It’s all in the Journey

1
Posted by Randy on August 4, 2008 – 6:55 pm
Filed under India

Today was a lot of fun, we spent 3 hours in a bus, went to a clinic in a village north of Kolkata, then spent 3 hours driving back. It really is amazing how draining driving is… The girls brought balloons to the clinic, and everyone wanted one. And I mean everyone, even this man who was in his nineties. Amazing!

Once we returned home, we went to the pediatric ward for a few minutes because a boy with malaria had been asking for me. He had asked my friends the day before, where is your big friend, and then reached as high as he could to show my height. It was pretty cool to know that I actually made a kid happier in his hard circumstance.

After that, the young people of the group (Esther, Angela, and I) along with our new friend Raul, went to a market called Korea Hut. It was a total blast! I was able to pick up Cole a punjabi suit, I was so excited. We also had a chicken roll from a small restaurant there (walk up), it was so good. The girls where able to get some henna, and overall it was one of my favorite times here. I love getting out and experiencing the culture of a city.

Weekends are good

0
Posted by Randy on August 3, 2008 – 7:51 am
Filed under India

I didn’t blog last night, I was pretty tired, and went right to bed:) So let’s start with Saturday. We began the morning by going to devotions at the School of Nursing, Craig spoke. It was inspirational to hear the girls singing and praising so loudly and fervently together.

After that, we waited a bit (it seems the norm), and went to the site of a new clinic in a pretty rural area outside of the city. The man who had the key to the gate was running like because he was on a motorcycle and it started raining, so he pulled over. With this lull in action, a lot of the village kids came to see us. They even came running out of their school to see us. It was nuts!

After an hour or so, the guy with the key arrived, and we headed in to “paint” the clinic. What we really did was sand all the old paint and dirt away.It was good to work and sweat.

Then after we got back, myself and a few others went and spent some time on the children’s ward, while others went and spent time in the women’s ward. It was a ton of fun hanging out with kids, and just trying to help them smile a bit while they were going through a scary time.

Sunday morning, we went to church, it was a good, loud, old-time pentecostal feel. Great fun! I got to pray for several folks at the end of the service, and it was a fun time. Orijeet took us out to lunch at a hotel that floats on the Hooghly river, it was buffet style and great. Today is our “day off” so i spent most of the day laying and resting. Then Craig, Roz and I went to Barista, an Indian coffee shop like Starbucks, it was totally fun.

Well, that’s been my weekend. I’ll have some more updates come Monday… see ya then.

Whew… today was interesting.

1
Posted by Randy on August 1, 2008 – 6:34 am
Filed under India

We started slow today, introducing ourselves in the morning devotions, and then waiting. We waited several hours, and then got the measuring tape we’d requested so that we could finish the measurements on the building that we had previously measured. Once we got it, we spent about an hour working in the building, and then figured out where we’d messed up the measurements, corrected them, and went to lunch.

After lunch, we went to the new home of the school of nursing down by the docks. It was a pretty cool building, the British had built it when they were in India. Then, we got to clean the top floor, they’ve been doing construction, and are nearly finished, and just needed it cleaned. So, the women swept, and Craig and I mopped. It took us about three hours, and it was soooo much cleaner. I would do one room, and then have to get new water because the water was so black. It was fun, we all sweated and had a good time.

I’m super excited for tomorrow, because we’ll be heading to the garbage dump in town to feed the people who live there, and then we’re going to paint a clinic that they are building. (And I have great experience painting in India, I did it when I visited Delhi for four straight days)

Best laid plans…

0
Posted by Randy on July 31, 2008 – 9:02 am
Filed under India

Toady was nuts! It started out by us joining the hospital in morning devotions. That was a very fun inspirational time. After that Craig, myself and a few others accompanied the hospital chaplain while he went around the hospital praying for patients. It was a pretty cool time. We started out praying for a few guys who had been badly burned. It’s the first time I’ve really seen anything like that, and it was a privilege to be able to join with them in prayer for their needs. Several of the other patients we visited we Hindu, but yet they were very excited to have Christians praying for them.

Next, Craig and I went to see the feeding lines in action. It was cool to see how they didn’t just arbitrarily hand out food, but each person was registered, they actually visited with them, and got to know about them. I was also told they check their story to make sure they are actually those in need, and aren’t simply resealing the food.

Our intention was to spend the afternoon going and helping at the new home for the school of nursing. However, the bus got stuck in the mud, so we found ourselves with a bit of free time. So, we walked to the American consulate her in Kolkata. That was fun, and even though the consulate was tiny, and didn’t offer much, it was fun to see.

We finished the day with dinner out, and it was an awesome Chinese place… such good food, and the team got a real treat and got to experience some true street life.

Rural clinics and a walk in the cemetery

1
Posted by Randy on July 30, 2008 – 6:14 am
Filed under India

Today was a pretty fun day. It started off by myself and two of the ladies heading on about an hour drive out into a rural area to help with the medical clinic they were holding. The place it was held also happened to be an elementary school, and I took a peek around there as well. It was pretty cool, people would check in to the clinic, then see the doctor, and go to our make shift drug store and pick up the medications they needed. There were around 35 folks who came through. One interesting case that caught my attention was a 19 year old girl who came in with her 5 year old and 12 month old child. The greatest part about all of this is that it was free to the patients. It’s neat to see the Father’s work and love for all people.

They always say that the journey is half the experience, and today was no exception. The two ladies who had accompanied me had not yet known the joy that is Indian driving. More or less, the rules are like this: drive on the left when you have to, and if a bigger car is challenging you, move. I can’t count the number of gasps and nervous laughs I heard today. I spared them riding up front where you get to really see how close you come to other cars. We had our windows down, and I had rested my arm on the window, and at one point, had to bring my arm into the car for fear it would hit the bus next to us. (the rearview mirror had already suffered this fate)

Then, this afternoon we were supposed to go down to the port and help clean a house that the girls in the school of nursing will be moving to. but the driver didn’t return in time, so we worked on cleaning up some drawing for the architect that we took the measurements for. (apparently we don’t know how to make architectural drawings, go figure…) We emailed her some of the work we’d done, and she emailed back how it should have been done, so we just adjusted what we had done.

When time for a break came, we decided to go see the cemetery that is just across the street from us. This cemetery opened in 1776 and was closed near the end of the 1800’s. It’s filled with the graves of many of the British who helped colonize Kolkata. It also has the graves that were moved from the site where the hospital now sits. They were moved when the hospital needed to be built. It’s a cool, eery, fun place. You can see the tops of the trees from the terrace of the hospital, and one odalisque poking out. It was great to see all of the different monuments. I also purchase a book with some of the stories of the folks for rs. 100 (about 2 USD).

Been a great, fun day!

Measuring Up

0
Posted by Randy on July 29, 2008 – 9:17 am
Filed under India

Today we spent most of the day measuring, and more measuring in a hostel for the girls who are in the school of nursing. And of course, I tore the crotch of my pants… awesome. Lucky we have an awesome lady on the trip who has already sewn it back together, you can’t even tell it was torn. They will be remodeling what currently is the hostel for the girls who are in the school of nursing here, and making it a guest house and home for parents whose children are having pediatric care. It’s cool to be helping with something like this! We also had some time waiting today, so we took about a four block square walk around a part of the city across the street from us. It was pretty fun.

Tomorrow I’ll be traveling to a rural area to do a health clinic. It sounds fun and interesting. Then, in the afternoon, we get to go to the place where the school of nursing girls are going to be moving their hostel, near the port. The building was built be the British, I can’t wait to see it!!

I’ll have more to post soon, check out the flickr stream on the right, I’ll pull my pics each night, and post them there.

So, we think we’re hi-tech

1
Posted by Randy on July 29, 2008 – 12:24 am
Filed under India

Popping in on my lunch here to let you know we’ve created a flickr group and have started uploading some pics. Check it out!

This one’s for Noelle

2
Posted by Randy on July 28, 2008 – 8:04 am
Filed under India

My wife always tells me that I should get my rear off the couch, and go out. This is especially true around sunset or dusk time. It’s her favorite part of the day. So, today, I heard her voice ringing in my ears, and took the opportunity to see the sunset in Kolkata. I went up on top of the hospital (you can walk right up on top via a stairwell in most Indian buildings), and watch the sun set over the city.

Today we spent the majority of the day touring the ministries around the hospital and attached ministries. It’s been quite an emotional one. From the NICU to the children’s ward, it can be tough as you walk through the hospital and see the hurt and need. It’s great to know that most of these people, although the can’t pay, will get good health care here. We have some options tomorrow, we can go to the village to help a clinic out there, stay and finish a project measuring the school of nursing building that we started tonight, or go and help in the children’s ward. In the children’s ward, you get to help orphans have someone who will comfort them throughout the scary hospital experience.

Sometimes a walk turns into a shower

0
Posted by Randy on July 28, 2008 – 2:03 am
Filed under India

Some of the gals wanted to go on a walk out on the streets during our afternoon break today… and I told them I’d come along. What do I get myself into?

11 hours in Bangkok, and I’m still alive

1
Posted by Randy on July 27, 2008 – 2:32 pm
Filed under India

Well, it’s 3am India Standard Time, I’m in a nice A/C room, and haven’t taken a shower in two days. Traveling is awesome:)  After sitting in Taiwan for a few hours, we took a three hour flight to Bangkok. Then… it began, the world’s longest layover. Don’t get me wrong, Bangkok has an amazingly cool airport, it’s like a huge mall… but the mall’s not cool anymore after hour 4, and then 5, and then 9… So about hour 8, I decided that sleep would be cool, and slept across a bunch of chairs. It was nice, right in front of the A/C, and 20 or so Indians and their children all around me. It was great until one the kids slipped, and hit me… man, I was awake fast:)

We boarded the plane a few long hours later, and I remember getting on, eating some food, and then the stewardess telling me to put my seat up coz we are going to land. Man… that was the best flight ever.

Driving through Kolkata to the Hospital, it’s easy to see the needs here. Lots to do! Well, I have to be up in four quick hours… I’ll post some pics soon. (I promise)