Pune and Mumbai

I made it to Pune! The journey here was full of memorable moments including falling down the Delhi train station stairs. Yes, I just happen to slip and fall down the stairs of one of the biggest, most crowded, dirtiest railway stations in India... with about 50kg of luggage attached to all sides of me. Oh the joy of having 20 men grabbing at me and my luggage to “help” me up continues to linger in one’s mind. Everything went smoothly after that though, even the plane ride on Spice Jet airlines (such a secure sounding name isn’t it?). I really like Pune. It’s a big city, but still pretty easy to get around. I live in a guest house with two rooms and an outdoor kitchen area. It’s really cozy... wow it’s amazing how much my mentality about this place had changed. In reality, I’m sleeping on a two inch thick mattress, still using a bucket to shower, eating food from a fridge that doesn’t run, and yesterday I spent ten minutes attempting to scoot a 4 inch long cockroach out of my room. I know this may sound pretty rough to people back home, but here it’s nothing. I’ve seen slums where houses are made of sticks and mud, where families eat, sleep and defecate in one room the size of our king size beds. Hundreds of these homes crammed together like people in a rock concert. Streams of mud, feces and garbage run between a two foot wide pathway and the endless line of huts that make up this area called the slums. I’ve seen enough to know that where I am staying is truly a blessing.
The clinic rotations so far have been spectacular. I’ve seen vaginal births, c-sections, tubule ligations, and so much more. Yesterday I held the a speculum (tool that keeps some body cavity open) and assisted the doctor while she sutured after a birth (looking so official in my cap, mask and white coat I might add). I also gave my first injection, which might have gone better had the patient not seen my shaking hands right before penetrating her skin. Needless to say, I’m getting more medical experience here than I could have ever dreamed of in the US.
Outside the clinic life has been great also. I’ve spent two weekends in Mumbai, which might be my favorite city I’ve been to... ever. I rode the local trains, literally crammed elbow to elbow with people, by day and at night we hit the disco techs. The club we went to clearly had never heard of something called maximum capacity and the only way to shut it down was for the Indian police to show up. We then hopped into a taxi, in which the driver was even more intoxicated than us and were whisked away to the flat which lay on the 12th floor overlooking the streets of Mumbai. Riding the local trains there are just as crazy. The train stops for about 5 seconds and people elbow, shove, grab, whatever it takes to make it on and off at your stop. I went to the endless markets where things are so cheap you feel like you’re stealing. I had tea in the Taj Hotel, the place where the 26/11 attacks took place last year and one of the most astounding hotels in the world. The second weekend I attended a wedding that rivaled that of royalty. The setting, the dress, and the food were all so indescribably incredible. It was like a fairytale in so many aspects and nothing I could have ever imagined beforehand. I find my self saying more and more that I could just stay here in India, simply forget to catch my plane back home. Not realistic I know but with only two weeks left in the program I plan to make the absolute most of my time here.