My Digs

Street cows.
Street dog 1. This dog was actually snoozing outside the primary health center. A few cows wandered by, too.
This is my dorm - the international house. We have a security guard stationed outside all day, then we are locked in (or out!) at midnight. The security company is called "Doberman." I'm 5K miles from home and people are still breedist. Anyhow - no men at all are allowed in our dorms. The male student here with our program has to wait for us to meet him out on the corner - he cannot even wait in the lobby.
The view from the 5th floor elevator area - primarily the campus.
Courtyard view when I open my door.

It is just after 6AM here in Manipal, and I have already learned an important lesson this morning - I should do all of my internet stuff in the early AM because no-one else in India works this early! Last night I experienced hours of frustration with gmail and UMD's library server (yes, I have to work on my MPH project from here in India) likely because everyone was online at that time checking their email, FaceBook, etc. But this morning - so far so good. I thought that before I do some work I would take advantage by posting some more photos.

More India Picts

This is the building at Manipal University where most of our classes are held.
Flowers at End Point park area. We've walked here a few evenings already. We go as a big group for safety.
Sunset from End Point on our first night in India.
Monday breakfast. These tasted like really eggy pancakes. Pretty tasty. Sorry Jackson - no chicken pantakes here!
We received a tour of some of the medical education facilities here. This mannequin can simulate a number of health conditions, providing practice to medical students.

I HEART India

My swollen feet on Sunday after 36 hours of travel. Now my left foot swells up in the afternoons. Can someone tell me why?
Our bus from the Mangalore airport.
Mangalore Airport.
Ugh . . . delays in Bangalore due to fog! We had delays in Paris due to a mini-strike.
This one is for my honey who loves the mango lassis!

Howdy everyone! Getting wired was a bit of a challenge, but I am happy to be able to be in touch with my friends and family, and to be able to share some of this wonderful adventure with all of you.

Our journey from Dulles airport to Manipal was so long . . . we had flight delays of many hours, slept on benches at Charles de Gaul Airport, and upon our arrival in Mangalore boarded a bus for an hours winding drive to campus here in Manipal. I got really carsick (not shocking). Anyhow, after more than 36 hours of travel I arrived in my room to find that in my absence ants had colonized my bed! The staff here on campus was wonderful and dealt with the situation, but my room reeks of ant spray. I'm thinking of picking up some incense this evening . . . but come to think of it I don't have any mosquito bites yet. Could the ant spray be providing a protective effect? This is the first time in my life that I'm not the one with the most mosquito bites!

Monday morning we started classes first thing, and I can't tell you how excited I am about what we are doing in these three short weeks. We are being hosted by Manipal University, which is in fact a world class university. The faculty here seems quite happy to have us, and have gone to great lengths in designing our program, and arranging amazing field trips. We're also having a good bit of interaction with the MPH students here at Manipal, which is providing both groups (English and Indian students) with great new perspectives on public health.

Monday morning we received a brief overview of the structure of the Indian health care system from a district health commissioner (very high up). Monday afternoon we took our first field trip to a primary care center, which is where citizens can receive many free health care services like pre-natal care, vaccinations, AIDS, malaria, and TB testing.

This morning a faculty member lectured on Global Health and poverty which was fascinating. In the afternoon we had two amazing field trips. We started off at a secondary level health clinic, which is one level up from the primary care level. These clinics serve populations of around 80K people, and generally have a few specialists on staff. We were given a tour by the clinic head and some of the doctors, and they treated us to coconut milk during our q&a session. Because as a developing nation India does not have many patient privacy practices in place (HIPPA laws, etc), we have been able to see patients in the clinics, and learn about their diagnoses. At the secondary clinic we met a little girl who has ataxia. Ataxia is a neurological disease that causes loss of balance and uncontrolled movements. Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore actually has a groundbreaking Ataxia research center which I have visited, but that kind of treatment is far far away for this little girl; there is no treatment available for her here; it was heartbreaking.

From the secondary clinic we headed to an addiction treatment center located in a private hospital. Because our escort is a very important man at Manipal University we were shown tremendous hospitality including samosas and tea for everyone. We were then allowed into a group meeting for those "in camp" (receiving in-patient treatment for alcohol addiction).

This has been such a superficial summary of my experience so far, but I wanted to get everyone caught up lickety split so I can start blogging in real time. Here are some other highlights or things I think you might be interested to know:

- The food is wicked awesome. We eat in the mess hall with the other students here at Manipal.

- I have AC and my own private bathroom.

- There are street dogs and street cows here. It makes me very sad.

- Our group includes 10 students - 9 girls, and one fella who is a very good sport. There is one other graduate student. I believe that since I am turning 31 this month I am the oldest by a few months.

- The driving here is scary. Don't even think of trying it yourselves!

- I am coping with the heat quite well. This is the BEST time of year to visit this part of India climate wise.

- I got to do a little run last night. I'm hoping to get a few of my classmates to run with me every other day or so.

- We are 10.5 hours ahead of EST.

- Facebook is blocked from the university server here - so don't look for any picts or updates there.

Namaste

Hi folks - I leave on my big trip tomorrow. I am told that I will have internet access, so I hope to blog from India. Please check the blog, and check in with CDW who will have more than he can say grace over with the pets here on the homefront.

More to be thankful for . . .

Abbi would also like to send a big thank-you shout-out to her friends Matt and Heather who both made gifts in her honor. Unfortunately it has been a little harder for us to thank folks who made their gifts directly to Recycled Love. If you made a gift to Recycled Love online please let us know so that we can thank you personally!

Thank You and a Quick Update

Hi Everyone,

Please forgive our tardiness; Abbi would like to thank these fabulous folks for making gifts to Recycled Love in her honor:

Tina, Todd and Cynthia, Grammy Sue, Grammy Gloria/Gyor Family, Grandpa Fred, Hale Family, Aunt Jennie, Margeson/Beauchamp Family, Burgess Family, and the Whisted Family. Thanks to each and every one of you for your generosity!

Abbi is the featured adoptable on Recycled Love's homepage - view it here: http://www.recycledlove.org/home.html Above you can see the doggies (and me) getting our photo taken with Santa. What an exciting day!

I wish I could post more, but life is unendingly busy. My mom came to Baltimore for Thanksgiving which meant lots of family time and holiday cooking, and now that the holiday weekend has almost come to an end I have to start thinking about school work again. With only 3 weeks left in the semester I am busy with final projects and wrapping things up, as well as mapping out my capstone project which I will complete next semester. Chris is equally busy with his job. To all of those we haven't had a chance to speak with or see for dinner in so long, we hope that you are well and that you enjoyed wonderful holidays filled with family time and memories.

Chris and Jody Are Asking for Your Help

Abbi on the day that we found her.
Abbi getting comfortable in the house - turns out she is crazy for laundry baskets! We have given her her own where she spends many hours either snoozing or watching the household around her.
Happy Abbi.
Post-op Abbi (hence the "Cone of Shame"). On this record-setting cold October night we're thankful to have found Abbi, and that she is curled up in front of a warm fire, recovering from life-saving surgery.

Dear Friends,

This post is dedicated to our foster dog, Abbi. We found Abbi two weeks ago, running around downtown in morning rush hour traffic. She gave us quite a chase, and we are very thankful that many morning commuters patiently stopped their vehicles out of concern during our frantic pursuit of this small, frightened dog. When we caught her and got her home we discovered that she had no collar, tags, or microchip. We also discovered that Abbi was much older than her elusive chase through downtown Baltimore would have led us to believe. We could tell that Abbi was a good-natured dog who had a lot of love to give, and some really great years still ahead of her. We feared taking Abbi to a local animal shelter because of her age; older dogs don't get adopted as quickly as cute puppies, and they are usually euthanized. We contacted Recycled Love, a Baltimore rescue group (http://www.recycledlove.org/), and they agreed to admit her into their adoption program if Chris and I agreed to foster her. Deal.

Being a Recycled Love dog also entitled Abbi to discounted vet services and boy did she need them. Abbi had fleas, a bad ear infection in both ears, was missing many of her teeth, had an entirely rotten molar that was exposed down to the root, a mammary tumor, and had never been spayed. Her perky demeanor and loving nature never betrayed how much pain she likely experienced on a daily basis. Her condition was most likely a result of an owner who did not seek or could not afford medical care for Abbi. Despite the daunting expense of Abbi's necessary medical treatment, Recycled Love elected to move forward. As a result, Abbi had a big day of surgery this week with a tooth extraction, tumor removal, and spay. The vet found that her uterus was very unhealthy, and that she had a condition called pyometra, which can be fatal if left untreated. Her tumor and the pyometra are both the result of having never been spayed.

Abbi is home with us now, and despite not being happy about wearing an e-collar, is perkily recovering from surgery. Once she is healed Abbi can start meeting families, and will eventually go to a new forever home. However, Abbi's vet bills are significant. In addition to fostering and covering Abbi's day-to-day costs, we have made our own gift to Recycled Love; yet, they are ultimately responsible for her vet bills. Groups like Recycled Love are never able to cover their operating costs with adoption fees, so they must rely on the gifts of generous friends to support their work.

Because we are grateful for their help in getting Abbi critical medical treatment and for the great work they do for animals in Baltimore City, we have committed to raise $500 which will cover most of Abbi's vet bills (Swan Harbor Vet Hospital deeply discounts their rates for Recycled Love). I am hoping that our friends and family will help us with this endeavor. We are aware that most of you already give generously of your time and money to a variety of worthy causes, and we are asking will you join us in supporting Recycled Love by making a gift to help cover the cost of Abbi's care? Many gifts of $10 or $25 will add up and make a huge difference to Recycled Love - they have already made a difference for Abbi. Larger gifts are of course welcome. ;) Your gift is tax deductible, and Recycled Love will send you a thank you letter and receipt for your taxes. Checks should be made out to Recycled Love, and can be sent to our home address.

Please consider making a gift. Abbi is a wonderful dog who will bring love and joy to her forever family; she deserves an opportunity to be healthy, and to have a second chance at life.

Thank you for reading, and we hope to hear from you soon. Please check the blog often for photos and updates on Abbi.

best,

Jody and Chris

PS - Please share Abbi's story with any of your friends who care about the welfare of animals, or who might be considering end-of-year tax-deductible donations.