Exploring the Other Side of the Indian Hospital

Well even if today hadn't been my last day in Madurai, I think that my body is clearly ready to leave this place. The past couple nights I really haven't slept much at all. I woke up so exhausted on Wednesday morning that I took the whole morning off to sleep. Wednesday night wasn't much better. Part of the problem is that it's so hot here that I sweat all night and then wake up so dehydrated that I have a horrible headache. And if I try to drink a lot of water before bed, I just go back and forth between the bathroom and bed all night. This morning and yesterday I also woke up feeling really achy and weak. And then on the way home from the hospital yesterday, I discovered a light red spotted rash all over my arms and stomach. It's not itchy though, just kind of gross looking. It had been fading away yesterday, so I figured that I would go to bed and see how it was today. This morning, the rash was still there, clearer than yesterday, and it had spread
to my face and back and legs. My host mother finally convinced me that I should go to see the doctor, so a man from Projects Abroad came in a rickshaw to take me to Saravana Hospital.

I was not particularly thrilled with the entire experience, so I didn't respond well to the small talk that this guy was trying to make, was annoyed when he tried to tell me that only girls wear earrings, and I was less than excited when he got really close to my face because he couldn't hear what I was saying. However when we were at the hospital, I was glad to have him there advocating for me because you have to kind of push and talk your way to the front of the line in India if you want anything to get done. After waiting for about 20 minutes, I finally saw the doctor in a plastic chair set up in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by other Indian people trying to talk to him. I had my 15 seconds with the doctor where he told me I was probably having an allergic reaction to something, wrote me a prescription, and sent me on my way. We picked up the little tablets and lotion that he had prescribed and made it back home just in time to get ready to go
to the wedding.

Apparently the Indian weddings go on for a few days, and we just caught the last bit of the last day today. We saw the exchange of gifts between the families, including the largest collection of silver I've ever seen. We then had our photo taken with the bride and groom (who, believe it or not, had just met two days before!), and then spoke to the bride's father and went down to a big meal where I had all the Indian food I could ever eat. It was a fun experience and gave me a chance to try out my new matching vest and pants from the bazaar.

Spent the rest of today packing up and sleeping. I think the tablets are working and my rash is starting to fade a bit, so I feel better about being in transit for the next few weeks. Bangalore tonight, Mysore palace Sunday, Chennai Monday, Germany Wednesday. Internet may be limited for awhile so await some sporadic posts when I find wireless.

It feels so odd to be leaving my host family and know that I probably won't be back here. It's been amazing and I really will never forget them.

Goodbye, Madurai...