Day 5 in India

Today was another great day in India! We are wishing it didn't have to end so soon! We had another lovely morning together, with another great breakfast (Laura got to try hot cornflakes today...what an experience!) We will take pictures of our breakfast sometime so you can see how lovely it all is. We headed to the clinic where we had another great morning of auto-refracting, screening and performing visual acuity tests. We had a poignant moment when a man brought his mother in, and hesitantly asked, "excuse me, where are you from." We told him we were from the states, after which he inquired as to why we were in Patna. When Brayden told him we were here to provide service, the man bowed and said "God bless you for your work." A special moment, as we are the ones who feel blessed to be here. We then changed into our scrubs to observe further surgeries. As you can see, even the scrubs are a little different in India, thanks Brayden for posing to demonstrate, there are two slits on each side, adding to the unique look:




















Brayden is very familiar with eye physiology and different procedures as this is his passion, but for Laura, this is all very new and so interesting. Watching the surgeries has given me a whole new understanding of just how amazing the human eye is. It's incredible to see how each small part works together perfectly, and how such tiny changes can have such huge impacts. Another testament of the wonders of our human bodies, the more I come to understand it, the more incredible it is to me and testifies of a perfect creation. We have loved seeing the surgeries, and the skill it takes. These teams are so impressive, we have now witnessed the power go out during surgery several times, and they don't miss a beat, flighlights come out, a few words are exchanged and the procedure continues. Amazing.

Today was one of Brayden's favorite food days. The Sinha's prepared river fish with a wonderful spicy sauce. Brayden couldn't help but eat and eat! Dr. Satyajit Sinha left us for a business trip with his wife Dr. Pooja Sinha after lunch today. We had the privilege of spending the rest of the evening with Dr. Grandpa (Ajit) Sinha. He invited us to a Lion's Club meeting at a private club in downtown Patna. There we were very warmly received by everyone. It was such a change to be with the Lion's Club members from those who live in the rural areas. These are men and women who are doctors and professors who are adopting a village somewhere in Bihar to provide eyecare, dental care, and sanitation. We were very fortunate to attend and also see Dr. Ajit Sinha receive a very honorable gift from the Lion's Club for the services performed by he and the A. B. Eye Institute. The meeting was held in a mix of English and Hindi so we were able to follow along here and there. As we ate, waiters came around with drinks. They were Coke products (Sprite, etc.). We liked the fizzy taste of home for a moment. Next the waiters brought around samples of chicken with spicy sauces. After the meeting was adjourned, Dr. Sinha took us to meet the president of the chapter as well as many other important government officials and doctors. They were all very respectful and interested in why we were there. We could get used to feeling so important! ha ha. Finally, a large catered dinner was provided and we had more than our fair share to eat. The picture below shows us with Dr. Ajit Sinha and the President of the Lion's Club of Patlyputra. Also below, Brayden trying to smile with a stuffed face. Sorry everyone!

Tonight we arrived home around 10:00 pm. We were welcomed to our room from a lizard who eat the mosquitoes atop our bed at night. We were also welcomed to some bad news from the airline. We were told that our original flight out of Patna on Monday at 8 pm was canceled and the only available flight was at 1:30 pm. That means we lose a whole day at the clinic. We also have to sit in New Delhi until 2:45 a.m. for our flight to Frankfort Germany. I don't think either of us have ever had to endure a layover for that long. Thanks to Brayden's mom, she was able to arrange with the travel company that all of the flights would still be ok so that we can arrive home safe (and for school on Wednesday, boo!) Goodmorning USA, goodnight India!