how the primary care system functions. The professor defined health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being in addition to the absence of disease". We related health to healthcare- the range of services offered to an individual or community with the goal of promoting and maintaing health- and used these understandings to discuss health systems, levels of care, public health, and the different healthcare sectors. Finally, we applied these understandings to the primary care facility (PCF) in Udupi. The facility that we visited cares for a population of 32,000 people, sees about 80 people per day, serves 30-40 villages, has 1 doctor, a lab technician and basic lab, numerous nurses and sisters, a maternity ward and a pharmacy. As a PCF, there was no emergency ward or specialists but transportation was available for patients that needed such care. The facility was kept clean and appeared well managed. When we spoke with the head nurse about funding and resources she said that the government funding they received was enough and that they did not need more doctors. 

                                    

                                            Udupi Primary Health Care Center

This is my Surveillance of Infectious Disease professor talking to us about keeping track of vaccination schedules. The chart that he is holding contains a card for every child that visits the primary health clinic for their vaccines. When the child is born they are given a card with the vaccines that they received and a copy of the card is placed in a chart like the one above in the pocket that corresponds with the month of their next vaccination. When the month begins, the nurse looks at all of the cards and sends sisters to retrieve any children that need to be vaccinated. 

The freezer that holds all of the temperature sensative vaccines. The vaccines that need to be kept colder are at the bottom of the freezer and the ones that need to be warmer are towards the top. 

On August 24th we visited the Namma Bhoomi, a school and training facility for marginalized children of migrant families. Most of the children were brough to the school by the police because they had run away from home or were working as part of the child labor force. The faculty at Namma Bhoomi strives to teach the children key life skills and vocational training in addition to giving them a safe and healthy environment to live in and primary education through grade 10. Their goal is to provide the children with the opportunity for self enrichment and self education through hands on learning experiences, strict rules and regulations, and quality time in the classroom. There is a focus on empowering the children and a belief that children are the citizens of tomorrow not today and therefor they are worth investing in. There is hope that all of the children that leave Namam Bhoomi will be able to integrate back into society as successful individuals. The facilities of Namma Bhoomi were absolutely outstanding and the school itself was revolutionary. It was incredible to see the vision of one intelligent man in the form of a school and sanctuary. This model could be useful in many communities where there is poverty, child and migrant labor, and a lack of education. I look forward to having the opportunity to return over the next couple of weeks and work more with the children.

This map of the campus if outside of the entrance to the school. Unfortunately your guess is as good as mine as to what these buildings are. It is interesting to see the different types of maps people draw!

The school is almost completely self  sufficient. This is the rain collection mechanism that they utilize.

The cow farm used for fresh milk and cow dung.

Composte pile

This is one of the open air classrooms in the new school building at Namma Bhooni. This particular classroom is for students grades K-3. Namma Bhooni is one of the only schools of its kind in many ways including its coed teaching style.

This chalk board and alphabet were in the k-3rd grade classroom. All of the students are taught hindi and english.

We were served a delicious and healthy meal for lunch. The faculty of the school are very keen on teaching the children how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and believe that food is a key part of health. We had a lovely curry with rice and two side salads one made with cabbage and the other with green beans, a typical meal for the children. In addition to 3 "square" meals a day the children get two healthy snacks. There is an emphasis on preventative and wholesome health care and a belief that well nourished children are able to perform better because they can concentrate more on the task at hand.

The buildings were all beautiful. This particular part of the campus is the guest house where we ate lunch and met with the program coordinator.

These are some of the hostels that the children live in. There are separate hostels for girls and boys.

On Sunday we attended a house warming party for one of the professors in the geopolitics department. This event is much more ceremonial than in America and included a concert by local musicians and a formal South Indian lunch. We embraced the 2 hour long concert, our first introduction to Classical Indian Music. The two performers differed in their style and it was very entertaining. The lunch was served in traditional style at long tables with chairs on one side and an isle on the other for the serves to walk up and down. We started the meal by cleaning the coconut leaves which we were to eat off of and washing our hands, our only utensils. Then we were served a number of "condiments" which we were able to mix in with the rest of our meals at will. The courses then came out in rapid procession starting with white rice, ~5 sauces and curries, spicy rice, bean salad, vegetables (followed by seconds), three different desserts, and finally more rice with curd (yoghurt). I was astonished at the pace which all of the food was served and even more astonished that most of the guests were able to keep up so that by the time the next round came their coconut leaf was completely clean. Our table of americans were not able to keep up most of us had food piled up on our leaves by the end despite our best efforts. I feel bad for the table of Indians sitting opposite us and watching us try to eat everything in the right order and at the correct pace with our hands. Despite being slightly embarrassing it was delicious and quite fun and I would do it again any day!

Our first chance to wear our formal Indian Kurtas. This picture was taken in front of the alter at Katie Jo's house, the program coordinator from the US. 

Everyone looked so great in their India garb!

A local classical Indian music band. The young women who is the main singer is a Manipal Alumni.

A former Manipal Professor now leading the life of a singer. 

My coconut leaf plate and first course basics. The line of small piles of food are chutneys, sambar, salt, small salads, and vegetables with gravy to be mixed at will with the rest of the food. The two piles of rice were eaten with a number of curries and soups on top. The small blob on the lower right hand side is one of my favorites known as paysan in South India. This dish is made of millet, cashews, nutmeg, clover, and cinnamon. It all was delicious!

The party was held on the roof of the apartment building where the new home was located. It was a beautiful venue that overlooked the hills and valleys of the area. The weather was humid with the occasional down poor and an occasional relieving breeze, typical for the monsoon season.

Namaste~