24 November 2013 – There at Last

I’m a bit late with this blog. I was going to do it on the above date, had started even, but was whisked away with several guys on  a 2-day trip to Pachmarhi, an old hill station town.

The waiting area in Mumbai domestic terminal where I spent a happy hour or three.

 

Journey is as journey was and as I floated gently down through the clear blue sky to Bhopal airport I took a deep breath. For a small regional airport it has an amazingly modern looking terminal building. Once through though reality hits and I get a cab to take me the few kilometres into Bhopal centre. The cab dropped my by the Peoples’ Hospital on the Berasia Road (more of that later) and I made my way on foot through the streets I recognised slowly from my last trip. It all looks pretty much the same down these lanes at 07:30 in the morning.

Raj is on guard duty this morning and took me to the volunteer quarters where I met Devendra (Deven) and a pile on the bed that eventually turned into Harshit later that morning. We had an introductory chat, Deven and Harshit are both Indian and the first time I have come across Indian volunteers. Both have excellent English – fortunately!

Sathyu has arranged for me to occupy one of the guest rooms which at the moment is locked so I dump my things in the boys dorm and have a wander. Soon Deven and the guard unlock the room and I spent most of the morning rearranging it so there is a good floor space for my yoga practice. Nandkishore is still the cleaner on the first floor and we are pleased to meet, he instantly recognised me. Later he did a special clean on the bathroom. India is dry and naturally dusty so surfaces quickly acquire dust especially when unused, even for a mere day or two.

Over the next few days I was to meet many people still here and it is good to recognise and be recognised and welcomed. Many times I told what I have been doing in the intervening two years.

As I looked around my home for the next few months several things have changed. There is a new washing machine, a new water filter and a new gas hob. Last time my blog was being read by the spies of Dow Chemical, a company called Stratfor and in one of their reports they mentioned my comments about the (old) washing machine. So if you are reading this Stratfor, we have a new one with all the features of the old plus a neat fluff collector.

I started work on Saturday, having set up a table in the observation room where Shabnam works in the morning and Aziza in the afternoon. They are nurses and it is a busy room with injections, drips and oxygen being given so often it is bustling with people. It could be a source of new patients as They discuss with the nurse what I am doing and already two people have asked if I can help them. I send them to their doctor to get a referral before I can do that unless they are staff and one staff member started treatments yesterday. 

 My treatment area in the Observation room.