Two Weeks In

I was very judgmental of IIMC when I first arrived. I was sleep deprived, getting over the flu and confused about what I was supposed to do. On our first day, we were thrown into clinic and a volunteer who learned how to give B12, B/C complex and pain injections the day before showed us how and then we did the rest. 

We learned how to rub an infection or wound with antiseptic, then betadine, and then usually a combination of gentamycin and fluconazole cream.  That night, we had a two hour one-hour-late meeting with Dr. Sujit. He told us how long he's been running the clinic, how it started, how they've gone from 5 to 750 volunteers, but little about logistics. Those were to be decided by the two appointed team leaders. One was Austrian taking a year off from medical school and the other an Italian doctor one year out of school. (The Italians are the majority in our group.) They took on good-cop/bad-cop roles based on how well they related to the group. 

I was judgmental of the leadership styles. Dr. Sujit went on tangents, our meeting with the group leaders was full of hot emotions. I felt that IIMC was not open to feedback.

On the other hand, what did I know one week in? 

We've had another meeting with Dr. Sujit since then during which he explicitly asked for feedback from each volunteer on each part of the program. Relations  between the volunteers and leaders have smoothed out since we've made our schedules.

I've noticed when I get annoyed at something that is actually a cultural or language difference. It has happened more since last time I was in India, but less since when I first arrived. (I suppose my American way of life has been more deeply etched into my brain, but has loosened up thanks to this experience.) 

Language is the hardest part. We see hundreds of fungal and bacterial skin infections per week, but there is no one there to explain them to us. (The doctors are very busy and don't differentiate what they treat because biopsies are not readily available and there is no time). I'm thinking about borrowing Dr. Sujit's dermatology book next time I have some down time at the clinic. 

Since yesterday, since getting back from the countryside, Kolkata and the guest house feel more like home. I feel more comfortable walking down the streets. I look forward to the diverse things we have left to do: a soccer game with local kids, a visit to the medical college, Darjeeling on the weekend, seeing my patients at the inpatient ward, and getting to know the people in the organization better.