Vacation! Well, not really.

Today is the first official day of my vacation, but what have I done?  I've managed to lose my crochet needle - and hence cannot work on some Christmas gifts.  I am sitting at the local starbucks, studying (or trying to at least - it's hard when David Bowie is singing Little Drummer Boy so loud your ears ache), and overall, not doing a thing.  Oh yeah, don't try calling Alaska Airlines to try and rebook my ticket - it's been busy since yesterday.  And when I get through, all is says is, "Sorry, due to the extreme weather, we cannot help you at this time."  Duh. Like I needed a phone message to tell me that.
 
Oh well, what a start to the vacation.  So, I'm spending $300 to fly to Seattle for what will now be a 3 day vacation (nevermind that I'm paying for half of my brother's ticket).  I'm so sad.  Especially now that they are emailing me wonderful pictures and stories of sledding in the backyard.  Did I mention how much I love sledding? 

Stranded

It all started with am 11am flight to Seattle. Then it got delayed an hour. Then two. Then three. Then, put on hold. Finally, it was cancelled.

I am so so so sad.

Ode to California

I love California. That is my proclamation for the day. I went down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today and had so so so much fun. I took highway 1 down to Monterey and the drive was beautiful. Beautiful beaches. Farms by the shore. Sand dunes, trees, and fields. What else could a girl ask for?

Of course, I went down to Monterey for the aquarium and it definitely did not disappoint. I've been wanting to go there for months, just so that I can feel like a kid again and be mesmerized by the crazy jellyfish (my favorite exhibit!).

Sea anemones!

Jellyfish!

Anemones, looking like trees from another planet!

Birds through a peephole!

Sunset!
(If you can't tell, I was very excited about my day.)

Of course, like always, you can find more pictures at my flickr page.

Yay!

have finally gotten photos up online from my travels and from graduation. Yeah, yeah, I know it's been awhile. However, you all know that patience is a virtue and we all want to be virtuous people.

A selection of photos follows. To check them all out, go to my flickr page.

Sunset over the pool in Vellore, India.

Soccer/cricket field in the Vellore Fort, Vellore, India.

Me, at a nuoc mam (fish sauce) factory. Yes, it's very smelly.

Megan and I in Halong Bay. This is after I wrecked my knee and I'm on the verge of tears behind this smile.

A monk at Angkor Thom in Cambodia.

Sunset in Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Brave new world

Since I've been back in the states, I've realized how long it's been since I've done a lot of things.

List of "firsts" (things I have done for the first time since leaving the states in mid-January):

• Drove a car
• Walked from a cold outdoors to a warm indoors
• Drank tap water without fear of diarrhea
• Took a hot shower without turning on a water heater
• Listened to a podcast (of course, it had to be "Wait, wait, don't tell me!")
• Took a walk without fear of getting hit by a car/motorbike/rickshaw/bike
• Read a newspaper
• Wore jeans
• Wore a tank top without fear of being stared at

Can't think of anything else. Oh, I've discovered that I'm terrible at Mario Kart on the Wii... I guess we all can't be good at everything.

Home, alas

I woke up at 6am this morning, in the comfort of my parents' home. Albeit, it's a little cold (I got more than I wished for), but it still feels good. As I was looking out of the window on the plane, I realized that I forgot that I missed fog. Fog, of all things. It was just beautiful as it was rolling in over the peninsula.

However, I'm also realizing that I will miss Vietnam. This video, courtesy of NoodlePie, was surprisingly comforting, especially viewed on mute.

On the way home

I'm in Taipei right now, on the way back to San Francisco.  I haven't slept any on the flight over here, which is rather unusual given that once I step into an airport, I'm beyond drowsy.  So, I'm hoping that I won't sleep too much on the flight back to the states because then I'll be jetlagged and no fun at all. 

 

So, for people wondering what my plans will be for the next few weeks (everyone seems to want to know, for some odd reason), here it is:

• May 3-May 11: Bay Area, California.
• May 12-May 18: Boston, MA.
• May 19-June 23: Bay Area, but with nothing to do, which makes me deliriously happy.
• June 23: The games (aka residency) begin.

 

Black and white

People in the states want to be tan and dark.  People in Asia want to be as white as possible.  It's quite a conundrum.  As in the states, skin color in Asia takes on a lot of social significance.  People in higher classes tend to have lighter skin.  Historically, this may have been due to the fact that people in higher classes didn't have to toil in the fields all day and could afford to not get tan.  In modern times, it's helped by the use of scary whitening creams.  This is true in Vietnam and India, where in both countries, I have had people either tell me that I have such dark skin or such fair skin.  Two people see the same thing but think different opinions. 

One story I have happened when I went on the mobile clinic visit to the villages in India.  I was playing with this little baby who was being held by her (presumed) grandmother.  The woman holding the baby kept on pointing to the baby, then to me, and saying something in Tamil that I, obviously, didn't understand.  I just smiled and nodded.  The next day, I ran into the postgraduate (like a medical resident) who was on the visit and we were talking about old wives' tales.  It all started because a pregnant woman asked if it was safe to consume large amounts of saffron, with the belief that it would produce a fair skinned baby.  An expensive old wives'  tale at that; a gram of saffron costs as much as half a days' wage.  The medical resident mentioned that what the woman in the village was trying to ask was how to get her grandchild to be as fair skinned as I.  I didn't believe him at first, but I guess that's all she wondered.  Not anything medical, just pure cosmetics.  But maybe it's not pure cosmetics, as it's a matter of perceived beauty and social stature for her. 

People are beautiful as they are... it's so sad to see that ancient stereotypes are perpetuated through the mass media and consumer markets.  Regardless, I am coming back darker than I left - I wonder if people will say that's good or bad. 

Independence Day, Vietnam style

Today is Reunification Day, or something of the sort.  Basically, marks the day that Saigon fell, so it's somewhat like July 4th in the states.  It's a little weird being in Vietnam, as an American Vietkieu, on this day, but at the same time, everyone treats it like just another holiday and they go out and get drinks. 

 

To mark the day, I decided to take a 6 hour trip down to the delta.  No, it does not usually take 6 hours.  Yes, it usually only takes 2.5 hours.  And yes, I am being sarcastic when I say it's how I celebrated the day.  It just happened that the day I wanted to go down to the delta for one last visit with the family was a major holiday, one of the buses broke down, and it was pouring rain.  Just my luck.

 

Come back here, you little thief!

So, an update on the unsuccessful thief who took away my sense of security. Turns out that the day after he tried to take my cell phone, he approached a friend of mine at 4:30 in the afternoon, trying to take her laptop. Thankfully, he was unsuccessful.

Oh no, but our little thief doesn't stop there. A mere 2 hours later he approached the same girl, trying to steal her headphones. Yeah, same day, same girl. Again, unsuccessful. You'd think that if you were going to be a thief, you'd learn to be a good one.

How's the weather?

I just checked the weather in the various cities I have lived in, am currently living in, and will live in and here's the run down:

• Vellore, India - Reached 100 degrees last week and staying there for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, I got out of dodge.
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Hovering around 90 degrees for the rest of the week. Very doable, considering I have air conditioning! However, rain is likely for the rest of my time here, which puts a big crimp on my plans to gorge myself on all the street food in this city.
  
• San Ramon, CA - High 60's and low 70's recently, sounds like paradise.
  
• Boston, MA - 60's all around, a bit cold, but I can handle it.
  

So, in less than one week, I will be back to the states (and a climate where I don't feel the need to change my clothes after being outside for 10 minutes).

One funny story: I spoke to my dad today and asked if he was going to be at the airport to pick me up when I arrive and he said yeah. Then, he asked, "what would you like to eat?". I love it - he's planning my meal a week in advance! I think that's proof that he knows me well (and loves me lots).

Xin Chao!

I am back in Vietnam and boy, does it feel good! Never before did it make so much sense and never before did I think it was so clean!

Bye, bye, bye

I leave India tonight and it's a little bittersweet.  I have to admit that I didn't enjoy my time in India as much as I thought I would, but I definitely have some great memories and met some great people.  But, I am excited to be going back to Vietnam, where I can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables (cholera be damned!) and enjoy food that doesn't make my mouth burn for hours after the meal.  More so, I am excited for returning to the states.  It's been close to 15 weeks now and I can't believe that I have been gone this long.  However, I know that once I return, I will have to face the real world and my perpetual to-do lists will undoubtedly expand and grow. 

I'm in Chennai/Madras for the day and spending the day shopping and buying souvenirs for people.  My itinerary is that I fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, then back to Saigon! 

Violated

Yesterday, just as I had finished a 5 hour stretch at the computer lab, I was heading back to the hostel when a kid approached me and asked for the time. I told him it was 2 o'clock, but he feigned no English (that's when I should have been suspicious... I even held up two fingers). So, I showed him my cell phone - but just as I was doing so, I remembered that a few weeks ago, a couple of Australian girls got their cell phones stolen by a kid asking for the time, so I made sure I was holding on tight. Expectedly, he grabbed the top of my flip phone, but didn't get it out of my hands, then looked at me in the eyes with bewilderment, thinking, "what do I do now?" So, then he walked away and, for some unknown reason, I followed him. When he realized I was following him, he ran. Being my gimp self (I have stopped using my brace on a daily basis, but still am limping and stairs pose a challenge), I could give chase. Of course, there was not a soul in sight.

So, I told the woman who works at the hostel and she got all furious and grabbed the closest security guard (they're all around campus when you don't need them and never there when you need them!) and told the story to him in Tamil. Then, she marched over the the main security post and told them. The result: today on my way to the computer lab, there are about a half dozen guys (presumably working for security) in the courtyard where it all went down yesterday. Like that doesn't scare the kid off.

I am a little shaken from the thing, not because I was ever in physical harm (the kid was so skinny, I felt like I could take him, even with my defunct knee), but because I felt violated. Since I have been in India, everyone has been so nice and I have never felt like I was in harm's way (other than walking on the street, where any type of vehicle or animal may run into you). So, when something like this happens, on campus and in a campus building, nonetheless, I feel like my little bubble of security has been burst. This morning, I saw a teenage boy on a bike and immediately held my purse tighter, and I hate that I did that. I hate that the kid yesterday has done this to me.

Needless to say, I am much more cautious about security now.

Hypochondriasis, part deux

So, my aunt sent me an email today informing me of an outbreak of diarrhea in Vietnam and that I should avoid fresh vegetables (which, admittedly, is very hard for me to do). I googled it, of course, and found out that there is an outbreak of cholera throughout Vietnam. Now, it has been thinking, did I have cholera? It's a good thing I took antibiotics and am a healthy adult. I semi-seriously thought that I would just die on the toilet that day.

Ah, just another episode of retro-hypochondriasis.

Going back to Massachusetts

As I'm doing my project at the computer lab (which is pretty boring and uncomfortable - these chairs are definitely not meant to be sat in for hours on end), I am listening to my iPod and the BeeGees song, "Massachusetts" came on (yes, I have terrible taste in music).  I was just reminded that, yes, I am graduating soon.  Yes, I am going home soon.  I'm homesick.  After so many months on the road, I just want somewhere to rest my head for more than a few weeks at a time. 

 

But where is home?  I don't know, really.  It's not in Boston, where I have friends, but nothing material to keep me there.  It's not at my parents' house (though I know they would like it to be).  It's not in San Jose, because, although that will soon be my home, I don't exactly have one yet.  It's not in Vietnam, where I have spent the most time this year thus far.  And it's certainly not in India, where I feel like I am just an interloper and am soon leaving.  So, technically I have no home to go back to, but definitely looking forward to one.  I even bought a bedspread here... for a queen-size bed (as one of my friends, Margaret, says - you're a true adult when you finally get a queen-size bed).

Firewalker

I was looking at my feet yesterday (which, oddly enough, I don't do very often here in India... maybe because my bad knees?) and realized that I have never had such calloused feet. Seriously. There are scales. And dry. And pretty nasty. I guess that's what you get when you wear flip flops or crocs all the time and periodicaly walk around barefoot in the temples (which are always burning hot - and I am the only one running from one shady spot to another).

Definitely adding pedicure to the things I'm looking forward to in Vietnam.

Pondicherry = paradise

I am convinced that the meaning of the word, "Pondicherry" is Paradise. I went to Pondicherry over the weekend and it was absolutely wonderful. It was a beautiful reprieve from the hectic, small town life of Vellore.

What I love about Pondicherry:

• The food - fresh seafood, plain seasonings, and non-spicy! What else could a girl's stomach ask for?
• Walking - it's possible here! Granted, there is still a risk you'll be hit by a car/rickshaw/tuk-tuk/motorbike/bike, but hey, it's much better than in the city, where you're navigating between those vehicles and the open sewers. Too far on one side and you're sh*t out of luck, literally.
• Cleanliness - no open sewers (well, except for the "covered canal" that runs through the city), no huge trash piles in the middle of the sidewalk, and not that much litter. It's wonderful!
• The beach - no swimming, but absolutely beautiful. And the promenade is full of people at night, with lots of good energy.
• The shopping - I bought four pairs of earrings and a bedspread. Great prices, beautiful work, and lots of little boutique-like shops makes for a wonderful shopping experience.
• I could wear a sundress!

We stayed at 31 Dumas Street, about two blocks from the beach and walkable to everything. Tiny little boutique guest house which set us back 1,000 Rupees for 3 people - which is not bad at all, but I'm guessing that if we bargained, we could have gotten a better price.

Yeah, I miss Pondicherry already.

Walking down the catwalk

When I travel, I usually bring my grubbiest, plainest, ugliest clothing so that if I lose it, tear it, or just run out of room in my luggage, I won't be heartbroken. However, this always results in pictures of me in front of beautiful scenery wearing the grubbiest, plainest, and ugliest clothing in my closet. However, that has changed with India, where I have to buy all new clothing to wear because it's still a very conservative community, especially in Vellore (which is large enough to be crowded and noisy and polluted, but small enough to feel like I am tucked away from civilization).

So, instead of wearing the grubbiest, plainest, and ugliest clothing I own, I'm wearing the largest, plainest, and cheapest clothing I have ever owned. Women here wear these large tunics, sometimes going down to my knees, and baggy pants with these annoying drawstrings that, if held up against my body, I look like Jared of the Subway commercials holding up his pre-going-to-fast-food-for-every-meal diet. I promise to post up pictures of my wearing the outfits and holding up the pants. But it's seriously quite an outfit and is supposed to hide every curve that a woman has. Which I find ironic because a sari is pretty revealing given that the midriff is bare and it's held together with a few safety pins.

To add to the beautiful fashions I have been wearing on the street, I can wear them in the operating room! In the community hospital, I can wear street clothes into the operating room (which is very questionable, considering how dirty my clothes can get with sweat, dirt, and who knows what else by the afternoon). In the teaching hospital, I can wear scrubs that are made like the large tunics. You could easily fit two of me into these tunics. They're seriously one size fits all, even if it means that the woman wearing the outfit is completely outsized by her clothing. Not to mention they're not very suitable for the OR because it's very hard to maneuver around sterile trays when you are wearing a tent.

So, that's my bit on fashion here. I can't wait to wear a sundress again. Or a tank top outside of my room. Ah, the little things in life.

Village Visits

A few days ago, I spent the day with the mobile clinic associated with the hospital that I'm working at in Vellore, India. They go to several villages in a day, put a table under a big tree, and play doctor. It's actually pretty cool and you get to see the patients in their own village, which is sometimes only 10 kilometers away, but takes about an hour to get there because the roads are so crappy.

Also part of the day, I went on a home visit with an intern. The home was a bare building, made out of brick and mud. The entire building measured maybe 10 feet by 20 feet and was divided into three rooms, one of which was the kitchen. Somehow, and I don't know how, 3 generations of one family lived there. All of this was in the middle of plots of farmland, growing rice and some other crops that I didn't recognize. They didn't seem absurdly poor, but it was still very eye-opening, and no longer will I complain about my room because it doesn't have air conditioning.

The day also opened my eyes to the possibility that I really could do this - real global community medicine. Before this, I was doubting my ability to really rough it and be able to really put myself out there. Then, today, I saw how much it is needed and more so, how much it is appreciated. I mean, I am beyond privileged to be able to help others in a way that really makes an impact. So, I'm thinking, yeah, I can do this. Yeah, I can learn to read and write Vietnamese (and speak it medically) well enough to really help my patients in California as well as in Vietnam. Or maybe I'm just being my delusional idealistic self.