Nice of you to show up, Monsoon Season

Yesterday, Thursday, was our day off, when we would have liked to sight see a bit in Kolkata, but Kolkata had a different plan for us. I got up early to go to mass at which time it had already started to rain a bit, and by the time I started to head back, I had to wade through parts of the road. And it did not get any better thereafter. By the time we woke up from our 4 hour nap (slightly embarrassing), all of Sudder St. was flooded and our hotel lobby was full of homeless backpackers who arrived at the most inopportune time.

So instead of seeing the Cathedral or the mall or the really cool Dakshineswar Kali temples, we waded 20 feet from our hotel gate to get some ice cream. woohoo.

But it was nice to relax! We just chatted all day and once the waters receded a bit in the evening, we treated our lazy selves to Domino's Pizza (which was excellent!!) Cheese and Chicken "Barbeque" with oregano.

Today at work, I spent a lot of time cleaning wounds since the usual volunteers left. After tea time, I helped in the women's ward with lunch when something awesome happened!! Pretty girl wanted to walk! I supported most of her weight, but she definitely too steps and walked outside the ward for a few yards. It was awesome! She did it once before lunch and once after. She is getting stronger! She is also laughing and smiling more, and her cognicense is becoming more apparent.

One other new patient began to smile a few days back too. The Sisters and I taught her to say "Super fine!" when I say "How are you?" Well, she still just repeats what I say, but she speaks English nonetheless! She and I always make eye contact and joke around. I am really loving getting to know these patients! It is really showing me that having a long term relationship with my patients is something I will value as a doctor, and I might want to look into specialties that allow me to do that.

Anywho, that's all I got for now! More Adoration tonight, then who knows!

I finally got sick!

So I haven't updated in a while, and a lot has happened these past few days, so here is a brief synopsis...

Everyone told me before I left for India, "Just expect to get sick." Well, it happened! On Friday night, we went to see the Harry Potter movie at  the New Empire Theater near New Market. Nik got sick during the movie, so we nursed him back to hydrated health, got back to the hostel, spent the night relaxing, and once we all hit the hay, I hit the bathroom. Basically, I was up all night and during the morning I had several bouts of fever until I took an Advil and slept it off with a 6 hour "nap." Miraculously, after I woke up, I was perfectly fine! All symptoms vanished.

The Harry Potter movie was an experience though. Apparently, people treat movies like we would treat a spectator sport: whistles, claps, and howls at all the exciting parts (and even some not so exciting parts when everyone gets riled up). The first time we saw it, I was a bit annoyed because I wanted to listen to the movie, but  the second time we watched it (we went again because Nik didn't see all of it the first time), I really wanted to start something myself. Unfortunately, I can't whistle very loudly, so all the credit had to be given to the guy in the back and his several attempts at conjuring up a cheer.

Work has been awesome as well! I have really been bonding with the patients which is good now, but will be hard to leave later. Everyday is different as far as my tasks go. On Friday, I helped in the clinic cleaning wounds, and pulled two maggots out of one patient's mouth! Never thought I would do that... ever. Good thing I don't get queezy with that kind of stuff.

This morning, we celebrated the feast day of Sister Federico (St. Federico's feast day). We had morning mass, and then the novices all sang to her from the first floor as she stood on the balcony. It was super cute! They had hand motions and everything. Sister Federico then gave a little speech addressing the novices and the volunteers. She reminded us of our baptismal promise and how we should renew it everyday. She also said she has a "soft corner" in her heart for the volunteers. She is over 90 years old.

Anyhow, thank you for the prayers and keep them coming!

Hide the Mango

Today, I realized how comfortable I am working at Kalighat. The Sisters and Massies know me now and trust me with a lot of the duties. I also feel more comfortable with them and can joke around and whatnot. It is really feeling like more of a community! To be honest, I sense a change in the patients as well.

The patients go by numbers, and I do not want to use their names here, so I will refer to them by their number. I have learned all their names, though (of the names that we know).

Patient 1 is a complainer. She is always requesting something or another, mostly to wash her hands. I can sense this has gotten old around the ward, but I decided to joyfully indulge her requests a few times. This seemed to make all the difference! This woman has not cracked anything remotely resembling a smile... and today... she smiled!! She even held my hand when I held it out to her (which is generally left hanging). It was so awesome to see this bed-ridden woman finally smile and seem to express a little bit of her comfort. I guess when you receive a smile it is hard not to return it after a while.

This next one speaks to the blog title. 

Patient 3 is a very high functioning patient. She is very independent and quiet. She also eats very well (impressive for her miniature stature). Today during lunch time, I found a whole mango under her bed. I asked whose it was and no one answered, so I began to announce if anyone wanted it. She almost flew out of her bed to get it back. She was keeping it there for later. Or so I thought. After lunch, she asked me for some "pane". I handed her a glass of water and she took a few sips and motioned me to toss the rest. I did, but then she asked for the cup back. As I give it back, she reaches under her gown to retrieve the same mango, places it in the cup, and returns the protected fruit back under her gown. All of this done with a little mischievous, giggly smile as we share this secret from the massies. We share no common language, so we just giggle and indicate that we will not speak a word about what just happened. It was too funny! As I left, she blew kisses to me and we exchanged knowing looks.

Patient 4 slapped me today as I was trying to give her medicine... still working on cracking her smile.

Patient pretty girl is pretty as ever! Smiles every once in a while and it is a really nice surprise whenever I catch it.

New patient from the last post is still adjusting. Today I found her crying. Not sure why! But I rushed over to rub her head, face, hands. When there is no common language, I resort to touch a lot to convey my attention to the women. After a while, a smile peaked through the tears. I think she may just be overwhelmed with the new space, routine, attention... who knows! All I know is her broken femur is going to heal up real nice.

Patients 10 and 11 are quiet... hopefully smiles will come soon!

Other than that, I have helped with meds and food. Today I cleaned some wounds on my own. There are some really deep bed sores and such. After watching the Sisters and nurses for a few days, I have picked up the routine and they trust me to help now... which is cool! The Sisters are awesome and I am excited to get to know them more.

Thursday is the volunteer's day off, so hopefully I'll stop by the Calcutta Cathedral. We'll see!

A Stranger and you Welcomed Me

Today was my first time welcoming a newcomer off the streets. All of a sudden a stretcher arrives from the ambulance with a woman covered in dirt and fear. We put her into the shower, and I happened to be the one in charge of getting that task done. The whole time she seemed so afraid. I don't think she understood that we were going to give her new cloths after we washed her up. Once we got her dressed and resting in bed, though, and she saw that our intentions were decent, she calmed down.

When lunch came, she did not want to eat at first, but a Sister eventually convinced her it was okay. I can't imagine what must be going through her mind. She comes from the street where no one will look, much less touch, her to a room full of massies, nuns, and foreigners surrounding her and pampering her to the fullest... for no apparent reason at first. It will be interesting to see her adjust to Kalighat. Perhaps, I will be able to see the effects of new-found hope and human love. Pray for us!

Hope and Laughter

Sorry for my absence, but Sutter St. was internet-less for the past few days.

I have really enjoyed these past couple days of work though! I am getting used to Kalighat - getting to know the massies (Indian women who work at Kalighat), other volunteers, and the patients.

Friday and Saturday are relatively uneventful (although everyday is eventful!), but today was awesome! The pretty girl who I wrote about before started laughing today!! A lot!!  Another volunteer Shannon and I were feeding her and she just could not stop laughing! It brought tears to my eyes to see her so happy with laughter. I tried my hardest for her not to see my cry because I wanted that laughter to last as long as it could. She doesn't speak, so I think she was laughing because food kept falling out of her mouth when we were feeding her and she would try to reach it with her tongue which was never long enough. This girl really just wants someone to hold her hand, stroke her head, and just be with her. She is so young and wants to feel loved and comforted.

Which segues perfectly into our Sunday talk from an MC today. The topic was Hope. Sister gave a great talk about our ability to bring hope to the hopeless. How those with hope have so much more to live for and end up doing so much better in the long run and almost always recover faster than those without hope. She brought up a lot of wonderful points that served as a great reminder to me for my future as a doctor. If I make the patient feel loved and cared for, I can be a channel for God's Hope. A smile and undivided attention to that one person can make a huge difference. She also mentioned the MC emphasis on the one person, rather than numbers.

This talk was a perfect reflection after seeing that girl laugh today. Her laugh just emitted so much hope that I hadn't seen in her this past week. She is so beautiful when she laughs!

Titagarh: MC Leprosy Center

Thursdays are usually a day off for volunteers (good thing today because it rained more than usual), but Nik, Marissa, and I signed up to visit Titagarh, the Missionaries of Charity Leprosy Center. It proved well worth the trek through the rain.

To get to the center, we had an hour-long bus ride. It was nice to see more parts of the city without having to dodge cars, bikes, and rickshaws as I walked.

When we got to the center, it was a nice surprise to find out that we actually were not volunteering, just visiting! The patients are pretty self-sufficient, and the staff encourages them to support each other as much as they can by doing chores themselves. The MC brothers run this facility and were nice enough to give us a tour. To get to the main center, we had to cross a few rail road tracks, but then found a place that had way more going on than I ever expected.

First, we passed through the daycare / school run through the center. The kids that attend school there are children of patients or former patients. Many of the former patients stay and work within the facility, so they provide elementary schooling and daycare for their children. I thought this was awesome because it shows how sustainable and long term the support is that the MC provide.

As we walked in the classroom, the kids immediate started saying "good morning!" as if freshly rehearsed. They then sang us a few songs in Bengali, English, and even Italian! They were just precious. They ranged from infants in the daycare to I would say 10 or 11 in school. As we left they all shook our hands (multiple times) and yelled "good bye!" So cute!!

After the kids, we saw the patients. This experience was stunning to me; the patients were so joyful! My perception of leprosy was tainted by the fact that so many people fear it and there is a huge stigma against it. I thought the patients would be miserable... but they were the exact opposite! All of them sat up as we came in and bowed to each one of us (45 total) and said "Namaste!" with a smile! We saw both the women and men's wards as well as the "Mercy Home" for those expected to die in the facility. Believe it or not, even they were joyful! Probably the most cheerful of all the patients actually. For those who expect to be cured, it can take 6 months to 5 years, depending on the severity.

We then made our way to wound care where the patients got their dressings changed. A lot of patients had missing limbs that needed bandaging everyday, and it was so cool to see former patients doing the care! Their level of compassion I am sure far outstrips any level I could have simply by their ability to relate and understand. As I watched them change bandages for a while, I wondered where they got all their supplies because they go through A LOT of dressings a day.

And then we moved to the looms.

In this room, we saw former patients working several looms to make all the cloths for clothes, bedding, and the bandages! This place was so self-sustaining; it was awesome to see! Not only were they making supplies for the hospital, we also saw them making habits for the MC sisters. This really spoke to the humility of the sisters and the sense of community they create. Their very saris are made from the patients they serve. They are clothed with the fruit of their labor! The whole time, seeing all those huge looms and spools, I felt like I was on "How it's made: India edition"

The center also had a place where they made custom shoes for their patients (after they get amputations). They also made prosthetic limbs on site and sift through rice for their own meals. I loved seeing how the patients not only realized their human dignity by proper care for their illness, but also dignity of work. They are able to make a living and work despite lost limbs. The MC really proved to me their dedication to the dignity of the whole person today.

Ashley's Indian food consumption update: I had buttered naan and alu gabi. Naan is a pita bread looking thing and alu gabi is a potato and cauliflower dish that is a little spicy. It was super good!

"Be the One"

Another sunny day in Kolkata. We started off the same as usual: mass and a 30 minute walk to Kalighat. On the way, Nik and I passed a lot of fruits and veggies. After the mangoes, I think our next indulgence will be coconuts.

My day at Kalighat again began with laundry, but we had way less than we did yesterday, so we finished early. With some extra time before tea time, I headed over to the women's ward where I began by restraining/comforting patients as they got their wounds cleaned. There are some really deep wounds that look like pressure sores I assume from sitting on the streets. Lots of exposed muscle and bones, and I think I'll be able to learn a bit about cleaning and dressing the wounds as we go. 

After that, I fed biscuits and chai tea to a patient. This patient is pretty young and so beautiful! Super skinny, but super strong!! She would not let go of my arm until I started feeding her. I am not sure what she has, but yesterday she refused to eat, so it was awesome to see her eat so well today! I spent most the morning just sitting with her. I would make faces and occasionally she would copy me. Super sweet girl!

After our tea time, we fed the women lunch. Again, the young girl ate her whole plate of rice! After feeding my patient, I observed Catherine and one of the Sisters feed another patient through an NG tube (tube from nose to stomach). Before we fed her, we listened for the tube placement and all we heard a lot of bubbling (so she had a lot still in her stomach). The Sister just gave her a little water, but shortly after, unfortunately, she passed away. If she hadn't digested her food since the morning, it was really only a matter of time, but it caught me off guard to see her just stop breathing like that. The Sisters then brought in some holy water (I assume for baptism, but I did not see it), and they covered her. She seemed to go quite peacefully with a lot of loving MC Sisters around her. Lots of prayers for her.

Today, I was most struck by seeing the hardships some of these women have to carry. Getting their wounds redressed everyday is anything but pleasant and most of them have to be fed and dressed. But in their suffering comes a real union with Christ's Passion. I know they have helped me already to see the Cross of Christ and the pain of His thirst for souls as they carry their burdens daily. I pray that their difficult times be sanctified for the sake of the MC apostolate. 

The blog title is a Mother Teresa quote. She references the Agony in the Garden when Jesus seeks to be comforted by someone, but they are all asleep. She challenges us to "be the one" who gives him comfort.