Day Two - It Really is Monday

Several of us rose much before dawn for a quick trip to a bird sanctuary where we observed, with the watchful eye and education of Dave Leber, over 35 different species of varied colored, shaped and sized fowl. Dave was like a kid in a candy store and it is was a beautiful sunrise as we walked along the shores of a small lake. We moved to a different location where an observation tower was located, and out of nowhere the caretaker of the wetlands station appeared and offered to make us tea. We accepted and he built a fire and proceeded to brew this concoction in a large pot, over the open wood fire. It was quite good and actually tasted like nothing we had ever experienced before. Then, we sped back to the guest house to grab our gear and get to the hospital on time.

Today was another busy day of surgeries and teamwork. It never ceases to amaze me how so many people can come together and in less than 24 hours, function like a well oiled machine. Working together, never a cross word to each other, even when things don't go smoothly. And, just like at home, things don't always go as smoothly as we would like and we do have our share of equipment malfunctions, lack of adequate or appropriate supplies or unexpected patient reactions to anesthesia or surgical procedures. This evens extends to our ability to access the Internet to send out these blogs or to check in with family & friends at home. Even so, I would say that the spirit of the volunteers at World Surgical Foundation perseveres. We have seen this in our Indian hosts as well, as they have been extremely gracious in providing support to our team in so many ways. Even the OR staff are eager to get involved and work with us in any way possible.

While I write this another late evening comes to a close. We were treated to dinner again by our local hosts and then returned to our guest house, where we indulged in a "bucket shower", ever grateful for soap and hot water. It is time turn in, the clock approaches 11:00 pm in a few minutes. It has been a long day and 5:30 am comes as early here as is does at home on a workday.

While we hear the drone of the nightly chanting at a very nearby temple, now we lay ourselves down to sleep. Rest well team, it was another wonderful day to serve with you.

Love to our families and friends at home. Thank you for staying with us.

Gratefully,
-- Cheryl