Namakkal

Overnight train to Namakkal on Monday night. 2 Tier AC sleeper (myself, Dr. Parem from Chennai and Anandani, the other US med/MPH student)...arrived in Salem at 5am and were picked up by private car form the hotel for a 1hr ride through the most horrific road. 2 lane highway with so many trucks that I think we spent more time in oncoming traffic passing them then in our (left) lane. But this is really normal here, so I'm not supposed to have a heart attack right? One just makes profuse honking and light flashing so that the oncoming cars know that you are coming....somehow everyone cooperates.

We stayed at hotel Nala that night. Met the staff of the Government Hospital for the District of Namakkal. Dr. Parem introduced us around before leaving the next morning. Anandani and I were very welcomed by the staff of the perinatal HIV project (run by the MGR university in Chennai and the U of Washington). There are 6 women who work there who all live in a house together and they invited us for dinner and to try out staying there to see if it would be acceptable before leaving the hotel. It is a really nice house, very safe neighoborhood, and we're excited to cook and spend time with them. I guess the previous students all spent time there but slept at the hotel (and guys had to stay at hotels since it's a women's only house). It is not as fun to have to take autorickshaw back to the hotel every night from that place...and very expensive.
We decided this morning to move in and will hopefully learn how to make good dosai, iddly, and chapati....and the company is nice, though privacy will be at a premium with 7 people in 2 bedrooms!

For the next few weeks I'll be spending time seeing outpatient HIV patients as well as taking care of sick patients or newly diagnosed patients in the "Special Care" ward for AIDS pts.