Rolled into the Sheraton like hill-billies at the Ritz, dusty, hungry, tired, and grumpy from our second overnight train ride. There was a man in the next compartment who sounded like he had TB and from the sounds of his cough, did not have a good night. Neither did we!
Note: Please take special care to read the travel advisories posted on our train in the above picture.
Then we spent three hours, that felt like ten, en route to Vellore in a hip
pie van, stuck in traffic, with no AC. Did we mention it was HOT?!
We arrived in Vellore and made it to the lovely oasis of the Bergen House at Christian Medical College. After some icy hours in AC and some great naps, we felt restored!
May 7, 2010
Morning started off right with yoga for some, running for others. One man down, perhaps chaat (street food) night was a bad decision. The six of us remaining hopped on the bus from our lovely Bergen guest house and headed over to the CMC College of Nursing. There, we were welcomed by Mrs. Shirley David and soon after met with the Dean of the College of Nursing/Professor and Head of the Community Health Nursing Department, Mrs. Rosaline Jayakaran. The rest of the day, we were oriented to the role of nurses at CMC and their well-established community nursing programs.
CMC History 101:
CMC’s College of Nursing was founded by Ida Sophia Scudder, an American daughter of medical missionary born in India and raised in America. On a return trip to India, she was summoned one night to help three laboring women although she had no medical knowledge. The families in need would not accept the help of her father who was a doctor because he was a man. Sadly, all three women died in childbirth that night. Traumatized by the experience, Ida decided to go home to America to study medicine. After acquiring her degree, she returned to India and transformed her home into a one bedroom hospital which has today grown into the largest hospital in Southeast Asia, with 2,622 beds.
Auto-rickshaw ride
We survived our first auto-rickshaw ride today. Along the way, we picked up a few rules of the road:
1. Honk as much as possible 
2. Cram too many people into the road
3. Drive on the Left
4. Drive on the Right
5. Drive into Oncoming Traffic!
6. Brake for nothing, except for cows
Hey Caitlin, Thank you for blogging about your experiences in Vellore. I'm headed down there to participate in a research project on malnutrition this summer and they offered to put me up in the Bergen house. Your praise of this place convinced me to accept their offer. Thanks.
ReplyDeletePranay