Heating Up In Jamshedpur

It's been a busy few days here in Jamshedpur. Things are going great. I have a fantastic team, and we're really working well together. We've completed our third day of surgery, and all of the kids are doing fine. It literally is heating up here. Today was a record high temperature of 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit)! We have air conditioning in the "operating theatres" but not on the ward. It's made the work difficult, but it's worth it. Our program coordinators make sure we have plenty of food and bottled water.

A lot is happening in India. We received a report today that Maoist terrorists bombed a railway in Patna, India, the "Rajdani Express." Also, there is a political strike that started today in Jamshedpur's state, Jharkhand, as well as four surrounding states. This is unfortunate, as it will make it difficult for our patients and families to travel to Jamshedpur. Apparently these political strikes are quite common in India, and things should return to normal within a few days. I hope so, as we have train reservations to return to Kolkata!

As I mentioned, our team has a multinational spirit. For example, my OR nurses are from India, Singapore, China and Vietnam. They're all so young and energetic. They call me mom, which makes me experience mixed emotions...feeling old, yet also feeling very excited about the next generation of volunteers. The future is certainly bright! Here is a photo of some of my OR crew, from left to right, Giang (Vietnam), Blessie (Singapore), me, Leila (Singapore), and Lily (China).

Here's a photo of some of my kids and their mothers, which was taken as I was preparing to bring them up to the operating rooms.

The post-operative ward is quite warm, but the rooms are open and have fans that keep the air moving. Here's a photo of a mother and child in the ward following surgery.

This is a photo of some of the families spending the morning following surgery together. The families help each other out with caring for their children.

This mother really caught my attention. She was so proud of her daughter and her appearance following her surgery. Her daughter had a large cleft lip prior to her surgery. Once her incision heals, it will be difficult to detect she had a lip defect. When Jamshedpur families are asked about why they think their children are born with clefts, a common response here is they feel it is a result of being exposed to an eclipse. Parents are worried their children won't be able to marry because of their deformities.

To sign off, the air here is hot, heavy, humid, and smokey. Although it makes breathing difficult, it also makes for great sunsets.