Today is the day that I began life as a member of the Kathmandu community. Get up, eat breakfast, head to the hospital, almost time for dinner, and then who knows with the crew here. There is a minor change about to happen, not so much a change I guess but an addition. I have a type of personality that goes after everything that means something to me with my whole heart. A local group asked our group leaders if anyone could teach some English. I want to see all that I can in Nepal, plus somebody's got to work around here, and beings that me is a speaking english for the hole life and knows what gets spoke about when people needs a talking to, I jumped all over it. I have to go make the call here in a minute. So it looks like I am doing hospital work and English teaching...
As a member of the Kathmandu community, you don't get excited about the bus ride, or show the excitement...it is so hard not to, it is just fantastic and it is hard to hide the fact that I am on the edge of my seat or grabbing on to something. I went to the hospital today, got introduced to people and started helping out in the emergency department. Let's just say that health care is present in Nepal, it is just a little...ok...a lot different than America's good, yet greedy (we can't even make sure that our entire country, the greatest on earth, is insured) system. There are ten beds in the emergency department. It is staffed by a Doctor, a CMA (which I think is a certified medical assistant-kind of like physician assistant in U.S.), a nurse, and some kind of tech. I am able to kind of just fit in where I am useful, things like helping with removing stitches, cleaning and dressing wounds, vitals, ECGs, IV, medications, pretty much what a paramedic does in U.S. only minus a lot of tools. I just hope that tomorrow I do not hear "you know jugular"again from a CMA while I am looking for an IV...wow...caught me off guard, I found no vein, CMA EJed the patient...haha what? Patient needed IV...no worries. Why is it that I get stuck holding hands a lot with psych patients? I really just hope my historical past of being a S#!t magnet for KCH does not follow me to Helping Hands (that is my hospital-Helping Hands Community Hospital Chabahil, Kathmandu). Good work today. I was able to kind of see how the hospital operates and now have to fix my brain to not get scared about how different it is...just help where I can. So the Kathmandu life is pretty settled in my head now. Improvise and adapt. I stick out like a democrat does in Knox County here in Kathmandu. But it is not a bad thing...I just have to go with it...I have to become a functioning member of it. So I am saying things that are very different to my native language now, dodging cars and buses and motorcycles and people (note to self, in America, you go to your right when you are walking towards another person...U.S. drives on the right side of the road...Nepal...go to the left next time you are walking towards someone, they drive on the left), I don't know how I haven't been drilled yet...must be my keen situational awareness. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the one weekend day over here, but I think I am going to go to the hospital for a while...weekends + emergency departments=crazy
I still need to research the actual city a little more...it is just weird to see the "locals" wearing surgical masks and the cops in riot gear (but I have not seen any violence...Buddha+Vishnu=peace, for the most part) I know what the mask is for...it is very dusty and pretty much pollution central here...whatever...experience all that you can in life.
As a member of the Kathmandu community, you don't get excited about the bus ride, or show the excitement...it is so hard not to, it is just fantastic and it is hard to hide the fact that I am on the edge of my seat or grabbing on to something. I went to the hospital today, got introduced to people and started helping out in the emergency department. Let's just say that health care is present in Nepal, it is just a little...ok...a lot different than America's good, yet greedy (we can't even make sure that our entire country, the greatest on earth, is insured) system. There are ten beds in the emergency department. It is staffed by a Doctor, a CMA (which I think is a certified medical assistant-kind of like physician assistant in U.S.), a nurse, and some kind of tech. I am able to kind of just fit in where I am useful, things like helping with removing stitches, cleaning and dressing wounds, vitals, ECGs, IV, medications, pretty much what a paramedic does in U.S. only minus a lot of tools. I just hope that tomorrow I do not hear "you know jugular"again from a CMA while I am looking for an IV...wow...caught me off guard, I found no vein, CMA EJed the patient...haha what? Patient needed IV...no worries. Why is it that I get stuck holding hands a lot with psych patients? I really just hope my historical past of being a S#!t magnet for KCH does not follow me to Helping Hands (that is my hospital-Helping Hands Community Hospital Chabahil, Kathmandu). Good work today. I was able to kind of see how the hospital operates and now have to fix my brain to not get scared about how different it is...just help where I can. So the Kathmandu life is pretty settled in my head now. Improvise and adapt. I stick out like a democrat does in Knox County here in Kathmandu. But it is not a bad thing...I just have to go with it...I have to become a functioning member of it. So I am saying things that are very different to my native language now, dodging cars and buses and motorcycles and people (note to self, in America, you go to your right when you are walking towards another person...U.S. drives on the right side of the road...Nepal...go to the left next time you are walking towards someone, they drive on the left), I don't know how I haven't been drilled yet...must be my keen situational awareness. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the one weekend day over here, but I think I am going to go to the hospital for a while...weekends + emergency departments=crazy
I still need to research the actual city a little more...it is just weird to see the "locals" wearing surgical masks and the cops in riot gear (but I have not seen any violence...Buddha+Vishnu=peace, for the most part) I know what the mask is for...it is very dusty and pretty much pollution central here...whatever...experience all that you can in life.
It may be hard to see on here, but those are the Holy Himalayas in the background of the city. People everywhere in this valley and I am just one of them...
I must go. I need to call about the English teaching stuff (me a teacher? wtf?). Kritan wants to play. I will try to get some pictures up in the next few days, but its looking like if you want to see them, there will have to be a par-um-get together when/if I return : P
Oh I did find out that Nepalese beer for me is just like American beer Nick, so if you were looking for a more detailed review, I will contract in a roommate haha.
Create No Sorrow hooligans...
