Constant fluctuating levels of indistinct chatter, questionable
odours, crying toddlers and an unhealthy percentage of the population around me
removing their footwear – although this setting is somewhat familiar, it feels incredibly
surreal. So… where am I exactly you might be asking? I’d love to hear your
suggestions based o
I know there’s probably a whole bunch of questions you have right
now, like; how did I end up on a flight to India? How am I going to survive? Have
I packed adequate amounts of Imodium? For those of you who know me a little
better, you’re probably wondering how I’m managing to stay so calm, collected
and focused on the task at hand with so many exposed toes around me, aware of
my personal dislike for feet.
If you’d asked me at any point over the last year what my
next travel destination was set to be, India probably wouldn’t have even made it
close to the top 5 suggestions. I have always wanted to venture across to the
motherland, but this is something I’ve wanted to do on a personal level to gain
a greater understanding for my own culture. The reason for this is probably
obvious if you every have approached me with the friendly question of ‘so where
are you from exactly’ to be met with an instinctive reply of ‘lost’. On this
occasion however, this isn’t actually the reason I’m travelling to the most populated
country on our planet. I’ve been rambling on for a while now and I guess it’s
only fair for me to explain why I’m heading oversees, how this has managed to
materialise and provide a little background for what is to come.
Much to my delight, I unexpectedly received an email outlining
that I’d successfully been awarded the opportunity to travel to LV Prasad Eye
Institute, a centre of excellence in Optometry founded in 1987. This had
been something that I’d applied for earlier in the academic year, however due
to the competitive nature of the assignment I wasn’t sure if I’d be chosen. As
there was a very short amount of time between being nominated, and actually
travelling to India – I wouldn’t say that I have really had much time to think
about the placement or consider my own expectations of what’s to come. The
reason for this is I’ve recently been through an intense and busy period consisting
of University assignments, Pre-reg interviews, long hours at work and a number of
social events that normally occupy the back end of the calendar year.
As I sit here, typing this ‘blog’ if you would, I guess I
need to take a second to think about how I actually feel about all of this…
After a minute or two of careful consideration, inspired by
the emotionless faces of those asleep around me – my deep thoughts were
distracted by a panicked member of the air-hostess team holding up a young girl and
repeatedly asking ‘Has anyone lost their daughter?’ As much as this did humour
me, it made me realise that no matter how much I plan or consider what may lay
ahead of me, I don’t actually think anything can prepare me for what I’m about
to encounter over these next two weeks. The uncertainty of the unknown that I’m
about to plunge into gives me a feeling of nervousness, which I personally think
I’m masking with excitement.
I am incredibly blessed to have been offered this
opportunity to participate in eye-care at such a world-renowned hospital,
which operates slightly differently to the norm. LVPEI operates on a pyramid
scheme type of system, in which those who can afford treatment pay slightly
more for their care than usual, due to the specialist treatment they receive.
As a consequence of this, these funds trickle down the entirety of the system,
to ensure that every patient who comes through the door will receive adequate
treatment free of charge if they’re unable to fund it. So far, that’s what I
understand of it all – however, I will keep you posted when I found out more
about how it actually works. All I know is that this system has been so
successful, they have recently been asked to set up an eye care centre in Liberia and develop a comprehensive eye health system for the country, based on the model they employ at LVPEI.
Conversations with my personal tutor and other members of
the academic teaching staff at University has given me a little insight into
LVPEI, with almost everyone mentioning that the level of pathology I’ll be
exposed to across these next 2 weeks will probably be equivalent to what I’ll see
spanned over 10 years when I’m qualified and practicing in England. I can’t wait
to get hands on and develop my growing passion in the field of Optometry. Im eager to be exposed to a wide variety of specialisms and cases of varying complexity. I personally feel this short stint will be instrumental in helping me decide what parts of Optometry i'd like to invest my time in further, and perhaps give me a more specific direction that I can see my career heading - who knows?
I think I’m going to end this first post here, as I’m
currently coming to the end of my first leg of the trip. I've been flying for almost 8 hours now and about to arrive in
Dubai for a short 3 hour stop over, before continuing my journey to Hyderabad –
followed by a taxi to the hospital, which is where I’ll be staying for the next
2 weeks. I guess a lot will be revealed in the next 24 hours or so; does India
really smell as soon as you step off the plane? Am I going to get charged
extortionate prices for a cab because I’m British and clueless? Have I forgotten
anything important? Most importantly - is there Wifi?
Stay tuned and follow my path as I try to avoid diarrhoea,
and I’ll try and share stories daily of things I’ve encountered whilst on my
placement at the hospital, as well as the general experience I’m having in
Hyderabad, India. In the next post i'll try and give you a little more information about the hospital and my placement, as well as my first reaction to India. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see or hear about in particular.
Thank you for reading my first attempt at a blog!
Thank you for reading my first attempt at a blog!
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