In classic Dartmouth fashion this last blog post had to be
A flitz to the Aravind Hospital, Madurai, and Chennai indeed
Twas a sad morning having to leave the lovely Inspiration House
Many of us sporting new goods from the tailor: a pants or a blouse.
PSYCHE YOU THOUGHT THE ADVENTURE ENDED THERE???
One more stop to go! in India, the BIOL 70 crew is still here
We were chatting then playing the quiet game on a teeny ATR seventy two
Upon touchdown on the runway by Aravind vans we were scooped.
Traffic compared to Madurai showed cars not quite as stuck
Spotted someone riding on a plastic garden chair in the back of a truck
Saw a taste of home (KFC!) then cows crossing the street
Then seeing the fresh new architecture of the hospital, it couldn’t be beat.
An introduction to the esteemed Dr. Aravind, who once gave a talk of the TED
Rather than rushing to his important flight; he stayed to talk with us instead
He shared very thoughtful advice about finding our life task
And of which of the six stages of life we are in, is essential to ask.
With bellies super full and some much needed coffee and tea
The Chennai hospital tour was next on our list, sections both paid and free
The eye care system here sees up to 2500 patients a day
Eliminating needless blindness is truly the Aravind way.
We donned caps and booties to observe the operating theaters
And who knew VR headsets and surgery simulators would have so many features?
All the things have purpose here in this eye hospital
Not an inch of space wasted: different specialties available is practical.
But alas, our minds had to think about heading to the airport
Thinking about driving there, checking in, all of the sort
The Radisson hotel was a glitzy, shiny, sparkly sight to behold
Walking into the fancy bathrooms with bidets and wall switches will never get old.
A few of us decided to go for a quick dip in the pool
But a little conundrum happened: yet the whole time Jen stayed brave and cool
Our own doc and EMTs sprung into action, saving the day
All is well and we made it to the Great Kebab Factory, hooray!
After dinner we were flabbergasted to learn THAT WAS ONLY THE FIRST COURSE
At this point we were the opposite of hungry enough to eat a horse
Mirelle fought the meat sweats and Harsh got his mango ice cream
We made some new friends! Then getting a quick rest was a dream
But now, the adventure was truly coming to a close
It was time to go home, back to work, winterim; that we all know
So we packed up our bags and divided up into cars
A midnight flight meant darkness around us, the sky twinkling with stars.
Landing in Frankfurt, sadly, in the end no Christmas markets were seen
Yet all I can think about is how fulfilling an experience this had been
AEH you have shared with us much cultural and scientific knowledge
It is certain that this learning opportunity we’ll all remember beyond college.
Now this is where the saga ends, a blog full of unexpected stories
Like resilient troopers we faced every challenge thrown at us, no worries!
In the history of BIOL70, we are, quote, “best of the best”
Now to the future classes traveling to India, try and put that to the test!
Signing off, Alannah