Five Must-Do's in India!

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Individual
WRITTEN BY: Sarah Piplica

This trip in it's entirety has been one of the best things I have ever done. I have learnt so much and, importantly, I feel like I have been able to give a lot as well. There are so many amazing experiences I will take with me. These are just five of the most memorable parts of the last month.

5. See the Taj Mahal 
You may have seen it a million times in art and popular culture, but this stunning piece of history cannot fully be appreciated until it is seen close up in all its detail.

 4. Go trekking in the Himalayas 
Perhaps one of the most physically challenging things you will do; well worth it for the spectacular views and to be able to say "I've gone trekking in the Himalayas!"

3. Camp under the stars in the Himalayas 
Everything you'd imagine it to be: keeping warm by the campfire, sing-alongs and watching the gorgeous morning sunrise over the mountains.

2. Go horse riding through the mountains in Manali 
Feels like a scene from a movie. The most amazing landscapes accompany you; a great time to relax and reflect on how lucky you are to be in India!

1. Volunteer 
By far the most rewarding experience of all is volunteering in India. You will fall in love with the beautiful and hospitable people and will leave with a great sense of having a second home in India.

Five Must-Do's in Palampur, India 2016

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Yifan Shi
Five things you "must do" according to our intrepid blogger.

1. Trying Indian food 
There is no point coming to India without having the delicious local food. Although our chef always cooks us nice food, I think trying new food on your own feels the best. (However, be careful with potential food poisoning!) I ordered a ‘masala dosa’ (an Indian crepe with black lentils and potatoes in it, served with three different kinds of curries) at a bus station on the way back from Agra. As there were no picture, nor explanation on the menu, I did not even know what I ordered until I saw it. It tastes really mild but the potatoes inside were warm and tender, and the spices in the curries were so special and yummy!

2. Bargaining at local markets 
You can always negotiate the prices with shopkeepers in many markets. I was an absolute beginner at bargaining, but after watching Teresa demonstrating a couple of times, I started to pick up some techniques. For example, always stick with one price and avoid leaving an impression that our can be persuaded to the shopkeeper. In the end, they usually compromise by saying ‘I give you special price because you are my very important customer’, which reminds me of Russell Peters imitating how Indian people do business. It was hilarious!

3. Queuing like the locals
Queues in India were insane! People do not keep their distance from you while queuing, so you may be squeezed in the middle a lot. The locals also don’t wait after you when you reach the ticket office so there is no need to be too polite! It may sounds a bit strange but it is quite fun when you do it.

4. Taj Mahal 
The Taj Mahal is the most iconic place of interest in India, and also known as the most complicated Indian-Persian architecture in the world. It still remains unknown about how this mausoleum was built. Definitely recommend a visit in the morning as the scenery was spic and also few crowd at sunrise.

5. McLeod Ganj 
McLeod Ganj is situated in upper Dharamshala, which is famous for the home of the Dalai Lama and the government of Tibet in exile. This place is so attractive to me not only for its exotic atmosphere but also for the history that I could not learn from classes when I was in China.

Palampur Teaching ... A Day In the Life!

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Yifan Shi

A typical day in the life of a teaching placement in Palampur, India.s.
 
7 am: Get up and do exercise 
In January, daylight doesn’t start until 7:30 am and it could be freezing to get up in Palampur. However, the weather could not stop my craving to watch sunrise on the rooftop. It’s breathtaking to see how sunlight hits the Himalayas in the distance.

8 am: Have breakfast
Breakfasts are served Western-style, such as wheat toasts and corn flakes. We bought some jars of Nutella in Delhi and loved having them with banana on toast. We also love the hot chai tea that keeps us warm in the morning.

9 am: Leave and walk to the childcare centre
The childcare centre I work in is around 35 minutes walking distance from our accommodation. So we usually leave early to make sure we do not get too hurried on the road.

10 am: Start working 
Normally kids come to the centre at 10. Most of them are only 1 to 3 years old, and barely understand English. We bought some slide books and colouring books in town yesterday and taught them colours and numbers through engaging them in different activities. They were too young to concentrate on learning things so we play games with them a lot in between, such as thumb wars and spies!

1 pm: Finish working
Kids go home after 1pm so after we finish, we would either walk home or take a bus to Palampur town centre to do some shopping.

Exploring India's Breathtaking Landscapes

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Individual
WRITTEN BY: Sarah Piplica

We woke up bright and early to get on the bus for Bir. There were some really beautiful sights as we drove through the windy streets closer to the mountains we had been viewing with awe all week.

When we arrived we began our trek - which was a 1.5km incline over 7km distance – very steep! It was like no trek I have ever done before. There was no rest, no flat, just incline all the way and I realised I hadn't mentally prepared myself for the ensuing aerobic exercise, or the constant burn in my thighs! Luckily, the views were incredible and worth all the effort. It was a perfect sunny day.

The mountains in the distance looked unreal, like you could easily paint their shapes different shades of blue - darker for the closer ones and lighter for the more distant ones fading into the clouds. So beautiful, competing only with the brilliant shade of blue of the sky.

On the way up our guide teased that we might see a bear. Apparently, this was unlikely – although possible. But we did see the most gorgeous white monkeys. 

When we finally made it to the top, 2 and a bit hours later, we were completely exhausted and paragliding down was going to be the most rewarding feeling as we could see just how far we had climbed.

I was keen to go first so when the first parasail had been laid out, and the strings untangled (hopefully) my pilot told me to take a running start off the cliff and continue running in mid air until he said stop. There is an awkward moment where you are running on the spot against the weight of your pilot strapped to you until the wind picks you up. My video shows me screaming as I run, although I don't quite remember it that way. And then you're running mid-air, 1200m over thousands upon thousands of trees. It is the most surreal feeling looking over this landscape of mountains. It’s unlike anything we have in Australia. The mountains look like archipelagos in a sea of clouds. Every now and then the wind picks you up and you feel weightless and like even your pilot couldn't possibly be in control. Your heart drops into your stomach. And it's freezing cold up there too.

When it was time to land, the pilot spun us around and around, he described it to me as "G-force", basically it lowers you down to the ground. You feel like you're in a washing machine. And then we were landing. I didn't bother to stand up, I wanted as smooth a landing as possible so hyperflexed my legs out in front of me at a right angle and landed as gracefully as I could on my backside with a huge smile on my face. It was an amazing experience I'd recommend to anyone.

After everyone had landed we went to a restaurant for lunch. It was only when we dug into these very delicious curries, rice and chapati that it occurred to us that it was 3pm and we'd had breakfast all of 7 hours earlier, not to mention we had done that massive trek. It was no wonder that we were calling for more of everything to the waiter. Aside from the hunger, it was the most amazing food I had in India yet and I was looking forward to coming here tomorrow. After lunch, we were driven back up the mountain to our camping site. Again, on this trip we were treated to the wonders of just how far we had climbed. In total it took one hour by car, circling up the mountain, to reach the site. Needless to say we were glad when we reached the top.

And it was breathtakingly beautiful. None of my photos could have done it justice. We reached it at sunset; we promptly put on our extra layers and made our way up to the fire for some garm garm (hot hot) chai. It was a nice little bonding experience, dinner, tunes and shielding ourselves from the cold around a camp fire.

Exploring Friendly Palampur

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Individual
WRITTEN BY: Sarah Piplica

We had a yoga session last night and a little bit of a sing along following our dinner. My favourites in particular were the 90s hits: Backstreet Boys 'As Long As You Love Me' and Britney Spears’ 'Hit Me Baby One More Time'. It didn’t feel like it was long enough before my alarm went off at 7am.

The walk to the bus stop is filled with friendly hellos from every person you see. They will make the effort to call out from the roof of their two-story dwelling or from their patio, which is often a steep drop down to the road. Little kids will ask you what your name is. I will respond 'mera naam Sarah hai' and they let out a sweet high-pitched, uninhibited giggle at my attempt to speak their language.

By 9am we arrived at the placement, today it was at Kayakalp Himalayan Research Institute for Naturopathy and Yoga. It is a very lush and expansive hospital where patients check-in to resort-like rooms for long stays to receive holistic treatments in physiotherapy, naturopathy and panchkarma. Alternative methods like these are less common in Australia, so it will be interesting to observe the treatments over the next week.

Today we were taken through the Panchkarma department. Panchkarma or Ayervedic medicine is one of the world’s most ancient healing methods and is based on the idea that disease is caused by a build up of toxins in the body. The belief is that removal of these toxins will in turn heal the patient. Sitting in the Doctor's office, listening to her describe the treatments with such passion and conviction, I realised how rare and special an opportunity it was to be learning about these treatments in the country in which they originated. Being a science student, these methods conflict with what I’ve been taught, but they are still relevant to my degree as part of being in my field is having an understanding of different cultures and their health behaviours.

We had a bit of a break and were given the opportunity to wander the grounds. We found a canteen that served a masala chai that was the sweetest most delicious thing I had ever tasted. I happily sat on the hessian bag covered concrete seats and sipped away.

It was then time for yoga. The teacher was really good, incorporating a lot of breathing cues. It felt good to stretch and move.

On the way home we walked through some markets and I was feeling brave enough to finally get some Henna tattoo done on my wrist. I didn't want it on my hands as I knew it would constantly distract me if I did. It was really hard to explain this to the non-English speaking artist though, who no matter what hand gestures I made continued to try and paint on my hand. It was an experience I was only able to laugh about it later, but the result turned out okay.

At home, not much happened in the afternoon. I will say though that I spilt a whole box of what promised to be delicious Burfi as I tried to take a photo of it. Tragic!

That night we were treated to our lovely chef Jogindar's amazing curries. We had a tiny blackout in which I was happy for the opportunity to try out the head torch given to me by Antips in the early bird registration pack! It worked a treat when I did a late laundry load and hung my clothes on the line.

Adventures in India – Learning How to Go with the Flow

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Individual
WRITTEN BY: Sarah Piplica

I arrived in Delhi today after about 36 hours travelling - including an unexpected but pleasant overnight stay in Dubai New Year’s night - for what I had hoped would be 'the trip of a lifetime' 'an eye-opening experience.'

I started the trip off grumpy. I was busy being particularly irritated at someone pushing in front of me in the line for the transfers desk at the airport when I remembered something that had come up constantly in my pre-departure prep – to be patient. People run on different clocks and to different cultural norms, and this idea can't be fully appreciated until you are travelling among people from all different walks of life. I realised that I was on the journey, one that I had waited in such anticipation for and felt so lucky to have the opportunity for, and that it was time to start enjoying it – not when I finally arrived in Delhi, or Palampur, or when I felt settled in, or any other time but right now. And enjoy it for absolutely everything that it was. Accha! my eyes were opened....



A solo adventure in Delhi

I love India. I love the Indian people. By the way, India smells fantastic. The lobby of my hotel, my room, peoples' perfume – everything is overly scented in fragrances I have never smelt before and can only describe, rather unsophisticatedly, as flowery and spicy.

I went on an adventure today. I forgot to pack two things – a phone charger and shoes – rather important things. So I thought I would settle into my hotel, get cleaned up and leave for the shops by midday.

On jumping into the taxi it was clear that the driver's English was not the best and he was unsure of where he was taking me. We set off and about an hour later, sitting in traffic I began to feel slightly panicked that maybe we weren't going to the shops 15 minutes away.

I was happy when we finally arrived, but looking up at the building – quite dilapidated, with saris and bronze articles in the windows – I was pretty sure I was not going to find an iPhone charger here.

It turns out choice of wording was critical. I was asking for "shops", but we established that I should have been asking for a "mall". I tried some of the Hindi I had been too shy to practise since being here. "I want bahut bara sundar mall". "I want a very big, beautiful mall" thinking that should be a good enough description.

Maybe he understood me, maybe he had no clue what I said, but eventually we were driving up to a huge mall comprising of 3 buildings, with brands splashed across the outside. It was such a relief. There was no parking lot, instead surrounding this multiplex of Western luxury, was slum dwellings and people selling street food. It was the strangest juxtaposition.

Taj Mahal

I was picked up from my hotel today and taken to the Delhi volunteer guesthouse where some of the other volunteers were already staying. We had breakfast together and it was lovely to get to know the people I would be sharing the next month with. They are all sweet, kind and interesting people and I felt like we all clicked straight away. Breakfast was delicious, roti with honey and some sweet masala chai.

A group off us set off for Agra at 7.30am and when we finally arrived at lunch time I was alarmed at the size of the line, but then realised with relief as we were on foreigners tickets we got to skip the lines. There must have been about 15,000 people there that day. After security we walked inside to the main entrance.

A red stone building with a large archway. Walking through that archway, I knew Shah Jahan's obsession with symmetry meant that that second arch would soon reveal the adjacent white marble palace. But not even knowing this prepared me for the awe I was struck with.

To be honest, you spend most of your time at the Taj trying to snap that perfect picture. When we finally got to the entrance we were taken through the finer points of the design by the guide. All the marble and semi-precious stones set into the walls were hand-carved. The detail is magnificent.

Placement

Palampur is amazing. I love the walk to the bus stop through the fields in front of our house and then up the long windy hill. It's something out of a movie - the tall, majestic snow-covered mountains looming over us as we walk through the town, past little corner stores and their smiling owners, and even bigger-grinning kids on their way to school in their smart, brightly-coloured uniforms.

I have just started my placement at the Karan Hospital. The doctors are really friendly, and involve us a lot in explaining what they are doing throughout their consultations. I have learnt so much from them in this short time. I really respect the work that they do in the context of having considerably fewer resources than we have in Australia.

They invite us to observe all sorts of procedures, etc. and it is really helpful to my degree as I get to observe the broader health sector in general and how this hospital fits in with that. I am able to link common ailments and aetiologies with determinants of health for the region and the country in general, and I am looking forward to health promotion week where we might be able to have our own individual impact on the community here given what we have observed.

In Palampur, Anything Is Possible!

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Flinders Speech Therapy
WRITTEN BY: Izabella Tunis-Notley

A whirl of colours and patterns, puzzling road signs (love thy neighbour, but not while driving) laughing children (screaming children too), rogue cows, scallywag monkeys, frantically learning Hindi the night before a session, multiple mild zaps from our laptop chargers and equally shocking food puns (I’ll have na’an of that, thanks dahl). Our senses continue to be bombarded from all angles, and yet it’s surprising how quickly we have adapted to life here.

Every morning the striking backdrop of the Himalayas looms above us in the distance as we dodge between ornately decorated trucks saying ‘Horn do!’ on our way to school. During these bus rides we set personal goals for the day (e.g. I will use a slower rate of speech and simplified English) and discuss any issues we might be anticipating. Of course, there are always unexpected challenges that arise, but we are quickly becoming masters of flexibility (both clinically and through the odd yoga class).

Once we arrive at school, we greet the children with multiple high fives (bring your Dettol) huge grins and repeated Namaste’s. We run two individual sessions, work in the classroom with the teachers and then hold a group session for the whole school. A highlight from Rotary school this week was the day of torrential rain, resulting in an indoor Bollywood dance party for group time. It was fantastic. There were games of musical statues, limbo and then ultimate dance freestyle, and let me tell you – these kids have moves.

We are learning so much, not only clinically but about the Indian culture too. At Harmony school there are in-depth discussions over lunch with the principals about arranged marriages, the Dalai Lama and dramatic tales of the Hindu Gods. We are learning the simultaneously fast paced yet slow motion ways of Indian time, and of course the Indian saying ‘Anything is possible, yes.’

A Whirlwind Week in Beautiful Palampur

COUNTRY: Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Flinders Speech Therapy
WRITTEN BY: Katie Cox

This week has been a bit of a whirlwind! We flew into New Delhi late Friday evening, had an overnight stay, and then made the thirteen-hour bus ride to Palampur. Indian roads are a bit interesting – no one cares much about lane markings, or which side of the road you should be on.

We had a beautiful first day in Palampur, exploring the area and taking lots of pictures of the mountains. We were jolted out of our lovely relaxation by the start of placement on Monday, which was a very new experience. We are spread between two schools for children with disabilities, with 6 speech pathology students at each.

The Rotary school has around forty-five school students. The first day was fairly intense – we picked an item out of the resource room and went to meet and assess our clients for the first time, running a session without knowing anything about them. We all coped though, and after the stressful first day we got into a bit more of a routine at our school.

The language barrier is difficult, but we’ve become very creative with gestures, writing and rephrasing. We’ve done our best to learn some Hindi, which has caused a lot of amusement on the part of the school’s staff and students, who take great delight in correcting our numerous mistakes.

One of the best parts of each day is group-time before lunch where all of the children come together and we run some activities. They are very energetic, very loud and very fun! They have definitely been the highlight so far. We’re looking forward to the rest of the placement!

5 must do's In Palampur

COUNTRY: Peru
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Healthcare
WRITTEN BY: Shannon Hickey

Top 5 ‘must-dos’ when volunteering in Palampur


- A long weekend trip to Manali – Have dinner at Johnsons and spend a day at Solang Valley. Don’t pass up the horse ride to the temple; for 500 rupees it’ll be a definite highlight of the entire trip.

- Buy a big box of mixed sweets at Gobind Sweets – The Gulab Jamun and Coconut Burfi were crowd favourites. While you’re there grab a few samosas as well!

- Market shopping at Dharamsala – The scarves are particularly beautiful but don’t forget to barter! A walk to the waterfall while you’re there is well worth the effort for the magnificent photo opportunities.

- Hang out on the rooftop of the volunteer house – When the sky is clear grab a yoga mat and your camera to practice your downward dog with a Himalayan backdrop.

- Embrace everything as a learning experience – It’s really easy to get stressed by how different life is in Palampur to Australia and many of us found our expectations quite different to the reality. The most essential ‘must-do’ of all while you are here is to leave your expectations at home and enjoy India for everything that it is, rather than becoming fixated on what you had thought it would be.

Temples, Take-Away and The 'Things We Take for Granted' List

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Physiotherapy, University of South Australia
WRITTEN BY: Suzannah Michell

Week three in Palampur started with a bang! Our weekend was spent in Amritsar where we were lucky enough to visit the Pakistan border and the Golden Temple. Fun fact: the Golden Temple has more visitors annually than the Taj Mahal!

Whilst our trip to the Golden Temple was vastly different to our experience at the Taj, there seemed to be some common themes: it was hot. Like, really hot. 45+ degrees hot. We planned the day to visit the border and the changing of the guards in the afternoon, and then see the temple on Saturday night to cope a little better with the sauna-like conditions. Our little bus spluttered it's way triumphantly the 5 hours to Amritsar and then the further 2 to the border between India and Pakistan WITH air-conditioning (for most of the time).

The border first: this bewildered author had no clue of Pakistan and India's long term and ongoing wars, violence and feuds prior to the spectacle that occurred at changing of the guards. Imagine two soccer games going on side by side - cheering and all - separated by two metal gates. But the soccer players specialize only in high kicks and yelling. And they're wearing peacock-esque hats and military uniforms, sometimes holding guns. Yeah, well that happened for a good hour. Pakistan and India performed similar displays of gymnastics, strongman posing, screaming and marching whilst separated by the border's elaborate gates. All the while, the extremely large crowds gathered on either side of the border cheered and yelled and danced to the music of their country, trying to outdo each other.

The closing ceremony featured the opening of the gates and quick synchronized lowering of the flags. The finale: a really high, high kick and a scream. Really, I'm not lying - it was strange. Bobby, one of the main organizers here, said that the kicking was to show the opposing side the sole of their shoe as a sign of strength. Whilst Julie mused that it really seemed like a show of good faith to each other to keep the peace. One thing is for sure, it was kind of fantastic, and the vibe was electric and intriguing. If that wasn't enough to round out our trip to the border, we were also patted down and searched 4 times on entry to the event, and it was by far the most number of photos we've been asked for. We were even asked to hold people's babies.

Note: 45 degrees + large crowd + 7 hours by bus + multiple photos with people's children and families = slightly disgruntled travellers. Enough said.

So the Golden Temple next: so nice we visited here twice! Once by night, and then again in full sun. Holy moly batman, that's a nice temple. You have to remove your shoes and place them in lockers on entry then walk through water to cleanse your feet, but the shoelessness was worth it. (Thanks Julie for teaching us all about parasites that can enter your feet by burrowing through your skin that live in water). At night it was like this shining beacon surrounded by water hovering in the darkness. By day it was an immense feature of light surrounded by the vivid colours of India. The first night we stumbled into the temple we may or may not have exited out of a different gate than the one we entered. After some shoeless strolls through the overpopulated city, our shoes were recovered! Whilst dirty, we were thankful that night of India's obsession with burning all roadside rubbish and the lack of glass or suspect liquids in our path.

One more important note from our weekend trip: if you thought we fought over chicken bones, you should've seen the lengths we went to acquiring McDonalds and KFC. The latter was more difficult due to Amritsar's, the holy city’s, pure vegetarianism. But after some crafty Google searches and an excessively long tuk-tuk ride we all had some Kentucky fried solid food to consume. McDonalds was actually located very close to our hotel though! And McPaneer ain't so bad! The McFlurry was arguably better though. Ice cream solves all problems in 45 degrees, let's be honest.

My goodness and that was only the weekend!

This week we started at new placements - rotating around to gain a better spread of experience. Everyday we arrive back at the house for lunch after placement and share stories of confusion or success from our days, revel in the contrasts of Indian physiotherapy, or boast about what delicious treats we were offered on home visits.

In general we decided this week was a bit of a "things we take for granted week" though. So here's the short list:
- Running drinking water
- Air conditioning
- Electricity
- Medicare and private health insurance
- Opening your mouth in the shower
- Fresh and safe meat and poultry
- The ability to safely cool and store meat...
- Currency with less 0's
- Relative social equality between men and women
- Automated washing machines
- Long-handled brooms
- Solid foods
- Australian Heath literacy
- Knives
- Napisan oxidation plus
- Less hand sanitation requirements
- Access to basic groceries
- Beer
- Road rules
- Less need to give way to livestock
- Indicators
- Quiet streets
- Animal welfare league and the RSPCA
- Beaches
- Alan keys (you can't fix a wheelchair without one!)
- Blending in
- Understanding conversation
- Rabies shots

A special thank you to Bobby's dad who also hosted a private tour of his tea plantation this week! His resemblance to the monopoly man was uncanny, and his touring skills were unparalleled!

Golden quotes for the week:

"Things like this just wouldn't happen if I had a knife and fork!" Luke

"Laurence, you should put henna on your face. It will come off straight away" Leah

"I've given up! I'm boycotting pants!" Alex

"I'll bring my Alan key tomorrow!" Undisclosed

"If you can dodge traffic, you can dodge a ball" Laurence

"That's 133 beeps! In only 3kms. A new record." Tobi

This weekend we're going for a 9km 'moderate' walk through the foothills of the Himalayas. I'm forecasting it as a bad episode of survivor... "12 people begin the journey and only the strongest will survive..."

Suzannah, on behalf of Tobi, Luke, Leah, Viv, Maddie, Tina, Alex, Laurence, Teagan, Nadia and Julie

Cricket, Curry and Clinics - Week 2 for Physios in Palampur

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Physiotherapy, University of South Australia
WRITTEN BY: Suzannah Michell

Another week in Palampur has flown by, and I'm sure all the parents will be relieved to know that we mean that figuratively. Paragliding was a no go! Fun fact: apparently the Indian government have banned tandem paragliding! And since none of us had the courage to jump off a cliff alone, we ventured to the markets for the weekend. And boy, oh, boy do we stand out at the markets! To keep it short, we've had a dramatic effect on the Palampur economy - flooding it with Australian money in exchange for scarves, hats, tailored clothes and exotic sweets. And chocolate.

Our lunches and dinners here always come with rice, chapati (flat bread), sliced cucumber, red onion, tomato and a lentil dish. In addition there is usually another delicious vegetarian dish and once a week it's chicken! Bones, liver and all! You've never seen students fight over chicken bones like this before. And despite our cook's amazing, authentic and delicious meals, we just can't bear to give up the dairy milk chocolate stash in the fridge; in fact, it is constantly replenished! What a trap 40c Cadbury chocolate can be.

On the weekends we aren't provided with lunch, so we found Palampur's best restaurant. Rookie error on the first visit: just because the curry is cheap does not mean you need one each. On our second visit our table looked less like a medieval-Indian feast with one curry between two instead.

But fear less mum, we aren't too fat just yet. There's really no snacking outside of the three meals and we've been doing regular exercise this week too! Shock, horror. Our once a week yoga sessions have progressed well. This week we sat cross eyed, poked out our tongues and roared in unison. True story. Edit: we laughed in unison... Mothers Meeting United may as well be sponsoring our 6:15am walks through the hills too. No brave boys have joined the girls for their chats and hour-long walks, but we'll let you know how the next week continues. Many thanks to Bobby, one of the group organisers, who showed us the walk route. Although Suzannah in particular thought she might be dying on the first loop as they walked over a bridge without railing along the train tracks 20m high above a meandering stream. Unsure of when the train would actually be coming...

Placement has had its ups and downs, but distinctively more ups than downs! And all downs have been resolved diplomatically and promptly. Furthermore, a few students have begun at the school for disabled children in the area. It has been best described as chaotic, full of energy and a lot of fun. Nadia, Luke and Tina have each been assigned a child to set goals for and work towards them, such as catching a ball in two hands or counting to 10.

Alex and Tobi finished at Amit's private physiotherapy clinic, with an extensive knowledge of EPAs and Indian physiotherapy.

Leah and Viv at a local physiotherapy clinic started doing home visits this week too and had a great time applying their physiotherapy skills in a more rehab-environment. Although their favourite part was probably the pasta that one family cooked, served and made them eat on one visit in particular.

Suzannah, Teagan and Maddie have all had a lot of success with their paraplegic patients on home visits. Laurence played tag team and helped the girls this week in prep for handover. He chose a good week to do so too! Friday was their last day with the patients and their families before handing over to the other students on Monday. There were a lot of family photos taken and tea given that day! Our kitchen might as well be a tea factory with the three large plastic bags of tealeaves next to our kettle!

For a comparison, we visited the Palampur tea factory this weekend. Wow, that was a good Segway! It's like I planned it or something?! Crazy. Shout out to our Indian homeboy, Viv, who can speak enough Hindi to not only organise the tour on a Sunday, but also translate the entire tea drying and fermenting process! (We think?)

Other highlights include consistent cricket matches with the local Indian boys in the field next to our house, catching dragonflies in the kitchen and doing the dishes feat. Kanye West and, naturally, dance competitions next to the sink.

One challenge we struggled to overcome this week was the consistent inconsistency of power and Internet available. We'll probably never forget trying to access Uni emails like this... It was a solid hour out of our lives, after all. Nor the Tute sessions we had by headtorch. Not only did we take in a great deal about clinical reasoning, but some bugs were also ingested when they flew dangerously close to our illuminated faces.

However, with power we have been able to do physiotherapy tutes we wouldn't have otherwise been able to do. Such as Julie's headache tute at 9pm on Tuesday when Tobi asked her about headaches referring from his neck.

In all, we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves, even when slightly out of our comfort zones! We've had a few gastro issues, but everyone is fit, healthy and happy on the closing of week 2!

This weekend we have planned to visit the Golden Temple and the Pakistan boarder! So back into the bus we go for a "6 hour" journey. Will keep you posted on that one!

Suzannah, on behalf of Tobi, Laurence, Teagan, Maddie, Alex, Luke, Leah, Tina, Nadia, Viv and Julie.

Sweat, Tears And Physio Placements in Palampur, India.

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Physiotherapy, University of South Australia
WRITTEN BY: Suzannah Michell

The first week in India has come and gone already! Like the heat in Delhi, we just can't believe it. With 11 students and 1 professor, Julie, on our trip and several hours in a plane and car, we finally reached the halfway-student house in Delhi at 9pm to rest and recuperate.

On the second day, we stumbled into the 44 degrees and tried to scrape our jaws off the ground at the Taj Mahal's Royal Gate entrance. There were tears, there was sweat. There was a lot of sweat. Okay, the tears may have been sweat, we're not really sure. What we are sure of is this - the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Period.



We then embarked on our "8 hour" bus trip from Delhi to Palampur. And by 8 hours, we really mean 13. Which was both a beautiful painting of India's vast and contrasting scenery and a terrifying, thrilling submersion into Indian culture.

It must be noted, just like a horror film, it was the pretty blonde who was most willing to try new things who was struck down first. By food poisoning. But what a comeback she had! And we were back on the road! Until we got a flat tyre.

Things we learnt in India this week:

- Road rules are more of a guide and an actual rule in India.
- The car horn can also double as an indicator. Or to tell someone you're coming around a blind corner. Or to say “hello”. Or “goodbye”. Or “I'm passing you”. Or "Stop, I'm cutting you off". Or "Get out of my way". Or "I'm braking now".
- One hour can mean one hour in Indian time. But sometimes it means an hour and a half. Or two hours!
- The food may look the same as yesterday, but may taste drastically different. But it's always devastatingly delicious and you'll want to lick your plate.
- Cricket transcends all languages. But Viv finds talking to local Indian children in an Indian accent a necessity of communication.
- Do not stand near Tobi when he bats
- You will need to buy the local Indian children a new ball if you hit it over the river.
- "Internet" doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to access the World Wide Web. Although, if standing on one leg and facing due east, there is a sweet spot on the roof for 2G data downloads.
- Just because the currency is in thousands, doesn't mean you are spending very much.
- A 4 person badminton kit can be acquired for $4 AUD at the Palampur market.
- Anything can be acquired at the Palampur market.
- The roof isn't necessarily the best place to play badminton. But it has the best views and you're out if you hit too close to the edge. And you're definitely out if you fall off the edge...
- When playing badminton, innuendo and puns are a must.
- Common toilet etiquette is that you do not flush the toilet paper down the toilet.
- Palampur will always have a more beautiful view than you do. They have the Himalayas. You just can't compete! Sorry.
- Tobi hates geese.
- If you're blonde, you're a celebrity. People will want photos with you and their children and their cousins and their distant relatives too. Brunettes just don't cut it.
- Rooftop yoga is the best, regardless of hamstring length.
- Livestock can live on a farm, but it's much more likely that they will sleep on the road.

Golden quotes for the week:
- "I'm not blonde enough, though!" Nadia
- "I'm at a point where I just can't trust my farts, you know?" Tobi

But, okay, placement!

As a group of 11 we are split across 4 different placement sites - physiotherapy hospitals and clinics, and home visits.

Physiotherapy in India is very different from both Australian physiotherapy and what we expected. They use a lot of electrical therapy tools, such as ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, short and long wave diathermy. Parents: Google them. And they use much less conservative prescriptions of the electrical stimulation (e-stimm) than we would. There have been studies about the therapeutic effect of e-stimm, and they all point to "more is better" but in Australia, we shy away from using such parameters because of the increased risk of injury with them. It has been very interesting to see the way they use these machines.

In this first week of clinic we've done a lot observation. We've tried to gauge our patients' health literacy, conditions and treatment so far through Pictionary and stunted English-Hindi. Or else had Physios translate for us. Or if we were especially lucky, we had patients who spoke full English.

The patients are warm and welcoming - there have been offers to stay at their houses, eat their food and constant offers of (crazy-delicious) tea on home visits. I believe one student has already been proposed to!

The home visits are to 3 paraplegic men in the nearby towns who couldn't otherwise afford regular Physio at home. They all live in beautiful parts of Palampur. At first, they found our Physio-rehab strange and unfamiliar. However they have, thus far, been incredibly enthusiastic, willing to engage and to try things in a different way.

The other clinics are roughly the same, and are as the description above. Some extra details though:
- One centre is a naturopathy-yoga-hospital-Physio clinic, which is highly esteemed in the area.
- One of the physiotherapy clinics is owned by one of the main organizers of our trip, Amit who is one of the most highly revered Physios in the state.
- The physiotherapy hospital has a much more neurological-rehab focus than the others, but deals with musculoskeletal conditions as well.

This weekend we plan to visit tea plantations and jump off cliffs. That is, we are going paragliding!

From the group: sorry about any lack of communication, our Internet and phone coverage has been in and out. We all received Indian SIMs the other day and hope to be in touch with families more regularly in the coming days!

5 things I learnt in Palampur

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Mixed Health
WRITTEN BY: Georgia Stuart

After arriving in Delhi, we settled into the guest house before all having dinner at a local restaurant. Our chance to get to know one another and also see how much food we could eat before we couldn't fit any more in. The next morning we left early for the drive to Palampur.

The drive was long, taking us through town after town, with the last bit almost like a roller coaster, twisting and turning through the mountains. Arriving late, we had dinner and a chat before early bed. It didn't take us long to find out why we were told to bring thermals.

Monday started by experiencing one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen. Snowy mountains that look like a poster and not reality. Our first day in Palampur involved orientation and a quick guide to town and the buses. Fruit shopping done, we all decided to walk the way home instead of the bus. Once again reminding us of the beautiful place we now are staying in.

Placements began early on Tuesday. It was a bit of a shock for the students at the hospital to get used to speed of the doctors and the way the hospital ran. The time spent in the internal clinic has been a wonderful experience for the students placed there, working next to a wonderful, caring doctor. At the clinic, we were introduced to a different approach to healing and care, learning the varying treatments of Panchkarma and Naturopathy.

So at the end of this week what things have I learned?

1. Thermals are an invaluable resource
Palampur gets cold... very cold. Nighttime routines now involve an interesting dressing routine of thermals, pyjamas, socks, jumpers, sleeping bags, sleeping bag liners, two blankets and a quilt! Surprisingly the days are sunny and warm.

2. The pictures you see in travel guides are actually real
We have been here nearly a week and I still get goosebumps every time I look up. The gorgeous mountains sit behind our house and can be seen from the markets and our placements. Nothing can quite describe their sheer presence and beauty. Our balcony has become a great place to hang out and stare open mouthed at the view.

3. The locals are extremely friendly
Even though a lot do not speak much English, I have received kindness and smiles from everyone I meet. Whether it be help catching a bus, buying fruit or smiling to us on the bus, every interaction with the locals is pleasant.

4. Indian food is delicious
While a local Indian take-away in Australia may seem good, it is nothing compared to the taste of the local food here. Our meals mainly consist of rice, chapati, daal and vegetables. Leftovers have become a thing of the past.

5. Always go up the weird path by your house
One afternoon, we all went for a walk up by our house and had the most wonderful time. It took us through tea plantations and amongst houses where the people all waved and said hello.

A day in the life of a volunteer in Palampur

COUNTRY: India, Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Physiotherapy
WRITTEN BY: Sally Laughton

6:00- Wake up to the birds chirping in the fields outside your room. Curse the birds for waking you up before dawn but, considering you’re awake so early, pile on jumpers and socks and trudge up to the rooftop to enjoy sunrise.

6:15- Find Owen and Sally G already on the rooftop in yoga poses that that look excruciatingly beautiful. Attempt to join in. Fail to even touch toes so sit cross-legged and watch the sunrise. Watch as hidden mountains are slowly lit up and sparkle in the morning light. For a brief moment you even forget its 5 degrees outside. But then you remember and quickly run inside for some hot chai tea and toast.

9:00- The mini bus arrives to pick everyone up, say goodbye to the smiling kitchen staff and snake down the hill in our rickety van. First stop: Ayurveda clinic with its enormous white walls and pristine gardens. Second stop: Goenka hospital in Palampur town, sitting amongst black tarpaulin tents and piles of debris. Third stop: Karan hospital perched on the edge of a hillside and bathed in sun, women chatting in the waiting room as you pass by. The first patient wanders in and the day begins!

12:30- Chai tea break brewed expertly by Monica the secretary. Chat about the morning and plans to go to the market in the afternoon. Seize opportunity to practice Hindi with Monica who giggles at your poor attempt at pronunciation. Scribble new phrases in notebook for practice later.

1:30- Bus comes to pick everyone up one by one. Discuss today's experience whilst keeping an eye on the winding road to fend off travel sickness. Arrive home just in time and completely forget sickness when you walk in the door to the smell of Paneer curry and fresh roti. Devour lunch.

2:00- Head to the market for supplies. Begin with a set plan and shopping list. Get distracted by sari shop and food stalls selling spiced cauliflower chips. Slink down narrow alleyways lined with knick-knack shops that spill out into the fruit and vegetable markets. Realise you really need/want fruit. Buy the entire fruit sellers stock of pomegranates and chiccko. Find other volunteers dragging bags filled with fruit and groceries and Angus, whose entire shopping consisted of Rasbhani traditional Indian sweets.

5:00- Head to the chaotic local bus depot and realise no one can read Hindi. Search around for buses returning to Kandibari and clamber on a noisy green one that’s ready to leave. Get greeted by the amused faces of the ticket inspector who looks very pleased we are supporting the public transport initiative. Thank the universe that we got on the first stop as the bus is inundated with locals returning home from the markets. Realise you can actually fit 40 people on a 20 person bus if you really try. Cheer like crazy when we finally reach our stop and thank the bus driver and ticker inspector profusely for getting us all home safe without a word of English.

7:30- Snuggle in to the loungeroom for dinner and remind ourselves how crazy it is to live and work in India.

Reaching out to the Palampur community

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Health Education
WRITTEN BY: Helen Huang

Our final weekend expedition was a three-day trip to Manali. Once we were there, most of us dished out our hard earned rupees to buy clothes, bags and jewellery. Some of us also got braids and henna as momentos of our trip, and will be sporting them upon arrival at the airport. It was also good to get a taste of some meat and some Western food.

It was an amazingly scenic trip - we rode in Gondolas through the forest and the mountains and were in amongst the clouds! Some of us also went zorbing, which was definitely a frightening experience, indicated by the audible screams from the bottom of the hill.

Instead of placement this week, it was health promotion. Armed with soap, toothbrushes, iron and calcium tablets, as well as first aid kits, we travelled to tea plantations and childcare centres to educate young children and their parents about the importance of healthy practices. We rewarded the kids for their eagerness with stickers and small koala toys, for which we were mobbed! For the adults, we conducted general health checks, looking at waist circumference, body mass index and blood pressure. It was amazing to see how keen these communities were to learn from us, and also how happy they were, despite their struggles in life.

We hope that for many of these poverty-stricken and education-lacking communities, we have been able to make a difference. Even though our contribution has been small in the grand scheme of things, it has definitely been mutually beneficial. If we can teach these young children the basic skills that can improve their health, then hopefully they will be able to experience more opportunities in life. We have been able to use our knowledge and skills from university and from the Antips trip in real life practice, which is very rewarding. On a personal level, such interactions have really made us appreciate how lucky we are to have so much, and they will spur us on in our professions so that we can touch more lives in the future.

Thank you Antips! And India, it has been a pleasure! :-)

An action-packed week for UniBreak volunteers in India

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Health Placement
WRITTEN BY: Helen Huang

We had another great week here in Palampur, participating in our first proper Indian yoga lesson on Thursday! It was definitely different (and probably more authentic) than anything we'd ever done before. While some of us seemed like professionals, the rest of us struggled - yoga is meant to be relaxing isn't it? Yet some of us were left out of breath, with muscle pains and headaches. Hopefully we'll fare better next lesson.

Our weekend challenge was trekking in Triund. The climb was 9km in distance and 2.8km in altitude- Bear Grylls style. On the way up we were all glistening with sweat, yet it was also cold when the sweat evaporated into the mountain air. Soon it began to rain, to the point where we didn't know whether we were covered in rain or sweat. The route was treacherous, with rocks and trees everywhere, as well as numerous cow and donkey paths that needed to be dodged. Fingers crossed we lost some weight. Yet again, the group was split into two halves: those who are excellent trekkers, and those who are not. During the struggle we managed to make friends with the volunteers from the mysterious other house.

Despite the strain, it was totally worth it as the summit was beautiful. We were greeted by friendly cows and horses, which also acted as efficient alarm clocks the next morning. We then hit up Mcloudganj, where we visited the Dalai Lama's temple. Even though it was supposed to be his birthday, we were too slow getting down the mountain, meaning that by the time we got there the celebrations were over!

We didn't have any time for recovery, as we (and our sore legs) were back at placements again the next day. This week some of us began observing surgeries. It was mostly just gallbladder removals, but there was an amputation of an arm and a toe, which caused a girl to faint. Blood is too gory for some.

During the week we also managed to have dinner with our Spanish friends that we made on the trek. It was wonderful as we were treated with meat (a rarity in our vegetarian house) and dessert. The cherry on the top was when the bill was paid for by our In-Country Partner!

Week 2 of our Palampur program has been as hectic as the first, with little time for rest! This weekend we'll be catching the border ceremony in Amritsa, amidst the projected 45 degree heat. Wish us luck!

Our Indian journey begins in Delhi

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Helen Huang

The adventure started off with a day tour to the Taj Mahal. We blissfully sat in the car, thinking that the drive would be around half an hour. But then our tour guide informed us it would be a 2-3 hour drive - we were in pain. 5 hours later, we arrived. First to Agra Fort, where we saw beautiful Mughal architecture in white marble and red sandstone. The heat in India was a whole different level, who knew the human body could produce so much sweat? We had new experiences with bum sweat and some of us struggled big time!

But it was definitely worth it, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal, was amazingly beautiful. We drew crowds with our creative photo posing, and spent copious amounts of time taking selfies with the Taj, much to the exasperation of our heat-exhausted tour guide Subahash, as well as the other tourists, who were desperate to use the space too.

Rest is for the weak, as the next day, we were up at 5:30am to get ready for a 12 hour car ride to Palampur. Driving around India, the cultural shock was real - people balancing bags of rice and bricks on their head, cows and monkeys everywhere, and crazy driving with no road rules! By the time we arrived at Bobby's house, the group was exhausted from sitting on our butts for half the day. But true to all the rumours, the three storey blue house was beautiful, and with Western toilets and hot water.

Over the next couple of days, we familiarised ourselves with the public transport, the layout of the time and the market, and in no time, we were strutting around Palampur as if we were locals.

Our placements have also been great. With some of us at Bobby's dental clinical, Karan hospital and others at Kalyan clinic, we've been on our toes the entire time, being quizzed on our knowledge and asked to apply it in clinical settings. It has definitely been a bit of a shock, with cases and illnesses that are rare in Australia, as well as the medical culture and practices that are completely foreign. The Indian healthcare system is burdened with many of the same problems as our own, but also many different ones. Even though as health students, we hear about them in Australia, it is definitely something different seeing them with our own eyes.

Overall, the experience has been great. For some of us, using a squat toilet for the first time was struggle town. For others, it was the smell that was the most challenging!

But probably the most enjoyable aspect of Indian culture is the food: paneer, potatoes, naan, masala tea and limca everyday.

Even though we've only been here for a couple of days, the friendly locals have helped us out so much, as have Bobby and Amit our In-Country Partners. The camaraderie between all of the girls has also been wonderful, and there will definitely be many more adventures and memories to come over the rest of the trip.

India-Pakistan Border Ceremony appears much like a sporting match

COUNTRY: India, Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Health
WRITTEN BY: Hayley Hall

Colourful turbans greeted us in masses as we entered the state of
Punjab. Amritsar was a six hour drive from Palampur that reminded us
of a smaller, more disorganised and harsher version of Delhi’s chaos.
Amritsar seemed to be the wedding capital, as barren landscapes seemed
dotted with tented palaces. Shortly after arriving we raced to the
Border Ceremony where everyday Pakistan and India put on a show to
close off their border gates. I think the best way to try to visualise
the ceremony is to imagine a grand final sporting match. We arrived at
the gates and were painted with the Indian flag and ushered to take a
seat in a stadium like arena. The Indian guards were dressed in
elaborate costumes wearing red and gold suits with curled moustaches
and fanning gold haired headdresses. Women took the stage and danced
energetically to Jai Ho while the men tried to kick themselves in the
face to show the Pakistani guards the soles of their shoes. It was a
hilarious, entertaining and exhilarating experience for everyone
involved.Colourful turbans greeted us in masses as we entered the state of
Punjab. Amritsar was a six hour drive from Palampur that reminded us
of a smaller, more disorganised and harsher version of Delhi’s chaos.
Amritsar seemed to be the wedding capital, as barren landscapes seemed
dotted with tented palaces. Shortly after arriving we raced to the
Border Ceremony where everyday Pakistan and India put on a show to
close off their border gates. I think the best way to try to visualise
the ceremony is to imagine a grand final sporting match. We arrived at
the gates and were painted with the Indian flag and ushered to take a
seat in a stadium like arena. The Indian guards were dressed in
elaborate costumes wearing red and gold suits with curled moustaches
and fanning gold haired headdresses. Women took the stage and danced
energetically to Jai Ho while the men tried to kick themselves in the
face to show the Pakistani guards the soles of their shoes. It was a
hilarious, entertaining and exhilarating experience for everyone
involved.

After the ceremony we went to see the magnificent Golden Temple. The
Golden Temple was a Sikh temple which glowed under the moonlight from
the 750kg of gold it was plated in. Upon entry we had to wash our hand
in feet in baths and cover our hair with scarves. Hoards of people
lined up in prayer to enter the temple where inside a live band was
singing their songs of worship. Piles of money were thrown into the
centre of the temple which covered the cost of food and shelter for
the homeless and pilgrims. The Sikh temple was open to any religion
having the belief that providing food, water and shelter gave people
the opportunity to shift their focus to something greater. The rest of
the weekend was spent exploring the markets and spending some quality
time in the hotel’s James Bond Bar. Jake found a Dominos and a bought
out a shop of chocolate so “Mr West’s” weekend was made.


When returning to Palampur we finished our last week of placement.
Leanne, Todd, Jake, Damon and myself continued to work at the Rotary
School, filling the week with craft, dance and tutoring which the kids
seemed to really enjoy. Alice had a week off work at the hospital as
Dr Karan and Dr Veena had to travel, so she joined Mo at Kayakalp to
see the power of Natural Therapy. Mo experienced an Indian wedding on
her last day of placement which was an intimate, exciting experience
being welcomed into a small family home and given copious amounts of
food. Dylan continued his 9-5 Physio practice with Amit. One night his
dedication to the job came back to splash him in the face, quite
literally. Whilst being sick Dylan still went into the clinic in the
pouring rain even though he was told not to go by everyone. On his way
home at around 6 o’clock the weather at this stage was torrential, the
bus windows had fogged up and was at full capacity being about 30
people over the limit. When Dylan finally managed to peer through a
hole that he had made through the fog, he realised he was about 5km
past home. He waited a few moments for a bus to return home, but was
left with no choice. He began the long, freezing, wet run home. About
half an hour later a soggy Dylan emerged looking very Grug-like and on
the verge of hypothermia, or as Amit put it “one step closer to
becoming a man”.

This weekend brings forth the famous Manali weekend which we are all
very excited about. We will let you know how skiing/snowboarding in
India is, don’t think any of us expected to be able to say that this
trip.

In Tents. In Winter. On the Himalayas.

COUNTRY: India, Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Health
WRITTEN BY: Hayley Hall

When the windy, worn-out roads suddenly become entangled with Tibetan
prayer flags you know you have reached the Himalayas.

Pine trees lined
the mountains as colourful paint-stripped houses hid poorly amongst 
the green shrubs. The weather had finally cleared and we were able to 
fill our weekend with an overnight trek. We started walking from Bir
, which was about an hour and a half drive from Palampur. The walk up to
 Billing took about 4 hours and the terrain ranged from grassland, to
 jagged rocks, to snow. Luckily we had guides as it would have taken us
about 12 hours to get there without one. Walking tracks are another
thing that do not seem to exist in India.

 Billing was possibly the coldest place we had all ever experienced. As 
soon as we had cooled down from the walk up it wasn’t long until we
all had about six layers of clothing on, and that was only at 2pm! We
 explored the snow areas for the rest of the afternoon and collected
 firewood for the night’s only source of warmth. After all, we were 
going camping on the Himalayas. In tents. In Winter. On the Himalayas.
We knew we were in for a cold night of sleep (Cold being about -8
degrees). After witnessing the most spectacular sunset, Amit and Bobby
 had joined us for the night, blasting Western and Hindi music from
their car and dancing and chatting until the early hours. In the
morning we were again greeted with perfect weather, ideal for 
paragliding down the mountain. Most people took the plunge and went 
flying over the Himalayas for about 20 minutes, about 2.5 kms above
sea level. Even looking over the mountains’ edge made my toes curl.

Soon enough we were back at weekly placements. Dylan started working 
alongside Amit at the Physiotherapy Clinic in Karan Hospital,
 practicing ultrasound techniques and learning the uses of various
other machines. The students at the hospital got to sit in on some
 surgeries and see Gall Bladders removed which they were very excited
 about. Mo continued her work at Kayakalp with Naturopathy, continuing 
to be exposed to a whole new application of natural therapies
including meditation and accupressure. Damon, Todd, Leanne, Jake and
myself later began our first few days working at the Rotary Disability
 School for mentally challenged children. All children there had 
intellectual disabilities as we were very surprised by their strong
physical capability. Thank goodness the boys had packed some footballs 
with them - playtime was definitely their strong suite.  We had all
been assigned a child to assist with for the next coming week, but
numbers for the school had been low due to past holidays and the cold. 
However, we are looking forward to next week and the increasing number
of students so we can begin running some therapeutic craft activities
and can put some of Leanne’s OT skills into practice.



We also learnt that New Year’s Day was celebrated on the 14th of
 January in India, as we were given a public holiday off placement half
way through the week. So we decided to make a day trip to Dharamasala 
and Macleod Ganj. The girls went into a shopping frenzy merely driving
 through the markets. Even for a public holiday there were many 
treasures to be found. We explored a waterfall nearby which had water
so clear we thought it was a mirage. Damon risked frostbite and
 somehow summoned enough courage to go for a quick swim under it! Then
later we went to the Dalai Llamas sacred temple. When it was time to
leave we had already planned a return trip back. It was a very magical 
place.

We are heading to Amritsar this weekend to see the famous Golden
 Temple and Border Crossing ceremony which we are all very excited
 about. We will keep you posted!

Culture shock begins in Palampur

COUNTRY: India, Palampur
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Health
WRITTEN BY: Hayley Hall

The story so far...

New Delhi. Putting 14 million people into one city is bound to be chaotic. To imagine the roads of Delhi one must completely abolish all concepts of order. We all arrived at the Program House feeling as though we had narrowly escaped death by car crash. Lanes do not exist. Traffic lights do not exist. Speed limits do not exist. Yet, overtaking on blind corners definitely DOES exist. The cars somehow manage to avoid each other by millimetres, almost as if in a dance with car horns drumming the beat. There was a lot of fog in Delhi which made it even more scary, providing around 3 metres of visibility. Cars appeared so quickly it was as though someone had magically clicked their fingers and they vanished as fast as they appeared.

The first day we were given a tour of Delhi and visited 3 jaw-dropping temples. One was only recently made but looked as though it was a hundred years old, another was a precursor of the Taj Mahal and another was called the ‘Lotus Temple’ which reminded us of the Sydney Opera house remodelled into a flower. All three were very beautiful. That night we also ate the best butter chicken of our lives.

The next day we ventured to Agra which was a four hour drive south to see the famous Taj Mahal. We were all very excited for the trip however after the short walk to the gate which was lined with camels, donkeys, horses, cows and monkeys, we were declined entry which confused and annoyed us all. It turned out that the President of the Maldives was having a private viewing so all the public were forced to be kept outside for security reasons. Bit selfish we all thought! After a 5 hour wait we finally gained entry with the many thousands of visitors, and it was definitely worth the wait! The Taj was so beautiful and surreal – a heaven on earth built for the Queen. Indians really do know romance well.

The next day we began our journey to Palampur, a 12 hour bus ride north, but in Indian time, it took about 15 hours. The drive was amazing, there was so much going on outside no one could take their eyes away from the windows to sleep. The roads eventually got windier as we drove higher and as huts became more frequent out the windows, we realised we were getting more rural. We drove through farmlands, apartment towers, town centres and wastelands. It was so strange seeing slums dwelling under the shadows of extravagant mansions. Eventually we arrived at Bobby’s house. His house was incredible! 3 storeys, all with marble floors and Western toilets (Win!). We were living it up. We were introduced to Bobby and Amit who were extremely helpful, had amazing English and were pretty good with Australian humour which was very impressive.

We spent our first day in Palampur looking around the town and getting to know the bus system. We soon learnt that the secret to the buses is to get on as fast as you can, otherwise they will drive off around the hairpin turns with you hanging on for dear life out the door. That was definitely an experience the first few times!

Placement started the next day. Mo, Dylan, Leanne and Todd spent the first week at Kayakalp where Mo and Leanne observed all natural therapies including Enema, Mud Therapy, Hydrotherapy, Panchkarma, Power Yoga and occasional chai in the sauna. Dylan and Todd studied Physiotherapy and were given homework to do every night followed by pop quizzes in the morning. And Damon, Alice, Jake and I went to Karan Hospital. The entire hospital was run by Dr. Veena and her husband Dr. Karan who showed us their methods of madness. In the first day alone we were shown the post-op rooms where women who had had hysterectomies showed us their uteruses like trophies which were sitting in old candy bottles under their bed. Then we were shown ultrasounds and discovered that kidney stones were very common. We were then placed in the dressing room and exposed to the dangers of smoking, seeing gangrene of the foot where the patient had to have a toe removed and endless other minor procedures similar to an episode of embarrassing bodies. After that we saw the Doctor perform several endoscopies within a matter of minutes ranging from caught food to throat cancer biopsies. It was inspiring how efficient and hard-working the doctors were, back home their jobs would have involved the work of at least ten different specialties. They were amazing.

The next few days continued on at much the same pace, enjoying a bit of yoga in between. We really felt as though we were settling into the town after a week of placement and had lots to debrief about each night. We are all waiting on the weather report to see whether we can go trekking this weekend, otherwise we will be heading to Amritsar. So until then, stay tuned!