Last Selfie

As we gather for our last meal in Chennai before boarding the plane back home, I am moved by how much has transpired in these three short weeks.

As instructors for this course, we were handed a list of students with demographics, year of study and major; most being new acquaintances for each other. For three weeks we ate, slept and moved from one point to another as a tribe.

We are now family. We have learned about healthcare in India, about the challenges of a BRIC country, and how micro initiatives are working to improve the livelihood of their citizens through the education and promotion of entrepreneurship. Be it preventing needless blindness, educating and employing young girls from the rural villages or developing business through training and support, our understanding of global issues has been broaden. We have been inspired to be doers. We have seen how people can make do with so very little and still be happy and warm and gracious. We have learned from a blind pilot that a setback may indeed prove to be a seed of inspiration; that it possible to do great things if you have the passion to pursue it.

As Ma and Pa Walker, our parting message to our bright, enthusiastic, and delightful tribe: Each and every one of you possesses unique talents that make you special. We were blessed to have such a phenomenal group and look forward to see how you shape your world as you move on.

 

May you keep with you the sign of the elephant: removal of obstacles; and go after your goals with passion, spirit and compassion for your fellow man.

It was an honor and a privilege to take on our India Winterim adventure with all of you.

 

Our very best to you always-

Kristy and Bob

 

Happy Pongal!

Our last full day before traveling was spent celebrating Pongal (which means "overflowing" in Tamil). This South Indian festival is an opportunity to thank the Sun God for a bountiful harvest. 

We started off the day by stirring a pot of "sweet pongal" until it was overflowing. Kristi and I got to try some sugar cane as well.

Then our group took a trip to the flower market, where vendors sell flowers from all over the world. Raj got us jasmine flowers for our hair!

In the afternoon, we traveled to Alagarkoil ("beautiful temple") Residential Campus of Mahatma School by invitation of Mrs. Premalatha. They once again treated us as honored guests, and proved how much the Indian culture values hospitality and welcoming people.

We started off by playing some fun games (including pop the balloon and musical chairs). Then we were taught some dance moves by students from the school.

I took a break to get some additional Henna on my arm and was impressed at how easy they made applying the intricate designs look.

During the meal, we were spoiled with delicious food that proved just how fruitful this year's harvest was.

Towards the end of the day, we had the opportunity to see some very talented dancers perform for us. There was also a piñata.

The University of Iowa students participating in this year's Winterim were able to experience the perfect Pongal thanks to our Indian friends! Will definitely remember their kindness after returning to the USA.

Happy Pongal!

-Amanda

Presentation Day

Presentation Day is here. All the hard work I, my group, and the other 3 groups have worked toward has finally been presented to our preceptors, interested parties, executive members, and our peers. A sad relief.

We spent the morning finalizing, reviewing, and practicing for the big moment; each of our PowerPoints eagerly on standby. The presentations began at 11 with the Aaron, Luke, and Caitlyn focusing upon how to inform patients about the optical shop process (they make the patient’s glasses in the hospital itself). The next group was the first of two Pediatric Department presentations. Maya, Tyler, and Kristi presented an elaborate set of posters encouraging young children, primarily females, to wear their prescription glasses. Glasses are cool. Whoop Whoop! In India, there is a cultural stigmatism surrounding young women, glasses, and marriage. The posters hope to change this!

Now, it was our time to shine. My group’s primary focus was to perform an analysis of the Pediatric Department’s Anesthesia Protocol and offer recommendations to improve staff accountability and patient safety. According to Dr. Laxmi, we delivered. In total, our team produced nine different deliverables to Dr. Laxmi – she only provided us with 4 to begin. In each tour, we would interact with another team member, recognize an area for improvement, talk to Dr. Laxmi, push ourselves to complete the additional task, and move on to the next. Similar to the real world, we balanced our capabilities, created a timeline, and adjusted as we completed tasks. Very applicable to everyone’s career goals, specifically myself and the other MHA student in the group, Swati.

The last group, Nel, Mary, and Ashley, presented a new newsletter to Aravind’s executive council. The previous newsletter had become outdated and staff interest had decreased in the past few years. Aravind wanted to find a way to reinvigorate the newsletter and disseminate the information to as many staff as possible.

Today, every group excelled. The teachers could not have been more proud. And the students, well…it was the signal to the end of an adventure, the end of a class, but the beginning of new friendships – once we all get back to the states of course.

Most important, we all recognize India will always remain a part of us. The culture, the beauty, and a country’s warm embrace. For me though, this trip was an important reminder that best practices can be found any place in the world if you stop and take a second to visual and listen.

Aaron M. Horsfield

Blog - Yoga and Conclusion of Project Work at Aravind

Today was the second to last morning of yoga. Every morning for the past 2 weeks at 6:30 AM we've had the opportunity to watch the sun rise on the rooftop of our hotel while doing yoga with a local yogi.



Every yoga session begins with breathing exercises, then continues onto the more traditional yoga.



After the sun has risen enough to warm our backs, we know the morning yoga session is almost over. The last part of our sessions is always focused on relaxation (which I think everyone loves).



Anyway, another thing I've noticed before/during yoga is the morning haze off in the distance. It's there every morning (even if it's bright blue sky), which leads me to conclude that it's from pollution, which makes sense here because of the astounding number of people in such a small area (and all the dirt roads in and around the city). It's still kind of sad and surprising though.

After our morning yoga and breakfast concluded we went to Aravind to put finishing touches on each of our projects. Tyler mentioned in the January 6th blog post that our group was tasked with finding a way to increase the availability of information within the pediatric ward at Aravind. To do so, we created a series of 12 fun, easy to understand posters that would be placed throughout the pediatric clinic and general hospital. Our end goal is with these posters is to help inform patients and their families of typical eye problems present in children.

Our primary sponsors for this project, Dr. Vaji and Dr. Satiya, told us that on an average day 150 children may be seen in the eye clinic, and of those children, 50 may ask the same questions during their time with the doctor. We addressed many of these frequently asked questions in our posters with the goal of reducing the number of repeat questions asked each day.

In addition, by addressing the signs and symptoms of many common eye problems, we're hoping more people will be able to recognize eye/vision problems in children early on, thus allowing them highest chance of successful sight restoration and correction.

Our final presentation to the staff and faculty of Aravind will be tomorrow, but overall our group is very satisfied with the work we've done thus far.


(Kristi, Tyler, Maya)

Thanks for reading!

-Kristi Rasmussen

It's the Little Things

Today our group traveled to a Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre, Missions of Charity Orphanage, and an Ayurvedic Hospital, and it was probably the hardest day that I have had in India so far. Not because I was tired, sleep deprived, or crabby, but because I met people who changed my outlook on almost every aspect of life.

We began our morning at the Leprosy Centre. I know what you’re thinking why would you go there and rick contracting the disease? Which were my thoughts exactly upon arriving? After standing around and awkwardly avoiding interaction with the Lepers, we were invited to sit down and learn about the disease from doctor who works daily with all of the patients at the facility. The doctor told us that there is a large stigma surrounding Leprosy, the disease cannot be spread through physical touch and interaction, it can only be spread through nasal secretions or droplets. Every case of Leprosy is 100% curable.

After listening to the doctor speak, we were invited to walk around and explore the centre grounds. I was led around by a 90 year old Christian woman named, Hulhamna, who was more than willing to welcome us into her home. Although Leprosy had taken everything from her, including most of her toes and fingers, she was more than willing to share her home, faith, and her story with us. It was a truly an experience that I will never forget, and it changed the way I view my life. Most of the patients at the centre, live in little one bedroom apartment like rooms that consist of no electricity, no running water, cement floors, and most of the time no bed besides a woven mat. Hulhamna was so proud of her little apartment, fully decorated with crucifixes, sarees, and hand crafted pots. She smiled and invited us inside of her quaint little home, she pointed out all of her expired Jesus calendars and I realized that I have never felt so connected to someone as I did her. Hulhamna spoke only Tamil, and I speak only English, but somehow we found a way to communicate, mostly through smiles and giggles.

The next part of the day that truly hit me hard was when we headed to the orphanage. But this orphanage was not like other orphanages, this one was for special needs women, some of who had grown up there after being pulled off of the street. All of the women have nowhere else to go besides the orphanage because they were abandoned and dumped on the streets by their families. In India, having a child with special needs of some sort is often looked at as a curse, and it is believed that if you have a child with special needs you committed a grave sin, and are being punished for your wrong doing. When being led into the first building of the orphanage, I couldn’t help but cringe, all of the patients were sitting on the floor in a room filled with nothing but cots in mismatched clothing. Once inside the room, we were not given any directions and blankly stared at all of the patients. It was the most awkward encounter I have ever experienced, I felt as though I was observing animals in a zoo.

Finally the nun led us into the next room, which was slightly bigger and filled with twice the patients. After we all stood there for a couple of minutes, I finally asked the nun if it would be okay to interact with them, and she said yes. All my life I’ve worked with children and adults in America with special needs, I’m certified in Respite care, and am always looking for new opportunities to help out. I decided to make the first move, I stepped away from the group, crouched down at the first person, looked into her eyes and wished her a happy new year. She smiled, and said Happy Pongal. I continued to move down the row of patients greeting each one just as the last, and when I turned around to look at the group, everyone began to start interacting as well, I couldn’t believe it. Each woman was ecstatic to not only receive the attention of visitors, but also to hold your hand, play with your hair, or touch your face. This was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had, these woman were so excited by our presence. It’s the simple things in life like saying hello and holding a hand, that really matter in the end.

-Ashley

A Packed Day

Today we visited a facility that cured patients with leprosy. It was an eye opening experience. It was interesting to me because the facility was outdoors and not as well kept as I would have expected. In the US, our hospitals and rehab facilities are indoors, air conditioned, and very well kept. We had an hour to interact with the patients and get to know them a little, and tour the facility.  We also went to visit the orphanage which was founded by Mother Theresa in 1971. My idea of an orphanage is a facility that houses kids under the age of 18 who were abandoned by their family. However, this orphanage was different, it housed adults and children with disabilities. Most people look at the women and feel sad for them, but I look at the positive side. It's sad that these girls have been neglected by their family members, but I'm also thankful that these girls were rescued and brought to this orphanage where they are well taken care of. Although our time there was limited, I enjoyed visiting the orphanage. It was a nice day overall.

-Cameisha

Wise Words from Divyanshu

Today was much like any other day at Aravind except we finally got the “okay” on our project from Dr. Satiya and Dr. Vaji. Our purpose of our project is to develop health education material for the pediatric eye care clinic.  We had been working constantly this week trying to come up with materials that both of our doctors would like. So when we received the final “okay” from them to put the final touches on our project it was such a huge relief.  After we completed our workday we got to listen to an inspirational speech from Divyanshu Ganatra, the blind pilot.

Ganatra woke up blind at the age of 19 and had to relearn all the basic things he used to do everyday such as putting the toothpaste on the toothbrush.  Despite all this he said, “The day I lost my sight is the day I gained my vision.”  I thought this statement was really moving because not many people could look at a sudden life change such as going blind with such optimism.  He continued to tell us how he overcame many obstacles that many people said he could not and he continues to challenge the stigma people have when it comes to the abilities of someone with a disability such as blindness.  Listening to Ganatra’s speech made me understand how important determination and a positive outlook is to contributing to your success.  

-Maya 

Rickshaw Ride

Ever wondered what it is like to ride a rickshaw or drive in India?

Here a little sample of ride.

-Aaron H

Little Adventures in India

By this time next week we will be back in the United States. Coming off the plane in our sandals and elephant pants we would have ended our time in India.  Although it is a sad thing to think about I think we ended our last weekend trip with a day full of wonderful little adventures in Kerala.

Our day began with a sudden switch of plans.  Although everyone had been told that we would need to meet for breakfast at 9:30 am our plans got pushed up an hour and all of a sudden we were scrambling to eat breakfast and get our things packed so we can check out quickly when we returned.

Some may have found this sudden change in plan frustrating or annoying but what I have learned when it comes to traveling is always be flexible. You can plan for weeks and nothing may come together like you thought it would but it is important to take everything in stride and just enjoy the journey.  I think learning to be adaptable is an important thing to take with you at school, work and in life and I think my adaptability in this trip   has definitely increased.

Our first trip of the day was on a boat tour.  The boat tour was serene and scenic but what really captivated me was the pathway to the docks.  The pathway to the docks was swarming with monkeys.  I’ve seen monkeys in zoos and sanctuaries but I had never seen monkeys in the wild and to walk among them was something I’ll never forget. They seemed so at ease with people walking around them it somehow reminded me of the fearless squirrels in Iowa City.  The monkeys were definitely one of the highlights of my day.

Following the boat tour we had lunch and moved on to the next part in our trip, the spice farm. The spice farm could easily be passed by if you were just driving along the road; there was a small stand that sold all their spices and a path that led to their many acres of spices and tea plants.

Honestly, the tour didn’t seem that interesting to me and I was hesitant to spend 45 minutes looking at plants but lucky for me, Swati felt the same way.  We paid for the tour but had one thing in mind, the paddle boats.  Only ten minutes in to the tour we saw the sign that led to the boats and made a dash toward them.  Turns out the paddle boats turned out to be paddle boat, singular.  It was an old boat with a dingy draping tarp, debris lined the floor, and it was docked with only a thin straw like rope.  There was no attendant and so we took our chances and leaped in. It was a blast! We had a bit of difficulty making it back to the dock but it was nice to do something off the itinerary.  About thirty minutes after our boat ride everyone was rounded up and we headed back to our host city.

Our return trip was going well.  We had a good driver, minimal traffic, and good movies to watch.  A great combination for a road trip but this all took a turn for the worse when we felt a sudden swerve. All I could think was I do not want to know what it was and then somebody called out “Oh my goodness, it was a cow!” Now cows are considered very holy animals in India and to hit one is sacrilege.  I felt a sudden pain of guilt and worry for the poor cow. I was reassured that the cow was only side swiped and fell down but the people near the cow were not happy they began to chase our van and our driver took off.

All in all today was another good day in India.  It was a mixture of a little miscommunication, adventure, and mishaps but also a lot of laughter, good memories, and great company.

-Maya

Second Mini- Vacation

Today our group took our second mini-vacation to Munnar, Kerala. Munnar is located deep in a valley between mountains, its filled with luscious jungle like forest, and a variety of animal reserves, that definitely make you reminisce to watching the Jungle Book while you were little. We woke up, ate breakfast, and all piled into our caravan of vans to begin the journey.

After hours of driving across bumpy and twisty roads through the mountains, we arrived at our destination in Thekaddy; The Elephant Court resort. It was by far the most luxurious resort/hotel that I have ever stayed at. As soon as we walked into the open lobby, we were given a beautiful greeting with bindis dabbed onto our foreheads, accompanied by gold and white shawls placed on our shoulders, which is considered a respectful welcome in Indian culture. The lobby was filled with beautiful crafted furniture, and there was a fountain where elephants trumpeted water into a little pound. The rooms were bungalow-esque and provided us with one of the best views to date. I personally enjoyed the fact that there was a small sign inside the room that advised guests not to leave the door open, because monkeys tend to wander inside.

Once eating lunch and checking into our rooms, we once again piled into the vans and headed to the Elephant Park, aka the activity that I have been looking forward to the most! I have always had a deep passion for animals, so being able to be up close and personal with an elephant has always been nothing more then a pipe dream to me, but today it came true! Once arriving to the park and purchasing my ticket, we waited and waited, until finally a beautiful Indian elephant emerged from the thicket. The elephants here are much more speckled then I have seen previously, which makes them extra special! After waiting anxiously in line, my turn had finally arrived to hop on an elephant. Mary, Nell, and I, all had the pleasure of riding Moti, a large male. We then were guided through the jungle by the elephants handlers. Although enormous and incredibly intimidating, elephants are incredibly gentle beings. I feel so blessed that I had more than one opportunity to experience one of the most majestic animals on this planet.

After leaving the Elephant Park, we headed to Navarasa Kathkali Centre in Thekkady to watch traditional South Indian dance. It was very interesting, to say the least. The dancers, both of whom were male, were decorated in extravagant costumes and completely painted faces. The dancers spent a majority of the time dancing with their faces and eyes. It was quite entertaining in an interesting kind of way. Once the dancing was over, we walked next door to the Kadathanadan Kalari Centre to watch a martial arts show. The show consisted of sword fighting, physical combat, and jumping through rings of fire. There is nothing more nerve wracking than watching two men sword fight no more then 10 feet in front of you. The amount of times I cringed and closed my eyes are too high to count. It was incredibly dangerous, but exhilarating at the same time.

Everyday here in India is a daring adventure, whether it be boarding a rickshaw to head downtown to the temple, or simply trying to cross the street. I never thought I could love a place this much, but now that I’ve spent the last two weeks here, I never want to leave. If I could transport all of my friends and family from back home to Madurai, I would live here forever. The people, culture, and nature will make you feel more alive then you ever thought possible. Sadly though, this is not the case. I am sad to be leaving here in a week, but my India story is just starting. Leaving here just means that there are more opportunities for me to return, that there are more chapters to my story. Stay tuned, because the next chapter of my India story will be (fingers crossed) very soon.

-Ashley

Bitter Sweet Day

Today at Aravind was bitter sweet for our project group. There has been two girls from a local college working with us and offering insight and translation help into our project involving the newsletter of Aravind, Thingal Udhayam. Since their school term starts up again tomorrow, they will not be joining us for our last week here, and today was our last day with them. It is so amazing that we became such good friends in the short time we had together, and we assured them that we would visit if we were ever in India again and vice versa if they ever visited the United States. We celebrated by ordering Domino's pizza. :) Thank you Sasikala and Adthiyha! 
-Nell

Social Movement Day

We started off the day by visiting BaBa school system, which has four schools with classes ranging from kindergarten to twelfth, totaling two thousand kids. We met with handful of 9^th and 11^th graders from each school, which totaled to 400 students.  We divided into seven groups. Each group had around sixty kids. The purpose was to create a viral video to eliminate waste in India. We each had to create a dance routine with each group of kids. I myself am a die-hard Michael Jackson fan. I showed my kids the twist, leg-kick, moonwalk move. Let’s just say my group was by far the most entertaining. The staff as well as the children were incredibly welcoming, and are an incredible group
of people.

After visiting the school, we attended a Women’s Entrepreneurship seminar. The keynote speaker was Dr. M.I.M Nehruzii. It was very informative, and was worth listening to. We were told that women in India have to work twice as hard to receive half of what a man makes. It was a great experience seeing all the women making a difference by creating a better India for tomorrow.

Our last visit for the day was visiting a Gandhi museum. I myself didn’t know much about this brilliant individual. It was very informative walking around the museum and reading the history of India, and the movement Gandhi made to create freedom for all in India. -Luke

January 6, 2016

Greetings to all our loyal fans, if you’ve followed us this far you would know that this week we have started our final projects working for the Aravind eye hospital. Aaron gave you a great introduction to our project in an earlier post and today I will take you through the day I had with my specific small team working on one of the four assigned projects.

I could not start writing about our work at Aravind Eye Care without first noting the importance of our early morning yoga session with our group’s personal 70 year old yoga master. The sunrise yoga on the program on the hotel rooftop has been quite popular within our group, including the professors, and seems to get everyone’s day off to a good start. Though at 2pm when I am complaining about my burning thigh muscles I start to wonder if the 6:30am palm tree pose is actually worth it.

Getting to the hospital in the morning we get right to work. My specific work team focuses on patient education in the pediatric eye clinic of the hospital. We work directly with multiple ophthalmologists in creating a way to educate young patients and their families about the basics of modern eye care. Our group specifically has worked out with the doctors that they’re needs to be more signage throughout the pediatric eye clinic waiting areas to cut down on FAQs and incorrect beliefs about eye health by Indian families. For example, there is an Indian myth that doing handstands will help solve a child’s vision problems. Things like this are making it harder for doctors to convince the parents that the children actually need to wear corrective lenses permanently to help their child grow and succeed.

Our chosen way of educating is to develop a set of easy to read/understand posters and FAQs for the parents to educate them before their visit with the doctor. Today we made a prototype poster and brought it back to the doctors for feedback. We are eternally grateful that they take the time out of their busy schedule and give us 30 minutes of their best effort to better educate their patients. I have never seen this sort of dedication or motivation from doctors back home. We worked until about 5pm where we then went over to a shopping area to glance through the numerous storefronts. Some of the shopping group even found some authentic yoga mats. After dusk the Indian streets start to flood with folks walking about after work is over, this is when you can get a clear picture of the population of India.

Overall our experience so far in India has been completely amazing and I can say I will never forget the things I have done and seen here. The chance to help Aravind Eye Clinic carry on their mission of providing affordable care to end needless blindness is humbling and I cannot thank them enough for giving us this opportunity.

Thank you for reading,

Tyler

January 5th - Projects Begin

Today was the day! With our private investigator magnifying glasses ready, my group was prepared to pick apart Aravind’s Pediatric Department’s anesthesiology protocol and offer recommendations for improvement – our “internal consulting” projects had begun. With a group consisting of a biomedical engineer, an accounting major, a Masters of Health Administration student, and a duel Masters of Health Administration and Masters of Public Health student, the group progressed through the norming and storming development phases astonishingly fast.

Dr. Vayi Laxmi, an opthamologist by training and the department chair of the Pediatric outpatient unit, met us with joy, excitement, and an extensive amount of project deliverables. She was an energetic and ambitious women. Having been at Aravind from its conception over 40 years ago, the fire to excel and provide care was still present. Due to recent occurrences and a newly redefined anesthesia protocol, Dr. Laxmi wanted to ensure not only a fluid process for patients, but a process that would confirm all investigations (procedures) were completed before the patient met with the General Anesthesiologist.

In examining their current process, it proved to be difficult to find initial recommendations. We understood the reason Aravind received the Gate’s Award for Global Health and India’s Most Innovative Hospital Award – they were more advanced in many aspects of infection control, telemedicine, and process flow than first assumptions would have one believe.

Conversations with the surgical counselor, a women similar to our care coordinators, but singularly responsible for coordinating over 3000-5000 patient surgeries per year and a surgical nurse, we were able to understand the process from a patient’s point of view. All patients entered the hospital as walk-in patients and saw an ophthalmologist who determined what the patient needed; returning patients could proceed directly to the unit they were to be seen at. Then, depending upon their diagnosis, they met with the surgical counselor to begin the investigations checklist after a consult from the fitness physician (similar to our primary care providers). With the day ending, the project proved to be more challenging than we originally thought. While my group has developed an initial outline of ideas and recommendations, we will need to consult with more front line with and talk with the General Anesthesiologist to understand the core issue of the project.

As an MHA | MPH student, today solidified my reasoning for coming to India and embarking in a foreign consulting project. I will be relying heavily upon what I have learned in my master’s program to not only enhance Aravind’s anesthesia process at a micro level, but begin to compile a best practice list for myself. It is clear this project will not only push me to draw upon my experiences as a student, my experiences working in the Burn Unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and my abilities to utilize my team member’s experiences and strengths, but will push me to grow and excel as a person

Aravind cares about and adheres to their mission. Their charity care doesn’t represent numbers of dollars allocated, but the % of their population served in the free clinic. Their commitment proves that – universally – assumptions can make you look foolish. While Aravind and the country still have improvements to be made in terms of processes and public health respectively, my initial thoughts certainly made me look foolish. I have so much more to learn.
      
-Aaron

Dr. V's Spiritual Consciousness

When we woke to alarms at 6:00, or let’s face it 6:20, this morning, the group was a bit groggy and stiff from the two previous days of travel. At 6:30AM a yoga class, taught by a yoga master, would be on the rooftop of our hotel. You could tell everyone was slow but eager for a good stretch and a deep breath. As our little, quite flexible yoga master began teaching us about yoga’s philosophies, we all knew we were in for a treat. There was a lot of attention of breathe and spine awareness, which are both things many people neglect. It felt incredible to reach deeper places in our lungs and diaphragm while extending our muscles. There’s a sense of serenity and understanding that comes from being fully present in a moment with your body, and this morning was one of those moments. Our class had a collectively wonderful experience and cannot wait to continue practicing in the upcoming mornings.

After a little breakfast, we all hopped in the van and went straight to Aurolab, Aravind’s own manufacturing plant for all of their surgical and commercial consumables. We took a tour of their facilities and were in utter shock and awe of the efficient and precise measures they took to ensure their products were perfect. Their error rates were astonishing and their product was of the highest quality for their field. It was an amazing experience. We saw the entire process of all five divisions of the plant, each specializing in one consumable product which could be used for their own hospital or could be sold to other hospitals as well.

The most intriguing part for me was not necessarily the lab itself, but a garden and spiritual retreat center on Aurolab’s grounds. When Dr. V died in 2006, the center was built in his honor and for the purposes of gathering leaders to innovate and ground themselves in the passions and practices of Dr. V. It was an absolutely incredible experience. The center was so inspiring, filled with quotes on the walls from Dr. V or miscellaneous other great Indian leaders, a library, and a meditation room to fully reconnect with oneself and the principles which Aravind holds true to their mission of “Eliminating Needless Blindness.”

“Modern technology combined with spiritual consciousness is the need of the day. …we want people who have a capacity for all technical skills but we also want people to grow in spiritual consciousness so that they can act from that consciousness. What would be a wonderful thing, because then you would know and see things from a different perspective.”

        -Dr. G. Venkataswamy

This quote popped out to me personally, the idea of having the skill to do something is fantastic, but being grounded and connected to a greater purpose is where the burnout prevention and the perspective shift happens. In order to fully Eliminate Needless Blindness, the mission of Aravind, the perspective must focus on the ideals and values of the company, not just what the company functionally does. Dr. V’s life was very spiritually grounded, living a life true to his values and visions to make the world better than when he had first met it.

The idea of spiritual consciousness and the cohesion of skill and awareness was at the forefront of the mission of Dr. V’s very being. His life as an eye care professional was fully driven by the spiritual guidance of Sri A. which created a larger sense of purpose to the mission of “Eliminating Needless Blindness” and thus propels much of the work still being done by Aravind eye care clinics globally. The mission of Aravind and some of Dr. V’s mantras inspired us all and spiritually encouraged us to lead conscious lives. Dr. V’s life created and inspired a mission that has lived after him, hopefully for years to come.

-Mary

January 2-3rd: A Resort Weekend Excursion

Hello! I'm Caitlyn and I blogged about our weekend excursion to the Estuary Island Resort in Poovar!

Our group left for our first weekend excursion on Saturday.  Our destination: a beach-side resort near the southern tip of India. We were all excited for some beach and relaxation time. It turned out to be that and much more. The trip, however, got off to a somewhat rocky start. The anticipated 3.5 hour drive turned into more than 8 hours, including stops. While the extra few hours was a little frustrating, the view on the drive was unbeatable. Lush mountain tops, colorful towns, and (surprisingly) a wind turbine farm kept us engaged. We were split into a caravan of several large vans, and the students each van had an equally entertaining story of the ride and the bonding experience they shared.

When we finally got to the resort, the sun had just set. It was an absolutely beautiful campus settled deep in the jungle. It was on a river that met with the Arabian Sea. Fittingly, the resort was called Estuary Island. With two pools, a hot tub, and a dozen hammocks among palm trees and sand, we felt like we were in a movie. Unfortunately, we couldn't see much of the grounds because of the darkness so the group settled in to a meal at the river-side bar and restaurant for dinner and socializing.

On Sunday morning, some of us woke up early to watch the sun rise over the water. In the background, we heard the early-morning chanting of devoted Muslims in prayer. It was a beautiful way to start the morning. After taking many pictures and laying in the hammocks, we had breakfast and then went on a boat tour of the river. In little boats that sat 7 people and the driver, we cruised through small nooks of the river and saw plants, animals, and people of all kinds. A particularly memorable moment was seeing an old man standing in the river with his cow, cooling it off by splashing water gently on its sides.

The last stop of the boat tour was the beach that separated the river from the sea. It was perhaps the most beautiful view of the weekend. The beach bustled with local people selling fresh coconuts and pineapples, offering horseback rides, and chatting with the tourists. Our group took countless pictures by the water, with the waves washing over our toes. We had several Indian families ask to take pictures with us, and we enthusiastically obliged!

After the beach, we reluctantly loaded the vans to head back to Madurai. The drive back was just as beautiful, but we were all exhausted from the long weekend. Lots of us spent the drive sleeping.

Perhaps the most important lesson of the weekend was to expect the unexpected. It seemed like everything was a surprise, and it all went swimmingly. A perfect way to kick off a week of hard work at Aravind.

Our love goes to everyone at home! We are all thinking of you. Wish us luck this week!

Curry on.

-Caitlyn 

New Year, New Blessings

For Hindus, the religious new year is celebrated on Diwali. This occurs sometime in November. So although our Hindu calendar had already begun its new year, Hindus still gathered in temples all around the world on the 1st of January to give thanks for the previous year and pray for prosperity in 2016.

As a fellow Hindu, I was grateful that they had planned to tour one of the most esteemed temples in India on the first day of the new year. Starting the new year with any God's blessing is known to be incredibly auspicious, especially when received at a holy site like the Meenakshi Temple.

The Meenakshi Temple is dedicated to a goddess named Meenakshi, also known as Parvati, wife of Shiva. The story of Meenakshi and Shiva is incredibly compelling and more dramatic than any Scandal or Grey's Anatomy episode. Now I would tell you the story, but I would rather share my reaction and experience at the temple since that's something you can't find on Wikipedia :).

In anticipation of our visit, I showered early in the morning and threw on a traditional Indian dress: this is typically how Hindus prepare for a visit to the temple. On any given day, the Meenakshi temple expects approximately 15,000 visitors. While on Fridays, it expects an incredible 25,000 visitors. That's more than the population of the town I went to middle school in! Visitors comprise of men, women, and children. However, this temple is especially known for answering the prayers of women seeking to receive a good husband or a child. I was definitely not praying for either of those on this special day, sorry mom!!

As we approached the temple, it was hard to overlook the architecture. Each statue hand-carved and painted. So beautiful. So detailed. Each one representing a god or goddess. It is unfathomable to imagine just one of these towers being made, yet here are three gorgeous handcrafted towers. The tallest being 170ft high. After removing our shoes and entering through the gates, the selfies and pictures were imminent. By now, many of us have found our personal photographer within the group. My photographer, Amanda, is incredibly understanding of how un-photogenic I am and is still able to take awesome shots of me. I try to reciprocate by taking subpar pics of her. So as I am directing Amanda on a pose...BAM. I'm hit with a splatter of something wet. My reflex to look up led to a stare down with a bird that proudly looked down at me and its poop. As I wiped it off my arm, a passerby says "it means you're blessed!! You're lucky." So remind me to buy a lottery ticket when I get home guys.

Anyways, the next part of the tour made the bird poop all worth it. Now let me preface this with my declaration of love for elephants. My mom swears I was an elephant in my past life because of the joy I feel when I see a cute picture, gif, or YouTube video of an elephant. So you can imagine the glow on my face when I saw this dark, beautifully dressed elephant walk towards us. He was present in the temple to bless those that could pass on 20 rupees. And by bless, I mean that he would lay his trunk on your head FOR JUST 33 CENTS!!! I would've given that man all my belongings for that experience, so that was definitely a steal. Everyone got an opportunity to be blessed by the elephant, or as I would say, Ganesh. Elephants represent Lord Ganesh to us, who is known as the remover of obstacles. His statue was present throughout the temple, along with Parvati and Shiva.

The shrine of Meenakshi was restricted to Hindus only and had produced a line estimating to be at least 1.5 to 2 hours long. Although I wasn't able to get Meenakshi's blessing this time, I could still feel her spirit through the stories told by our tour guide and the wall carvings in the halls. I knew I would have to make another visit soon, and no mom and dad, not just for the elephant! But to get the blessing of one of the few major female deities to have a temple devoted to her.

As we exited, I felt strongly connected to my Hindu roots and happy to see my classmates, who have now become friends, become so engrossed in the Hindu religion and mythology.
  
Swati Panchal 

Aravind Kick Off

Today, December 31st, was our first full-day in Madurai.  The morning began with an amazing breakfast provided by the restaurant in our hotel consisting of spongy rice cakes, lentil pancakes, Sindhi Pawan (a flat wheat unleavend bread fried and served with a yellow squash sauce), a variety of chutneys, hard boiled eggs, cereal, toast, and a handful of dishes I have yet to learn the name of. When I entered the hotel restaurant as it opened the gentleman working was watching the Indian home shopping network but changed the channel to the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers basketball game.

Our class waiting for orientation.

After breakfast we traveled to Aravind Eye Hospital for our orientation and tour.  We were greeted warmly and with a great deal of openness regarding Aravind's operations.  

Our tour took us through the free clinic and the paying clinic.  Aravind's mission is to eliminate unnecessary blindness. They give their patients the choice to pay or to receive free services.  The care they get is reported to be the same whether they pay or not.

We were told of a young politician years ago that was visiting the area when he began having eye issues.  He was directed to Aravind's eye clinic as they are known for providing a high quality of care. He arrived at the clinic but had not money on his person so was directed to the free clinic where he received quick excellent care for free. That young politician is currently the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, and continues to speak highly of Aravind.

It was a slow day for Aravind but they had already seen over a thousand patients by the start of our tour at 11 AM.  The group was impressed by the volume of patients Aravind is able to see and the efficiency with which they saw them.  Patients were escorted from checkin to whichever area of the hospital they are to go by the young women that work at Aravind. 

Actually, a majority of Aravind's workforce seems to be young women.  Aravind trains 500 young women each year to work at one of their hospitals or clinics.  They wear a sari that corresponds with their role within the hospital.  They perform a number of functions from checking in patients, to record keeping, to assisting in surgeries, to diagnosing and treating patients. We saw a great deal on our tour and will see more as our tour continues next week.   

After our tour we ventured into the city for shopping near the temples.  The haggling experience is as advertised.  Personally, I don't have much of a taste for it.  I prefer the established price model that I'm used to, but some of my classmates engaged in serious negotiations with local merchants.  Our group attracted a bit of attentions from some of the street vendors that guilted some classmates into purchasing items. We experienced a variety of negotiating styles but I believe the group was satisfied with the goods we took away.  Our drivers/guides were quite helpful in escorting us from shop to shop safely.  Many of the group bought traditional Indian clothing to wear to the New Years Eve celebration that night.

The hotel provided us a space on the rooftop to celebrate the New Year. Many of the students wore traditional Indian dress.  A majority of the woman wore a rainbow of saris.  Some of the staff members were kind enough to help the ladies dress in their saris. The celebration was enthusiastic yet muted.  By governmental decree the party was to stop at 10 PM and there were to be no fireworks. This was to show respect to those that died or lost their homes in the massive flooding in the region at the beginning of the month. 

We complied with the law but many did gather in hotel common rooms to welcome the new year at midnight.  However, it seems most of us are still not used to the time change and found it a struggle to stay up until midnight.

Happy New Year!