Day Two

My jetlag still hasn’t subsided.  I fell asleep last night early, and yet woke at 1 a.m. wide awake.  I figured since it was still Thursday in the U.S. I could at least recap the events of yesterday, which was Day Two....

My friend Kathryn Nemirovsky arrived that morning at 4:00.  Walter and I took a cab to meet her at the airport and it took us only 15 minutes when normally it takes between 30 to an hour with traffic.  Apparently the city does sleep.  It was a bit surreal to see the streets empty with just the occasional wandering dog.  Somehow I was reminded of the various scenes in the Bollywood movies when the forlorn lover is wandering the streets at night crooning about his lost love, which is in just about every movie.... And before I forget, did I tell you that Mumbai is home to the Bollywood industry? 

Kathryn took this picture on our way home from the airport.

I was very excited to see Kathryn, a face from home in such a foreign place.  We proceeded back  to the apartment and were greeted with a torrent of rain.  I always wanted to see the monsoon season and this was certainly a clear glimpse!  The streets were flooded and there were times that I wasn’t sure that the little taxi was going to make it.  The gears kept grinding and we were at a crawl sloshing our way through the equivalent of a small creek.

After getting a few hours of sleep we started the day with the first day of clinic.  During the Ganpati festival many people head back to their villages where they came from before moving to Mumbai to be with their family.  Therefore, the clinic was quieter than usual.  It did work out well as I was able to observe and work with the staff at the morning East Bandra clinic.  While many things have remained the same since I was last here, such as the clinic itself, and some of the patients I had remembered from before, there have been changes that I should note. 

Pooja is no longer here with us and has been replaced with Sheilaja.  Even though I miss seeing Pooja, I am told that Sheilaja is a wonderful assistant and easily a part of the "Barefoot family".  There are now four acupuncturists, Meghna, Geeta, Vrushali and Satish. I had met Meghna and Geeta the last time I was here.  That morning however, Satish was the only one there.  I was quite happy to meet him and work with him.  He is quiet, a bit inquisitive and can tell that he is a valuable member of the team.

I look forward to seeing the rest today as we will all be gathering for an informal lecture on gynecological issues.  After greeting the rest of the team, I will put together a post introducing them.

I always look forward to seeing the patients here in the Mumbai slums.  The sense of community and cultural lifestyle is very fascinating and always brings me humility in the recognition that these people are just as real and human as we are.  We can bring depth to the level of understanding to the human condition and make genuine connections by taking the time to listen and engage.  I am forever grateful that I have something that I can give these people and am only severely hampered by the fact that my visit is so measurably short. Alas, I have people waiting for me at home.

After our clinic shift, we went to Ujwala's home as part of the Ganpati festivities.  I am constantly amazed at the feast that Ujwala prepares for us in this tiny kitchen.

Ujwala's mother is rolling out the dough for puris.  They are rolled, cut out with a round cutter and fried till they puff up like little pillows.

Valerie is trying her hand at making the little dumplings.  They look quite like the Tibetan momos I love.  These are different though stuffed with sweet coconut flakes and jaggery, a form of raw sugar that comes in large golden lumps. 

Voila!!  Finished dumpling!

It has been over a year since I was last here and as I am sure that some things have changed, many things have not.  I was elated to find that just around the corner from the apartment these street vendors selling fresh vegetables and fruit were still there.  One of my simple joys had been to pick up daily the few items I would need to prepare for the evening meal.  On our way home, just as if we had never left, we stopped to gather some crisp pomegranites, fragrant papayas, and yellow, little bananas for the late evening snack.  

I'm sure there is more to come, but for now, I am going to try to catch some sleep before the sun rises in just a few hours.