[Eric R] Final Post from India

I apologize for not posting in the last couple weeks! My computer’s hard drive ended up failing, and getting your computer fixed is no simple matter in India. Fortunately I was in Delhi, where I found an IBM Corporate Office and Service Center! After receiving my computer back, I needed to finish and submit my medical school application (!), which I accomplished on Tuesday, June 26^th!

Since last posting, I settled into a fairly backpacker-centric neighborhood, filled with a number of fantastic little restaurants and a large bazaar. I enjoyed walking around in the cooler evenings to browse the wares being touted. Delhi was HOT! I understand why most people stay inside during the days, and was happy to join them!

My primary focus in Delhi was AIIMS, a very large government-run hospital with multiple campuses. Finding my way around was very much like being on the University of Michigan Medical Campus for the first time! The Delhi Metro, which is pristine and very well-developed, has a stop at AIIMS, so I thought it would be a simple matter of heading into the “main entrance,” visiting the “registration desk,” and asking for my contact person there. Turns out AIIMS doesn’t have a main entrance or a central registration desk, and nobody seems to know anybody else.

My trip to AIIMS was the first (true) government-run hospital; my visit to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai was also to a government facility, but they have special historical status and fall under the Department of Atomic Energy. The stark contrast of AIIMS to every other hospital I’ve been to was astounding. Patients lined the halls, crowded each ward, and overwhelmed the doctors’ and nurses’ capabilities. I’ve come to admire the dedication required of healthcare workers in India, through the simple fact that their jobs seem twice as busy as any US doctor’s.

My stay in Delhi took a turn for the tourist towards its conclusion. I took a two-day trip to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple, the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial, and the Wagah boarder ceremony. This was followed by a day-trip to Agra to see the Fort and the Taj Mahal, of course! It truly is as remarkable as it seems. A trip to India without my picture “holding” the Taj would have been shameful, and I’m proud to include it for you all to see as evidence of my pilgrimage across the world.

I have less than 24 hours left in India. I feel good about the number of things I was able to accomplish during my short time here: riding the trains (local and long-distance, 2AC and 2^nd sitting), riding buses (local and long-distance), having a Delhi Metro Smart Card, visiting monuments, seeing three other CSAS fellows, attending two Indian weddings, conducting around 15 interviews with doctors and administrators, wandering neighborhoods, talking with locals, eating street-food, getting overcharged, bargaining to get a local’s price, getting sick, staying healthy, witnessing a street-fight (crowds, police, and all), visiting newfound friends’ homes for chai and food; the list goes on and on and on. I can hardly believe that my two months has gone by, but soon I will be boarding a plane bound for Detroit, where my grandmother will pick me up to return to my 2-bedroom-2-bath townhouse, with clean running water and fully functioning AC. I will never again take these small privileges for granted. I will hold close the memories of my experiences abroad, and can’t thank enough those responsible (especially the anonymous donor!) for enabling my travels. I look forward to writing up my paper for CSAS and presenting my findings in the fall!

Best of luck to the rest of the fellows, and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any problems, concerns, or questions!

-ericr