Day 1 in Thanjavur

We took an overnight train to Thanjavur and arrived this morning at 6am. We travelled with Sapna, an ICTPH staff member, who took us under her wing and made sure we had the right bunks. We were pleasantly surprised when sheets and pillows were hand delivered to our bunks, as sleeping on blue vinyl in the heat seemed unrestful. We were tired and ready for sleep and all of us got a good night's rest. We woke up to the sunrise and a few of us stuck our heads out of the door to take in the scenery - green fields, thatch huts, sunrise, local people. Someone remarked " Now I really feel like I'm in India!"

After we put our luggage down in the ICTPH guesthouse, some of us stretched our legs after two days of riding in cars, sitting in planes and sleeping in trains. Along the way we met some of the "locals" (see photo to the right). We then cleaned up and had breakfast - typical Indian savory fare: idli (steamed rice pattie), chutney, sambar (lentil soup), wada (fried lentil donut) and Nescafe COFFEE (MUCH needed). We did a bit of shopping at a local variety shop - lots of water, towels, toilet paper - and then headed off for the day around 10:30.

First stop: We were driven in air-conditioned comfort to the rural medical health center (RMHC), run by ICTPH. It is a free clinic run by one physician and two nurse practitioners. They treat anyone who walks in the door, focusing on preventative care. Common diagnoses range from diarrhea, to symptoms of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease to tuberculosis. Families "join" the clinic and receive family identity cards which are linked to the electronic medical record (EMR) system. We received a thorough demonstration of the EMR system and witnessed some patient care. This is the pilot clinic for a larger scale ICTPH program, which will eventually provide healthcare through an insurance scheme designed to make each clinic self-sustainable and accessible to rural populations.

NOTE: In the above photo you'll notice we're wearing our Salwar-Kameez - a very breathy, 100% cotton, traditional Indian outfit.

Second stop: We then went to a Primary Health Center (PHC) run by the government. The ICTPH run RMHCs will refer some patients, including pregnant women, to these government centers. The RMHCs complement the PHCs and seek to bridge the gap between community health at the village level and the existing rural health infrastructure - the idea is for collaboration, not competition. The PHCs have laboratory facilities, birthing facilities, cold-chain storage for vaccinations and have some limited in-patient capacity.

Lunch: Sapna referred us to a local restaurant where we again enjoyed typical Indian fare - delicious as usual. Aparna continues to order for us, leading us towards the best dishes. Our new dish for today was "Gobi Manchurian", an Indian-Chinese dish involving cauliflower, masala and brown sauce. We have also become obsessed with fresh, cold, homemade lime soda - "sweet and salt". It is very refreshing in this heat - have we mentioned IT'S HOT?!

Brihadishwara Temple: We visited our first Hindu temple today! It was built in 1010 by Raja Raja, "King of Kings". We were excited to see this temple, as it was featured in the BBC documentary "The Story of India", which we watched in class before leaving the US. Families approached us while we were there to ask to take photos with us and talk to us - mostly they were interested in where we were from and what our names were. We will now be featured in family photo albums across India! We were blessed with auspicious ashes in the temple and stood in awe at the stone sculpture work which was particularly beautiful in the sunset. We also saw our first elephant at the entrance!

We ended the day with chaat, a type of Indian fast food, and of course, our "sweet and salt" fresh lime soda.

Full bellies and freshly showered, we bid poyittu varukiren (goodnight) from Thanjavur!