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