What Next?

During our first three months at site, we’re encouraged to focus on integrating into the community and on beginning to identify potential problems, resources, and solutions—in other words, to gain an understanding of our community and our place in it. In practice, this means attending local meetings, visiting important community institutions and events, and just making our existence and intentions known.

We arrived at our sites on Friday afternoon, so Saturday was a day off. I spent the day studying Nepali, doing laundry, wandering around the community, and becoming better acquainted with my family. The next morning, after breakfast, I walked to the health center for my first day of work. Following a brief introduction to the staff, I mostly sat around studying Nepali. My only real “work” that day was to help determine if the center’s HIV/AIDS blood test was suitable for a first detection—a task for which I am definitely unqualified, but, being best able to understand the English directions, fell to me.

The health center, which is between a hospital and a health post in terms of size and services, serves a number of communities in the area. About twenty people are on staff, including medical assistants, nurses, a counselor, a midwife, a medical student, a lab technician, and a gardener. It offers a free clinic, outpatient services, an emergency department, family planning, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, psychological assessment and counseling, prenatal and antenatal care, a pharmacy, and basic laboratory testing. But some things are definitely in need of improvement. The center doesn’t have enough storage space for its equipment. The autoclave and x-ray machine are currently broken, and there is no running water at the moment. They also want to expand their programming and outreach.

In the afternoon, I went with a medical assistant to the farmer’s market, not realizing that today was the inaugural ceremony. A large crowd gathered around a tent as the master of ceremonies called representatives from farmers groups, NGOs, and the local government up to sit near the guests of honor. When the medical assistant was called, he pulled me up with him. After a few speeches, tikaa, some songs and dance, and more speeches, the MC invited me to say a few words. I’d been warned that this sort of thing might happen from time to time, but on my first day? I was pretty unprepared, but seeing it as a great opportunity to tell the community of my presence, consented. Before around 500 people, as well as a news camera, I introduced myself and explained the sort of work I hope to do (all in Nepali). At least I hope that’s what I said—I immediately blacked the whole thing out. My coworkers assure me that it was pretty good for my first time.

The rest of my first week, I met with a WHO representative, the local agricultural veterinarian, a women’s counselor, the police, the postman, and several teachers; visited the hospital’s vegetable garden, an agricultural NGO, a farmer’s cooperative, the local public and boarding schools, and the police station; made two maps with the community; and began composting at my home. Still, I have considerably more free time than I did during training. Here’s what my new schedule looks like:

6:30  Wake up, eat roti with hot milk

6:30-10:00  Exercise, study Nepali, spend time with family, make plan for da

10:00-10:15  Eat breakfast and leave for office

10:30-3:00  Spend time in health center, visit someone or someone related to my work, or just wander around3:30-6:30  Play volleyball, write up notes from day, eat snacks and spend time with my family, call friends

6:30-6:45  Eat dinner

6:45-8:00  Watch Hindi soaps with the family, and when that gets old go to my room and read or watch a movie

10:00  Sleep

Planning on buying an internet modem soon so I can stay in touch a little better and keep this update. Til then, Namaste.