This is the room Anna and I stay in. My bug net is the one by the window. They do a fairly good job of keeping most of the mosquitoes out.
This was my very first camp. It was a school camp.
This little boy was so scared but nobody knew why because he couldn't talk! The girl beside him is Kim, another volunteer.
Giving a kid an eye exam
Me with some boys at a school camp
The kids at the school camps are so excited to see us!
The slums in the city
I took this picture on our way to a village to pick up patients for cataract surgery. The scenery outside the city is so different.
In India, the garbage is burned so the air is often thick with smoke.
This kid helped me give visual acuity exams at the school camp.
This is me giving visual acuity tests.
This was a little boy getting his vision checked.
This was a little girl getting her vision screened.
This was at one of the school camps. Kranti is the girl in the back. She is visiting her grandparents and wanted to help out. The girl on the left is another volunteer Jean, and the girl in the middle is 19 years old and was the optometrist.
This is a typical southern Indian meal. It cost me 140 rupees plus another 40 for the watermelon juice.
This was the first slum I went to.
Here is more of the first slum.
This little boy was at the camp. He was so shy but he eventually warmed up. You can see the black band around his waist to protect him from evil.
This is several of the optometrists, opthamologists, Jean and I, and the man beside me is Muthu, our driver and bodyguard.
This was the second and worst slum I have been to so far.
The people live in little huts like this one.
The sun peeking out from behind the clouds was beautiful.
This was on the bus ride to Mamallapuram. Worst bus ride of my life.
People in India just throw their trash out wherever they please.
This was the view out of the bus on the way to Mamallapuram.
This is the baby goat in Mamallapuram. Isn't it so adorable?!
The rock carvings in Mamallapuram.
This is the town of Mamallapuram.
Cows on the beach in Mamallapuram.
This was the beach in Mamallapuram.
This was me doing the phaco on the goats eye.Jean, Anna, and I went to the hospital this morning at 8:45 to help out with the hair implantation surgery. Indian time is so frusterating! We waited there until 11:00 for the surgery to start only to be told that the patient was embarassed and didn't want anyone but the doctor in the room. Apparently the doctor had just found that out. So this morning was a big waste of time, but we did get to meet Dr. Hande who I guess at one time was the most influential doctor in India.
Wow!!! Those are some great pictures Sara! Those truly are slums. That's awesome you got to meet a famous doctor too.
ReplyDeleteMatthew
Great pics Sara... thanks for posting them. The first slum you went to was crazy. Makes me thankful for what I have. The rock cravings in Mamallapuram were tight. I'll have to ask you for proper pronoun-cation. lol. The beach there was pretty nice too. Cows on the beach, I got a little laughter from that too lol. Keep us posted! :D
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Sara. @ what percentage of these kids speak english?... and the boy that was helping you; was he translating? Most of what is written on the classroom's lower walls is clearly not english so I'm guessing comm might not be seamless?
ReplyDeleteThe rolled up pants you're sporting and the shorts that Jean wore. Are those culturally acceptable? Looks to me like every woman you've encountered in these pics is mostly covered up and definitely cover their legs, no? Do people look at you like your clothes are not right?
Also interesting that a large meal costs less than a damaged goat's eye. Curious.
What's that electrical appliance plugged in to the left of the window in your room?
Very cool pics and xlnt trip. Learn as much as you can and make a difference when possible. Love you / Dad
Forgot to ask... what's this "hair implant surgery" you're talking about and why are people doing that? I'm guessing it has nothing to do with the Unite for Sight group?
ReplyDeleteThe older kids know some basic English and most kids know the letters numbers in English. The boy that was helping me was just pointing to the letter I wanted the kid to read. Communication is difficult sometimes, especially with the adults, but we manage. It is acceptable for capris or long shorts to be worn. Most of the women here wear saris but it is not disrespectful unless the shorts are above the knee I believe. Everyone stares but that is more because we are white in a city where I just saw my first white person not associated with Unite for Sight. The electrical appliance is the AC in our room. We also have a fan so we don't roast at night. The hair implant surgery is where hair is taken from your hairline that is lower down on the back of your neck and it is reimplanted on the top of the head. People are doing it because going bald is pretty embarassing here apparently. They take place at the Hande hospital but no, they are not associated with or funded by Unite for Sight.
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