June 9th

We arrived in Agra late last night. It was quite an eventful drive...it was supposed to be 10 hours but it ended up being 14+ because the car broke down  :( oh well, it happens. We are staying with some relatives of some family friends and they are the most generous people. They have an amazing, gigantic home and they're so nice to have us! Their cook makes great food. The omlette I had this morning was seriously the best I've had in my entire life :)

We saw the Taj Mahal this morning. It wasn't too hot (thankfully!). We took lots of pictures, but for some reason I can't get them to upload on the computer. I'll just have to show them to you when I get back. Anyway, it has been a nice change of scenery and routine from Mussoorie. We miss the cool weather, but are certainly thankful for our time here in Agra. Tomorrow we head to Jaipur for one last day of touristy stuff. Then I'm off for the States! Crazy. It has been a wonderful trip, and I have many more stories to share!

June 7th

In some ways it it hard to believe that tonight is my last night in Mussoorie. The past couple of days have been jam-packed with many fun things that Laura and I wanted to cram into our schedules before heading out. Yesterday evening Dr. Alex, the new orthopedist, invited us over for dinner with his family. It was so much fun but an interesting experience. We sat down at the table for dinner and I was about to ask for silverware thinking that Dr. Alex's wife simply forgot to put it out when setting the table, but alas, I realized that we were to eat with our hands (well only our right hand...) I figured this would happen at some point, but we had it pretty easy living with an American family. Laura and I looked at eachother and tried to hide our laughing. We began to scoop our biryani (a rice dish) and salad (consisting of plain yogurt, onions, peppers, and cucumbers) with our hands. We did our best and I was thinking I was doing a pretty good job until the family kind of looked at us funny. Without having any practice, I suppose we looked like novices...anyway, we had a great time and the family was wonderful :) They are from southern India and their ministry is a lot like what our friends Dee and Eric do. They have students over to their house whenever they need to talk or just be away from campus for a bit.

This evening we went to Sarita's home for tea. Sarita is a woman who works at the hospital pharmacy. She has served the role as 'mom' for Laura and I while we've been here. She's offered to make dinner for us many times, been a friendly face always willing to help, and she taught me how to tie my Indian pants so they stop falling down (serious dilemma). She invited us over this afternoon for tea, but we had no idea that her home was a 40 minute walk from the hospital! It was going well until it started pouring like crazy. There was even some hail! We had to stop in a little shop on the side of the road and wait for the storm to calm down. The power was out so it was quite interesting. Once we arrived, we had tea, biscuits, some unknown kind of bread, and these fried potato thingies that she made. She was so sweet! It was great getting to know them.
Below is a picture of Sarita and her family.

Another highlight of today: I got to help with a C-section! Dr. Joe let me scrub in. I wasn't doing anything exciting for a while (just holding the woman's bladder out of the way) but then he let me do some suturing after the baby was out! It was soooooo cool. This would never fly in the States, but in India things are a lot more relaxed. This was the third delivery I've seen here (second C-section) so it was very much a surprise and really a treat that I not only got to see the procedure, but that I was allowed to help. Dr. Joe told me what to do and everything went really well! I'd say it was a great day :)

June 3rd

Well, things are chugging along here in India. I only have two more days at the hospital before Laura and I venture to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Jaipur to visit some other touristy sights. Honestly, this past weekend both of us hit a low point. India isn't as new and exciting as it used to be and we were both sick. We just wanted to be home! Since then, however, we have had several experiences that have been God's way of encouraging us.

On Tuesday, we got to see the birth of a baby! The delivery itself was quite fast! Once the head was out, it almost seemed to shoot right out of the mother. Laura and I were rather surprised by this. I've noticed that the women here seem to be pretty tough compared to the women in America. The mother hardly made a sound as the baby was being born. On top of this, she only had one relative in the room (I think it was her mother??? Men are never allowed in the delivery room unless it is a doctor performing a C-section). The woman who was supposed to be offering moral support didn't really seem engaged in helping her daughter get through the painful process.

The baby was healthy and doing well, but the mother began to bleed a little more than usual after finishing the delivery. Because of this, the nurses had to do a lot of sewing and some other procedures (we don't really know what happened since no one in the room spoke English...this is very typical and sometimes awfully frustrating). The episiotomy (sewing) took forever. It lasted an hour and I could tell in was excruciating for the woman because she began to cry and wail in pain. This really says something, as she hardly made a sound during the delivery. By this time, her mother had left the room to play with the new baby girl and only the nurses and I were in the room. The nurses began to get frustrated and were honestly treating the patient quite rudely. I felt so badly! I didn't know what to do...I was standing there pretty awkwardly but I didn't want to leave since the woman had no one there for support. A couple of minutes later, she grabbed my hand! She held on to it so tightly as she cried and cried. As I can only speak a handful of words in Hindi, I couldn't offer any words of encouragement. This lasted for so long that I began to cry myself. Everyone had left her during what seemed to be the most painful part of the experience and I couldn't do anything to help. As I cried with her all I could do was pray. About a half hour later, the procedure ended and the woman struggled back to her hospital room. Once she arrived, she looked up at me through her tears and uttered two of the few English words she knows, "Thank you" and gave me a huge hug. I really saw the Lord that day.

 This is a picture of the woman and her new baby girl. I never found out the mother's name and they haven't named the baby yet. It is common to wait to name babies in India. I'm not really sure why...

Today the woman actually came to clinic for her baby's check up. She would not stop thanking me and smiled the hugest smile I have ever seen. It was great to see :) Also today we got to watch a C-section! It was seriously incredible. Dr. Joe performed the surgery so he explained everything to us (in English!).

So, there you have it. We witnessed two miracles this week! I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Since both Laura and I have more than enough of our internship hours completed, we're going to spend the day at the market looking around. I think some of the girls that work at the hospital will join us, but I'm not really sure because we could hardly understand what they were saying. Anyhow, I'm excited :)

Thanks so much for reading! I can't wait to share more details when I get home. Only a little over a week left!

Oh and thanks for the comments. I'm not kidding when I say that they make my day :)

May 27th

The past few days here have been a bit different than usual. Yesterday Laura and I got to spend some time with the orthopedist. It was a ton of fun because I got to learn how to put on and take off a cast! The saw thing was a bit intimidating at first but I'm sure I'll get used to it after a while. We also got to see a couple of surgeries. Honestly, this was a bit frustrating because we didn't really know what was going on since all the doctors were speaking Hindi.

It has been fun getting to know one of the junior doctors here. He has finished medical school but not finished the rest of his training. The whole medical school process is quite different here than in the US. Anyway, it has been great because he is around our age and can speak English pretty well. Today the three of us went to some local schools and saw patients. It was interesting to see the infirmaries here in India. All the students sleep on metal bunk beds placed in rows. One of the nurses told us that the kids have to take all their medicines in front of the nurses. Apparently, the students have been known to throw their pills out the windows when the nurses aren't looking because they don't like the bitter taste :)

This morning it rained like crazy. I've heard that monsoon season is coming early this year, so we got a little taste of what June will be like.  After the rain, the sky cleared up and the fog that usually hangs over the valley below us was gone. Instead of going to the hospital this morning, we hiked up to the other side of the mountain and got to see snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas! It was stunning.

In several ways, India is anything but comfortable. As foreigners, Laura and I are constantly out of our comfort zone whether it is emotionally, spiritually, or physically. Sometimes I catch myself wishing I was back home sleeping in my own bed or just able to wear normal American clothes. I keep thinking "I don't belong here. I'll be home (where I belong) in a couple of weeks." After thinking more about this, I began to see that God is showing me that India is just a metaphor for the world as a whole. In fact, Christians don't belong here at all! We are only visitors. I should not always bank on the fact that soon I'll be back in my comfort zone. I should want to be challenged. It is the only way I'm going to grow stronger in my faith! Just some thoughts I've been having recently.

I hope things are all well and good back in the states! Please keep the prayers coming :)

Kelli

May 24th

Today we had quite a unique experience! Well, then again every day is unique... We spent the night on call in the hospital. We were hoping that a baby would be born, but alas, we ended up being able to sleep through the night without interruptions. Today we were driven out to a small town about an hour up into the mountains. Laura and I held a medical clinic there alone--just us and the translators! It was quite an experience. Joe prepped us with some broad instructions for the use of certain medicines that we would likely be using. Fortunately, everything went very well! We saw about 55 patients in the couple of hours we were there. It was just in one small room. I'll post pictures when I can!

One event in particular during our trip really stuck with me. A woman brought her baby girl to our clinic. She set her on the floor to sleep while we spoke with the mother (this is actually pretty common here). After we finished discussing her medical issues, we commented on how beautiful her baby was. The woman proceeded to ask us if we wanted her baby! She was being completely serious. It was so sad! I think I've already mentionned why people don't want girls, but it's because of the expensive dowry to have them married. She told us that she would only want her baby if it was a boy. I don't think I could ever get used to hearing that from patients. Dr. Sima told us that sometimes women will try to leave babies at the hospital when they give birth to girls. Please be praying for these families!

On a lighter note, we had pizza for dinner last night! I had never been so thankful for American food before :) Thank you for the prayers. I miss you guys!

Moussoorie

We have been in Moussoorie for about a week now. The internet still isn't working, but some family friends of the Weavers have been gracious enough to let us use their computer. India is a whole other world from the US :)

Our schedule really depends on the day, but most of our time is spent in the hospital near the Weavers' home. It is a 5-10 minute walk through the mountains each day to work (not many people own cars here) but I have been really enjoying it. Once there were 7 monkeys on our trail, one of which was a baby! We had been instructed to stay as far away as possible from the monkeys, as many of them are rabid. It was quite an adventure maneuvering around them. It is also pretty common to see goats or dogs blocking our way.

We've been working in the hospital, but also at the nearby international school, Woodstock, as well as a Tibetan orphanage. At the hospital we spend a lot of time with Dr. Sima as she does prenatal care. It has been great! Laura and I have learned to measure a uterus with a baby inside, determine the position of the baby inside the mother's belly, and even find/record the baby's heart rate with a Doppler machine! I've started to be semi-able to decipher ultrasounds as well. With Dr. Joe, we see a lot of newborns and little children, since most women only want women doctors for prenatal care. Generally the kids that Joe sees are in for vaccinations, flu, or stomach problems. At the orphanage, we see a bit of everything. Laura and I have begun to see patients ourselves under the supervision of Dr. Joe, however it is quite difficult since there is only one translator between the three of us. It is common to have the kids come in for TB, rashes, mumps, and typhoid. I'm so glad I got my shots!

We have met some very interesting people while here. Laura and I have been teaching English classes twice each week at the hospital for nurse trainees. It has been so fun since they are around our age! We've learned so much about the Indian culture through the eyes of other 20-year-olds. I am so thankful for these relationships formed.

Throughout my second semester at Wheaton, God has been teaching me a lot about the beauty of brokenness. I have been seeing that even though everyone goes through very difficult circumstances, it is always for the greater purposes of God's plan. It can be so difficult to see through the hardships to the broader picture that is His will for our lives. This was all summarized so nicely for me as I was sitting on the Weaver's front porch yesterday looking out at the mountains. There were countless homes falling apart, rabid dogs barking all over the place, and polluted fog hanging over us. But, despite all of this, the scene was truly beautiful. The view was outstanding with the snow-capped mountains and the sun shining through a bright blue sky. It is so easy to focus on the small, ugly, and bad things. It isn't until we step back and look at the whole picture that we can see the true beauty that is the broader scope of God's plan.

India is a broken, but wonderful place. The Lord has been using my time here to teach me so much! Thank you for the comments and prayers. They are much appreciated :)

God bless!

 Our room!

 Wondering what's going on with the shower.

 Trying on our salwar kameez thingies.

 Ricksaw ride! That's Zarema with us.

 Ricksaw from the outside. It is clearly a safe and sturdy contraption.

 Modeling our new outfits! The pants of this one I think are like the equivalent of our skinny jeans. They're supposed to be long so they fit me nicely!

 Indian pose...I think?

 Hallway of our hotel. Yep! That's a metal detector.

 Street outside the hotel.

 Robbie, I thought you would like to see a real, live, Indian pookins.

 Sketchball cyber cafe!

Little shop across the street.

Arrival

We made it! The flight was long...about 17 hours total in the air. Surprisingly the jetlag hasn't really been bad at all today! We got here late last night (1am India time) and slept well. Since we got in so late we weren't bombarded with people at the airpor. It felt semi-americanish! Our hotel is nice, but quite different than hotels the States. I am pleased to report that the bathrooms were normal! ;) (Alas, the question that my whole family was itching to hear the answer to) However Laura and I still aren't really sure where all the water from the shower goes...we can't find the drain haha. Today we met up with a very kind woman who has been our trip coordinator. We traveled by ricksaw (I think that's what it's called) to the local mall. It was actually a pretty dangerous experience. Mom, I am very much  alive so no worries! We went to shop for our salwar kameez (not really sure how to spell that...). The architecture of the mall actually reminded me a lot of Ridgedale mall. There was even a KFC inside! The major difference was that, since the mall was new, only a few stores were inside. We found our clothes at a store that I would imagine to be the equivilant of our Target. They had food, clothes, random household objects, etc. By the way, salwar kameez is the traditional Indian clothing that we are to wear at all times while in Mussoorie. In Delhi it is more acceptable to wear western clothing, but once we get into the rural areas it is expected for us to dress appropriately.

After our shopping experience we went to our coordinator's house to do an orientation for the hospital that we will be working at. We ordered Domino's Pizza (Jimmy-the pizza had peppers and I thought of you!) and it was super good. Our host kept harassing us to dirink coffee and tea until we finally succumbed to the pressure. It was like 100 degress (no joke!) but it was good anyway :) I technically hadn't really had a real meal before the pizza since leaving Minnesota... (Boppa, I know you are probably dissappointed with me because of this but allow me to explain!) The food on the airplane was funky.and, well, airplane food. This morning Laura and I chickened out when it came to the roomservice we were instructed to get for breakfast. Luna bars all the way! Dad, I will have you know that we are planning on having some kind of curry and naan for dinner, so none of this licorice and pringles for me! I'll let you know if I get sick, but hey, is all part of the adventure.

Right now I'm sitting in a sketch internet cafe. It's kind of amusing to just watch the people in here...but they're probably watching me too. The culture here is waaaay different from anything I've ever seen before. Zarema, our coordinator, was super helpful in showing us the do's and dont's for both the hospital and for India in general. I learned so much! So far I am loving it here. The people are so kind and helpful and very interesting! I can't wait to learn all I can.

We head up north to Mussoorie tomorrow at 5:30 am. I'm really looking forward to meeting the Weavers (our hosts) and seeing the hospital. I'll try and write again tomorrow, but I miss you all! I thank you for your prayers and encouragement for Laura and I as we spend our time here. It is truly a blessing :)

Love you all!

Kelli