Advertisement
Published: October 15th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Don't pee here!
They put these tiles of different gods and goddesses up all over the walls of the city to try to deter people from spitting and peeing there! Namaste!
So again, less than a month into my journey and again I have experienced some seriously competent (and some seriously incompetent) Indian healthcare! I have also made some wonderful friends in the process and am falling more deeply in love with this place every second of every day!
I was really beginning to lament my lack of good friends here - Pahar Ganj in particular is a tricky place to stay, it is like living in a bus terminal or an airport. You will meet someone one night, have a great conversation, and then learn that they're leaving the following morning. It is very much a place where people stop in for a day or two on their way somewhere else and long-term residents are few and far between. So I was feeling this strange kind of loneliness where I was surrounded by people, all the time, but no one I was particularly close with or had clicked with! And within SBT, the volunteers are all spread out all over the place and there is no one time or place where we all get together, although I definitely think there should be and am going to
Chaos!
The view from my hotel's balcony in the early evening try to implement that - the amount of information and tips we could be sharing is pretty valuable!
Anyways, these things began to change last weekend when I went for a picnic in South Delhi at these old ruins with a couple of the female volunteers. We were playing cards in the park and I began to hear the distinctive sounds of drumming - I followed my ears and found a DRUM CIRCLE happening in the park, which of course I jumped in on immediately, dancing with some young girls and a few older Indian men (who were very sweet and not at all pervy). It was the perfect end to a day and exactly what I needed, an indulgence in a little bit of hippie and a LOT of fun. I began to feel more optimistic about my time here and meeting cool people!
Then on Tuesday morning, in a perfect act of the Universe delivering exactly what I need when I needed it, I met a few volunteers who I hadn't known existed yet - two Germans and and an Australian who are teaching a photography workshop to the kids and making a new
Durga
They built this shrine to the goddes Durga about a week ago at the end of my street. trailer for the organization's City Walk Delhi tour. We immediately hit it off, especially Aaron, the Australian filmmaker, and I somehow convinced him to come with me to the boys' shelter every afternoon for the rest of the week and who has turned into an amazing friend since!
Turned into an amazing friend mostly because I have dengue fever now (well more than likely - the tests take around 24 hours)! A couple days ago my bones began to hurt and I started running a low fever. I had initially planned to go to Rishikesh for the weekend, which is where the Beatles stayed when they came to India years ago. I was so pumped and Aaron was supposed to come with me but at the last minute I had to cancel because I was really feeling poorly and went to the hospital that SBT recommended in a cycle-rickshaw which was a terrible choice as it was a government hospital and not at all clean or hygienic and they didn't do any tests or anything at all. I quickly left and decided that I would go to a better hospital if I still felt poorly the next day.
Wasted Watermelon
Right before the Commonwealth games, the Delhi government carted all the cows out of the downtown core - well, they're BACK! Aaron, in his infinite generosity, brought me his internet stick before trying to board the train to Rishikesh so that I could sit in bed and Skype my mom every hour with updates on my condition.
I can't even describe the pain in my bones - I hurt worse than when Kyle Knapp ran me over at baseball back in April and can barely move I am so stiff. Imagine getting hit by a small vehicle and you will have an idea of how I feel! Not to mention that by this morning, the fever had begun to increase and I knew I had better go to the hospital in South Delhi. I got in a rickshaw after telling the driver that I needed to go to the hospital quickly and he proceeded to leisurely finish his chai before getting in the driver's seat and taking me down to Max Hospital in Saket, where I was hooked up to a drip and given a shot of something amazing that brought my fever right down while I waited for results of the blood test. It turns out that I don't have malaria which is great news but probably do
Computer Class!
Teaching the very complex nuances of Paint. have dengue, for which the prescription is actually just rest and fluids.
So I left the hospital after protesting their exorbitant taxi fare to get me back home and I was walking through the parking lot to try to find an auto rickshaw who would take me home, and for the right price, when I got hit by a car in the parking lot! Not hard at all, just a little bump, but it was one of those "Really? This is really happening right now?" moments that made me cry a little at first but then laugh... I then spent the rest of the day in bed where I am now, awaiting Aaron, who is bringing me over pancakes for dinner (I actually cannot say enough about this wonderful human/guardian angel!).
I am sure I will be feeling much better in a couple days, I just have to lay low and drink lots of water and have kind Australians wait on me hahaha! Seriously though this has not dampened my spirit in the least and I had an amazing week, teaching computers and helping the rowdy boys in the afternoon paint and learn how to share
Separate
Everyone just took their share of blocks at first... things rather than grab them from each other. One of the boys even drew a really good picture of me which is on my wall right now!
The funny thing about travel is how trivial things like sickness seem when faced with how so many people are living on a daily basis - I imagine how I would feel if I had dengue fever but had no bed to crawl into, no one to bring me pancakes, no Skype with which to assure my family I am ok, no clean water to drink to prevent me from getting sicker. I am so lucky that I am able to have all these things while I feel so badly, and I hope I am adequate in expressing my gratitude to those people who have helped me this whole time!
I am off to get some more rest now, so I will leave you with this posting and a whole lot of subcontinental love!
Namaste all!!
xoxoxoxo
Advertisement
Tot: 0.157s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 6; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0906s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mom
non-member comment
" ... Skype my mom every hour with updates on my condition." I think somebody's exaggerating! Or possibly feverish!