As the flight came to a halt, the majority of passengers
jumped up at a Usain Bolt type of pace to get their hand luggage from the above
head holdalls. I still don’t understand why everyone does this? Many of you
reading this probably do the same thing, can someone let me know why? What’s
the rush? In my opinion you just end up standing there frustrated as you wait
for the doors to open. I sat there and gazed out the window whilst the madness
went on around me, and that’s when it became real – Here I am, India, equipped
with no Hindi/Punjabi, no rupees, no friends or family to rely on, just me,
myself and I. A special shout out to everyone I’ve asked to teach me
Hindi/Punjabi/Gujarati, each and every one of you were useless and gave up on
me before you even tried (you know who you are!). My first thoughts were
‘Adventure time’ followed by a more immediate concern, which was how I was
going to arrive at my accommodation – in my mind this would be the most
challenging part of the next 15 days and I was hoping my experience would be pretty
self-explanatory and organised for me from then onwards.
As the aircraft doors opened, I waited for the smell to hit
me, the smell that had been described to me by so many that I could almost
taste it just thinking about it. Much to my disappointment, the smell never
came – I’d built myself up for this moment and I felt pretty let down. Instead
I was hit with the humidity of a warm 30ยบ morning, and a surprising amount of
unsettled dust. As I proceeded through immigration, completed security checks
and exchanged currency, I arrived at the baggage claim area. Confused as to why
4 of the baggage claim belts were closed, and 1 belt had a total of 4 flights
worth of luggage, I decided to walk around and find an open space amongst the
crowds of people, so I could gage a better view of the conveyer belt. I don’t
know if this is just me, but I always get this sort of anxious feeling that my
suitcase is going to be the one that never arrives, and this was heightened by
the fact I was on own and on an indirect flight, therefore my luggage would be
transferred between flights, independent of my own actions.
After a longer wait than usual, paired with growing
concerns, my luggage finally arrived, and I reached the exit of the airport to
be greeted by numerous taxi services who all claimed to offer the ‘best’ price.
Determined not to be finessed during my stay in India, especially after just arriving,
I connected to some free WiFi and checked Uber prices as a direct comparison –
you’re welcome for the tip. After taking much pride in rejecting the majority
of companies, I agreed a fee for my journey and passed over relevant documents
that I had with the address of my accommodation.
Now, this is where I would say the real India experience
starts – I have never felt more unsafe in a 4 wheeled vehicle in my life. I
might have been misled about the smell, but the driving? You guys got that bang
on. Driving in Southall is pretty awful, but I still don’t think that even
comes close to the reality of what it’s like out here. The first thing that
alarmed me was that drivers seemed to have no awareness for lanes, though they
were sufficiently marked on the roads. In addition to this, all you can hear
from every direction is waves of horning and beeping. It seems as if the car
horn is multi-functional, used to tell other drivers to be careful, to tell
people you were approaching, to accompany your indicator when making every turn
etc. In fact, at some points I even questioned if he was horning for jokes as
it felt pretty melodic and I’ve got a friend who could probably sample that in
a beat. The best part is that not once will you ever see any driver admit fault
for anything – I question the licensing programme out here, anyone know how it
works? Nonetheless, I arrived at LV Prasad Eye Institute at around midday –
where there were large crowds of people outside, from all walks of life.
My initial thoughts upon my arrival were that the hospital
is actually very large and relatively modern – there seemed to be an alarming
amount of security outside, which I found strange. However, having this high
number of security personnel did seem fitting, as they helped to manage to the
large crowds that had accumulated outside. I approached a member of security
with the documents of my placement only to be told ‘Sorry sir, no suitcases inside.’
After attempting to explain I wasn’t hear for treatment, but for a placement, I
was passed from one staff member to another, as they tried to find someone that
would understand. Eventually, I was directed to an English-speaking member of
the reception team who guided me to my room in what’s described as luxury
accommodation.
The accommodation is located on the 4th floor of
the hospital building, and is comprised of 10 bedrooms, each consisting of; 2
single beds, a desk, a chair, and small bathroom containing both a shower and
toilet. I’m curious as to who I’ll be sharing a room with over my stay, hopeful
its another international student with similar interests – this would make my
stay much more enjoyable as I’d have someone to chill with in the evenings. I’m
yet to figure out the WiFi password, but there does seem to be a network
available – this is something I’ll have to ask tomorrow. As part of the modern
generation, WiFi is a close second, falling just short of water, on the list of
necessities for survival.
Battling with the lack of WiFi I looked for alternative
things to do as I was unable lie in bed and sloth about watching Netflix all
day, so decided to go on a walk of the surrounding area. Directly opposite the
campus where I’m located is a large cinema complex, including bowling alleys, a
sports bar, and familiar restaurants such as KFC, McDonalds and TGIF’s. Separating
the hospital and the cinema complex is a road that resembles that of a dual
carriage way perhaps, which would be difficult to cross in England, and is
probably more appropriately referred to as a death-trap here in India. I was
amazed by the level of homelessness in the local area, with clusters of people
on the side of the road every couple of hundred meters.
I spent some time talking to one of the security members who
is part of the team that man the entrance gates at LVPEI, as he took an
interest that I was from London. He explained that over-night large groups of
homeless individuals will congregate near the gates and sleep, as they wait for
the gates to open at 7am so that they can receive treatment. This is because
LVPEI will provide treatment to all patients who arrive at the hospital,
regardless of whether they can afford this or not. Statistics show that over
50% of patients receive sufficient care completely free of charge, independent
of the complexity of their condition. It was very common to see patient’s
walking around with eye patches and bandages following treatment. The most
alarming site came as I was walking back into the hospital; a very young and
clearly premature child, was being pushed along in an incubator, following an
operation, as her mum cried uncontrollably following the doctors down the
hallway. This was an eye opener for the incredibly daunting pathologies I would
be exposed to over the duration of my time here, and the intricate care that
each patient receives. Seeing this emotional display really put things into
perspective, the fact that each patient who comes through the door puts the
care of their vision and management of their eyesight in the hands of the
specialists that work here.
Still drained from my journey, I decided to have a more
chilled evening back at the accommodation. I unpacked my suitcase and then pretty
much ran out of things to do and being an individual who is often referred to
as having ‘ants in their pants’ I couldn’t sit still so decided to venture out
across the road to enjoy some KFC. I was actually recommended KFC in India by
one of my cousins, however I was pretty disappointed by the meal. Although it
was clear this food was slightly spicier than the KFC we have back home, it
seemed pretty bland and dry otherwise – for any of you who were wondering. It
was super cheap however, with a full meal costing me the equivalent of £2.70. In
hindsight I should of gone to McDonald’s and seen what the McPaneer burger was
all about, still fascinated that it exists. It was now just past 10pm and as I
crossed the road back to LVPEI, it was clear to see the groups of people
forming outside the gates and setting up small areas on the side of the busy
main road where they would sleep for the evening, this really brings into
reality the magnitude of the homeless issue in this country.
I got into bed about 1am local time (7.30pm UK), in the hope
I would be able to reset my body clock and adjust to the time change.
Unfortunately, I lay in bed wide awake till about 6.30am (1am UK). London is
commonly referred to as the city that never sleeps, but I think Hyderabad could
easily claim that title. Throughout the entirety of the night there was
constant horning from the main road, which is directly outside. I closed the
windows for a short while, but this didn’t really block out much of the sound,
so I kept them open to try and cool down the room a little. I woke up today at
1pm local time, and now I’m questioning how I’m going to manage these 7am
starts – I know I will, but can’t imagine the knock on effect they’re going to
have on me later in the day.
Today is my last day to chill, with my placement starting
promptly at 9am tomorrow morning. Being on my own has given me a little more
time to think about this incredible opportunity some more, I’ll be sharing my
thoughts with you soon. I know I said I’d detail more about this hospital in
this blog, but I lied. I’ll be posting the next blog later tonight or earlier
tomorrow, where I’ll talk about the hospital a little more. The main focus
however, will be my reservations and expectations regarding this placement,
with under 24 hours to go until I begin!
Thank you to all of you who have taken your time to read
about my journey, and for those of you who have passed on kind messages of
support! Please let me know any suggestions you’d like included, or fire away
any questions you may have.
No comments:
Post a Comment