5:15pm, 5 July 2006
Happy belated 4th to everyone! Obviously there was not much celebration here, but my patriotic side was celebrating anyway!
I had a great day yesterday. We traveled to a very poor, slum area of Hyderabad too take surveys of the families. We went door to door asking if any family members had eye problems-- refractive errors, corneal problems, itching, redness, cataract, headaches, etc. I didn't speak the language at all; some of the villagers spoke Hindi while others only spoke the local dialect. I helped by filling out information forms. I would just write down the name, age, gender, and problem and my friend Samad talked to the people and translated for me. When we found those with eye problems, we gave them referral slips and returned to day to do screening and referring for surgery. It was an eye-opening experience. I could never have imagined how these people live without seeing it in person. It was great to interact with the people, and I definitely appreciate everything I have. The children were a ton of fun as well. They were thrilled to see Americans; we were such a novelty. There's a girl named Nora in our group who apparently looks like one of the famous Indian Bollywood movie stars, so they kept asking for her autograph.
I have pictures, but I am currently at an internet cafe, and I am still trying to find a way to get them from my laptop to the internet.
Again, Happy 4th of July!! I hope I'll be able to write again soon!
Happy belated 4th to everyone! Obviously there was not much celebration here, but my patriotic side was celebrating anyway!
I had a great day yesterday. We traveled to a very poor, slum area of Hyderabad too take surveys of the families. We went door to door asking if any family members had eye problems-- refractive errors, corneal problems, itching, redness, cataract, headaches, etc. I didn't speak the language at all; some of the villagers spoke Hindi while others only spoke the local dialect. I helped by filling out information forms. I would just write down the name, age, gender, and problem and my friend Samad talked to the people and translated for me. When we found those with eye problems, we gave them referral slips and returned to day to do screening and referring for surgery. It was an eye-opening experience. I could never have imagined how these people live without seeing it in person. It was great to interact with the people, and I definitely appreciate everything I have. The children were a ton of fun as well. They were thrilled to see Americans; we were such a novelty. There's a girl named Nora in our group who apparently looks like one of the famous Indian Bollywood movie stars, so they kept asking for her autograph.
The people in my group are incredible! We have a great dynamic, and they have been helping me to get around and figure out the culture. We went to a hookah bar last night for Yasir's birthday. Definitely a new experience for me. I'm not much for smoking hookah, but the food was excellent.
Again, Happy 4th of July!! I hope I'll be able to write again soon!
posted by Amy M at 6:47 AM
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