Beach, Onam Festival and Trivandum Medical College

Iris and I at Kovalam beach, post swim in the Indian Ocean!

Beautiful twilight-lit crowd at the Final Onam Procession

 The fist week in India has been so amazing! This country is a completely different world...Initially the shanty-feel and chaotic traffic reminded me of the Dominican Republic, and the smell of Peru but now I have realized that it is nothing like either of the two. The state of Kerala is a tropical, touristy and fairly more modern/industrial area of India. The first full day we traveled to the Kovalam beach, about 30 minutes from Trivandrum, and dipped into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and walked along the smooth black sand from the rough, dark surrounding cliffs. We had quite an audience of locals that were just standing watching our huge group like we were another species, it was a little challenging to run into the ocean in bikinis but we all held hands and went together into the reeeally strong current.. it was a workout to hurdle the huge waves and bobbing jellyfish.

We moved into our homestays, I'm staying with a family where my Mom is a doctor and teaches community health at the Medical College of Trivandrum (sweet woman who is a great cook and so eager to make us at home), my dad is a retired news journalist (wise old man who loves to ramble in his low husky voice), my sister Ashudi is 26 years old and is studying Ophthalmology and her twin Achin is a lawyer in a nearby practice. The grandmother is quite and doesn't speak English but bobs her head in excitement and happiness in all of our exchanges. I'm so glad that all of them speak English so well, and that they have a common background in health; I have already learned so much about the culture just in dinner conversation and storytelling. We also have a HUGE great dane named Julie, who looks like a regal Indian version of Marmaduke. She keeps to herself in the jungle of a backyard (pets are not usually allowed in the house) but I can't wait to cuddle with her and speak Lucy-Language.. I'll have to make some Malialum (Language of Kerala) ammendments to my woofs. My roommate Jen is a bubbly, sarcastic and engaging pre-med student from Rochester NY, and definitely keeps me entertained!

Classes and site visits have been extremely intriguing, with learning about the decentralized health and governance system of India and their specific disease problems. My "Dad" has said that every state in India is like a different country due to its language, foods and health issues. We have had  alot of guest speakers talk about the system and of the roles of various organizations. We rode in our first auto-rikshaw today which was rather scary... the organized chaos of traffic has the following rules: do not yield, do not merge, you always have the right of way, honk at like 5 times a minute, and avoid stopping for pedestrians crossing the roads (road traffic accidents is among the highest causes of morbidity in the country...and for abroad students in the world..so we're being double-cautious).

The food is delicious- it will take a little getting used to though to have Curry for breakfast. This morning was better though we had a ground coconut/rice "log" that is served with banana, and sugar with lentils and curry on the side. I had a thali for lunch today which consists of a heap of white rice on a plate that is surrounded with about 8 different curries, varying in bitterness, saltyness, sweetness and spicyness. I'm digging all of the coconut.. and it looks like I'll be well conditioned to spicy food so Dad.. watch out! Spicyness resistance competition on your way.

At the Onam Procession- sporting traditional garm called a Kultha or Churidhar (long colorful tunic over leggings or aladin pants...)