Pune Program

Yesterday was an almost two hour drive to the Mumbai International Airport and then a 4 hour drive to the guest house in Pune. The drive was so scenic. Every preconception I had about Pune from my experience in Mumbai was totally wrong. The drive was filled with windy roads and beautiful mountains that seemed endless. In the van with Renee and I was a local travelling to Pune to visit family. He filled us in with the "must-sees" around Pune and in the area. I wish I had time to go see Agra, Japur, New Delhi and Kasmir, all parts of north India that would take 20 hours by train to reach. With only weekends free and weekdays in clinic, its not feasible. I will certainly go on another trip to India to see all this. Thinking you can explore India in just a few weekends is totally wrong. I didn't realize the size and extent of this country. Despite my Indian background, I had so much to learn about India. 

We arrived to the guest house that had 3 other participants, all so friendly who greeted us with open arms. Spending some time talking about where in the States or Canada we lived, comparing respective universities and discussing where we are in the medical track as well as what we hope to get out of this month filled the rest of our day. Two other participants came in the middle of the night. We don't have A/C or internet but this is all part of the experience. I'm always loved cuddling in a blanket, but last night I kept that blanket as far away as possible. 

Random Fact #3: Traffic here is referred to as "discipline" this is strange to me because when I imagine the word discipline here, I think of an angry Indian mother in a sari hitting her naughty child, not the movement of cars on the road. Nonetheless, cars here do NOT practice road "discipline". 

This morning we went from our guest house to the house of Dr. Mr./Mrs. Dabak who are coordinating the academic portion of our program. I feel like I'm going to learn a tremendous about of medical knowledge in this month, see cases I could have never imagined, and interact with patients who lack such basic healthcare, it's mind blowing! I felt pretty confident that in Mumbai I would be able to get around with my broken Urdu/Hindi, and to some degree I did. But what I didn't realize is that in Pune (prenounced PunA here), the primary language is Marathi. This language follows NO logic and is impossible to follow. That just goes to show that I don't know as much about my roots that I thought I did. I feel just as confused as my fellow participants as we blankly stare at our guestkeeper speaking Marathi to the local clerk in the grocery store. This will certainly be a barrier in clinic, but one that I will learn to work with; again, just part of the experience. 

I'm glad I was able to see Mumabi with Renee first; it allows me to appreciate Pune: its climate, the traffic, the culture because a trillion people are not packed into the size of mini Tenessee city, like in Mumbai. 

I'm so excited for this journey and I know I will learn so much about myself and this incredible country. Its amazing how much time you have when you don't have constant access to email and facebook! I will certainly be back to post more in about two days. Next time I come I'll be sure to bring my camera cord to upload pictures! 

Namaste