NAMESTE!! so it's been a while since my last post and i hear people are getting worried.
i did not die on my bungee jump.
i did not fall off the mountain.
i did not get eaten by a crocodile.
things are great!
this weekend we went on a SAFARI - yeah pretty cool i know! we rode elephants and saw rhinos and warthogs and deer... ok nothing i haven't seen before in a zoo but these were wild! plus the whole riding elephant thing was amazing. THEN we got to bathe the elephants - which meant riding one into the river and falling off as it fell on it's side! so we got drenched and sprayed and may have swallowed some river water, but it was so much fun! i even got to climb up it's trunk by grabbing its ears as it lifted it's trunk (did you know they have more than 40 000 muscles in their trunk?). later that day we went on a canoe ride and "saw" crocodiles (aka everyone saw them but me), wild birds and monkeys, and we ended up at the elephant breeding center. it was kind of sad there - they chain up all the elephants so they can train them, and some of them seemed kind of angry (they were making a lot of noise and pacing a lot). but the babies were ADORABLE - mom, can i bring one home? it'll fit in our backyard.... :) we stayed at the jungle lagoon resort - a place way out of the way, but very pretty and peaceful. we had really good food and had a lot of fun getting to know each other - 16 projects abroad volunteers came along. it was SO HOT though, but each day we got wet so it was ok. OH i forgot to say - on our way we stopped at the side of the river and went white water rafting! that was soooo much fun - i got to sit in the front and see all of the huge waves before anyone else! :) good weekend!
ok so my placement is getting better some days. when we're busy, it's good. i've been learning a lot more - i think i'm getting better at deciphering the bad nepali accents as the doctors ask us questions and explain things to us in muddled english. also, my stomach seems to be getting stronger - i've been able to watch a few more procedures, including a biopsy without feeling faint! yeah for me :D the biopsy was a little scary though - the patient was a 16-year old girl who had a lump in her breast. the doctor told me though that it was benign... but i just can't imagine going through that at 16.
so what else can i say? i've been writing in my journal daily and have never written so much. to tell you all everything would take more time than i have, and it still wouldn't be enough. maybe i'll write a memoir or something when i get back... or you can just grill me about everything you want to know :) i'm learning a lot about medicine, people in general, myself, and especially God. my devotions are hard to do sometimes, but i'm actually learning a lot about devotion from tiki - my host. the other day she walked around the stupa (temple) for over three hours and got blisters on her feet - it's a buddhist practice to pray in that fashion. i admire her commitment to her faith. it's been interesting also to talk to some people here about faith - the first time my heart started to pound and i started praying immediately that God would give me the words He wanted me to speak. the second time i didn't feel the fear and things were more natural. so PLEASE keep praying that i can be a witness through my actions as well as my words! i only have two weeks left... it's so strange that i'm halfway done! i definitely have a lot that i still want to accomplish here.
so two days ago, we were driving to the resort and we got lost. it turned into this HUGE ordeal and finally we got picked up by a local truck that the resort rented to pick up all 16 of us. we were hot, wet from rafting, hungry and tired. the road was dusty, bumpy and full of potholes. the people were riding rickety old bikes or walking along the side of the road. most people were carring something - either in their arms or in baskets on their back that are supported by a strap that goes around their forehead. all i could think of was how happy i was that i'm not nepali. it was such a strong reaction that i was really surprised - and realized how materialistic i am. i love my soft bed and air conditioning and a car to drive whenever i want. it's given me a lot to think about.
i'd love to expound more on that thought - i have so much i want to say, but i have to get going.
i miss you all a lot - it will be so good to see everyone again in two weeks.
andrea