Well, I have officially been here for two weeks, at the clinic. Those of you who said that things would get easier, you were right, they have. I still miss Dan a lot, but I don’t think that that is going to change. I got used to having him around, so it’s still hard to not have him here with me. But in terms of going out and doing things around town, that has certainly made me feel a lot more at home here, and a lot more at ease.
My work here still has yet to really pick up, but I have gotten some office work from Rachna, and that helps to pass the days. I have also been trying to take initiative to do things around the clinic, even if they aren’t exactly putting to use my bachelor’s degree. For instance, the fridge in the kitchen has been absolutely filthy, and the freezer part at the top of the unit has gotten so badly iced over that one of my water bottles actually got frozen into it yesterday. So this afternoon I roped Joe into helping me defrost and clean out the fridge. We found some interesting and rather disgusting things growing in there, but we also got the satisfaction of using a screw driver to chip off some of the more stubborn chunks of ice. I then decided that I would was the rags that we use in the kitchen which proved to be a bit of a mistake, because they continue to turn the water black in the machine, despite the fact that I have put it through the wash cycle four times now… ewwwww.
My disgust with the state of the communal areas that the volunteers use has of course prompted a full-scale cleaning attack. I have managed to find a source of sponges and scouring pads to use in the kitchen and the bathroom today in a different market. Aanya and the other Emily took us to a place called Bittle (sp?) market, in the new section of Bhopal. There are full-fledged stores there, with doors and air-conditioning and everything. It’s most exciting. I was going to buy a big thing of vinegar and baking soda so that I could clean the bathroom out properly tomorrow, but apparently Indians don’t use vinegar because I couldn’t find it anywhere. I asked Dr. Jai where I could find some when we got back, and he had no idea what vinegar even was, so I’ve given up on that idea for the time being.
We have to use biodegradable things in the clinic because they recycle the water here in the herbal garden, so no chemical cleaners allowed! Technically we aren’t supposed to use regular shampoo and soap and stuff but no one seems to be terribly strict about those things. Laundry and kitchen soaps are closely monitored though. We use this gross soap called Sanchi soap that I think might actually be made of lard, because when I boiled the kitchen scrubbers to clean them there was this separated layer that looked like fat at the top of the pot. At any rate, its about the only biodegradable soap that India has to offer, so unless you bring laundry detergent from Canada you have to use a cheese grater to flake the Sanchi stuff into your laundry. Luckily I knew about that in advance, and came prepared with Dr. Bronner’s nice-smelling laundry soap...Anyway, I have been promised that I can use some rubber gloves from downstairs tomorrow, and that Devaker (the guy who does all the technical facilitating for the clinic) will be able to find me some vinegar. I have my doubts about this, but whatever, the sponges will have to do.
The other thing that I feel I must mention about the market that we went to today is that we went to a café that was the closest thing I have seen to anything Western since I got to India! Everything was clean, air-conditioned and polished-looking. The tables and chairs actually matched, and the décor was fairly modern looking, even my North American standards. But the real piece de resistance was the bathroom! Oh the bathroom!! There was a Western toilet (not a squatter) for starters, with actual toilet paper AND soap!! In addition to which, the toilet flushed! It was like paradise. I wished that I had my camera so that I could take a picture of it, it was so beautiful!! I had a mango smoothie and a paneer tikka sandwich (in the café, not the bathroom), which was of course too spicy, but still good.
We then went to the Rs. 99 store, which is like a dollar store, except that Rs. 99 is actually $1.50 CND, however, you take what you can get. But they had things like canned beans (I have yet to see any other form of canned food in this county, to the extent that the clinic doesn’t have a can opener and I had to buy one of those too). After that we went to another super market where I bought the new sponges for the kitchen and to clean the bathroom. I also got some glass cleaner for my brand-new white computer, which is quickly turning gray, but I am resisting! Anyway, as you can tell, the neat freak in me has become obsessed with getting things here into what I consider a livable state… its like moving into a new apartment: the dirt that’s already there is totally gross because its not your dirt!
Other news, not so much, it’s been a slow couple of days. We went to see Harry Potter in Hindi last night, which was really fun. I remembered a lot of the book after we got into the movie, so the lack of subtitles didn’t bother me too much. I made sure to sit next to Anisha so that she could translate the wordier scenes. The theater has AC which was a real treat, and the movie had an intermission! Go figure… Anisha said that all movies in India have one. Maybe that’s because all the Bollywood movies I’ve ever seen are like three hours long, no matter how thin the plot.
Also, Rachna also told me that she has the perfect group of kids for the photo project (!!), which I am really happy about. She has a group of kids in their early teens that she has been working with to try and get them a little more politically conscious about the gas disaster, which is great. Initially she had wanted there to be a photography unit for the project, but hadn’t had the funds for it, so I think that this should work out really well ☺ I have also been talking with some of the other volunteers about Chegari trust, that Rashida Bee started up, and they were thinking that the trust needs help with a lot of things, so hopefully I’ll be able to work more with them as time goes on.
Anyway, no exciting photos this time. Maybe I’ll take some pictures of the furry caterpillars that are dropping from everywhere here… or maybe one of the beautifully clean fridge….
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