Yes, we made it in one piece all the way to the other side of the planet. We are currently 12.5 hours time difference from SLC…. Something about India having its own time zone. The flights were long. SLC to Chicago (3 hrs), Chicago to Brussels (8 hrs), and Brussels to Chennai (10 hrs). In the last three days I slept probably 8 hours, but I feel pretty good. My clock was pretty off and I went to the gym at 3 am haha. We leave to the school in the morning.
On my last flight, I sat next to a man who was born in India but moved to the US when he was four. He was super nice and gave me some tips for my time in India. They included getting use to poor hygiene and bad smells. Dad, you were right about no one wearing deodarant. There are some strange smells here (most are not good or bad, just very different).
Well, all went smoothly. I met some girls in the airport to travel with. It would have been kind of scary by myself. We even got all of our luggage! Funny enough, two of my nursing instructors are here at Rising Star Outreaching feeling it out for N400 next summer. I wrote during fall and said we should go to India… I guess I was just one year too late.
My luggage is full of things I have never taken while traveling before: malaria medication, just six white “walmart tees”, two huge bags of cereal, work gloves, peanut butter/jelly, bug repellant, and anti-lice shampoo. All of which will come in very handy.
Quick lesson on Leprosy FYI:
Also called Hansen’s disease, it is mildly contagious. It is characteraized by nerve damage, skin disfigurement, and body sores due to the lack of nerves. It affects primarily the poorest people, especially those found in India, South America, and Africa. The disease is not very contagious and requires prolonged, intimate contact for it to spread. Although with proper drug treatment the disease is curable, the stigma associated with it is very detrimental. Those with the disease often deny infection and put off treatment as long as possible to avoid becoming ostracized. They lose their jobs, become alienated by their families, and can be legally confined to a leprosarium.
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