Welcome to Thanjavur!

Our group left Chennai a few nights ago for the more rural and slower-paced Thanjavur, a welcome relief from the bustle and overstimulation of the big city. We took an overnight train, which had numerous small bunks separated by curtains- it was definitely an adventure. Unfortunately I was beginning to develop a cold and a man with a snore sounding like chainsaws kept me awake for most of the night, so by morning I felt a little worse for wear. Nonetheless, it was beautiful to see the fields of rice paddies as the sun was coming up and realize we were in a totally different world. The sand and brush combination reminded me so much of Botswana, except for the palm trees of course. We were graciously driven to our guest house, which sits on a dirt road between two busy streets and some open land with trees and brush, the occasional cow or dog, and a plethora of interesting (and very vocal) birds. Crows abound, and small green birds resembling parrots occasionally appear. Erin and I were pleased to find a comfy and brightly painted room with a luxurious flushing toilet and even a shower and air conditioning. Despite the somewhat regular power outages that Thanjavur experiences, I think life here will be pleasant.

My cold has kept me from exploring too much in the past 2 days, but I managed to go walking around the town this morning before most people awoke, and found it very interesting- a mix of small concrete and tin stalls selling sweets, vegetables, snacks, etc., mixed in with a few larger companies like banks and hospitals.

We had our first "real" class today, discussing quantitative and qualitative components of our work here, and getting an opportunity to speak with our local counterparts who head the subject areas we'll be covering (cancer, GI, maternal and child health, oral health, and heart health). It was exciting to start to get an idea about what is going on in the rural villages we'll be working with, what is working so far, and what areas need improvement as far as health services are concerned. Despite my congested and foggy head, the wheels are beginning to turn with ideas about what we'll be doing here and how we can hopefully offer something useful in the short time we're here. I am excited for the learning experiences ahead.

We also received our saris form ICTPH, which we will have tailored to fit us tomorrow. And tomorrow will be our first field visit to one of the 3 rural communities we'll be working with - Allakudi- I'm excited to see it!

Pictures are of: In and around the guesthouse, on the train, Thanjavur train station, rice paddies seen from the train