Wednesday, January 30

Wednesday, January 30, 2008:
This morning we got up early to get ready to board the train to our next city visit—Berhampur. It was not as crowded on the train or at the station so we did not have any problems. The train ride took about 4 hours and we were able to download our photos onto my laptop and rest. Molly was also able to get her shoes polished—for about 25 cents, unfortunately they were not able to polish mine since they were navy (not black or brown). Upon arrival we were greeted by several Rotarians and taken to our host homes. My host is a pediatric surgeon and his wife is a gynecologist, they live in an apartment building close to the hospitals. They have two daughters, their oldest daughter, aged 16, is in 10th standard and in one month she will be taking the national examinations given to all students in 10th standard (grade). It is a very important examination and their performance on it determines whether or not they will continue on or repeat some of their course work. My host’s wife is taking off a month from her work at the hospital to help their daughter prepare for the exams.

After “freshening up”, eating breakfast and lunch we all were taken to a school for blind children that the five Rotary clubs here in Berhampur sponsor. When we first arrived I thought we were at an abandoned group of buildings, all the children and staff were inside awaiting our arrival. We were each presented with a beautiful rose and then ushered into a room where all the students and staff were seated (on the floor), and we were all seated in white plastic chairs. The students sang a song for us, again accompanied by a “flute organ”; it looks and sounds a bit like an accordion that sits on the floor. Then one student read a very eloquent welcome to us, he then presented us with the Braille copy of his speech. We were very impressed and touched by the students and staff. As my host put it, we don’t realize what we have until it is missing. This entire exchange I think has been a very humbling experience for all of us, as we begin to realize all that we have personally, and in our country that we take for granted.

We toured the school and the teachers showed us how they teach students the Braille alphabet, and a calculator for blind students that uses small sticks of metal, with one smooth end and one cut-out end, these pieces are then positioned in holes at various angles to represent different numbers.

After our visit at the school we drove to the Gopalpur beach, it was quite windy and the Bay of Bengal was very rough. There were a number of fishing boats tied up which had come in early since the water was so rough. We walked along the beach for a little ways with our hosts and then drove a very short distance to a nearby hotel. Dani did not come with us to the beach because her hosts took her with them to a Threading ceremony for a young boy in the Brahman caste.

At the hotel we sat outside and were served drinks and snacks—french fries, and something similar to onion rings. We did not solve all the world problems but we had some good conversation about differences between India and the United States and problems faces by our countries. Around 9:30 we moved inside (it was getting quite chilly out) and had dinner. This time we had Chinese noodles and vegetables. Evidently Chinese restraints are quite popular here in India. We thought that was all, but it was only the first course—followed by the more traditional Indian fare—rice, small tortillas made out of wheat, various types of vegetables and beans in various flavors of curry and seasonings, and also some fried fish. Typically Indians eat with their fingers and use roti (like our tortillas) as a type of eatable utensil. After their meal wash their hands in a nearby “washing station” (i.e. large sink).

After dinner we all went home with our hosts. My host, who had performed several surgeries in the morning needed to check on some of his patients and asked if I could join him. We went to two different hospitals, and it was an amazing experience, so very different from hospitals in the United States. I only saw the pediatric wards. The ward consisted of several large rooms with a number of metal beds with a thin mattress and sheet, it appeared that most of the family all slept together on that bed, or underneath it, or on the cement in the hallways. There was no privacy for the families—they were all together there with the other families. The children that had the surgery were on the beds covered with a small blanket; they were not in any special hospital gowns and were not in any diapers. My host said that three meals were served each day, but I saw the families eating food that they had prepared or brought with them, and serving food to their child. Health care in India is provided by the government although I think my host said there are some private ambulance services. Hospital costs can vary from city to city, I believe he said that a C-section costs about 120 rupees (three dollars) in Berhampur, but in Delhi it is about 600 rupees.
After completing his rounds we returned to his family’s apartment and I visited with them about the 10th standard examinations that oldest daughter is preparing for. She has her study time all mapped out, and works through study guides that look similar to study guides for the ACTs or SATs. She spends nearly all of her time studying for the exams staying up until 1:00 a.m. now, but she said that when the exams begin she will probably be up until 3:00 a.m. studying—quite a contrast to amount of time that high school students in the United States spend preparing for exams.