In which we enjoy "a grab bag of Indian fun" Or: "You should have been a man"

So, for everyone not in India, Tuesday was a holiday here. It is Gandhi's birthday, and Dr. Roy invited us to come with him to a camp for children with polio. An organization that he is part of has worked with the defence department to develop light weight calipers (like leg braces) using the same material as bomb casings. He picked us up at 7am and we drove to Kalykumari, he town at the very tip of India. The drive down was really beauful. There are mountains betwen here and Kalykumari. On the windway plains 14,000 windmlls have been set up, it was really amazing. Te windmlls we saw in MA were nothing compared to this. Even Lisette (the Dutchie)was impressed. On the leeward side, the plains turned into palm forests with lakes, backed by vews of the mountains. It was amazin, just how you would imagine South India to b.e.




In town, we drove right to the beach and joined in a Lions Club meeting that was celebrating Gandhi's birthday. They called him a "credit to our marvolus country, city, and sex". At least ,I'm pretty sure that they said sex...maybe sect? Anyway, most of it was in Tamil, so I didn't really follow but Dr. Roy filled us in on som of what was going on . The Lions were leading a raide to Chenni to raise envronmental awarenes. On motorcycles. At some point, you just have to giggle.



Afer te meeting, we went to Gandhi's tomb which is wher his ashes rested bfore ging into th sea. Sorry about the typing this ost. This keboard is the worst. I'm just oing to chug allog and fix it atre. Anyway, they chose this spot because aparently at one point Gandhi said that it was the purest place in india. It was very simple, just photos of him at different stagse of his life. It was not that crowded, espeialy given the day, and thre were graet views from the ro of te building. Aftre that visit, we went to the beac hand put our feet in the watre of three seas It was very cool, especially since the stairs were really old and covered with moss.



We walked up the beach to the teple of Devi Kanyakumari, and were surounded by street hawkers. It was the first time I've really had that happen (our twn is very non-toursity, so we are mostly just stared at). I did get some postcards, so you all should expect something in two months or so. An old man kept shoving a box with a parrot in it at us, and I assumed he wanted us to take a picture with it. D. Roy said no, he wanted us to pay him to have the parrot read our fortnes. Well, how can you say now to a bird-read fortune? Kayla wsa told that she wsa supposed to be a man, Lisette that she would have a long life, and then it was my turn. The bird came out of the cage ,turnd around, grabbed a card ff a stack, and then cheeped. My fortune was cast by the goess of Kanyakmari, who is apparently a vrgin marryr (ndoesn't sound very me) Anyway, I was supposed to be lucky in love, which wsa pretty good snice it sounded like that's exatly what the godess wasn't.

After our walk on the boardwalk, we stopped at a fance hotel for brunch. They had eggs and toast, which wasn't so exciting for me but made Lisette and Kayla's day. They've been here for three weeks already, and so are in a very different stage of culture shock than I am. It's wierd, because they go crazy for things like toast and peanut butter, and I'm sure I will too soon, but I've had all those things only a week ago and so don't really see the point. Eh, in three weeks I'll probably be whining for real breakfast too.

Anyway, after breakfast we drove 15 minutes to the polio "camp". It was more of an event, I guess. Not a place with arts and crafts and group sings, anyway. There wree speaches (in Tamil, we put on sunglasses and napped), and then the children went up and got fitted for leg braces. It was neat, since the doctor explained how they were doing the measurements and we got to meet a bunch of his collegues from the area. One woman said that she was "the pet of his mother", also a doctor, while in school and teased him a lot. The children were cute, mostly about 8 years old since the polio vaccine became widley available here about 5 year ago. There were a few older people wh ohad no use of their legs at all, and no wheelchairs. They simply crawled around on the ground. They couldn't get braces (they needed surgery first) but the government will pay for the surgery, so they can start getting treatment. All in all, it wasn't as successful as the Dr. hoped (only about 100 people came, they hoped for 300) so we went to a local school so his group could coordinate the next meeting. The girls at the school smiled akwardly at us and went through the usual questions ("What is your good name?", "What is your country?", "What are your qualifications"), and were adorable. Their teacher was very swwet, and showed us around the school while we waited.

Finally, we headed home and stopped by the Dr. new house that he is building. It was amazing. MOst of the wood was taken from old houses that were being torn down, so they rae 300 year old teak and rosewoodm, carved with flowers and animals. They are over every doorway, up the stairs, in each of the bedrooms, and on the pillars that make up the indor courtyard. It was so beautiful it took my breath away. Oh, and they have a bathroom with a planter in it (since showers here aren't in tubs, just hit the floor and drain out, the waer drains into the plater, which doesn't have a roof on it). It was awesome.

Then we went home, and heard that there was a delivery expected at 2am that night. Kayla and I got up for it, but she wasn't ready yet (babies take their own time). We did see it the next day, right after a c-section (and before another c-section that I skipped). I was feeling a little queezy after the birth. They ones we've seen have been very odd. Two forcepts deliveries (though those just might be the ones we know about) and the mothers have been at least partly out for both of them (they arent big on local anathetics here). It's really...violent, and the vigina usually tears and I just feel like the whole process is so wrong that I don't like to watch. InN this birth, the mother was so out of it she didn't even want to hold the baby after. But, her sister was there to take it and its usually the grandparents who take charge of teh baby for the first few days anyway (they bring it to the doctor for check-ups and hold it while th nurses weigh and bathes it, ect). Then I saw a D and C (dilation and curatage, for those non-Cider House Rules fans). NOT an abortion (I think I lost some points for suggesting that might be waht it was. I'm not sure if they do abortions at this hospital), just diagnostic cause the woman is having heavy bleeding during periods and they supect some kind of mass. For those CHR fans, it was really fast (probably faster than Homer is discribed as doing it), and you really could hear the gritty sound. That was really neat.

Anyway, that bring us pretty much up to date. I love hearing from you all! Oh, and if anyone is inspired to send a care package; I did not bring enough sunblockand Kayla wants aloe gel.