Wednesday 12/17/14 only ten days left :(

After work and lunch today, Felicia (another volunteer in my same hospital) and I met up with one of the nurses that we have gotten really close with. She has been saying for weeks that she wants us to come see where she lived and meet her 2 year old daughter. We didn't think much of the friendly banter until Friday of last week when she wanted to schedule a time. She picked us up in a tuk tuk and brought us about 10 minutes from the hospital to her home. She lived in a different part of Panadura than we had been shown. The neighborhood that we live in is right off the main road, close to all of the placements. Her house was further into Panadura and each home had a lot of land and gardens and shrubbery. It was very pretty. There was more wild life, a million different types of trees and plants. Her house was really cool because you went downhill on a longer than normal drive way to an opening in the shrubbery to her house. She lived with her whole family (parents, husband, daughter, house keeper). Her father and her were so excited to show us their land. Her father, who didn't speak much of any English, would start explaining and telling all these facts about the trees and garden area and our friend would have to translate. It was really nice to see how excited they were and how passionate they were on their way of life. The nurse's mother had prepared some pancake type dish with coconut on the inside, it was delicious. We tried a new kind of tea with ginger in it and it was equally as amazing. and the entire time that we were chatting and listening and eating, the nurse's 2 year old daughter was running around and speaking to us in Sinhala and so excited to have us there. She kept telling her mom and the grandparents to leave the room so that she could hang out with us alone. It was very fun. The little girl also wanted to show us "the bridge," so we took an extra little trip to a bridge that had been built about 4 year ago over a very pretty river. Apparently, before the bridge was there, there used to be a man with a boat and a rope that extended from one side of the river to the other. You would get in his boat (and pay obviously) and he would pull along the rope to bring you to the other side. So, the development of the bridge was a big deal. When Felicia and I got back into town, we went out and brainstormed little gifts that we could get for the little girl and the nurse as a thank you. It really was a generous day on her part and we really enjoyed it.

Tuesday 12/16/14 England vs. Sri Lanka

After work and lunch most of the regular volunteers and all of the 2-week special group traveled into Colombo for the England vs. Sri Lanka Cricket game. It was the last game of a seven game tournament type thing. We spent pretty much the whole game chatting with a guy next to us as he explained all of the rules. Cricket is an incredible complex game with a million rules/regulations and one game can actually last days. The atmosphere was awesome and made me really miss college football/college sporting events in general. Apparently, cricket is usually a very sophisticated game, people dress up very nice and the crowd is usually very quiet. Not here. Sri Lanka is so proud of their team because they are ridiculously good. Sri Lanka had already won the series by a lot. The crowd was CRAZY and I loved it. There were three Sri Lankan players that were retiring after this game, so it was a big deal and there wasn't an empty seat in the place. When we were walking in, people had actually broken one of the metal poles of fencing and were climbing through in order to see it. I would be really curious to go to a game in Europe and see how different it is. Overall, a super cool, unique experience.

Monday 12/15/14 Galle

Per usual, worked all morning. Work is still going really well. We are making really good relationships with the nurses and the doctors which is great because they chat with us quite a bit and are understanding us a lot better.
Right after work, we hopped on the bus down to a town called Galle. It is in the South of the island. We were specifically going to the Galle Fort... a place where the Europeans settled. It had lots of shops and old architecture that was beautiful. We had an awesome day so it was nice to walk about in the sun. I bought the coolest book end EVER. It is wooden and hand carved, one end is an elephant front and the other end is the butt. It's sweet and I'm gonna use it to display all my records which will be cool. I'm really excited about it, if you couldn't tell, except they wrapped the crap out of it, so I can't even open it up to admire it's coolness until I get home. We watched an incredible sunset on the way home but once the sun was down we ran into this crazy storm... plus the president was in Panadura today so traffic was completely bonkers. Needless to say, it was good to be home once we finally got there.

Saturday 12/13/14 Kandy

Last night we arrived in Kandy. It is a small town in pretty much the dead center of the island and is a popular tourist spot. We started out the day in the Botanical Gardens which were absolutely amazing. I happened to have my student ID from the UMN with me so I got a very nice student discount :) We wandered around the gardens for a couple hours but could have easily spent the whole day there. The place was gigantic with so much to look at. Without a map you could definitely get yourself good and lost. It was one of those places you wanted to be with your significant other, romantic stroll... maybe throw a picnic in there or something. You immediately think of that because scattered through the gardens, there are couples EVERYWHERE cunuddling (sp?). So it was a miss Tanner kind of morning :)
After the gardens, we went through the markets. We started off, apparently, in the wrong markets and one of the shop keepers walked us to the right one and proceeded to hang out with us through the markets and help us navigate our way which was cool. Bought a ton of stuff and definitely got ripped off more than once but oh well. The markets were nice and not as "in your face" and some of the others so that was a relief.
In the afternoon we went to a Kandyian Dance performance. It seemed similar to the ones that I had been to in Peru (obviously not Incan, but the general concept). A little stranger and not quite as elaborate. The end was the coolest part where two of the dancers sang a song and prayed before they walked on fire...more than a couple times. It was so cool and everyone got to gather around to see it up close.
The 2-week special group (16yr olds) were also in Kandy this weekend but had their own itinerary, however, we ended up seeing them at the conclusion of the night at the hostel. What turned into a leisurely chat with ice cream ended with me performing a sternal rub to one of the girls who walked off and went unconscious. A couple of her friends found her hanging over a balcony and luckily we had decided to go to bed at that time and we ran into them trying to wake her. Thankfully, but what took longer than I would have liked, she came around but took a long time to become oriented to what was happening. She had quite the sore chest the next day but was happy she was feeling better. They think she might have had a reaction to the malaria medication she was taking. So I went to bed that night a little on edge, but thankfully everything turned out just fine.
We did a little site seeing the next morning, but ended up taking a train back into Colombo around 10:30am. From what we had heard, the train was to take about 2.5 hr compared to 5 hr on the bus and the view was worth it. We got to the station and on the train almost 45 minutes early because we just didn't have anything else to do, and thank god we did because it was already pretty much full. Well, we came to find out that although the view is awesome, it may not have been worth the unbelievably PACKED, HOT HOT HOT, 4.5 hr train ride. But... it's all part of the adventure right?

Thursday 12/11/14 Balance

Today was Visa day. Two other volunteers and myself had to travel into Colombo to get our visa renewed at the immigration center. The whole process is incredibly long and causes quite a headache. You start by having to pay to get your picture taken which was stupid cuz they didn't even glance at the picture or really the form we filled out in general. Then you have to give them your passport which scared me a bit. You end up having to "take a ticket" wait 1 hr, "take a ticket" wait an hr, and the process continues until you get to the end where you have to pay..... and the clerk tells you your request doesn't exist and you have to start the process over. So that was fun. While waiting all of this time we chatted with our projects abroad visa rep and the topic of tattoos came up. After a long discussion the other night with my host sister about the Sinhala language, I had her write out "Balance" in Sinhala symbols in the thought of potentially getting that as a tattoo before I left. So during this period of waiting, I decide that today would be the day... just gonna do it. So after the visa process was completed we headed to a tattoo place (don't worry mom and dad, the place was recommended to us by a projects abroad staff and everything was sterile and went well). haha with that said, I never would have walked into this place otherwise. There were two places that we were to check out. One was super ritzy and with that, super expensive, so that was out. We walked down to the next one and from the outside it looks kinda like a tailor or small clothing store and then you walk behind a curtain and there was a one-seat tattoo parlor. cute family-run place with a little 1-2 year old boy running around and a movie playing in the background... it was actually a nice distraction during the inking. Overall, love the tattoo, it's on the inside of my left ankle and is totally awesome :)

Saturday 12/6/14 World's End

Last night we arrived in a town called Nuwara Eliya. It is in the hill country (the middle of the island) and is so beautiful. Just passed Adam's Peak, there is a national park called Horton Plains, which is where World's End is located. The whole trip is, generally speaking, a hike through the national park with stops along the way, one of which is "worlds end." We started the trip at about 0530 in the morning because in the hill country the moisture that settles on the land overnight starts rising once the sun rises and the place gets really foggy. The national park is absolutely gorgeous with lots of wildlife, different trees, plants and flowers (mom and dad, you guys would have loved this place, right up your guys alley). Our first stops along the trail was mini worlds end and a bit further is greater worlds end. We decided to go in the morning so that we could have a far view of the hill country. When you go on a really clear day, apparently you can see all the way to the ocean. We had wonderful clear weather but still had some clouds and there was just a little bit of fog so we weren't able to see that far. At about 10:00 in the morning is when the fog rises up through the national park and blocks all views of the land, hence why it is called World's End because when you get there it seems as though there is nothing left and nothing past the wall of clouds. These clouds are called the Cloud Forest. The views we had were amazing and we arrived before the fog so could see pretty far which was cool. The next stops were a huge waterfall and a pretty pond. We had to cross over a stream to get to the pond and when I attempted to cross, slipped off my rock and my foot/leg slid into a mud hole, so that was fun. Ended up jumping into the stream and attempting to clean up. Overall it was a great morning, nice weather, amazing views, per usual one hiccup, and a relaxing hike. Total it took most the morning, about 4 hours.
After lunch and a thorough shower to get all the mud and dirt off of me and my clothes and shoes, we went on a tea plantation tour. It was short but sweet. We had to wear really attractive outer clothing into the factory so we had fun making fun if each other. The weather turned a bit cloudy and a little rainy but we got the tour through the factory and learned how they made the tea and packaged it and whatnot. Apparently the tea plantation we were at sells its tea to only local companies which I thought was kinda cool. After the tour we relaxed and had an awesome cup of their tea.
After dinner we had such a relaxing evening at the hotel. We had a fireplace in our room... So romantic!! Haha but it was nice and warm (the hill country is significantly cooler than the costal regions, like pants and north face cool which is a nice relief from the heat during the week). We all cuddled up on the bed and fell asleep watching a movie.
Had such a nice and relaxing weekend.... It will be good for me because when I get home on Sunday, there will be 7 other volunteers staying in my host house for the next two weeks........all 16 yr old. Lol so that should be interesting... Stay tuned.

Tuesday 12/2/14 I love my job.

I miss working so much, so I am really blessed to be able to volunteer in the labor and delivery ward here. After a ton of finagling to actually be able to be there and participate in what was going on, I am gaining the trust of the entire labor room staff. The head sister is awesome and she loves me and Felicia (the other volunteer working with me at the women's hospital, she is a midwife student). The sister doesn't speak a ton of English but she tries very hard to learn. She also tries to learn so much from us, asking questions about the labor unit that I worked on and how things were different. The nurses do the same. They love when we ask them questions and inquire about the systems here because they love to hear our side of things too, so the dynamic isn't question --> answer, questions --> answer. It's more of a general discussion that floats around different subjects, both professional and very personal which is so awesome. We are beginning to be able to do more and more which is great because the staff trust us to do a good job and we ask questions when we don't know things.
The health system here is so different from the US. It is very old fashioned and traditional. There is a head Sister on each ward that runs the unit, similar I would think to a nurse manager. She were a certain uniform and a special hat to distinguish her title. Then there are the nurses, all in white dresses with the white hat and they wear their pins. Below them are the midwives. Here, the midwives don't need the education that the nurses need. They attend a government or private training and get more of a certification rather than proper education and a degree. It's definitely very different and has been strange to get used to but has been so interesting to be exposed to such a different way of doing things. I've really appreciated the mutual respect and learning that has been happening so far.

Sunday 11/30/14 Medical Camp

0700 came much too soon after that long and tiring couple of days. All of the medical volunteers were up for another social outreach/medical camp planned for us. We would be doing a free preventative and follow up clinics for the locals that included blood pressure, blood sugar, blood tests, weights, and education on hypertension, diabetes, and general health. Each person also met with a doctor to discuss their general well being and to receive additional, more specific education for their specific situation. All the locals were so nice and kind. Some were really hilarious and tried hard to speak and understand the English, it was sweet. There were also tons of kids that were running and playing around which was fun for me. After lunch we all crashed... for like three hours. It was the most glorious nap ever. After we met up for a relaxing movie night at my house :) woof, what a busy couple of days!!

Saturday 11/29/14 Elephants are sweet.

There was a few of us out of our big group that had a big interest in seeing/riding/washing elephants... some had already done it and some just wanted to go home. So, three of us stayed and traveled about 30 minutes outside of Dambulla to ride elephants. Once we actually found the place/people we needed to find in this tiny town, they took us in this jungle vehicle to the lake and place where they kept the elephants. I would say they had about 10-15? That we could see at least. We started almost immediately. The three of us hopped on top and they took us for a nice long ride. It was cool cuz we got to see other elephants along the way along with different animals like cool birds, big lizards, and peacocks (with the feathers out, it was so pretty). At the end of the trail, the elephant got in the water for a little bit which was fun and different. Along the entire walk we got to feed the elephants bananas, maybe a little incentive for the elephant to keep going haha. On our journey back, each of us got to take turns riding on the elephants head/neck for a while which was SO cool, a bit uncomfortable, but totally worth it. Our guide walked along the trail with us and explained things as we went along, he also took one of our cameras and took awesome pictures along the way. It was a friend's camera so hopefully those pictures will be up in the next couple of weeks.
After the elephant adventures, we hopped on another public transit bus and took the 7 hour journey home. I don't think I've ever been more excited to get off a bus and finally just get home. We were exhausted, crabby, and achy from the madness of public transportation.
Once we were finally home, we met up with the other volunteers at the hotel in town, had a much needed dinner and glass of wine and said our goodbyes to a couple volunteers that were leaving that night.

Friday 11/28/14 Sigiriya/Dambulla

Today was going to be a long day. We get up early, per usual, and head the gardens and area called Sigiriya, located right outside the town of Dambulla. There is not much here other than the attraction of The Lion Rock. The story goes that the rock is the remnants of an old volcano and the top of the mountain was the residence of a past King. About half way up the mountain there are steps to finally get to the top but only after passing the paws/claws of The Lion (see pictures on facebook). It was early morning but it was HOT. The climb wasn't too bad other than the fact that we were all drenched in sweat. As we got higher and higher, the only relief was the wind. The climb was slow but only because there was so many pretty gardens and structures to look at on the way up so there was a lot of stopping and exploring. Once you get about 2/3 the way up you come to a flat area and The Lion's claws and through there, there were steps that lead to the final top. This part was a bit steep with questionable metal steps along the side of the rock that went straight up. This part was also very wet, as the top of the mountain hung over this area so all of the water from the top fell off this area onto the steps. Thank God for my rain coat! The top was absolutely breathtaking. Views so far, everything so green, and one gigantic Buddha that was miles away watching over the land. We hung out for a long while, took pictures, relaxed. After a while, we headed back down and back into Dambulla. Morning activities -- Check.
After a nice buffet lunch, we went to the Dambulla Cave Temple. The museum was very extravagant (see pictures on facebook) with one huge Buddha. There were monkeys literally everywhere. Monkeys that were consistently given food by the visitors and that would jump and hang on to your leg to get whatever it was that you were holding, so you had to be quite careful. It was pretty hilarious, however, when it happened to a couple people we were with. Unknowingly, we had to climb to the top of this mini mountain to get to the Cave Temples... great. We were so tired from the climb up The Lion Rock but we made it just fine but it was a slow process. The cave temples weren't exactly what I expected but were still very cool. It was a temple that was kind of tucked into a large rock that overhung the temple. Inside there were tons of different Buddha statues and the ceiling (the top of the rock) were painted with intricate paintings of Buddha and related objects/concepts. We perused for a while and headed back down.
We decided that after so much climbing and activity that we would then go get Ayuveda massages at a nearby spa for the evening. Ayuveda is the type of medicine here that is non-pharmacological, consisting of herbs, oils, scrubs, etc. That was an experience that I will never forget. We ended up buys a package deal where you receive a 60 minute massage with two different oils made specifically for ayuveda treatment. After you spend time in a sauna with a certain type of leaf and then proceed to a steam bath which was similar looking to a tanning bed but wood with the same type of leaf and steam coming out of the bottom and you head is sticking out the top. The full body massage started and it was ok... a bit unorganized/no real technique which made my back feel a bit worse actually. But the surprising part was that the "full body massage" was indeed FULL BODY. Thank god I had a women... however, I had a woman with extremely long nails, so I completed the massage and in the less than adequate sauna, I examined the scrapes she left all over my legs :( So, everyone was a bit disappointed as we left, but it was quite the experience and made for a hilarious story and fun pastime that we frequently reminisce about!

Thursday 11/27/14 Social Outreach

Today was the first social outreach of my trip in Sri Lanka. It is when we go out into the community and help different community centers/orphanages/etc on different things from the education on hand washing to helping clean up an orphanage. Today we were placed in an orphanage and our task was to paint one of the buildings that had a lot of rain damage. We had an early morning, starting at 0700. The first half of the day went fairly smoothly, cleaned up the outside of the building and started painting. Jammed out to some Disney music, obviously, and everyone was having a good time. By mid-day it was ridiculously hot, everyone was drenched in sweat, thirsty and getting tired. After lunch we were beat. It was 1400 and we still had a lot of work to finish. So, we sucked it up and finished the job -- hot, tired, and slow from lunch. The only thing that made it better was that I got to chose the music for part II, and since Disney was part I, The Beatles were part II. At the end of the day, we stuck around for some pictures... made a "You're killin' me smalls!" joke at the best possible moment and only one person understood... it made me sad.
When the day was complete, we started our journey to Dabulla/Sigiriya. We usually take a private bus so that all of the volunteers can stay together, however we had too many volunteers and not enough seats on the bus, so three of us volunteered to take the public transportation option -- cheaper but longer. Getting to Dambulla wasn't too bad, a bit cramped but otherwise just a long journey after we finally figured out where the correct bus was located (the bus station is the most disorganized place ever). We passed a funeral procession and interestingly enough, they all wear white here instead of black. I'm not sure why, but that really interested me. No one around could tell me why. They also walk behind the car carrying the coffin instead of driving and in front of the car are a few select people who play drums and a certain type of horn. It was pretty cool to see. Since then we have actually seen quite a few and I can never take my eyes off of them.
When we arrive in Dambulla after 5 hours, it's raining and we have no clue where our hotel/hostel is located. Since this place is a bit off the map, we can't locate ourselves on Google Maps (first world problems) so we chat with a Tuk Tuk driver and he gets us to where we think we need to be. But, when we arrive, the place looks totally abandoned and creepy... and very locked. We finally decide to climb over the gated wall to try and find someone to help us, turns out it is the right place (great.), we get inside and crash after an incredibly long day.

Wednesday 11/26/14 Theatre day

The operating room (or theatre as they call it) is very interesting and a little scary in my eyes. We saw three different c/sections this morning. C/sections here are given much more "freely" compared to the US and they go quick. There were six c/sections happening while we were there (there are two ORs), and even when we left, there were women IN LINE to get cut. Things move quickly, they get in and get out. The baby is placed in a basin of sorts and taken to a separate room, mom doesn't get to see baby until she is in the recovery "area." There is minimal recovery done on the baby at all - no VS, no stimulation for a minimum of 20-30 seconds as they travel to another room, no assessments, which scared the daylights out of me as a watched for the first time. Between patients, the OR isn't stripped and cleaned the way it is at home either. The bed sheets are removed and new ones are put on... no real cleaning involved at all. It is very intriguing. I wanted very much to see the statistics on infection and whatnot but that doesn't exist here.
Bought a sari this afternoon. It was weird because looking at them in the store, just on the wrack, none of them looked appealing to me, but when they are on, it is really hard to go wrong. Mom - you will be happy as I bought one that is blue and pink. I can hear her now "those colors really are best for you skin tone and your eyes" :) (love you, mom)