APR-C-1
INDEX
TO THE APR-C-SERIES
THE SCRAMBLE FROM UVA CHARLOTTESVILLE
THROUGH DERWOOD, DULLES, FRANKFURT,
DELHI
TO THE DHARAMSALA MEDICAL MISSION
- Index to the Apr-C-series on "Dharam-02" Medical Mission with
a surprise post-Boston and pre-takeoff
- In a tight schedule of more split second strategies before departure on
a five week absence in multiple far flung venues, I am handed a big surprise:
a SNAFU in the UVA Visiting Professorship scheduling leads to a last moment
scramble in readjusting the split second complex takeoff plans for India and
Nepal--Who would have thought that the 106th Boston Marathon might
not be the most exciting and demanding event in my week's schedule--and we
aren't up to half way into the week yet!
- If you think that the SNAFU at UVA was enough adventure for this trip already
pre-launch, wait until you get a chance to enjoy the process in the misadventures
of the “Super Shuttle” ride to Dulles, the closed L/H flight for which I am
ticketed and reserved for extra baggage allotment, and, now, somehow, am airborne,
enroute to FRA, on another carrier, to rendezvous (late) with other students
expecting to meet me in FRA, for the flight to DEL.
- Not there yet…arrival in India—and forward progress toward Dharamsala.
- Dharamsala----Arrival Message.
- Launch Medical Mission to Dharamsala.
- First clinic day in Sherbaling monastery with a virgin crew of clinicians
and the boxed pharmacy I have carried along.
- Second day of clinics in Sherbaling Monastery.
- Moving on, the ride up the forested mountain to Barot, in the pre-monsoon
rains, and a long hike from the village up to the “Holiday Home,” before the
washout and the retreat in front of the pre-monsoon deluge.
- The first clinic day in Barot, and the cold rain continues, and the students
and I see a wide variety of patients in a full day with a good case presentation
and discussions.
- The second full day of clinic over-run in Borat, with my trying to bring
the team up to speed, in moving the patients through in time for the student
case presentation tutorials and then a brief tourist trip to the highest village
in this valley, Lahori, to walk through the quaint trails of this remote mountain
village to witness everyday looming, tailoring, charcoal ironing and wheat
millstone grinding by millrace water power—even getting involved in a high
altitude village volley ball game.
- The last clinic day in Borat, for a total of 771 patients here added to
298 from Sherbaling, summing to 1,069 patients for this series of medical
camps: with an afternoon excursion to the Uhal River trout aquaculture and
the netting of three big rainbows for dinner, celebrated with the health care
staff of the Borat PHC center.
- The pull out from Borat and the seemingly endless road trip back to Dharamsala,
out of the mountains of Borat and into the Hotel Bagsu at MacleodGanj.
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