Reflection

It was really nice to be home, have lots of fruit and a HUGE salad, just as I had been plotting for the past 5 weeks haha. What was even better was taking a looonnggg hot shower and seeing the black water run off.

I put on some clean clothes and did some laundry. My sister came over to my parents and we talked until I started feeling very sick and began vomiting. Not sure if that's related to the pound of fruit I had just eaten or not, but it's my guess.

After that I passed out on the couch for the majority of the afternoon. Unfortunately when I woke up, I think I was back on Indian time because I was wide awake. Until about 5:30 am when I forced myself to get into bed. Part of me really was not tired, but a part of me was also too sad to lay in bed. It felt strange to sleep in a room by myself. In a different bed. And it was so quiet. No honking cars, or dogs barking, or loud music. No exciting plans for the morning.

So I sat up and worked on my research paper a bit and listened to Hindi music for a while.
It's strange that I'm finally home, and yet I'm feeling homesick. I am not happy to be back to my regular boring schedule of school work and my job. Back to driving and paying bills.

It will be hard to make my time here as exciting as working in a hospital, hiking an hour and a half to a waterfall, dodging cows and wild dogs in the streets, and meeting new people everyday.
I am attempting to convince myself that it will take time to get back into the routine, as I'm sure most people experience coming back from another country.

I just hope it goes quickly.
I'm very thankful to have had this experience and I have every intention of working hard to get back to it. I met people that changed my life and I did things that have made me grow as a person in so many ways.

It was much more than I had ever anticipated.



The End.

for now.

Our last week

Our last week in Manali was a bit hectic so it was difficult to find the time to write about it.
We had this week to focus on our own personal research which, in my case, was nutrition in the school systems. I was able to set up interviews with the principals at both a government funded public school and a tuition based private school on tuesday. Wednesday I visited a children's home and had an interview with the dietician at Lady Willingdon. She invited me to sit with her in the Antenatal clinic so I was able to watch her write meal plans for the pregnant women which was really exciting and made me want to do dietetics even more.

In the evenings we attempted to use our last bit of time wisely by spending time with the staff at the hospital, going to dinner, watching movies together, and such.

I believe it was wednesday night that Sunny invited us to a family party. It was AMAZING! What an experience. We sat on the floor in rows facing one another and were served several dishes on banana leaves. The food was delicious but we had to eat with our hands. Took some getting used to but I think it's all part of the experience.

Afterward we had desserts and danced for hours. The girls all really enjoyed themselves.

Thursday, we held a party for the hospital staff at our hotel. Sunny arranged everything. We had a buffet style meal with sooo many good foods and a dance floor with a DJ! It took a little while for people to get into the dancing but it was a wonderful time. Makes me sad looking back on it now actually. But I'm glad so many of them came, it meant a lot.

Friday we presented our research projects to the staff and students which was really interesting. Everyone picked very different topics from one another and they all did an excellent job! They were all topics that we had experienced at least once if not more on the trip so it was really neat to learn more about each of them. And I think, for the most part, everyone really enjoyed learning about their own topic as well.

The next two days were filled with long walks, shopping, wonderful food, and saying goodbyes. Nishant at Drifters, hosted a going away party for us. There was music, some bollywood dancing, and too many pictures. Going to miss that place and it's epic karaoke..

It turned out that our short flight from Kullu to Delhi had been cancelled due to weather so we found out saturday that we would actually be leaving late that night and taking a 12 hour drive to Delhi to taxis.

Saturday night is hard to think back on because I wasn't ready to leave at all and I was extremely sad to say goodbye. I walked Reena and Kirti back to their room after dinner but none of us wanted to say bye so we continued walking for a while. Dr. Parvesh joined and they walked me back to MY room haha. Then we actually did have to say bye, since I had yet to pack :/
It was really hard. Saying goodbye for me normally, is knowing that I can see them again shortly. But this was my first time knowing that goodbye may mean for a very very long time.

The ride home wasn't all that bad. We had a good time. Slept for most of it, but talked and sang while we were awake.
We stopped at Milli's parents's house, who were nice to enough to host us and give us yummy foods. They were all so nice and welcoming and it was wonderful to sit down and relax with them.

Back on the road, finally made it to Delhi airport, boarded, and slept for the 13 hour plane ride to Newark. Then 40 minutes to Baltimore where my heart was racing because I knew in less than an hour my dad would be waiting for me.

Saying goodbye to all my friends wasn't too hard because I know I'll be seeing them frequently. They're all so close and I can call them anytime :)
But I do miss living with them very much. 

P.S. Hijacked

Totally forgot to add this little part of the Jibhi experience..
On our second day to the Health Mela, everyone wanted to ride with the same driver, cause he was a really cool guy. Well funny thing that we all squished into the car to be with him.

We got half way down the road when we hit a small traffic jam. The car in front of us began to back up and we began to drift a little forward..
Car accident.

A small crack in their taillight. The guys get out of the car. About 5 of them gather around the driver side window. One sticks his hand thru the window, turns off the car, and grabs the keys! They refuse to give them back until we pay them a ridiculous amount to fix the light.

The doctor and social workers get out of the car and there seems to be some negotiation going on. Until they decide to call the police.
We sat for almost an hour. 6 white people packed into a van with Indian hospital staff surrounding the car arguing with these random psychos.

The cop gets the keys back and makes them settle for even less than what we were offering to fix the light haha.

It was a crazy experience. We were an hour and a half late to the Mela. And of course our car happened to have all the workers in it :/

But well worth the story I think

Snake Charmers

Saturday morning we woke up with nothing to do sadly so we decided to do a 5 hour trek to a hot spring and a HUGE waterfall.
The hot spring was in the middle of a really cute town. The spring was inside of a temple. We walked into the "girl's spring" which was so hot I could hardly put my feet in it. But there were lots of women swimming naked in it... I have come to realize that Indian bodies handle extreme temperatures much better than ours.

It was a really intense climb to the waterfall. Killed my knees but it was worth it once we made it to the top. There were a lot of falling rocks so we went back a different way which was awesome because it was flat and a really nice walk.
With an exception to the terrifying bridges we had to cross..

When we got back we passed out and took naps. It always feels so great to trek all day and come back to sleep hard.
We woke up, had dinner, and headed out to Drifters for karaoke. It was SO much fun! I thought everyone was going to bail because they were tired and not feeling so great to their stomachs but they humored me and came out anyway. I'm so glad my love for singing has caught on to all of them so well.
We can't go anywhere without having an Aladdin sing along now. This I am going to miss so much!!
Mili and her boyfriend, Aniruddh, came too! We got Mili to do some singing as well :)


Sunday morning we woke up to breakfast and a snake charmer. I was the first girl to go and the guy placed a cobra on my head and a python around my neck. I wasn't that nervous surprisingly but I definitely was not about to kiss that thing. I got some great pictures of all the kids with the snakes. Everyone's reactions were hilarious

Afterward, Sunny took us to some temples in old Manali. That was interesting to see. All the statues and then we got little marks on our heads. Quite the experience but my knees hated it.

We got back to the hotel, changed and then went to dinner!! We went out to Bella Vista. Everyone came which was awesome and we grabbed Reena, Kirti, Rinya, and Dr. Parvesh. Lis's friends from her trip to India joined as well... Dr. Sanjay and his wife and son. They were really great. Kirti, Reena, Rinya, and I split 2 pizzas and we took a million pictures. It was a lot of fun. After that we walked around Old Manali. I called my dad for father's day. They were going to a movie. Wish I could have been there.. 

We all came back to the hotel and some went to sleep, some of us hung out in the boys room and listened to music and talked. 


I MAY have convinced Reena and Kirti to do their doctorates at UMD... haha if they don't, guess I'll have to come back to India. 


Which is fine by me.

JIBHI

Woww, I made it a whole 8 days without an entry. I was in Jibhi Monday thru Friday with no internet. But I was so preoccupied there that there's a good chance I wouldn't have blogged anyway.
I was SO sad to leave Manali on Monday morning but I sucked up. 3 hour drive packed into the car. It was hot and squished but I love our group so of course a fun time.

The first day in Jibhi we were a little car-lagged so we ate lunch, helped to make flags and signs for the Health Mela, and took naps.

When we woke up we hiked to a waterfall and I cannot even begin to explain this. It looked like a scene out of Bridge to Terabithia. There were little streams and tall plants and flowers everywhere with a little stone path and bridges made from branches.
The waterfall was gorgeous.. so gorgeous that we went back the next day and took showers in it.

Our group really lucked out because this week happened to be the week of the Health Mela hosted by LWH. AND Reena and Kirti were staying there as part of their internship. These are social worker girls who are my age and I absolutely love them :) The third day there was the first day of the Mela and we hiked up an insane mountain for over an hour in the hottest heat in traditional Indian clothes. We sweated so much it looked like we had jumped in the water by the top we reached the top.

So the Health Mela is an amazing concept. These children live so far up on the mountain that their health is often neglected. We had to take an hour long car ride from the Jibhi clinic to the bottom of a mountain and then hike an hour, just to give you an idea of how far it would be for them to reach the clinic. So basically, they bring the clinic TO the village. We had one doctor, one dentist, and 115 children. They put on a funny skit to teach the kids about nutrition. Even though we couldn't understand what they were saying... still quite hilarious to watch. The girls took some pulses and helped to entertain the kids. Then when we realized we couldn't do much else to help, we laid out on the roof which felt amazing.

After hours and hours of being dehydrated and sweaty, we hiked back down and went back to the clinic. Jibhi is so remote there was basically one street with about 4 small shops on it. It's extremely quiet and has the best air I have ever breathed.
That night we watched a bollywood movie with Dr. Parvesh. It was about a blonde haired girl who moves to India :)

Then I got to share my travel pictures since none of them have ever been out of the country. So they saw Las Vegas, and NY, and Italy, the Bahamas, Baltimore... it was neat.

The second day of the Mela we were able to drive to our destination. Even more kids this day but WOW I got some of the best pictures I have ever taken. The kids were so awesome. We again took pulses, played with the kids, and wrote up some forms for the clinic.

I got a chance to just sit down, enjoy the breeze, and talk with Reena and Kirti. We talked about marriage and divorce, past relationships and what not. These are topics that vary quite a bit between our 2 cultures.

When we got back to the clinic, we had the most amazing time! Reena, Kirti, and Dr. Parvesh have never swam before and they wanted to learn. So we all jumped into the river to teach them haha. Unfortunately there was a current... and rocks. Reena slipped and busted her lip/tooth on a rock! She's fine now but it was pretty swollen. And pretty hilarious. The girls did SO well! They were all really scared. We realized later that learning to swim in freezing water... in the rain... with a current and large rocks would really be terrifying. So I'm very proud of them.
They all kicked and screamed and splashed but oh my goodness it was hilarious! Then Rinya, our beautiful friend who works and lives at the Jibhi clinic, jumped in. She's a pretty good swimmer so no worries. The water was SO cold that it gave me a panic attack and I couldn't catch my breath. We got out and the boys got me a shirt and towel. Then we walked to the waterfall again to show the girls and Dr. Parvesh. They're NUTS
They all just jumped right in and start lathering shampoo and soap all over hahaha. It was great to watch but I couldn't stand the cold water anymore. When we took showers the 2nd day, we were screaming because the water was so cold it hurt. And they're just standing in it!

They taught us some bollywood dances... or at least they tried to teach us. And then we headed back to take showers and eat dinner. That night we all hung out upstairs, played cards, and gave American and Indian dance lessons. It was such a wonderful farewell to Jibhi.

OH and during the days we got to play with the cutest little boy!! He made me miss my little brother :( He spoke english so well. Oh my goodness he was adorable.

Friday we had class in the clinic, ate lunch, and said our goodbyes. Unfortunately we had to be back to the hotel in Manali by class time so we couldn't go to the 3rd day of the Mela :(
I cried when we had to leave.. I MISS JIBHI and it's quiet beautiful atmosphere!

Today we went white water rafting.
It was insane and everyone loved it. We were all soaking wet, 6 girls in one taxi, 5 boys in another to get there and back. The drive was like a crazy car chase out of a movie. It took over an hour one way for about 45 minutes of rafting but it was worth it.
Dealt out my doxycycline, so fingers crossed no one gets sick from the mass amounts of water being splashed into our faces.

Last night was so fantastic! Everyone had a wonderful time at karaoke and it didn't take as long as I had thought to get everyone involved. The owner was really pleased. Apparently he called Heather this morning asking if it would be appropriate to offer me a job there.
When we first showed up it was dead but by the end of the night SO many people had shown up and everyone was singing together.
A lot of Beatles songs.
I broke the ice and sang first. Tracy Chapman, give me one reason. I'll post some pictures as well.
I can't wait to go back. Especially since I never got the chance to do my Garth :)

Vegan? ... Last day at the hospital :(

I am ashamed to say that after almost a year of a strict diet, I have given in here in India. This was not by choice at first, but with the language barrier and not being able to cook meals for myself, it has become a daily issue. The cooks at the hotel prepare 3 meals a day for us which, unbeknownst to myself, have contained milk and butter.

We also caused some concern in the community when we didn't accept the drinks and food that were offered, therefore, I have given up on my principles. If the option is there to eat vegan, I will take it. BUT I will accept chai when offered.

Yesterday was our last day at the hospital unfortunately. I will probably spend some more time there independently in our last week, once we're back from Jibhi. We did rounds in the morning and then we sat in with the doctors in OPD. The others left for lunch at 1 but I decided to stay until class. 

I saw a baby that had almost blonde hair which was quite fascinating and even more so when I discovered that was a sign of malnutrition. Sooo I did a little research.

http://www.keratin.com/as/as011.shtml

I also learned how to look at an x-ray and which way to hold it. It only took about 10 x-rays before I finally remembered what the parts were called. Americans...

Around 2, Dr. Parvesh took me into what I thought was going to be a delivery. She was only dilated 6 inches, so she had a little while to go. Going back to my recognizing people entry, I had seen the woman several times before in the hospital. That was really neat. 

Well then I learned how to put on sterile gloves, which is apparently much harder than I had originally thought. I had also thought he was joking when he asked if I would like to give a pelvic exam...

Apparently that wasn't a joke because I did! And it was an amazing experience. 

Perhaps I will get my chance to see a baby born in real life versus the hundreds of videos I have had to watch for classes.
During this, the others in my group were in surgery. This one was on a young boy and I had no interest in getting upset. If I wasn't sure before, I am definitely sure now that I could never be a surgeon. His dad kept crying which was the hardest part to watch. As Allison and I frequently say, those father-child relationships hit home a little too hard. 

Speaking of, FINALLY got my phone working so now I can make/receive phone calls. I called my dad which was really nice :)

Well then I headed back to the hotel for class, had dinner, and then we all went back out to Johnson's. There was a private Israeli dance going on there but apparently it was okay for us to join, so we did. It was really fun but I got tired very quickly. I came back to the hotel and fell right to sleep.

This morning our trek with Dr. Tashi fell through so instead we all hung around, took a scenic path up to Old Manali, lounged around at Dylan's. When I decided to walk back, I was stopped about 6 times by people asking for a picture with me. I usually just say no now, which I guess one guy didn't like since he first told me I was sweet and then told me I was "strange looking"...

I suppose being strange looking is better than looking like everyone else, as I do in America.

Now I'm back at the hotel. Bored. Wanting to do something productive other than reading up on anatomy and pre-med requirements. Is that productive?

Tonight I am "hosting" karaoke at Drifters in Old Manali haha I think that means I will be the only one singing. This should be very interesting. When we went in last week, the owner told me if I agreed, he would advertise. And that he did. We saw posters hanging up at Dylan's and a few shops during the walk. 

I'm not ready to leave.
Perhaps someone will put me up for an extra month...

LWH

I thought a detailed entry of Lady Willingdon was in order so that those of you reading this can understand what goes on there and what exactly we as students are experiencing. 

First of all Lady Willingdon is a Christian based hospital located in a primarily Hindu area. In the mornings, before doing rounds in ICU, we attend devotion. Typically this is led by the head doctor and surgeon, Dr. Philip Alexander. He speaks a few inspirational words, someone may read a few verses from the bible, they sing a song in Hindi, and we have a closing prayer. Not everyone attends but many of the nurses do and whatever doctors are available to come as well. 

Throughout the hospital you’ll find biblical verses and images on the windows, walls, and doorways. It’s a very spiritual place to be, and for me at least, I find it quite calming and hopeful. When speaking with the doctors they have told me that they are doing God’s will and that he helps them in what they do and drives them to continue doing it. I really loved the picture inside of the operation theater that hangs on the door which depicts several surgeons working on a patient and Jesus stands behind them with his hand on their shoulders. 

Dr. Alexander is referred to as “Sir.” The staff and the patients admire him and his passionate work. He can be very rough at times, which to Americans is a bit intimidating to watch, but he works with such precision and confidence that he is able to do complex surgeries quickly and efficiently. It’s an amazing sight to see. 

I think there is a common misconception of the available resources, work ethic, and knowledge/skill of Indian hospitals and the staff. I must admit, I had several misconceptions before I arrived.  But these doctors do not make the money that ours do. They’re not about business and profit, they’re here for the patients and their faith. They take time out of the several hundred patients seen every day and multiple surgeries to be performed to explain to undergraduate students what they’re doing, how they are doing it, and why it needs to be done. I have learned so much about this culture, this hospital, Indian people, and myself from the staff of LWH. 

Yesterday I sat with Dr. Parvesh who, after every patient seen, stopped and explained to me what was discussed. He told me the patient’s history, let me read their records, told me what their symptoms were, and how they could be treated. We also looked at X-rays. He answered all of my questions, which I thought at times seemed so trivial. We talked for quite some time comparing the Indian school system to American school system, about why he became a doctor and the differences between the health systems here and back home. Apparently in 10th grade (age 14) you decide what field you are going to enter. Then your 11th and 12th grade years are spent preparing and testing for it. Right after 12th grade you enter medical school, if that is the direction you had chosen. Unlike America, once this decision is made, there is no changing it. The amazing realization after that conversation, was that as much as I learned from him, he may have learned something about our culture from me as well. 

I saw a women who had an induced abortion and many young boys suffering from tuberculosis complications. Through all of them he was calm and collected. And yet, he saw about 20 patients in the time that it would take me to be called out of the waiting room for an appointment at my family doctor’s office back home. 

Today we were called out of rounds to attend 3 surgeries. One on a young boy’s neck to remove a lymph node, a testicular biopsy, and a urethral blockage. Each procedure took less than 20 minutes, with 2 being performed simultaneously. These were much harder for me to watch than the major surgeries for some reason and I felt myself getting sick several times so I was in and out of the room. After the 2nd surgery, Dr. Alexander explained to us what he had done which was really wonderful since, at times, we were thinking “Oooohh my goodness WHY is he doing that?!” 

Tomorrow I’m finally meeting the dietician, who has been on leave for the past week. Hopefully she can offer some insight to my personal research. It is also our last day at the hospital. Next week we leave to go 3 hours away to Jibhi, in the middle of nowhere. Apparently it is beautiful and peaceful according to the other 2 groups so it should be fun. Just am sad to leave the hospital because I feel like I am learning so much and I really enjoy the people. Even some of the sickest ones can manage a smile when you walk through their room. 

Naggar

Sunday morning we left for Naggar which is a small village, used to be the capital of Kullu. It was a very relaxed atmosphere in comparison to Manali. It was about a 35 minute trip from the hotel but it was an amazing ride. We had to drive up the side of a mountain down a thin road which just dropped off. For most of the road there was no barrier but if you can trust the driver and admire the scenery, you can ignore that little fact..


Our driver also played some great Indian music. When we got to Naggar we walked down and saw the castle there. It was made of wood and stone and you can rent rooms and dine there. Pretty nice. Afterward we stopped at a cafe and everyone got sandwiches and shakes. It was so nice out and peaceful so we just sat a while and talked. Then we split into smaller groups and walked, just exploring the main road. There wasn't a whole lot of shops or anything but it was just a nice atmosphere.

We stayed until about 2:30 then took cabs to a waterfall. There was a small cafe at the bottom of it which was really neat to see! Aubrey and I climbed to the top of the waterfall. I put my feet in the water but that crazy kid went underneath the water. We met a family up there too who were really excited to talk to Americans. They spoke english very well, especially the young girl.

We got back, had dinner and went out to a cafe in old Manali called Drifters. We lounged around and talked, some people had dessert. And I got a job offer haha they want me to host karaoke there and they're going to pay me! So we're going back one day this week to actually DO karaoke and feel it out. Then as a whole group (when the Jibhi kids get back to Manali) we're going to all go out and do it. I'm so excited!! My favorite pastime :) 

Surgery

Today is my birthday!! And what better way to spend it than in surgery. You don't have to know me well to know that blood and I do not go together well. I still cry and expect a lollipop when I get shots.
So I told myself that in order to overcome this fear I needed to jump in and try something I had never done before and may never get the chance to do again.

After we went on rounds with the doctors through the ICU, we got into our scrubs and walked into the "operating theater". They told us originally that only 2 could go at a time and since there were an odd number in our group we were worried about how to split things up. The boys went to the first 2 surgeries this morning while the girls did rounds. They ended up letting all 3 of the girls into the room at once.

The first surgery was a hysterectomy. The patient had a large fibroid on her uterus. The scary thing about these surgeries is everyone is awake! It took a while for her to go numb but once she  did they got right to it. The worst part was the initial cut. It is a very delicate procedure, meaning... extremely long. Half way through the surgery they started another one in the next room. That one was a cholecystectomy, which is removing the gallbladder due to gallstones. They inserted a camera through the belly button and the instruments through the upper abdomen. We watched the surgery on the screen and could see them remove the stones and bile and detach it from the liver. 
By this time, they had finally got the uterus detached in the next room so I decided to stay there cause I really wanted to see what a uterus looks like! It was about the size of my fist. We could see the cervix and the severed fallopian tubes. Then they cut it open and showed us the fibroid which was huge! 
It was really fascinating to watch, although I got a bit squeamish in some parts, overall I'm proud of myself for sticking it out. They were long surgeries and the doctors let us stand SO close to the table and the students and assistants were really awesome about explaining what was going on. 


I thought it was interesting we all wore our scrubs over our regular clothes. Also everyone had to wear croc sandals haha including the surgeon! The phone was ringing and people were coming in and out which would have been too distracting for American doctors I think. But everyone here was so calm and relaxed. I was impressed. They were talking and laughing and I was wondering, is this comforting or terrifying for the patient laying awake on the bed?

Birthday Celebration!!

WELL
 Yesterday we only visited one school but we were there for quite some time. This was a much larger school than the previous ones, with children ranging from toddler to about 10 years. Unfortunately, these kids were probably the most sick of all the ones we had seen. The doctors were writing up prescriptions and referrals for several of them. Dr. Kathleen thinks that 1 may even have tuberculosis. The kids all had runny noses and many sounded very congested. They cried for the majority of the time we were there and one girl wet herself in the corner and no one addressed it. She just stood there for several minutes until I had to leave the room and step outside.

 I went out and attempted to assist the boys with getting the gps system to work. No luck there. I ended up watching some of the older kids who were showing off by doing cartwheels and backflips. I was totally impressed, couldn't hide it.

 Then Heather spoke to us some about grad and med school which was very insightful to hear. Especially since she is doing her masters in public health, which I plan to do as well.
 It was our last day in the community. I wish I had gotten a picture/video of our car rides out to the villages. 11 of us in one van. Kelly sitting on top of 4 of us in the back and 4 people stuffed in the front going over roads compiled of huge jagged rocks. No air flow in the back and the car sickness begins to hit hard. It was pretty hilarious, and horrible. But lots of bonding going on when you're forced to be that physically close.
  When we got back to the hotel, Liz (the supervisor from UMD) had arrived! We're all really excited to have her here. Liz lived in India for a while and has done some work here already. She has great stories and experiences to share and is really interested in getting to know everyone.
  We have another rotation on monday, so a group leaves for Jibhi :( we will miss them!! But my birthday is apparently tuesday so we are celebrating all weekend! Last night we hung out in the boy's room and talked, played some music, ate WAY too many cookies, and then we headed out to a lounge called Johnson's. They were playing a lot of techno music so the boys told the DJ it was my birthday and he announced it and started playing American music instead haha! So we all danced and made fun of each other cause we're all terrible, and had a wonderful time!
  When we got back we had a wonderful disney sing a long for about an hour and a half. What better way to celebrate my birthday than disney music in India?! It was kind of silly on our parts to have done this the night before our 7 hr trek :/ Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep but we all were at breakfast by 8 and left at 9 am. We trekked an INSANE mountain! It was so steep we had to take breaks every 10 minutes because no one could breathe! It was the most crazy work out my poor body has ever taken on. And the view was of course gorgeous. We hiked up to a spot that overlooked Manali which was awesome. We had dinner at Bella Vista in Old Manali which was really funny cause the seating arrangements consist of cushions and couches so we all just fell asleep! Haha

  When we came back to the hotel, everyone took showers and I brought my computer out to the tables outside. The boys surprised me with 2 vegan almond honey cakes!!! Oh my goodness I was so surprised! It was so sweet of them to do that, I can't imagine how long it took to hunt something like that down. Everyone sang happy birthday and then I made Mili sing it in Hindi! It was really exciting and the cake was so delicious! I ate 3 pieces...

 Now the girls are out shopping and the boys are taking naps. Not sure what's in store for tonight. Hopefully just sleep.. Tomorrow we are leaving around 10 for a day trip to Nagar. Dr. Kathleen recommended it to us. Only a 30 minute trip and the girls want to get Thai massages and henna on our hands! But mostly we just wanna get the heck outta Manali for a day!