Yay!! Finally had the chance to sit down with Dr. Italia. Of course it didn't happen until 4:30pm when we had basically the entire morning free but that's ok. I'm just glad that we were able to go through everything and establish a plan of sorts. For the rest of my stay I will be creating a "booklet" to document the PEAS information that the program currently has. That way we can gather all the documentation and evidence in one place so that it can be referenced easily. I will also be helping with modifying an existing access database so that it suits the Valsad program more but a lot of the database work will be completed once I return to Pittsburgh. I am also going to help create a website for the Sickle Cell Screening Program which includes the mass tribal screening, newborn screening and the prenatal diagnosis. The mass tribal screening has been in place for the past ten years while the NBS program has only been running for the past two. There is a lot of data that has been collected but virtually none published so another goal is to publish the data that the Valsad blood bank is collected so others around the world are aware of the program.
The Sickle Cell Program here was also recently awarded a Prime Minister's award which is a great accomplishment so it is even more important that information about the program can be found online. Right now, information is provided through reports to the National Institute of Health in India and through word of mouth. A lot of the work that I am currently doing involves learning how the current system works and how I can help the program. The girls and I will spend the better part of next week organizing all the information and putting together a manual that explains the goals of the project and action plans on how everything will be achieved. It was great finally sitting down with him but his phone must have gone off around 10 times in the hour and a half we spent with him and he answered every single call. Everything from work related stuff to personal calls. It's a very different mentality here where people will answer their phones at all times. Rarely do they ignore a call, even when they are in the middle of a conversation with someone else. They'll just pick up the call and talk until all their business is over. No, hey I am speaking with someone right now I will call you back later. Very different to get used to but there's really nothing that can be done about that. Our meeting with Dr. Italia ran almost until 6:45 so everyone rushed out so that we could go to the clothing store for some shopping.
I have always wanted to buy a nice bandhani chaniya choli but they are very hard to find in Coimbatore. And if you do find them you don't really get a great selection since it is typically worn in northern India. I decided to capitalize on my visit here and get myself a nice outfit. Dhara and Ushma took me to this awesome showroom (name I can't remember anymore but apparently it's the best in the area and people from all over come to this store). I ended up buying this gorgeous pink/orange set but it is being stitched right now so I don't have any pictures. I wish I could wear it everyday though. It's made out of a type of silk and it's phenomenal. I am supposed to pick it up on the 25th so I will post pictures then :-)
The Sickle Cell Program here was also recently awarded a Prime Minister's award which is a great accomplishment so it is even more important that information about the program can be found online. Right now, information is provided through reports to the National Institute of Health in India and through word of mouth. A lot of the work that I am currently doing involves learning how the current system works and how I can help the program. The girls and I will spend the better part of next week organizing all the information and putting together a manual that explains the goals of the project and action plans on how everything will be achieved. It was great finally sitting down with him but his phone must have gone off around 10 times in the hour and a half we spent with him and he answered every single call. Everything from work related stuff to personal calls. It's a very different mentality here where people will answer their phones at all times. Rarely do they ignore a call, even when they are in the middle of a conversation with someone else. They'll just pick up the call and talk until all their business is over. No, hey I am speaking with someone right now I will call you back later. Very different to get used to but there's really nothing that can be done about that. Our meeting with Dr. Italia ran almost until 6:45 so everyone rushed out so that we could go to the clothing store for some shopping.
I have always wanted to buy a nice bandhani chaniya choli but they are very hard to find in Coimbatore. And if you do find them you don't really get a great selection since it is typically worn in northern India. I decided to capitalize on my visit here and get myself a nice outfit. Dhara and Ushma took me to this awesome showroom (name I can't remember anymore but apparently it's the best in the area and people from all over come to this store). I ended up buying this gorgeous pink/orange set but it is being stitched right now so I don't have any pictures. I wish I could wear it everyday though. It's made out of a type of silk and it's phenomenal. I am supposed to pick it up on the 25th so I will post pictures then :-)
This is an example of the bandhani "design"
No comments:
Post a Comment