So... today we went to the hospital to meet with the Dean of the medical school, the head of the OB/GYN department, the head of the pediatrics department, and the principal of the public health program. After much conversation... I think... we have our summer figured out :) Eva and I will be spending 1/3 of our time in each department beginning with OB/GYN and ending with public health. We are to be at the hospital tomorrow at 10 AM to go on rounds (yes rounds are at 10, a little later than rounds in the States I would say). We toured both the obstetrics and pediatrics departments today. Our time with the public health program will be at rural clinics... so we will have to wait to see what those are like. The wards that we did see seem relatively nice. Like most hospitals I have seen in developing countries, the wards consist of large rooms with lots of beds. There are no private rooms. The staff seems very receptive to having us there and the patients maybe a bit hesitant. (I still have yet to see another white person) The hospital we are working in is affiliated with a medical school (similar to the set up at the University of Iowa) so there are medical students all over the wards. This makes me feel more at ease as the staff physicians are used to teaching students.

After leaving the hospital we spend the rest of the afternoon reading and napping. It has been very hot the last two days, which makes both Eva, her father, and I very sleepy. I have finished one book and started the second since arriving. It is so nice to read for pleasure. Eva and I discovered a new part of life in India today... cockroaches... large cockroaches. Eva's farther Shiva killed them for us. I'm not sure what we will do when he returns to the States. We may have to recruit her uncle's assistance. The sewers are open in India meaning that cockroaches can climb up drainage pipes from sinks/showers into the house. The bathrooms in the house have one common drain for both the sink and the tub... we put a screen over the one in ours today :) Hopefully this helps.

We went to market tonight to buy some fruit, cereal, and juice. Eva's aunt has been cooking non stop for us... we are hoping with these purchases she won't feel the need to cook us breakfast before going to the hospital each day. We plan to eat lunch at the medical school or a restaurant close by. Since arriving I have yet to feel hungry. Eva's family is always feeding us... and everything has been wonderful. My stomach has been doing okay... no major illness yet. The market is crazy. It is streets and streets of small "mom and pop" stores as well as street vendors. There are people, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, buses, and rickshaws (small three wheeled open air taxis) everywhere. Walking around is a sensory overload... the sights, sounds, and smells are all new. We also stopped by a book store. Eva is trying to learn Kanada, the local dialect, which is what the majority of her family members speak (in addition to English). I picked up some books on India festivals and the gods of the Hindu religion. We also got mats made so that Eva and I can do yoga/ pilates before going to the hospital.

I am very happy to be here and things are going well. The pace of life is very different from the US and I am still getting used to it (it took 1 hour to exchange money yesterday). Family is extremely important here so I feel very safe/comfortable living with Eva's family.