Projects

The past two days have been finishing everything about our projects. In a few minutes I am going to go to my professor’s room and have her look over the pages we have made/the self breast exam card we made.

1-It is very strange trying to make this flip book of information for these women for a number of reasons. First and foremost—it will be translated into Tamil, so who knows how it will be translated or in what manner. It is difficult to say whether the questions and information on our evaluation and information book will mean the same thing in Tamil as it does in English, and that certainly makes a difference to women who have never heard of cancer. Second, our translator (Ushalani) said that most women have only heard of cancer in soap operas. That is the second time I have heard that!!! Apparently there are tv’s in most of the very poor/slum area homes. Otherwise, we are starting from the basics: what is a cell, how does it develop cancer, how you can prevent it, where breast/cervical cancer develop, how you can screen for them, signs and symptoms in the later stages, and looking at the barriers that cause the women to not get screening. From what I have heard---the top reasons are that they are scared it will hurt, that they think it is a social taboo (only people that are sexually dirty and promiscuous would have these problems/they don’t want anyone to think there is something wrong with them.), and that they simply don’t know they need these screenings. Our doctor Uma said that one woman came in and had had excessive white discharge (to the point where it was flowing down her leg) for 5 years and hadn’t come in because she didn’t know it was irregular. He said that and lumps/pain in the breast are reasons women come in as far as breast and cervical cancer goes. Last, not only do we have to try to keep it very general and clear, only 50-70% of the Mahesemam women will be literate, so we tried to incorporate as many pictures as possible. After we share the information on the pamphlet, we are going to do an evaluation on where there comfort level on the information is/what they need more info on etc. so our doctor, Uma, can use it in making his family planning sessions he is going to do most effective. Because we don’t want any woman to have to admit she is illiterate (they probably wouldn’t anyways) we are going to use a color coded system we came up with. The translator will read the multiple choice questions while each woman has a copy of the questions and answers in Tamil. When the translator reads the choices for the questions, we will hold up a specific colored dot which corresponds to a colored dot next to one of the answer choices. That way, if they can’t read, they will still know which answer they want to circle by the colors we hold up matching the ones on the paper as the translator reads it aloud. I hope they don’t need the answers repeated over and over, because I bet Em and I will start whipping around the wrong colored dots and end up with some really weird data. Whatever J

2- A lot of people smoke here. Only men, and usually while biking or driving---smoking WHILE biking. Men are always biking their goods around. The other day I saw a man biking a cart of eggs into town. Cars were whizzing around him and people were honking (which reminds me, most of the time I can’t tell if the honking is from animals (like elephants) or cars here. How weird) and all I could think of was how that would never happen in the states. We would have a regrigerated semi cabin with special egg crates blah blah blah. It’s nice to see things simplified. Simple fruit stands. Everything just seems to be functional even though it’s not by any means up to ‘our standards’. The trucks that carry goods in from the country are in worse condition than our old straight truck. Take the doors off of that you have trucks here.

3-When I first got here, I thought the colors and shapes and schemes of the buildings and homes were so cheesey. They are usually a mixture of bright colors and obnoxious shapes. Signs are also this way, most of which are painted on sides of buildings or on walls. There are not many signs that are actually coming from the ground, there just isn’t enough room for that. I’m really starting to appreciate the commotion of the traffic and colors of the buildings and signs and clothing. They are so much less stark and structured like our super functional things back home.

4-The electricity. Sucks. It goes on and off at least twice a day, including the hospital. It also zapped my friend’s computer charger.

5-So I got a new camera. Similar price to at home (which means much less spending money for your gifts L). It was about $180 with a 2gb camera card, charger, camera case, and warranty. It’s very nice. Mom and Dad: If you come and meet me when I get back to Iowa City I might beg you to buy me some fruits and veggies to survive on because of this silly camera purchase I made. Oh my, what’s a girl to do with no camera in India?

6-I met our translator yesterday. She is very pretty and is getting a master’s in some sort of administration (I think) I couldn’t quite understand her. I think that we are both in for a learning experience…!

7- Nicer vehicles have license plates here. Most other have painted their vehicles with decorations, flowers, eyes on the front!!, license plate number, etc.

8-I mentioned that there aren’t many signs coming out of the ground and most are painted on things. In more rural areas there are black and white checkers painted on trees. They are supposed to act as reflectors. It’s funny to see.

9-My partner for my project (Em) has been sick lately so we searched the city for some American food. We found a box of cheerios for 525 Rupees. That’s more than $10. You can get a very nice meal here from 100-200 Rupees. Any imported American stuff is expensive!!!

10-My translator did something I consider somewhat akward. I had known her for a total of about 5 minutes and we sat down to look through some of the work we had done and she asked me if she could have a drink. I look around for the waiter guy at the hospital (we are hosted in the conference room with about 4 guys to tend to us: give us water, tea, coffee, cookies, and food!) and then I realized she wanted some of my bottled water. I said “My water” and she goes “Is that a problem? There’s nothing wrong with you is there?”… Obviously there is no concern for spreading germs. Even from some random person from another country. She gulped some of my water down, no bigee….

11-Bindis are the dots/jewels people wear in the middle of their foreheads. Some ladies who you are shopping from take it upon themselves to stick one to your forehead without your consent. It’s funny/akward. You don’t know whether to say thank you or what. They are pretty though!

12-There are some English movies here. A friend from here, Shruthi, said that she saw Harry Potter here. I think we are going to get Henna done and then go to a movie this Sunday, our next free day.

13- Yesterday we visited a very rural health clinic and watched Uma work with some patients. It wasn’t very clean and when I got back on the bus I felt something tickle my forhead. I had a big hairy spider on my head. I flicked it off onto the ground and chased it down and ended its life with my water bottle. Unfortunately, it got the best of me and bit my neck before I could kill it. We watched the bite for the rest of the day, but nothing cool happened. How boring.

14-There are stunning cashmere scarfs here with designs and handmade sparkling beading or sewing done on them. They are expensive for here ($10) and I was planning on bringing several home for you all, but after my camera died and I had to buy a new one, I can’t do it for all of you reading this L. I would be happy to get anything anyone wants though! Other beautiful things here are purses and wall hangings.

15-People on the streets get paid from the stores if they bring people into them. This means that men see our white skin and start going ‘Madaam, madaam, very nice quality this or that’ and try to get you to go into a store anywhere you go.

16-I found a building today with rows of men sewing. They we’re making all sorts of things: shirts, purses, pillow cases-anything. One offered to make me a shirt for 50 Rs, a dollar. I said no.

17- I am sticking to food I think will go down well and still am healthy!! My professor said I must have been one of those kids that ate dirt. I was, but it was more like sand and a few bugs. I wish I could have an apple with the skin on it!

18-I am the only one on this trip who hasn’t gotten puke or poop sick, including our professor and her husband. Thanks for letting me get a little bacteria in my system growing up ma and dad! Oh the luxuries of growing up on a farm!

19-I don’t want to speak too quick, because I do have a load of bug bites.

20-Our project is finished except for one statistic on it that I need to talk to the gynecologist about in the morning! Once it is translated (the book will have one side Tamil one side English) we get to start working with the women!!! We are going to bring them chocolate and cookies and goodies and talk about our hobbies/work before we begin our session. I am going to tell them about our farm at home and how different it is from here, yet it is still the rural form of our country. Oh how I miss our farm!

21-The gum here sucks. I get it off of road stand and it is so hot that the paper is stuck to it and it isn’t very sweet. Regardless, I still let myself get ripped off and buy and eat a ton of it.

22-Food is cheap. I got a soda for 16 rupees (47 is a dollar) and packet of gum for 10 rupees. Both were made here. At the nicest place I have eaten at, my meal was ~200 Rupees, or ~$4. Alcohol seems to be relatively expensive, but I haven’t been into a liquor store yet. Don’t worry mom and dad, I will before I leave so I can bring you some goods home!

23- We are going to the leper colony tomorrow. I am going to take notes and let you know how that goes.

24-Sorry if I repeat myself but I can’t remember what I have told you and what I haven’t.

25-Mom and Dad: I would love if you came and met me in IC when I come home! That would rock! Everyone: Thank you so much for reading my blogs! It makes me happy! I hope they are interesting or at least make you laugh!

Love ya!