Today I had my second, first official, day at the Kanti Children's Hospital. Yesterday, was orientation and a tour of the hospital- which to be completely frank, was so boring, and disorienting for me, that I was worried about what the rest of the time in the hospital would be like. But I can say that today I was pleasantly surprised. This week (at least, maybe more) we are in the Physio-Therapy ward- which also serves as the Outpatient Department (OPD) for neurology. There is an OPD clinic on Tuesdays and Fridays, and so today we shadowed doctors, as they observed patients and talked with families. A lot of developmental delay problems have to do with the patients they see, whether that's due to pre-term birth or another plethora of causes. The doctor I shadowed today was Dr. Bina Prajabti , a pediatric neurologist. She did an excellent job getting to the route of the cases, and being so direct to the patients (and their parents, in many cases the patient was to young to speak for themselves)- which even in another language isn't hard to recognize. She reminded me a lot of my Aunt Betty, who is a nurse, and that really put a smile on my face, as it felt like a bit of home, in a place so foreign and new to me. I was also very glad, because since I don't speak Nepali, she frequently explained to me what was going on, and even clarified sometimes if I was unclear of what the medical terminology or problem was. Like I said we will be working in this ward for at least the rest of the week if not longer, which would be fine with me, because I thoroughly enjoyed all of the doctors I met today.
To get to the hospital, I have about a 10-15 minute walk, and then get on a bus, called a Tuk Tuk- which is a tiny, tiny bus that fits about 10-12 people (I'll be sure to get a picture soon), that takes me to the hospital. Yesterday when we went for orientation a WI staff member accompanied me there and back, to make sure I had the route down. Today, I felt like I could figure it out, so I went on my own. I got to the hospital just fine, but on my way home, I got off the Tuk Tuk too late, which is easy to do since there aren't distinct stops. So once, I'd realized I missed where I needed to get off, I got off, and attempted to follow a way back. But somewhere along the way I made another wrong turn- heading me in a direction of Kathmandu I'd never been before. Fortunately, I persevered, used my navigational skills and found my way back, even though I walked more than double what I would have, had I got off at the right spot. Needless to say, I was more than glad to pay Rs60, for a cold coke, and be back in the apartment for the day.
Speaking of Rs (rupees, the Nepalese currency), things here are SO CHEAP, like unbelievably cheap, another thing about being in such a poor country. Many people here probably don't think of it as cheap, but being from America- where we are so much more privileged, and pampered, it's significantly cheaper. Another thing to adjust to coming from a developed country to a underdeveloped country. A little foreign financial lesson.
To give you more of a clear breakdown of how the Rupee system works in comparison to the USD:
Rs100 (100 Rupees)= 1USD
Rs1000 (1000 Rupees)= 10USD
So for instance, I pay Rs15, to take the bus, which would be 15 cents in USD.
Ergo I haven't even made a dent in the 100USD I exchanged into NPRs when I arrived.
It's still hot here in Nepal- and I read today in the paper (English version, haven't mastered Nepali yet) that the monsoon season looks to be set back another week- so one more week of REALLY hot, but today I got a fan, from the storage area of the office, that is now in my room, which makes it significantly cooler. It's funny how excited one gets about something as simple as a fan, and having WiFi, when being in a foreign (underdeveloped, poor) country, when it wasn't guaranteed. Little blessings I would normally take for granted. Another lesson I've quickly learned.
At the end of my trip, I'm going to have to make a list of all the "little lessons" that I learned from Nepal (and the big ones too). Many of these lessons, usually turn out to be blessings for me here- which coincidentally enough the two words rhyme. Maybe part of God's plan with creation, eh?
Many of you are probably wondering about the title of this post, and where that comes from. Well yesterday during orientation, that was something the director said to us, to describe the people of Nepal- and even though I've only been here 5 days, I couldn't agree more. The resilience, and happiness the people of this country have is overwhelming and it makes me realize how blessed I am to be who I am and where I am, and how easily I can forget it, and the people, experiences, and trials that got me to this point in my life.
Ever thankful for the friends and family that I have been able to talk with,vent to and confide in during this trip. Especially in these first few days (and the couple of weeks to come) it's been (and will be) crucial and such a blessing to my heart, and comfort to my mind and soul.
I think that's about all I have for now, hopefully my next post will include some more pictures.