Sweet Relief!

I'm sorry if it seems like I've been remiss in my repsonses lately. I've had my nose to the grindstone lately while working on my medical school secondary applications. I finally finished them today and mailed off the ones that needed mailed. It's a huge weight off my shoulders.... and a huge divit out of my pockets to post four envelopes to different locations express mail, but worth it I suppose. I have some catching up to do, so here goes!

Two weekends ago I ended up staying in Sivakasi. We had a celebratory dinner for someone's last night and I wanted to stick around and work on my applications. Maybe it was wise that I staying in Sivakasi because I ended up falling ill on Sunday (the first time since I've been in India! Over a month in. Not bad). I wasn't even that ill. I was well enough to leave that evening with two other volunteers to trivandrum, which was a 5 hour drive away. We spent two days at an ayurvedic clinic! Let me just say, it is one of the most rediculous forms of "scientific" medicine I've ever encountered. I think the fact that they insist on it being scientific and interspersing scientific terminology when talking about it that makes it even more rediculous and frustrating. The clinic was subpar, probably because we never actually saw anything, just got dictated to by an overbearing woman that kept making judgements about our character. Apparently, part depending on your personality depends on the treatment you receive and for how long. I apparently don't smile much and am unhappy and am very arrogant. Another volunteer is very dull and shy around women. This woman wasn't exactly scoring points in my book. She also said I was childish, which I won't disagree with, but that doesn't put her back into my favor. After half a day of dictation, we all splurged three hundred rupees to get an ayurvedic massage. Basically, it was a 45min rubdown with smelly oil during which point I felt very violated.... especially when he bathed my oily body. But it was still an interesting experience, albeit one that I'll never repeat. Oil fomentation is one a primary healing method in ayurvedic medicine. Depending on where oil is placed depends on what symptoms it can cure. Oil on the head can get rid of headaches, the chest get rid of asthma, and get this ladies, an oil massage can tone muscle and remove excess fat... this is particularly funny when being told to me by an overweight indian woman... of course, most indian women are overweight. They also employ methods such as enemas, laxatives (apparently every headache is caused by constipation) blowing powder or oil up your nose, and two others which are my favorite: Blood letting and indiced vomitting! Blood letting can be done with needles, blades, or the most common choice leeches. Apparently, once all the bad blood has been sucked out, the leech dies... how scientific. Induced vomitting can be used to cure headaches, epilepsy, asthma and mental disorders. How ironic! In my country, making yourself vomit IS a mental disorder. I guess that just culture clash for you. haha...... What hogwash. It was interesting to learn about, but really the most rediculous thing I've ever heard.

After a lackluster week of listening to my doctor speak to patients in tamil and berate his staff, we took off for a tpa weekend in Kanyakumari. It is on the southern most tip of india where the bay of bengal, arabian sea and indian ocean all come together. It was an alright weekend with a few interspersed sights of beauty, but what I can't get out of my head is what I saw on the bus ride over. We hitched a bus from Sivakasi to Nagercoil and Nagercoil to Kanyakumari. On the 45min bus ride from Nagercoil to Kanyakumari, we crammed onto a crowded bus and managed to find a few seats towards the back. Two volunteers ended up sitting next to a man that was drooped down in his seat and not really moving. We tried to gain his attention, even shook him, but received no response. One of the members of our group reached to feel his pulse and could feel nothing, only cold. There was also a small bit of blood that had dripped out his mouth and onto his white shirt. The tpa employee that was with us at that point told us to move away from him and leave him alone. We thought he meant because the guy could have some disease we don't want to catch. When in actuality, he just wanted us to move away because it wasn't our problem. We tried telling other people on the bus, some said he was just drunk or didn't seem to care. We also told the conductor collecting money, but when he heard, he just continued to collect money as if nothing was wrong. Clearly distressed by the fact that we were on the bus with a dead guy and that nobody seemed to care we hopped off the bus at the next stop. Apparently in this country, when something wrong happens, nobody wants to do anything or report it, because that means you have to go down to the police station and make a statement, which is clearly far to much work for an indian to do. These people are rediculous. I wonder what about that man's family who is waiting at home for him, and he never comes... He got on the bus either go home or going to work, and passed away. I will never travel alone in this country. Ever. Well, I think I should quit now before I really get worked up and tell you more awful things about indian culture, like how one month ago, child labor was still legal and only two weeks ago, you could beat your wife and not be infringing on the law. Whoops! Maybe I should stop now.

I don't know when I'll be able to write again. I leave for Varkala this weekend and then go from there to Goa and work my way north for three weeks. I will most definately be stopping at several internet cafes, so if you bear with me, I'll get to you all in due time. I hope you're all well and healthy and maybe avoid buses for a short while. Tata!