One Week To Departure

Time. It's just one of those things that I can never seem to get a grasp on. Only a few months ago I was researching different health service programs abroad from the comfort of my new bed in the French House at Whitman. Then suddenly it was Spring Break, and I was sitting in California, finishing my application to be a medical intern in India, booking a flight to the other side of the world, and dreaming of rice and curry and my version of other "authentic Indian" food that I have had here in the States. Somehow since then, I managed to finish my second year of college (ahhh!), pack up, clean out, say goodbye to one home, and return to another. And now it is May 26th, I am less than a week away from being on that plane around the world, and feel about 1% more prepared to go.

Things that I have learned or accomplished in preparation for my trip:

- I learned that in the place where I am going, the spoken language is actually not Hindi, but Tamil. (Good thing I didn't try to learn how to ask where the bathroom is yet).
- The forecast for my arrival in Chennai and Madurai includes thunderstorms and temperatures at a low of around 80˚F and a high of 105˚F. These temperatures are probably about average for the duration of my trip. Also, I will be arriving during monsoon season. (I decided that now was a good time to buy a new raincoat).
- Be careful which hand you use in India.
- I received five vaccinations in my arms (which limited my arm usage for the next day and a half), took a pill for a week, and got prescriptions for a few more things to carry with me while traveling. I also received an extensive 10 page pamphlet on all the possible diseases that I could contract, their symptoms, and what to do if I do come down with anything. Needless to say, I was more than a little nervous after leaving the Walla Walla Health Department back in April.
- The time change to where I am going in India is 12.5 hours ahead of Eugene and the west coast of the US. (I didn't even know that time zones existed that went by half-hour intervals).
- Total travel time to my destination: 1.5 hours EUG-SFO, 11 hours SFO-FRA, 9.5 hours FRA-MAA, 8 hour train ride to Madurai.
- I will be living with a host family in Madurai! Host mother, father, grandmother, and two brothers (ages 19 and 25).

I also created an addendum for my trip, so following my time in India, I will be taking a two-week stopover in Europe on my way home to travel a bit around Germany, Switzerland, and France.

I have no idea what to expect. Therefore, I will go in with very few expectations, lots of energy, and open eyes and an open mind. I am excited to see, do, taste, explore, experience, learn.

Somehow in one week, I will have unpacked from school, repacked for India, and will be somewhere in between here and there.

And so begins the Summer of 2010. Welcome to My Medical Madurai Memoir.