Day 4 was a frustrating day. When I signed up to volunteer I thought I'd be at a hospital. The hospital turned out to be a gutted building containing only one bag valve mask. The "mobile hospital" was a broken down van. So there wasn't anything for me to do except try to help out with the disabled kids at Snehalaya and go to Mercy Home to entertain the kids there. The problem with that is I know nothing about disabled kids. I didn't know how to deal with Shiv Kumar when he threatened to hit me for not letting him wear my watch. I yelled at him and pushed him down into a chair. I think I even scared him (Paige said he doesn't run into a lot of people stronger than him). How am I supposed to know how to deal with a disabled kid who's used to intimidating people? What about when the kids start fighting over me and my attention? I don't know how to mediate kid fights without being able to talk to them.
It was a tough day because I felt like I wasn't doing anything useful. I felt I was wasting my time and I was angry that the charity had misled me into believing that my EMT skills would be needed and utilized.
After lunch I got a little sick so I took an Imodium and a nap. It was our scheduled day to go to Mercy Home at 1630. I got up at 1500 and felt much better. Paige had told people we wouldn't be going to the orphanage, but she didn't mention it to me. At 1625 I asked her if we should get going and she told me we weren't. I was really upset because I felt that the only good I was doing was at Mercy Home and I had limited time in Gwalior. Being upset doesn't get anything done, so I grabbed the bags and ran downstairs. I was able to catch the van right before it left (the van that takes the teachers home), but Paige didn't come with me.
We stopped at the fruit stand where I'd watched Paige haggle for fruit on Monday. The health educator, Pushba, came out with me and helped me haggle. I got 100 bananas and 2 bags of oranges for Rs 190. We dropped off the teachers and Pushba and it was just Raghvid and me.
A word about Raghvid. He's got the eyelashes of a camel. You may think that doesn't sound like much of a compliment, but it is. Raghvid is a seriously beautiful man.
When we got to Mercy Home, everyone was eating dinner. With a lot of honking, we got someone to come to the gate and let us in. Inside, it was eerily empty because everyone was in the room with the door (to keep the monkeys away while they eat). I got out of the van with the bananas and oranges and started passing them out.
After a few minutes, Raghvid came to check on me. He hung around for awhile, but once he figured out I was alright, he went back to the van. Here he is with some of the kids before he managed to escape. Poohbah is the little guy with the red shirt. He was once again pantless.
When I first arrived I searched the whole place because I hadn't seen Poohbah at dinner. I found him later. No beaten kids were hidden in dark rooms, but I looked.
Without Paige around the kids mobbed me. My only goal was safeguarding the stuff in the bag. Since we bought everything I didn't want it all to disappear. I played with the kids and cleaned a couple infected wounds. I gave some electrolyte replacement stuff to one of the guys who still looked sick. I put it in my water bottle for him and he drank the whole thing. I fed bananas and an orange to the guy laying in bed. He was cleaner than last time. I passed out globs of coconut shampoo and toothbrushes with toothpaste.
After about an hour Raghvid started the van, which I assumed meant it was time to go. I passed out candy and left, emotionally drained once again. But this time I felt good. I'd treated some wounds and passed out some fresh fruit. I'd made them happy, at least for an hour. And it was kind of fun to be without Paige, my translator. I had to communicate on my own and I enjoyed it.
On the drive home I asked Raghvid if I could sit in front with him. We couldn't talk, but it was nice to sit beside him instead of being in the back by myself.
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