Last blog entry left off right before the weekend after my
first 2 days at the small clinic. That
weekend, Morgan, Sam, and I went to the SurajKund International Crafts Mela in
a nerby city called Gurgaon. It was
enormous, and packed with people! The crafts mela consists of booths of
merchants from places all over India who come together to put on a 15-day fair
and sell their items. There was furniture, tapestries, wooden figurines,
pottery, jewelry, purses, food...you name it. I did not buy anythign since it
was expensive for India prices, but it was still really cool to walk around and
see.
I was at the same
small clinic every day this past week! At the clinic I just give injections, take
blood pressure, listen to lungs, and do a lot of sitting. But I don’t mind the waiting or the monotony because I have
the chance to do something hands-on and can watch and learn as well. .
Sector 49 and the
rest of Faridabad are becoming quite familiar, and familarity is
comforting. Just in the area surrounding
the clinic, people are starting to know me a bit and wave when I arrive. The
man who owns the sweet shop across the street will let me try something he made
that day, and the doctor always has a smile when I arrive. Getting around town is becoming easier too: I
know when I am being overcharged by a tuk-tuk driver so I can say no and move
to the next one, and I know how to get to a few places the cheapest way by
taking the public tuk-tuks to major stops. I feel more like a local than a
stranger, although the stares and the language barrier like to keep reminding
me otherwise.
This weekend was
also one of the most fun I’ve had while still remaining in Faridabad. Friday was Valentine’s Day, which was a bit
rough at first considering my current romantic life, but ended up being a ton
of fun. I went to a place in Sector 15
called Parmesan Cafe with Morgan, Sam, and Jess. And oh did we feast! Morgan and I started off
by splitting cheesy garlic bread, then we also split a double cheese pizza. 3
of us ordered belgian chocolate milkshakes, and it was one of the best
milkshakes I’ve ever had. Then we all got dessert: I ordered a rather
disappointing cheesecake and the other 3 each got a dessert waffle with ice
cream on top. Saturday was pretty
uneventful other than finally watching Frozen. We had to watch it in 3 parts
though since the movie would only buffer to a certain point then we would have
to wait for more to load before continuing to watch it. Sunday was another glorious food day since we
got up and made a Western breakfast for the family! We had pancakes, eggs, and
hashbrowns, and they were so good! The little twins didnt like the pancakes
(blasphemy, right?) but they loved the hashbrowns and our host parents enjoyed
it all as well. After breakfast we watched
the Princess and the Frog since we were on a Disney kick, which was also quite
a cute movie.
And to top things
off, the fun carried into today (Monday) because I GOT A CARE PACKAGE! Mandi is
the best! She sent me a box loaded with Cheez Its, Fudge Stripe Cookies, Chips
Deluxe cookies, Cheetos, Skittles, Propel packets, dry shampoo, tampons, Love
Actually DVD, and a pink hedgehog mug, all sitting in adorable heart confetti
with little notes on everything :D It
made my day and probably my week.
The rest of the week is looking to be good, and we will see
where my adventures take me next.
Much love,
Alyssa
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