Well, I can't believe that today I will be starting my journey back home. I leave Madurai this evening and will take an eight hour train ride to Chennai, where I will fly out heading for Delhi, and then Chicago and finally Kansas City. I have enjoyed getting to know new friends, see interesting places and work in a variety of situations.
This last week I was working at St. Joseph's Hospice which is an an hour out of Madurai by bus. It was an extremely difficult and hard week. I saw and experienced things I never have before. The people at the hospice are in the worst condition possible before death, but it is good that they are dying where people care about them instead of on the streets. n Here's a a bit what a day working at the hospice was like for me. Every morning I would wake up at 5:30 and join the staff for their Mass at 6:00. Then I would help the sister change the dirty bedding. There are around 250 patients so this was quite the task. At 7:00 I ate breakfast with the two Priests or Fathers. They were both very kind and I enjoyed being able to spend time with them. Next I would go to the kitchen to help cut up veggies for lunch. It was fun watching and helping the girls in the kitchen make the Indian dishes. Around mid morning one of the nurses would come get me and I would go out side to help change the patent's bandages. The first day it was pretty hard for me. Many of the patients had horrible infections. Often I would change a dressing on just a stub of a foot, or the leg would be completely gone from the knee down. As I would clean the wounds there would be flys buzzing all around, combined with the smell of rotting flesh. (I hope I'm not being too graphic I just want to give you an idea of how life is for many of the people here in India). It broke my heart to see these people suffering so much! This week at the hospice was something I will always remember vividly. I feel like I received so much more then I gave! All the staff and patients were so appreciative of me coming to help for one week and treated me like royalty. I was amazed at the joy of the sisters working at the hospice. They rarely have a break from their intense, daily work. I am very thankful God worked everything out for me to visit and work at St. Joseph's Hospice my last week in India!
These last two days I have been back in Madurai with my "Indian family". I've been able to spend time with them and the other Projects Abroad girl volunteers before leaving. My Indian family-Uncle, Aunty, Medhu, and Ish have been so kind to me while I have been with them! And, I will miss them and all of the girls much!!! Yet, I am ready and excited to be back home to see all of you!!! God has given me amazing opportunities here that I will treasure forever. I am thankful for all of you who have been praying and helped make it possible for me to come to India. I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences in person. ;) Enjoy Jesus today and thanks again to each of you for supporting me in my trip to India !!! Loves, Rachel
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Nearing the end
Ahh sorry it has been so long since I have written! My last day at Vadamalayan Hospital was Friday. Since I last wrote I have watched a number of surgeries. For the first time I saw a live beating heart, it was amazing! I have seen a handful of open heart surgeries. I watched two Coronary artery bypass (CABG)surgeries, as well as an Atrial septal defect surgery ( ASD). I had only read about complications as these in books so actually seeing the live surgeries was very interesting and educational. A couple other cases I was able to see was a hysterectomy and a umbilical hernia repair.
In the evenings and weekends I have fun spending time with the other five volunteers and my host family. This last weekend Ellie, Emma, Kristine, Rameeta and I traveled up to the town of Kodaikanal which is situated in the mountains. After a four bus ride we met other Projects Abroad volunteers. On Saturday morning we all went for a trek in the mountains. It was beautiful! A big change for us girls was the cool weather. In Madurai we never seem to stop sweating. I really enjoyed being able to wear the scarf I bought. ;) The hotel we stayed at had no heat and the blankets were damp so consequently at night we were pretty chilly.
Now I am back in Madurai and for my last week I will be at St. Joseph's Hospice. Originally I did not know what I would be doing this last week and when I heard about this hospice I decided to call to find out if I might come and help for one week. Father Thomas who started the hospice in 2006 was very excited to hear I wanted to come for the week. I'm not quite sure what I will be doing. At the hospice their goal is to serve the least of God's people. It was started to provide a place for the poorest of the poor, the uncared destitute persons of the streets, the mentally and physically challenged persons- essentially all those who desperately need care and love. I am excited to see how I can be of help there! Please pray that during my last week in India I will be an encouragment to the patients and staff working at St. Joseph's Hospice. I know it will not be easy but I am very glad I have this opportunity to share Jesus to these hurting people! I will try to write before I leave to share about my time at the hospice. I can't believe that in nine days I will be flying back to the U.S. I can't wait to see you all again!!! Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!!! Blessings, Rach
Saturday, July 18, 2009
New experiences!
Hello dear friends and family. Here's how my life has been this past week. On Monday through Wednesday I worked at Vadamalayan Hospital in Madurai. Every day I am seeing and learning new things. This specific hospital is very large for an Indian hospital and very advanced. I have seen such things as CT scans, an endoscopy of the stomach, and many accident and emergency cases. The doctors are very helpful in explaining the procedures. In the states I would never be allowed to just walk in and watch some surgery. Yet, here they love to have students watching and observing. I am seeing and learning so much! Earlier this week an Anaesthesiologistshowed me how to put a feeding tube down through the nasal passage. Then he said "next time you try". He as well explained and showed me how to put in an I.V. Hopefully I'll be able to try both next week. The staff are well educated and eager to teach me.
The last few days(Wednesday evening through Friday) four other girls and I have been at a Leprosy Hospital. It's hard for me to put into words all I saw those two days. I've never before seen Leprosy patients so wasn't sure what to expect. It broke my heart to see the men and women suffering from Leprosy. Some of the patient's hands and feet were only knobs. Others were missing fingers or toes. And, becuase they have no feeling, in surgery the doctors just cut away and the patient never feels a thing. It's crazy! One man was missing a toe and the nurse was digging into his foot It was infected and she was cleaning it. I could see all the way to the bone. My stomach was a bit upset.The nasty wounds as I experienced with the Leprosy patients are the worse I have seen yet in India. There were many other cases but I won't write more for those with a weak stomach. :)
Now I am back in Madurai and having a more relaxing weekend. I really enjoy the family I am living with. Ish and Medu, the daughters are fun to talk and spend time with. Ish and I enjoy taking walks together. She tells me about her beliefs and culture and I share with her about mine. I think tomorrow the girls and I are going to go shopping at the local markets. There is always much to see when walking or driving down the streets in India. Horns are forever honking, dusts always assailing the eyes and people smiling and saying "hello, how are you?". A person has to be extremely alert so as to not get run over by vehicles. Pedestrians certainly to not have right of way here! I feel after two weeks I have for the most part adjusted to the Indian culture. It's such a hard culture to explain..... but if I were to explain it ,this is what I would say. Just think opposite of the American life, and this I feel would describe the Indian life.
Well, hopefully this entry gave you a better idea of what I am doing in India. Though I am enjoying myself here, it will be good to see all of you when I return! Please continue to pray for me! Thanks for reading and blessings to you all!!! Rachel
The last few days(Wednesday evening through Friday) four other girls and I have been at a Leprosy Hospital. It's hard for me to put into words all I saw those two days. I've never before seen Leprosy patients so wasn't sure what to expect. It broke my heart to see the men and women suffering from Leprosy. Some of the patient's hands and feet were only knobs. Others were missing fingers or toes. And, becuase they have no feeling, in surgery the doctors just cut away and the patient never feels a thing. It's crazy! One man was missing a toe and the nurse was digging into his foot It was infected and she was cleaning it. I could see all the way to the bone. My stomach was a bit upset.The nasty wounds as I experienced with the Leprosy patients are the worse I have seen yet in India. There were many other cases but I won't write more for those with a weak stomach. :)
Now I am back in Madurai and having a more relaxing weekend. I really enjoy the family I am living with. Ish and Medu, the daughters are fun to talk and spend time with. Ish and I enjoy taking walks together. She tells me about her beliefs and culture and I share with her about mine. I think tomorrow the girls and I are going to go shopping at the local markets. There is always much to see when walking or driving down the streets in India. Horns are forever honking, dusts always assailing the eyes and people smiling and saying "hello, how are you?". A person has to be extremely alert so as to not get run over by vehicles. Pedestrians certainly to not have right of way here! I feel after two weeks I have for the most part adjusted to the Indian culture. It's such a hard culture to explain..... but if I were to explain it ,this is what I would say. Just think opposite of the American life, and this I feel would describe the Indian life.
Well, hopefully this entry gave you a better idea of what I am doing in India. Though I am enjoying myself here, it will be good to see all of you when I return! Please continue to pray for me! Thanks for reading and blessings to you all!!! Rachel
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Living in India
Hey it's me again. I have had a busy and interesting week! On last Wednesday I started working at Vadamalayan Hospital. Indian culture is extremely relaxed , thus after waiting in different offices and speaking to a handful of people I finally was told to go to Dr. Muralidhran's office. His name is an handful, I still don't think I pronounce it correctly. :) It seems all the names here are super long and hard to say /remember. Oh well I just smile, nod my head and make up nick names. :) It was pretty hectic my first day because there really wasn't a set schedule yet and I didn't know where to go or what exactly was expected of me. the first unit I went into was the ICU unit. there were six beds all full of patients. The Vadamalayan hospital is a big hospital with many special areas. In ICU I patients suffering from such cases as Septic Shock and seizures.
The second day I went into the Cath lab and witnessed a Coronary Angiogram. Extremely interesting! I as well was able to go to the Emergency ward. There I fed an older Indian man his lunch, he was hypoglycemic. Two other patients had been in vehicle accidents. This does not surprise me, the driving here is insane! One of the Doctor said that the third cause of deaths in India is due to car accidents.
There is so much to see and learn at the hospital! Often I will ask the nurses questions but they do not understand English very well. Thankfully the doctors know English and are good about answering my questions. Because of the language barrier I often feel useless but try my best to assist the staff as much as possible. It seems that smiling and toiuching goes a long way in communicating! :)
This last weekend I went with six other Projects Abraod volunteers to a coastal town on the Western side. After a ten hour train ride we finally arrived at our destination. I was the only christian and so am experiencing new challenges in my walk with God. He has become so much more real to me! He truly is the only one I have right now to rely on. Scriptures that I always read over before without much thought are becoming alive. He is my sustainer and the only one to trust and believe in. The family I live with is Hindu. Please continue to pray that I will show Christs love to those I am around. I must go now. Tonight we are celebrating Ish's 18 b-day. She is one of the daughters of the family I am living with. Much love, Rach
The second day I went into the Cath lab and witnessed a Coronary Angiogram. Extremely interesting! I as well was able to go to the Emergency ward. There I fed an older Indian man his lunch, he was hypoglycemic. Two other patients had been in vehicle accidents. This does not surprise me, the driving here is insane! One of the Doctor said that the third cause of deaths in India is due to car accidents.
There is so much to see and learn at the hospital! Often I will ask the nurses questions but they do not understand English very well. Thankfully the doctors know English and are good about answering my questions. Because of the language barrier I often feel useless but try my best to assist the staff as much as possible. It seems that smiling and toiuching goes a long way in communicating! :)
This last weekend I went with six other Projects Abraod volunteers to a coastal town on the Western side. After a ten hour train ride we finally arrived at our destination. I was the only christian and so am experiencing new challenges in my walk with God. He has become so much more real to me! He truly is the only one I have right now to rely on. Scriptures that I always read over before without much thought are becoming alive. He is my sustainer and the only one to trust and believe in. The family I live with is Hindu. Please continue to pray that I will show Christs love to those I am around. I must go now. Tonight we are celebrating Ish's 18 b-day. She is one of the daughters of the family I am living with. Much love, Rach
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Arrival in India!
Wow, I am finally in India! After 36 hours of flights and layovers I was ready to for Indian soil. I think I am still trying to catch up on sleep. I arrived in Chennai at 11:30 p.m. and thankfully a nice Indian man who I sat by on the plane helped me with my connecting flight to Madurai. I was a bit overwhelmed. I think he liked the idea of helping out a girl from the USA and I needed the assistance so didnt argue. He is Hindu and in the airport we talked about different religions and beliefs. He was very open to the gospel, hopefully he'll think back to our conversation. He was very heplful and genuinely kind. Then once he left I had 6 hours to wait for my flight to Madurai. Sitting in the waiting area and looking around I realized I was the only Westerner. Was pretty exciting... Thankfully when I reached Madurai there was a Projects Abroad Indian man waiting for me. We took a taxi two hours to the town ,where the Projects Abroad office is located. On the way we stopped for breakfast and I would say what we ate but cant for the life of me remember the names. All I know is that I ate a pancake of some sort dipped in a coconut sauce and something fried and yummy. ;) Then apple juice shake thing. Once at the office the I met the staff and they orientated me about what I would be doing. After lunch I took the ttwo hour ride back to Madurai where I will be living and working. Nirmala, one of the staff went with me and introduced me to the hospital where I will start working tomorrow as well as the staff. It's so different then in the US everything is so relaxed here. I had forgotten how easy going and friendly the Indian culture and people are. Next Nirmala took me to where I will be living these upcoming weeks. The Indian family is very nice and I think I'll like staying here. There as well are two other volunteer girls as well as a guy who lives on the roof with a room. ( us girls are in the basement) I have only met Emma of the volunteers. She is from France and extremely sweet and helpful. I very relieved that she will be showing my how to get to the Vadamalayan Hospital tomorrow. She works there as well in the pharmacy. This weekend I will be traveling with the other three volunteers to the West coast. They were thoughtful and booked me a ticket before even meeting me. I'm excited about observing and hopefully helping out tomorrow! Thanks everyone for you prayers and encouragement. Please continue to pray that I will be a light for Jesus in India. Rach
Monday, June 29, 2009
Pre-India
Hello dear friends and family!
I've created this blog to hopefully keep you all updated about my future endeavours in India. :) This upcoming Sunday( 7-4-09) I fly out of Kansas City heading toward Chennai, India. For those of you who have no idea of what I will be doing, here's a brief summary of what I think I'll be doing.
I will be living in Madurai which is situated in Tamil Nadu,the southern most state of India. For one month I will be interning at Vadamalayan Hospital. I will be working under the supervision of Dr. Muralidharan-Head consultant of emergency medicine. While there my work will include attending ward rounds with the doctors, observing various surgeries, emergency cases and ICU's. Although I have not yet started clinicals in nursing school I do have basic nursing knowledge and will assist in taking bp, vital signs and dressings. I am told that if I show an interest and want to learn more I will be given more responsibility. Also, every Tuesday the hospital conducts Free Rural medical camps, and if I choose I can accompany the hospital staff on these. (which I plan on doing!)
For those of you interested in where I will be staying here's a short synopsis. I will be living with a local Indian family by the name of Muruganadam. Dr. Muruganadam is a veterinarian who is married has two daughters. I'm excited that I as well will be eating meals with them, experiencing authentic Southern Indian dishes. ;)
Thanks for reading and please be praying for me while I am in India! My hearts desire is to be used my God while serving Him to the best of my ability in India! I am super excited for these next five weeks. God keeps reminding me that He is going before me. " And the Lord is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed." Deut. 31:8 I'll do my best to post updates.
Blessings~ Rach
I've created this blog to hopefully keep you all updated about my future endeavours in India. :) This upcoming Sunday( 7-4-09) I fly out of Kansas City heading toward Chennai, India. For those of you who have no idea of what I will be doing, here's a brief summary of what I think I'll be doing.
I will be living in Madurai which is situated in Tamil Nadu,the southern most state of India. For one month I will be interning at Vadamalayan Hospital. I will be working under the supervision of Dr. Muralidharan-Head consultant of emergency medicine. While there my work will include attending ward rounds with the doctors, observing various surgeries, emergency cases and ICU's. Although I have not yet started clinicals in nursing school I do have basic nursing knowledge and will assist in taking bp, vital signs and dressings. I am told that if I show an interest and want to learn more I will be given more responsibility. Also, every Tuesday the hospital conducts Free Rural medical camps, and if I choose I can accompany the hospital staff on these. (which I plan on doing!)
For those of you interested in where I will be staying here's a short synopsis. I will be living with a local Indian family by the name of Muruganadam. Dr. Muruganadam is a veterinarian who is married has two daughters. I'm excited that I as well will be eating meals with them, experiencing authentic Southern Indian dishes. ;)
Thanks for reading and please be praying for me while I am in India! My hearts desire is to be used my God while serving Him to the best of my ability in India! I am super excited for these next five weeks. God keeps reminding me that He is going before me. " And the Lord is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed." Deut. 31:8 I'll do my best to post updates.
Blessings~ Rach
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