eiron089 (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} eiron089) wrote,@ 2007-12-07 21:35:00 |
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Entry #6 - Thinking of all the things that rhyme with 'Lumbini'
Hiooo,
It feels like quite a while since i last posted... its only been a week i think. This time i have been blessed with a keyboard that has all working keys. i may get a little verbose. oops i already did.
Last weekend i went to Chitwan. its a giant national park in the southish of Nepal that is famous for its poachable wildlife. We arrived saturday afternoon and had a nice ride on the roof of a carf from the bus to the hotel. it seems like roof riding is common here. i enjoy it very much (no Judith, there are no seat belts). lunch was on a warm sunny rooftop. it was a really nice change from the chills and pollution that clog Kathmandu. We went for a walk down by the river to see some canoes made of logs and the sunset. on the way home we all bought matching t-shirts. on the front there is an elephant head. on the back, there is an elephant bum. in the evening we saw some Tharu dancing. It was lots of bouncing and banging. in one number, a male dancer dressed as a woman and had a little man in an elf like costume twirl around him. i think it had something to do with death. My favorite was a guy that put on a paper mache peacock costume. the tail actually fanned... the beak really pecked. so cool.
The next day we got up turbo early to go on a canoe ride. we saw a croc along the way. We got off in a field of tall grass where we were supposed to look for rhinos. we found tiger footprints. EEK! we wandered around with the guide desperately seeking rhinos, but only found their footprints in mud. after that we visited the elephant breeding center. WE PLAYED WITH BABY ELEPHANTS!!!!!! seriously, we fed them cookies and they goobered all over us with their trunks. a couple decided that they wanted to be close friends and moved the fence bars so they could climb over. it was so weird. they just kept prodding me with their trunks looking for biscuits. what i am saying is that you need to put some hay in the basement. i am bringing one home. his name is Moby Dick.
After we were torn away from the baby elephants we got to wash a big mama elephant. I got to climb up her trunk using her ears as handles and sit on her back. She was trained to spray herself with her trunk on command. so i got schmooped in the face many times with second hand water. The only scaryish part was when she decided to lie down while we were on her back. it takes a little luck to get away from the bottom half in time. we all made it. we spent about half an hour lying with another elephant in the shallow water. we relaxed her pretty much to sleep with some, dare i say, skillful spashing. we played with her feet and trunk.... i just lay on her belly for awhile. elephants are so massive that it is a little hard to tell when they are moving. hmmm thats not really what i mean. they do not feel like they have as much power as they do because its all so easy for them... no thats not it either. oh well.
in the afternoon we went on an elephant safari in the jungle. we saw monkeys, deer, and rhinos. i think it was birthing season because we saw two adorable little baby rhinos by their mummies. we went in a crowd of about 7 elephants that would spread out, then surround the beasts. we got unbelievably close... probably 5m from mom and baby rhino. mom got a little irritated so the elephants (with us on top) had to make a hasty exit. elephants can go anywhere. if something gets in their way they just step on it. we plowed through trees that were probably 10 in around. it was crazy. they didnt even hesitate.
the next day we had a little tour of the village. all the huts were made of bamboo, mud and cow poo. no family there seems complete without a flock of chickens in the house.
It was back to work today (just did errands yesterday). i went to baktapur. got on the wrong bus there so it took an extra hour of "eek we are lost!" time, but we made it. went on a home visit to see a 74 y/o woman who had had a stroke a few years ago. she is steadily regaining her ability to walk. apparently, therapy is very difficult with her because she cries, gets tired, and refuses to do her exercises. she is frighteningly fragile and has eyes that are so observant that she gave me the willies a little. midway through stretching her arms she looked at me and started to laugh. so i did too. we just stared giggling for no reason. it lasted for a good 5 min (really we were hysterical). the manager of the center said he had never seen her that cheerful. i was very pleased. i dont think i did much to help her body, but i brightened her day by just having that random moment. it was really neat.
The other patient i see on Baktapur home visits is a 35 y/o woman who suffered a lower spinal fracture while giving birth. He story is incredibly sad. she lost the use of her legs. when her husband found out , he left her for her older sister. the woman now lives with his parents (he is obligated to take care of her) who are very frail and cry over her condition when we visit. he prognosis is good though. the head physio thinks she will walk independently in a year or so.
i really like all of my patients (they arent really mine but i call them that anyhow). when i am at the main center (NMG) i usually spend a few hours with a 15 year old cerebral palsy patient named Menuka. We play board games and string beads for awhile (works on fine motor stuff). then i stretch out her legs, put her orthoses on, and help her to walk around a little. we do some balance exercises sitting down then play with some of the other kids. one little girl with less severe CP has decided that she is my assistant and always sits with me while i stretch menuka. she makes cooing sounds and imitates the motions i do with menuka's other side. its great.
I also work with a boy named sai. we do much the same things as i do with menuka. he is more mobile though so after he gets his orthoses on, he can wander around with his walker.
i see three patients around gongabu on home visits. Kumar lives in a little villiage thing off the main road. the family lives in one room with very simple things. He suffered a spinal fracture when he fell off a roof. we are working on getting him walking again. for now his wife takes care of him and the kids a random old lady that lives across the road often hugs me when i leave. I also see a little boy that lives in a carpet/yarn factory. by factory i mean a concrete space roofed with tin. He spends most of his day on a matress made of plastic sacs. He has very severe CP, and since we only see him twice a week, his condition probably will not improve. My last patient is a 5 y/o girl with cp. She uses her feet like hands because her upper limbs dont work very well.
This weekend i am going to Lumbini with some people from projects abroad. its the birthplace of buddha. i am expecting complete and lasting enlightenment after my time there.
For the weekend of christmas , i have planned to go to Pokhara with about 20 people. a few of us are going paragliding on the 25th
ok i think thats enough.
bye for now :)
Hiooo,
It feels like quite a while since i last posted... its only been a week i think. This time i have been blessed with a keyboard that has all working keys. i may get a little verbose. oops i already did.
Last weekend i went to Chitwan. its a giant national park in the southish of Nepal that is famous for its poachable wildlife. We arrived saturday afternoon and had a nice ride on the roof of a carf from the bus to the hotel. it seems like roof riding is common here. i enjoy it very much (no Judith, there are no seat belts). lunch was on a warm sunny rooftop. it was a really nice change from the chills and pollution that clog Kathmandu. We went for a walk down by the river to see some canoes made of logs and the sunset. on the way home we all bought matching t-shirts. on the front there is an elephant head. on the back, there is an elephant bum. in the evening we saw some Tharu dancing. It was lots of bouncing and banging. in one number, a male dancer dressed as a woman and had a little man in an elf like costume twirl around him. i think it had something to do with death. My favorite was a guy that put on a paper mache peacock costume. the tail actually fanned... the beak really pecked. so cool.
The next day we got up turbo early to go on a canoe ride. we saw a croc along the way. We got off in a field of tall grass where we were supposed to look for rhinos. we found tiger footprints. EEK! we wandered around with the guide desperately seeking rhinos, but only found their footprints in mud. after that we visited the elephant breeding center. WE PLAYED WITH BABY ELEPHANTS!!!!!! seriously, we fed them cookies and they goobered all over us with their trunks. a couple decided that they wanted to be close friends and moved the fence bars so they could climb over. it was so weird. they just kept prodding me with their trunks looking for biscuits. what i am saying is that you need to put some hay in the basement. i am bringing one home. his name is Moby Dick.
After we were torn away from the baby elephants we got to wash a big mama elephant. I got to climb up her trunk using her ears as handles and sit on her back. She was trained to spray herself with her trunk on command. so i got schmooped in the face many times with second hand water. The only scaryish part was when she decided to lie down while we were on her back. it takes a little luck to get away from the bottom half in time. we all made it. we spent about half an hour lying with another elephant in the shallow water. we relaxed her pretty much to sleep with some, dare i say, skillful spashing. we played with her feet and trunk.... i just lay on her belly for awhile. elephants are so massive that it is a little hard to tell when they are moving. hmmm thats not really what i mean. they do not feel like they have as much power as they do because its all so easy for them... no thats not it either. oh well.
in the afternoon we went on an elephant safari in the jungle. we saw monkeys, deer, and rhinos. i think it was birthing season because we saw two adorable little baby rhinos by their mummies. we went in a crowd of about 7 elephants that would spread out, then surround the beasts. we got unbelievably close... probably 5m from mom and baby rhino. mom got a little irritated so the elephants (with us on top) had to make a hasty exit. elephants can go anywhere. if something gets in their way they just step on it. we plowed through trees that were probably 10 in around. it was crazy. they didnt even hesitate.
the next day we had a little tour of the village. all the huts were made of bamboo, mud and cow poo. no family there seems complete without a flock of chickens in the house.
It was back to work today (just did errands yesterday). i went to baktapur. got on the wrong bus there so it took an extra hour of "eek we are lost!" time, but we made it. went on a home visit to see a 74 y/o woman who had had a stroke a few years ago. she is steadily regaining her ability to walk. apparently, therapy is very difficult with her because she cries, gets tired, and refuses to do her exercises. she is frighteningly fragile and has eyes that are so observant that she gave me the willies a little. midway through stretching her arms she looked at me and started to laugh. so i did too. we just stared giggling for no reason. it lasted for a good 5 min (really we were hysterical). the manager of the center said he had never seen her that cheerful. i was very pleased. i dont think i did much to help her body, but i brightened her day by just having that random moment. it was really neat.
The other patient i see on Baktapur home visits is a 35 y/o woman who suffered a lower spinal fracture while giving birth. He story is incredibly sad. she lost the use of her legs. when her husband found out , he left her for her older sister. the woman now lives with his parents (he is obligated to take care of her) who are very frail and cry over her condition when we visit. he prognosis is good though. the head physio thinks she will walk independently in a year or so.
i really like all of my patients (they arent really mine but i call them that anyhow). when i am at the main center (NMG) i usually spend a few hours with a 15 year old cerebral palsy patient named Menuka. We play board games and string beads for awhile (works on fine motor stuff). then i stretch out her legs, put her orthoses on, and help her to walk around a little. we do some balance exercises sitting down then play with some of the other kids. one little girl with less severe CP has decided that she is my assistant and always sits with me while i stretch menuka. she makes cooing sounds and imitates the motions i do with menuka's other side. its great.
I also work with a boy named sai. we do much the same things as i do with menuka. he is more mobile though so after he gets his orthoses on, he can wander around with his walker.
i see three patients around gongabu on home visits. Kumar lives in a little villiage thing off the main road. the family lives in one room with very simple things. He suffered a spinal fracture when he fell off a roof. we are working on getting him walking again. for now his wife takes care of him and the kids a random old lady that lives across the road often hugs me when i leave. I also see a little boy that lives in a carpet/yarn factory. by factory i mean a concrete space roofed with tin. He spends most of his day on a matress made of plastic sacs. He has very severe CP, and since we only see him twice a week, his condition probably will not improve. My last patient is a 5 y/o girl with cp. She uses her feet like hands because her upper limbs dont work very well.
This weekend i am going to Lumbini with some people from projects abroad. its the birthplace of buddha. i am expecting complete and lasting enlightenment after my time there.
For the weekend of christmas , i have planned to go to Pokhara with about 20 people. a few of us are going paragliding on the 25th
ok i think thats enough.
bye for now :)
