bear grylls would be proud

here's my version of a much less intense copycat of bear grylls' survival show, man vs. wild. india is far from wild, buuut i'd say it's still out of my comfort zone. :D enjoy

first, of course, basic survival means you've got to drink and eat. thirsty? grab a coconut. the vendor will draw out a massive machete looking knife, but no worries, he/she is highly skilled at breaking the coconut. for food, you'd have to actually make an effort to avoid naan and great masala. here are a couple dishes and a naan at one of the most famous restaurant chains in chennai: saravana bhaven

to stay away from mosquitoes at all times (even indoors), purchase a mosquito net. free standing mosquito nets like the obnoxious one shown on the left are great in case no hooks are provided on the hotel ceilings.

need to iron clothes? well here is the REAL ironman. he irons without electricity. does it the cool way using hot coals :P









if you're not so skilled at bargaining, befriend your local salesman to get great merchandise that you might want/need. here are shelves of scarves offered to me at very low costs!














don't be stingy and MAKE sure you stay in a hotel room with A/C. however, advice, ask the hotel staff to clean the filter every so often. i had the unfortunate event of seeing a very dusty and gross looking filter after living in this room for 1 1/2 months. bleh.

here are some basics in your survival kit you'd bring with you. from left to right.
---vitamins and kellog's all bran wheat flakes: nutrition in india has stopped at carbs and more carbs. do your body and favor and include some good nutrients.
---hand sanitizer: soap may not be available. this is highly recommended because a lot of meals are eaten with your hands
---bug spray: to fight against nasty mosquitoes

---sunglasses: two purposes: protection against sun and pollution in the air

---benadryl: in case you missed a spot while using bug spray and have an itch

---toilet paper: unless you prefer other means....

---mango: because they taste so much better here

---nutella: not just a necessity in india

---everything else: self-explanatory

                                                                                    

master the art of hand washing your clothes. all you need is a bucket (shown), detergent, and good place to hang your clothes :)

hehe the end. that was fun. ok, just a quick update on what's going on here...

right now i'm a bit sweaty cuz i just came back from the heat outside. ew. apparently, weather is "cooling down" according to the locals here. haha i guess i'm appreciative...could be worse. :P 

anyway, this morning i saw some cataract patients before they entered into the operation theater. when i came into the hospital the cataract patients seemed to recognize me as they stood up from their seats and smiled and waved at me. after attending so many eye camps, my memory failed as i couldn't quite recognize these patients :P but i assumed i had interacted with them previously within the past week or so.  as i sat in the waiting room with them, i had a chance to stop a little and rest...been awhile since i've done that. i proceeded to help prep them for surgery by sanitizing the areas around the eyes and clipping their eyelashes to prevent infection. and then about half an hour later put bandages on the eye that had just undergone surgery. 

being there with these patients who came from villages or slums around chennai made me really appreciate what unite for sight really does. in a couple hours from now, all those patients will have their cataracts removed and see much clearer for the rest of their lives. funny how frustrations with the program, cultural clashes, unmet expectations, and unfamiliarity with the indian healthcare system can divert my attention to the good things that are being done. sooo, though i spent most of my time waiting around this morning....i'm glad to have waited. made me more thankful :) 

oh and, since i'm on a role in being thankful :P thank you for all those at home who've sent me random emails of encouragement and prayer. the simplest of "hiandhowareyou" mean a lot :) until next time!!