February Update

We are staying really busy these days. Christopher's job always keeps him hopping - he's finally getting a little bit of reprieve after the excitement of the snow and lots of extra hours of shoveling and plowing at his sites.

I successfully defended my MPH project proposal last week, and am in the process of finishing the IRB application. The IRB (Institutional Research Board) at UMD is tasked with making sure that research of any kind done by anyone affiliated with UMD is done ethically and responsibly.

They take their responsibility very seriously (as they should) - and that means that the application process is pretty intense. My project deals mostly with data analysis and mapping, so I shouldn't have any trouble getting approval from the IRB. That is what I am hoping anyway.

Yesterday Jackson had a bit of a stomach ache. He consoled himself by laying on our bed, which had been stripped so that I could wash the sheets. Enjoy this pic of our big baby.

Snowpocalypse!

Fire hydrant and snow drift.
Abbi sporting her winter coat.
Abbi looking cute in the kitchen.
Honda. We can only see it because CDW cleared it off after the first storm.
This is how they are hauling away the big drifts in Baltimore. The city got a special permit to dump the snow into the harbor.
Lee Street, where my car was parked. It still doesn't look much better.
Honda - back and side view.

It has been an exciting few weeks here on the east coast. I was so worried that I would miss big snow while I was in India - turns out there was no reason for me to worry. This February saw the largest snow amounts ever here in Charm City - and while the 2003 President's Day storm remains the largest single storm on record, the Snowpocalypse storms (February 5 & 9, 2010) of 2010 set lots of records of their own.

During the storm we spent lots of time hunkered down here at the house, building fires and drinking nutty Irishmen, and watching Madmen (we only have 3 episodes of season 3 left!). We drove to the gym on Wednesday - oops, we didn't know that Baltimore was in a Phase 3 snow emergency which means that you aren't allowed to drive. We had a great workout though!

Tonite we dug out my car. Discovery - dead battery. Our neighbor had jumper cables handy, so once we had the Honda charged up and dug out we had to get it up Lee Street. This was a significant challenge as Lee Street hasn't seen a plough . . . in many days. Tomorrow is back to real life with a full work week, my project defense (which was delayed on account of the snow), papers to grade . . . blah blah blah.

I hope you enjoy the few picts we managed to take. We didn't get much footage of the actual blizzard because it was hard to balance on the ice with three dogs, see in a blizzard, and take a good photo . . .

More India Picts - Kathikali, St. Cochi, Jew Town, Houseboat and the Night of the Flying Roaches

People like to burn things in India. It seems like it might not be good to burn things like this though.
Roadside monkeys. I like animals, but monkeys freak me out. They transmit rabies. And they are mean.

Surprised monkey!

This was on the way to the ladies room at the beautiful restaurant where we had lunch on our way to Munnar.
Again, at the restaurant.
Waterfall during the dry season.
Looks like somebody forgot about us . . . standin' on the corner waitin' for a bus . . .
Beautiful Catholic Church where our houseboat docked for the night. We should have prayed here.
These boys "greeted" us as we docked. I didn't have any postcards left for them. They look like tough customers. They probably would have liked candy instead.
Lunch on the boat. Mmm.
Relaxing.
Passing houseboat. Our houseboat turned out not to be this nice. Everything seemed okay when we boarded, but nightfall revealed lizards EVERYWHERE and very large flying cockroaches. No-one got much sleep.

Don't let this deter you. I'm sure that if you go to Kerala and rent a boat there will not be roaches (expect a few token lizards). BTW - Taking a cruise on one of these boats in Kerala is listed by Lonely Planet as one of the top 10 things to do before you die.
Window in Jew Town, St. Cochin. There used to be a very large Jewish population here; now there is only one Jewish family left.
Chinese fishing nets in St. Cochin.
Kathikali traditional performance.
This guy did crazy stuff with his eyes.
Our fab hotel in St. Cochin.

Munnar = Most Beautiful Place on Earth

At the Ayurvedic Clinic. They grow their own herbs.
Delish snack at the Ayurvedic Clinic.
Old lady and tiny carrots. Is this where baby carrots come from?
I ate this "rost corn." I knew it was a risk. I don't think this is what made me sick though.
Tea plantation at Munnar. Beautiful.

That's Dr. Howard, our professor. She and I might have trespassed to get these pictures. Maybe we did, maybe we didn't.


Our wicked awesome hotel in Munnar. Just in time to salvage the trip after our night of the flying cockroaches on the houseboat.
Jasmine flowers.
My new friend in Munnar.
They draw these on the sidewalk outside of their homes every evening.
Temple in Munnar. I love the temples! I wish Catholicism was so colorful.


Flowers for your car. To ward off the evil spirits.

I am back to real life; and it happened in a hurry. There was no buffer or time to bask in the glow of my trip when I stepped off the plane. I had laundry to do (had to get rid of the ant spray smell), dogs and cats to pet (Christopher kept the whole pack in tip-top condition), friends to see, an internship to start and school work to do. India was good while it lasted . . . sigh.

Sadly what all of this means is that Munnar and the final days of our trip are getting jipped on the blog. I would love to go on and on all of it but instead I've settled for posting my fave picts and videos. Enjoy!

Temple video. I love the sounds.

A Birthday Not Soon to be Forgotten

These men really wanted me to take their photo.
Cows grazing at dusk.
Indian birthday cake.
The feeding of the birthday cake.
Group shot! My Indian shirt is a little baggy - it might appear that I am concealing something under that shirt. It hides nothing but too much birthday cake.

Hi everyone,

You probably thought that I forgot about the blog - but it isn't so! After our fabulous holiday in Kerala we have been so busy; barely a moment to collect our thoughts. I'll do a post on Kerala soon, but I wanted to post on my very exciting Indian birthday first. I turned 31 in India on a 3rd class sleeper train car . . . quite an adventure! We took the overnight train back to Manipal, and after only a few hours to recuperate we were headed out to our morning field trip to a cashew factory. Interestingly the employees of this factory who work with the nuts during a particular phase of their processing develop a rare type of dermatitis. It was interesting to see the factory, and the repetitive motions involved in processing the cashews reminded me of the film Recycled Landscapes.

Later in the afternoon we visited yet another hospital, and then we found out that we had been invited to take a sunset cruise on the President of Manipal University's boat, and to then join he and his wife and many other bigwigs for dinner. Wow - what an invitation!

The houseboat cruise was beautiful. While we were gone over the weekend the weather seems to have changed in Manipal so that it is even cooler in the mornings and evenings.

Dinner with the President was stupendous; the food just wouldn't stop. We had delicious appetizers and soup, and many main course items including paneer manchurian and delicious spicy prawns. To top it all off, one of the students in our group told the President's wife that it was my birthday. She ordered up a cake for me, and everyone sang happy birthday. After I blew out the candle everyone fed me a bite of cake, as is the custom in India.

As much fun as the night was, it turns out that something didn't agree with my stomach. I spent most all of yesterday holed up in my room . . . you can imagine what that means. Today I can tolerate gatorade and ritz crackers, but I still feel very weak and have no appetite.

Unfortunately, our cooking class was last night. Given that I could barely look at or smell food, I had to skip it. My classmates and professor have taken wonderful care of me, and I should be okay for our voyage home which begins today at 4PM (that is in two hours!). Being sick on my birthday reminded me of when I was little. There is something about my birthday that often leads to me being ill; I can recall many slumber parties where I was in my bed sipping 7-UP and my mom was in our living room entertaining all of my little friends. I guess that I haven't changed much!

Kerala here I come!

Hi folks,

You're probably wondering where I have been the last few days. Tuesday night Manipal University changed a server, and we've been without internet connection ever since. What's more I had a draft of my MPH project proposal due to my advisors today! I did the best I could on my proposal, and it has been sent off. I was a gnat to the IT fellas here, and they just left my room - finally I have internet again!

In just a few minutes we're boarding the bus to the Mangalore airport to fly to Kerala for a very long weekend! I won't have internet access there, but hope to post some great stories and picts to the blog next Tuesday, January 19 when I return (also my 31st birthday!).

Community Diagnosis Day 2 and Neglected Diseases

This afternoon we took part in our second community diagnosis. The home we visited was very different from the home we saw yesterday. Today's home had only one room, with a kitchen outside. Five people live in this home, including a one-year old infant. Today we received a more thorough explanation of what occurs during a Community Diagnosis visit; these things are examined: locality, family composition, family history, occupations, health status, living conditions, and assessment of surroundings. That data is collected and can often be helpful in identifying health potential issues for families and communities. For instance, if a large area where water pools is discovered, health workers can educate the family on the importance of covering or draining the water so as not to give mosquitoes a place to breed.

This morning's lecture was was also very interesting. Dr. Lobo introduced us to a category of disease I had never heard before - neglected diseases. These diseases kill fewer people, but cause disabilities and deformities that cause heavy economic burden and great misery to the victims. This class of diseases is neglected because they have low rates of mortality (causing death), they are not globally distributed (they are focused mostly in tropical nations), and because they primarily affect the poor who have little political voice or power. Neglected diseases include leprosy, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, yaws, and filaria just to name a few.

The mother-in-law at the home we visited today rolls beedi cigarettes. Often referred to as "poor man's cigarettes," they are popular in South Asia. Beedis are unfiltered, and composed of tobacco leaves. Beedis are hazardous in homes because generally women are the ones who roll them, and those women often have children nearby or on their laps. Women who do this work are more prone to certain types of cancers. When you purchase beedis, you have no guarantee of the conditions in which they were prepared, or what contaminants might have found their way into them in the home where they were prepared. The way this industry functions makes the American tobacco industry look . . . almost like good guys.
Mother and child.

The situation for dogs and cats here is very different from what I expected. There are a lot of street dogs and cats, but it also appears that many animals have a home they tend to stay near. I have seen plenty of dogs wearing collars, and many animals linger near homes in clear anticipation of food. India is a developing nation that is unable to supply safe water and sanitation to much of its population; clearly veterinary care and sterilization of cats and dogs is low on their list of national priorities.

There was a mama dog at the home we visited today; this puppy is hers. Though not yet afraid of humans as most wise street dogs are, this puppy is smart and scrappy enough to know that the family garbage pile, only 15 feet from the front door of the home, is a good place to find a snack.
Same puppy. He was almost stuffed into my backpack and whisked off to the US.
It rained this afternoon, which is highly unusual outside of the monsoon season. This is how the family we visited collects rainwater. If left uncovered (and often they are) these pots of water will become vectors (breeding grounds) for mosquitoes who will then spread malaria, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis to humans.
Village food stand.
This little boy is from a family with means. Their home has all indoor facilities. His father owns a business that deals with cable television, which is big business here. I have seen satellites mounted on roadside shanties.
This is the coffee shop located in the student center here. Many of you know that while on this trip I have also been researching and writing my MPH project proposal. This has meant a lot of early mornings and late nights. I can get a delicious latte for 42 rs, or just less than $1.
These are the postcards I have been handing out. When we come across children it is nice to have something to share with them. Even if the recipient is not literate they can enjoy the photos. If you are traveling abroad in the near future consider taking a stack of postcards. They will make you very popular!