The Power of Touch

Our time here in India is coming to a close and it's time to reflect on the work we've done at the hospital. When I travel with Heart Touch to other countries, it is always an amazing reminder that the language of touch is universal. Even when we reach cultural taboos that we need to be sensitive of (like not touching the top of someone's head in Cambodia, or opposite genders touching in India), once we show what we are here for, the power of touch breaks down all of the barriers.

Our last day here consisted of a mini Heart Touch Training for several doctors and nurses (this training usually takes place over a few days when it's done in the US, but we wanted to let them experience it in the time that we had). We got to watch them, as the day continued, open up to receiving touch and giving touch--even to those of the opposite gender. And at the end of the training, we were all enveloped in hugs from every single participant. This was incredibly unusual for us, since most of the doctors and nurses didn't even shake our hands during the trip (the exception to that was when a male doctor would great our male volunteer).

 Shawnee starts the Heart Touch workshop.

 I start the NICU presentation

 Apparently, I am a very animated speaker. ha!

 Shawnee demonstrates some compassionate touch techniques.

 Eyes closed, ready for some interesting touch exercises.

Hopefully they will continue to use the tools we shared with them after we leave. And we now have enough of a foundation that when Heart Touch returns, they can train the hospital staff to be the trainers, so the education will continue and massage and compassionate touch will be regular part of the education at the hospital and a regular service that the patients receive.

Some of the Heart Touch volunteers with a few of the doctors who attended our workshop.

And I suppose this makes the constant headache I've had since arriving here worth it. ;)

Spreading the Heart Touch

India. Oh, India. The land of heat, traffic, incessant honking, crazy driving, horrible smells, pushing and shoving, sitting around waiting, flashing of male genitals, head bobbing, and hostility toward white people. I will be honest: it's not my favorite place.

But luckily, being inside the AIMS hospital is like being in a different world altogether. It starts with the way we're treated by the doctors and nurses. They are all so eager to learn from us, and so incredibly kind and welcoming. Another difference is that in the hospital, we can sometimes bypass the cultural norms that make touch (especially touching someone of the opposite gender) an issue. This makes our work less constricting while we're here.

Most of the time, we just start our day with a loose idea of a schedule, which changes drastically throughout the day. We could be working in one department and then we are told that it's time to teach a class or go to another department. Since I have the most experience in the nicu, I've been able to spend most of my time with the babies, working with them and even showing some parents how to do massage with their little ones when they take them home from the hospital.

A couple of us have also spent a lot of time teaching! I wasn't really expecting to do so much of that (or any of that!) when we planned the trip, but this is India--you just go with the flow! We put together some powerpoints over the weekend and my teaching partner and I have worked together really well presenting! Again, the doctors and nurses are very receptive and eager to learn what we're teaching, which makes it easy. And as we finish one class, we step outside and are ushered off to (surprise!) teach another group. So we've had some long days of running around the hospital, working and teaching and spreading the Heart Touch message. It's absolutely exhausting, but it's amazing to think of the program we're starting here. We know that this is going to become part of the education that nurses receive here and will become just a regular part of what they do with their patients and how awesome is it to think that we are the group that is paving the way for that to happen?

India

It took 48 hours of traveling to get here (including a very long layover in Singapore), but we finally arrived safe and sound in India. We got in late Wednesday night and made our way to the AIMS hospital on Thursday. We spent the day getting a tour of the hospital (it is incredibly massive!) and meeting different doctors. Then on Friday, we went back early in the morning and spent the day working. Another volunteer and I spent the first half of our day in the nnicu. The doctors and nurses there were very excited to have us and asked us to provide training classes for the nurses so that they could carry on with our massage work when we're gone. So this weekend will be spent putting together some slideshows and lesson plans for a class next week!

After the nnicu, we had lunch and then were taken to various ICUs to work on patients there. It turns out that a lot of the departments want their nurses to learn massage so that they can provide it to the patients, which is a good thing! It will help Heart Touch become a regular part of the hospital and add to the sustainability of the project, which is definitely a goal of ours.

It's been an exhausting week just getting here and working, but it's always rewarding to be appreciated. The parents of one of the babies I worked on approached me outside of the hospital to thank me. They were so sweet and I'm looking forward to seeing their little one again.

Unfortunately we can't take any pictures at the hospital, so I can't visually share the work we're doing with anyone the way I did when we were in Cambodia!

Babies!

Well, in one week, I will be en route to India! I'm still recovering from the end of the semester, so the excitement hasn't quite hit me yet. But what I am incredibly excited about is the fact that I will get to volunteer in the NNICU while in India! It turns out that I'm the only one on the trip who has extensive (or any) experience in the nnicu, so I get to be the one who volunteers in that area. And for that, I'm very excited. I love being in the nnicu here at home and have missed it since starting school, so I will be very happy to get back there. I'm sure I'll rotate around to other areas of the hospital as well, but knowing that they are eager to have someone experienced with the babies in there makes me very happy!

Getting Closer....

So my trip to India is a little over two months away now! I have been so busy with school that I almost keep forgetting that it's coming up. Of course, I have been aware enough (thank goodness!) to get all of my vaccinations, as well as a prescription for malaria meds, some Deet lotion and other assorted things I will need for my trip.

My fundraising is currently at about 61%, which is not quite to my goal, but it's still pretty good and I am just incredibly overwhelmed by each and every donation that comes my way. I know that times are really tough for everyone right now, so it's asking a lot to even ask for a little. I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from my friends and family so far!

Touching the Untouchables

Well, we finally had our first meeting for Heart Touch International! Even though the trip is 6 months away, there is a lot of planning to do, which is why we start the meetings early. It was great to see a few of my old friends and wonderful to meet the rest of the group that will be going with us. It feels like we are going to have as wonderful of a group for this trip as we did for our Cambodia trip. And that is SO important when doing this work. You need just the right mix of seriousness and light-heartedness, along with understanding, comfort and the ability to know when to give each person either the space or the hug they need.

We also learned more about the hospital where we will be volunteering: AIMS Hospital. Amma created this hospital so that everyone in India would have access to advanced medical care, regardless of their income or place in society. As a result, the hospital is very advanced and will be VERY different from the hospitals we visited in Cambodia. But, the patients at the hospital will be very much the same: the poorest of the poor. Or, the "untouchables," as they are known. And that is completely in line with the mission of Heart Touch: Touching the Untouchables. Those who others are scared (for whatever reason) to touch and show love and compassion to, those are the ones we will step in for and touch. To show them that they are worthwhile, they are loved, and they do matter. It is always so much more than a simple touch. We will offer what we can and while it might not be advanced medical care, it is emotional care, and those two can, and should, go hand in hand.

 (At work at the hospital in Cambodia)

Amma also has an orphanage that is a bit far from the hospital. So as of now, it looks like we will be spending most of our time at the hospital and not the orphanage. This is fine with me, as I'm happy to serve wherever I can. We will also have the opportunity to do "community outreach" and go into the more remote villages with hospital staff to do our work.


And so begins the planning! I have vaccinations to get, a visa to apply for, funds to raise, and so many other things to take care of. Good thing I have six months to do it all!

Meeting Time!

I just received my schedule for the meetings we will have for our India trip. The reality of the trip is starting to kick in! I'm excited to have our first meeting and see some of my friends that I volunteered in Cambodia with, as well as meet the other people who will be going with us on this trip.

Unfortunately, along with the schedule, we received news that the cost of the trip is increasing. I am still planning on sharing a room with my friend Terry to keep our costs lower and I will just have to budget more (and hopefully get some more donations between now and December!) to make it happen. But if there's one thing my friends know about me, it's that I WILL make it happen!

For whatever reason, this is usually about the point where my excitement mixes in with some anxiety and nervousness about the trip. I will be spending my winter "break" from a rigorous academic program to travel to India and work very hard every day. I know that it will be physically and emotionally exhausting. I will miss my home and the comforts that come with it. What am I doing?! I could take the time and money spent on this trip and take a relaxing vacation instead! Or I could stay home and relax a bit while working and getting an income, since I certainly don't get paid time off in my job! But I'll push the pettiness aside and remind myself that the need of the people we are going to serve far outweighs any of this. And, as with my volunteer experiences in Cambodia, with hospice and in the NICCU: the beautiful experience that I will have during this trip will be MORE than worth any sacrifices I have to make to take the trip. There is just so much fulfillment that comes when you give of yourself.