So I'm Not Invincible

As it turns out (who knew?). I've never had an allergic reaction before (except for being a lacktard, and that incident with Buckley's where I passed out) so I didn't worry about the 6 hour hike through the Indian jungle around the mountain this afternoon. After 14km, I get home and am so excited to take a shower--that's a long hike! Then I look down at my legs and I see angry splotches everywhere...All of a sudden they start to itch, which quickly escalated to pain and more bumps. Then I started getting short of breath. That's when I ran to the doctor thinking something is seriously wrong here.

Turns out there was a plant in the jungle that releases pollen when it's really humid out (like today), and I'm pretty allergic. I was kind of confused because it's not like it touched my bare skin, but apparently the spores will go right through your clothing and there's not much you can do about it.

Currently on India's version of anti-histamines. Hopefully the swelling goes down soon and I will be able to get some sleep.

This country is really putting me through the ringer!

Ps- No pictures included in this post. You definitely do not need to see me looking like Hitch when he eats shellfish (hopefully you get that reference). Just imagine the hilarity. You're welcome.

They Call It Puppy Love

Although I've been pretty busy with various tasks assigned to me within the ashram that I stay in, I found time today to start the project I've personally wanted to pursue while I'm here in India.

Treatment of animals is strikingly different here than in the Western world. There is a dichotomy where certain animals are revered (in Hinduism, it's worse to kill a cow than a human), yet others are left to starve on the streets--can they even be called homeless if they've never had homes?

There is an animal hospital nearby that my mother told me about when she last came here. This general attitude for animals that are suffering in India is why I was so deeply impacted when I first visited the hospital. This place is a little silver lining in the cloud of neglect, and I want to make as much of an impact as possible in the short time I am here.

They take in strays, provide emergency medical care, and find good homes for the animals. They are in financial trouble, because they get very little funding from the government, and one of their biggest private donors just went bankrupt in the US. I donated what I could, but they still need much more. I just hope that the time I spend helping out eases their difficulties in some way.

I got a tour of the facilities today, which includes an exam room, several kennels, an operating room, and various other places for animals to stay. While the majority of patients are dogs that have either been abused or hit by a vehicle, the hospital is also currently caring for a horse, a cow, two monkeys, and some peacocks. They will take anything that is brought to them.

Puppies!!!! There is a brand new litter of puppies brought in last week--the mother had been hit by a vehicle in the street and has a broken hip, so she can't care for her litter. They were falling over themselves trying to get me to pick them up. They're so tiny! I can't wait to see them every day. I also spent some time with a couple of the monkeys currently in recovery--one had a bad skin problem, and the other had a broken back; they're both pretty much healed and will be released to a wildlife sanctuary soon. The third monkey has a ways to go yet, so I'm sure we'll get to know each other better.
My new monkey friends

Seeing some of the injuries sustained by these animals is really tough. Missing an eye, no hind legs, lesions on their skin--this is unfortunately normal in India. It breaks my heart to think of the pain they must have known, but at the same time I'm so happy they are in a place like this where they can get a little TLC--I'd say they've more than earned it.
This dog hasn't got any working hind legs--it's had to learn to walk on its two front ones The manager is going to Bangalore to find homes for some of the puppies, but when he returns on Wednesday he will assign me a specific task to help out with for the next few weeks. I've been told I might assist some of the sterilization surgeries (heavy on the assist--I'm definitely not a veterinarian!) which would be amazing. I got to watch my uncle do a canine splinectomy when i visited his vet clinic in Vancouver this year, and it was awesome. Why can't I be good at science? I would love to do this for the rest of my life!

If it's just feeding and playing with the animals, that's fine with me too--I've got a lot of love to give and these guys deserve it! I'm finally feeling like I'm fulfilling what I came here to do.

I'm also starting a project with the charity that I have been assigned to this week--the animal hospital is strictly volunteer. Well, I suppose they both are, but this project has been chosen for me, whereas the animals are what I do with my spare time. Hopefully I will keep learning even more this week--so far I'm on pretty good pace for a fascinating seven days.

Broadening my Nutritional Palate

Indian adventure of the day: discovered maggots in my 2nd packet of oatmeal...after I already ate the first. I guess involuntary ingestion of protein is alive and well. So am I, for the time being...

Hiking

Me at the beginning of the hike around the mountain (not pictured: the copious amount of sweat soaking through my back). Imagine stepping inside a Bikram (hot) yoga studio. Now picture doing cardio for 6 continuous hours. That was my day today. Went on a 6 hour hike. Exhausted. Will write more soon.

Feeding 5000

(Highlight of my day) Today was Samadhi Day. It is a yearly event where all the local villagers wait for hours in the hot sun to come to the compound in which we live and visit the shrine of the german doctor that founded our charity. Normally it is not accessible to the public, but once a year, we open it up so the villagers can pay their respects, receive a gift and blessing, and leave with a hot meal.

I woke up at 4 am to start my first task of cutting hundreds of flowers that would be used to decorate the Samadhi. After that, I was put on food duty, serving some kind of curried rice out of giant cauldrons. This was definitely the highlight of my day. The simplicity of the action of giving really affected me, and it's something I won't forget.

After I was relieved of duty, I took some pictures of various other activities happening simultaneously-there was a water station, a gift station, the food of course, the blessing at the Samadhi, and the entrance. That was where it got scary.

There were so many people waiting outside the gate to get in (over 5000 people showed up--that's over a thousand more than we expected), and I got to witness the mob mentality first-hand. The crowd all wanted to be first, and those that couldn't were scared they would't have their chance to get inside. Panic set in, and they started getting destructive--they ripped down the tent we had set up to shade them, including all the decorations we had worked hard on.

We were letting people in in waves. Problem was, once we opened the gates it became nearly impossible to close them again. People rushed through in such a fast current that it was really difficult to control. Kids were getting trampled, women were falling, the ropes set up to guide people on the path were rendered useless, allowing people to trample all over the gardens--it was a nightmare. This sense of entitlement was really what angered me most, though. Many of the people, once inside, skipped paying respect and simply went to collect their free gift and food. I know they all really need those things, but the least you could do is say thanks when you're already there.

Luckily, I had already done my food service in the morning, before I saw all of this, so I had a really beautiful moment. I think it would have been hard to have the same experience after having witnessed the behaviour I did later in the day. Overall, it was a beautiful day, and I got the chance to really see how many people our work affects in the surrounding area, which was really incredible.