All in a day's (or two days) work

So, I woke up again to the hustles and bustles of Mysore—ubiquitous honking, melodious cries from vendors (I'm guessing), and the symphony of exotic chirps at dawn's crack. Quite a reliable alarm clock. It was so reliable, that after arriving at 4am and sleeping a bit, I was alert and ready to begin at 7:30am on my first day!

Finally after months of preparation with the help of many amazing mentors—Dr. Dratler, Dr. Madhivanan, and my mentors in India—Dr. Arun and Dr. Balasubramaniam, I'm here. Running around barefoot with remnants of mosquito bites in Indian garb at the Public Health Research Institute, I'm not worried at all about unforeseen delays and what-have-yous. I'm being Zen about it--acknowledging the process and calmly but intentionally effecting desired changes.

The road to Mysore from Bangalore airport was fun! I learned some Indian driving etiquette, such as: honk at anyone blocking your lane because many drive right smack dab on the dotted line. (Even the double lines are mere suggestions...) And, if others honk at you for doing the same, you kindly let them pass and give them a honk back. It's not exactly the road rage I see in America...quite the contrary! It's an acknowledgement that the road rules are fluid, so the etiquette is to accommodate once asked and if you are able. Of course, if you can't that's okay too, as there are always ways around it. For example, our tiny taxi was able to squish itself between hedges and a truck with a protrusive and monstrous bundle fastened with rope. It seemed as though the ropes could break, and those sacks of who-knows-what could come crashing on the taxi roof. But all is well, because we carefully and smoothly bypassed that disaster.

The scene from my mosquito screened window

I also made an impromptu presentation at the ethics review board at Vikram Hospital last night (and they approved of my project!). I've been forewarned innumerable times that Indian time is Indian Standard Time + x (x ranging from 15 min to infinity). Although the presentation was delayed 30 minutes, that was fine, because I gladly preoccupied myself with the hospital canteen! A glass of watermelon juice (delicious and thick!) cost me 18 Rupees ($0.37). Dr. Arun, my mentor for the urban study, personable and endowed with large enthusiastic eyes, was such a willing advocate for this project that I'm thinking, “even if delays happen, I know I'll will be in good hands.”

I'll be meeting my other mentor, Dr. Balasubramaniam, in a rural area (1 hour away from Mysore) later today. She is an OB/GYN and the director of a Community Health Centre which is dedicated to HIV/AIDS patient counseling, care, etc. Their affiliate hospital, Vivekananda Memorial Hospital, caters to the tribals too—the marginalized indigenous peoples forced to leave their forest dwellings in Saragur's environs. Anyway, the ethics board had many insightful suggestions to make. Guess I'll be doing paperwork and meet-and-greets for the rest of the day there.

The people here have been so pleasant! After gesticulating that I liked her sticker between her eyes, the house maid told me “come” and stuck a bindi on my third eye with matching colors to my garb...so sweet of her!