Last day of community medicine and other fun things

Tomorrow is going to be our last day of community medicine. Today was a medical college holiday, so those of us doing this rotation got the day off. On tuesday, Sagar and I rode the bumpy, hot, van to the regular rural health clinic, called Mugalur. It was eye clinic day, and as we drove up, we saw a large group of patients waiting outside for the doctor to show up. Most of the patients were a few days post-op from a cataract surgery, and needed their follow up appointment with the doctor. It was a little too busy for us to hang around with the Ophthalmologist (ahhh, medical students getting in the way... Some things are the same all over the world, haha), so we hung out with one of the interns and got lots of great eating and shopping tips for our trip to Goa this weekend. While we were waiting around for the van to take us home, a nice old lady came up to us and (we think) was telling us about how before, she could not see, and now after her surgery she could see, and kept pointing up to the sky and the clinic and saying thank you. It was so sweet and awesome to think about how much her life must have changed with such a simple surgery. Because this clinic gets some subsidies from the government of India for what they do, a cataract surgery and a two day stay at a dorm until the follow up appointment (for one eye) is 500 rupees. Yep, that's $10 US dollars. It is crazy to think about how all these costs compare between the two countries. Tomorrow is our last day of community medicine, and then we are catching an overnight bus to Goa!!!! We are all ready and excited for a weekend of beaches and eating copious amounts of seafood (well, maybe not the second one for Sagar so much). We also booked a trip to Hampi for our last weekend here. This consists of a overnight bus as well, for which the round trip fare is 778 rupees, or right around $15 USD. We are all concerned that when we come back home, and try to buy a coffee, we will be appalled that is costs a few dollars at home, while here it is 20 cents. Or that a dinner out in the US is easily $15 or more, and here, we get a little uncomfortable if we have to pay more than $4 per person. Overall, though, we are having a great time. It is crazy to think we are about half way through our rotation! Only two weeks left after tomorrow, and then home or more traveling. What a tough life... ;-) -Sasha