I'm Living in a Hospital...

It's been a while, but I am currently on phase three of my time here in India; the phases, of course, going something like this: 2 months of class, 1 month of travel, and 1 month of an independent research project/internship.  In a way, it is crazy how the time has passed.  At the same time, I am feeling so incredibly homesick at this point that I cannot wait to be back little 'ole Henniker, NH.

I am spending much of my final month in a rural village south of Mysore called Sargur.

Mock my high-tech image of the town... 

I took it myself

Way down on the bottom of the image is the Vivekananda Memorial Hospital, the place I currently call home.  I will admit, it is a little strange living in a hospital - and people aren't kidding when they compare bad food to hospital food (*ahem, I mean.. it is delicious).  Nevertheless, Brie, Joseph and I have settled into the little "guest room" nook at the top of a dark and semi-sketch ramp (only at night) and have been enjoying our time here.  

My internship is developing day-by-day, but hopefully at the end of 4 weeks I will have a project to show for all the work I have done.  In short, I am creating a teaching manual (i.e. some form of curriculum guidelines) for the Viveka School of Excellence, right next door to the hospital, regarding early female reproductive health.  After doing a bit of research on my own (especially after a few lectures during the course of my school semester) I learned that a large percentage of girls drop out of school once they being menstruating.  When I inquired about this issue further, a teacher told me it is because many schools do not have the proper facilities for the girls to feel comfortable during their period.  That is, there are inadequate bathroom facilities; sometimes there is only an open field that everyone uses.  Moreover, many girls come from families that cannot afford proper sanitary napkins/pads...if they even know those exist.  Many girls use reusable cloths, and given certain religious/spiritual restrictions for a girl during her period, many girls are unable wash/dry these cloths properly (with the family wash), which causes severe infection.  Education on reproductive health (that is, puberty) is scarce, if ever mentioned, in India.  The topics are taboo, and often, girls don't know anything about their changing body until it changes.  When I learned about all this, I was astounded and really wanted to dive into the issue (even though I am a child and still giggle when someone says 'period').

So far, I have met with some of the female teachers at the school and have started the foundation for my project by conducting some interviews and creating surveys.  My aim is to gather information based on what people do know and what people do not know so that I can create a manual that will approach the issue in both a scientific but culturally sensitive manner. Although I am running into incredibly challenging situations (aka, people do not like talking about this issue... that is obvious), I am working with a doctor and several teachers at the school who seem engaged and willing to help me.  One teacher in particular has really shown an interest because she feels like it is an issue for the girls at the school.  I still have a lot to accomplish, the most challenging coming up this Thursday: actually talking with the young girls.  I am hoping for some good feedback so that I can begin designing the manual.  It is a tough undertaking (1. the nature of the topic and 2. because I have a lot to do in the remaining 3 weeks), but I am eager to leave something of value behind for the community here.  Besides, no girl should have to feel like she needs to drop out of school.  Especially for something as manageable as a monthly period.