at camp in Mandvi

Jan 3
I'm on very short email access... only a minute here to say we are safe and happy to be here at the Bidada Medical Camp in Mandvi. Having such a WONDERFUL time and this is such a beautiful facility and grounds, although the x-ray equip is (as we expected) looking like 1000 yr old stuff straight out of a frankenstein movie!! But it works and we are getting some beautiful films and getting quite a kick out of it. Didn't expect to be so hands-on already, but it is coming quite naturally and we are thankful for our practice using real film at 1101 clinic :) Makes their equip seem brand new :)

Camp started yesterday and Jamie and I have already taken over 100 x-rays, mainly KUBs and chests - yesterday's specialty was urinary and kidney stuff, so we are seeing a lot of patients related to that. the specialties change every day however, and yesterday they even assembed a new c-arm on the walkway outside, and we are going to go into surgery and help a bit there today (again, the OR suites look like frankenstein, but they do 1000's of surgeries here so they must be ok!!)

It is great fun, everyone is so nice, and we are picking up Gujarati phrases to use in our day and making great friends already... ok they need us now, so I'll say bye - not sure when I'll have email access again, so you may not here for us for a bit, but rest assured we are quite well taken care of, and are already planning to return next year!! We'll also get to go out to the small villages with the family med camps, who set up in the small schools and screen kids (we won't do x-ray there, but will help out with tasks, etc for a few days)

OK miss u love you!!! bye happy new year!!!! we'll be here till teh 13th, then back to Mumbai and then Bangkok and home.