I think the short 'honeymoon' phase of India is over and now we are down to the nitty gritty. This is the stuff that makes coming here so great. The day to day ideosyncracisies of the power going out for 8 hours, no food being delivered and the good old 'hurry up and wait' mentality that plagues us here. Even though it is frustrating, it is so wonderful.
In just a short week we are establishing continutity of care with many of the people in the slums. Today we worked at the Dum Dum station and followed up with a man whose wounds we dress every day and there seemed to be improvement this morning. I searched everywhere for the man with leprosy but he was not to be found. We know were people are and how to find them now. Looking under stairs, boxes and train tracks, sometimes it feels like 'Where's Waldo' seeking out people. We are following a women who had surgery some time ago to remove piles. She is feverish everyday and I am afraid she might get septic. We bring her food, medicine and spend time with her children. I am afraid that some day we might not find her in the stairwell she calls home, another woman lost to disease and another child left behind. It is so hard to see these things and not be able to help much. We are coordinating care and checking in on her twice a day.
Other than the medical care, daily life is good. Ann and I are planning a trip to the Himalayas this weekend and other short day trips on our off time. This evening we will return to the train station and do more wound care, wash babies and feed children. I'm sure many stories will come from another 'shift' here and I will write more later...Katie
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