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Von admin, 18. August 2009 17:13

Jemand kommt per Flugzeug in Bangkok an. Ganz individuell mit dem Airportbus nach Banglampoo, dort ganz individuell einen Trip irgendwohin buchen.

Wengleich jeder für sich selbst entscheidet, wohin es gehen soll, ziehen die Horden des Individualtourismus über ausgelatschte Trampelpfade. Unzählige, scheinbar unabhängige Einzelentscheidungen bilden eine stabile Ordnung heraus.  Weniger theoretisch: Zieht ihr auf eigene Faust durchs Land, so trefft ihr stets die selben (nicht nur die gleichen, sondern buchstäblich die selben!) Leute wieder. Und zwar in Läden, die immer gleich aussehen und so ziemlich das Gleiche anbieten.

Thailändischer Individualtourismus ist letztlich keiner und führt sich ad absurdum. Gleich mehrfach allegorisch dazu Alex Garlands Buch "The Beach": Wen wundert’s, dass diese Geschichte der vergeblichen Suche nach dem unberührten Paradies im Golf von Thailand als zerlesenes Paperback in wirklich jedem Guesthouse herumfliegt und in etlichen Kneipen allabendlich als Video läuft.

Immerhin bleibt die Illusion, doch ganz anders unterwegs zu sein als die Neckermänner und -frauen. Schließlich kann sich in Bangkok jeder selbst entscheiden, ob’s nach Chiang Mai, Ubon oder Ko Samui gehen soll, oder?

Geben wir uns also dieser Illusion hin und genießen dabei den großartigen Service des Thailändischen low-budget Tourismus.

Bequem ist es. Exotisch soviel man will. Wunderschön sowieso. Nach wie vor billig. Und lächelnde Thais sind überall. Coca-Cola und die Bildzeitung übrigens auch.

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Von admin, 11. April 2009 12:00

My dear friends,

today I was getting happier by the minute and am searching for the reasons behind. Here are some thoughts:

1. Friends
I was able to meet up with two really lovely people today I know since I was very young: Philipp & Sandra. Thank you guys so much for your time and spontaneous arrangements!! It made my day! Really. I mean it.

2. Sun
Germany is really one of the most pretty countrys I know – if the sun is out. Riding the train from Hamburg to Münster I bypassed a lovely landscape so soft and sweet, full of spring blossoms. Wow, so pretty! I wish I could’ve captured it on film….

3. Coming home
Is it my family I missed? Our small town? The “Rheinland”? I was certrainly happy to smell the fresh air as soon as I left the bus at midnight and couldn’t stop starring at a beautiful moon….

4. Sights
How could my day have been less impressive?
It started off with a bench at the “Außenalster” in Hamburg with tons of joggers passing me by.
In Münster I was sharing the beautiful Aasee with a young crowd and was impressed by the tidyness of the whole place.
Then I stepped out of the impressive main train station in Cologne to stare up at the huge cathedral – it touches me every time. Having a sip of “Kölsch” with a loved friend in its shadow was a real treat.
Even stepping out of the bus in my small village tonight was a little happening for me, as there were many candles lit on our graveyard. Together with the beautiful full moon it was such a lovely site to see: finally home. No big sights, no nice buildings but cheap homes and tiny streets.

I made it.

Thanks for joining me on my trip again. This will be it.
Bye.

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Von admin, 13. März 2009 23:00

An American working as a journalist in India, Matthew Schneeberger, opined:
“Say an Indian director traveled to New Orleans for a few months to film a movie about Jamal Martin, an impoverished African American who lost his home in Hurricane Katrina, who once had a promising basketball career, but who — following a drive-by shooting — now walks with a permanent limp, whose father is in jail for selling drugs, whose mother is addicted to crack cocaine, whose younger sister was killed by gang-violence, whose brother was arrested by corrupt cops, whose first born child has sickle cell anemia, and so on. The movie would be widely panned and laughed out of theaters.”

Nikhat Kazmi of the Times of India calls it “a piece of riveting cinema, meant to be savored as a Cinderella-like fairy tale, with the edge of a thriller and the vision of an artist.” She also argues against criticism of the film stating that, “it was never meant to be a documentary on the down and out in Dharavi. And it isn’t.”

And I agree with her!! The pace of this movie is just stunning. It sucks you in until the very end. Thinking about it, you might not like it as much but looking at it I promise you, you will forget about the world and you will feel your heart beat!
I was able to see the movie tonight – on a waaaaayyyy too small laptop while the picture is made to be seen in a theater for you get amazing shots of India. Go and see for its a nice mix between Bollywood & Hollywood

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Von admin, 11. März 2009 23:00

Die Zeit vergeht einfach zu schnell!! Ein guter Moment fuer eine Alltagsbeschreibung.

Mein Tag beginnt um 7 rum. Nach der Sicherheitskontrolle und dem taeglichen Kampf mit der Scrubs-Maschine suche ich mir mit Hilfe des Op-Plans, den jaja ich tatsaechlich einwenig verstehe, einen netten Saal aus. Bei der Einleitung uebernehme ich dann mal mehr und mal weniger erfolgreich die iv-Zugaenge (orangene Vigos muessen ueberall reingehen!!!!), Praeoxigenierung, Maskenbeatmung und Intubation.

Danach bleibe ich teilweise bei der Op, je nach Interesse, oder gehe weiter zur naechsten Einleitung. Waehrend der Op  wird mit mir viel durchgesprochen ,sowohl wann man welches Medikament gibt als auch Erklaerungen von der chirugischen Seite. Oder es werden mir Tipps zum Reisen, Infos zu Purim oder was sonst so interessant ist gegeben.

Um 10 rum gibts dann erstmal eine Fruehstueckspause mit Brot, Eiern, Quark und Marmelade. Das ist ein ganz guter Moment um sich mit Studenten oder anderen Aerzten unterhalten zu koennen, wobei auch manchmal das Thema Deutschland ansteht. Wobei aber , wie Nils schon schrieb, niemand uns einen Vorwurf macht. Fuer mich bleibt das Thema trotzdem schwierig.

Es folgen weitere Einleitungen und Ops bis ungefaehr 12 Uhr. Anschliessend mache ich mich auf den Weg und sammel Nils zum Essen ein .

Das Essen bleibt einfach fantastisch, metzuyian!!

Danach gucke ich dann ob ich noch 1,2 Einleitungen finde und dann ist der Tag im Krankenhaus auch schon durch!

Den Abend verbringen wir je nach Wetter und Laune hier in der Umgebung, in der Stadt  oder auch mal hier im Wohnheim (mit dem achso schnellen Pc, den ich etwas blockiere…)

Der Eindruck von dem Land ist einfach umwerfend. Ich fuehle mich so wohl, dass es auf jeden Fall nicht meine letzte Reise hierher war! Die Leute im Op sind alle sehr interessiert wie es mir geht, was ich so mache, ob alle auch nett zu mir sind etc. Egal ob in Englisch, Deutsch, Hebraeisch oder auch mit Haenden und Fuessen.

Soweit erstmal, jetzt muss das kommende Wochenende geplant werden, wo wir in den Norden fahren wollen!

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Von admin, 9. März 2009 23:00

Heute war der Tag der Deutschen.

Waehrend ich bisher immer innerlich darauf gewartet, ja sogar gehofft habe, nach 3 Studenten hebraeischer Unterhaltung vielleicht kurz einem Patienten so gegenueber treten zu koennen, das ich meine koerperliche Untersuchung an ihm nicht beschaemend finde, kamen heute direkt mehrere Israelis in den ER, die aus Deutschland und Oesterreich stammen.
Sie kamen einer nach dem Anderen und jeder hatte seine ganz eigene Geschichte. Und ich hatte sogar genug Zeit, mich zwischen dem Trubel, der die Notaufnahme umgibt ein paar persoenliche Worte zu wechseln.

Allen gemeinsam war eine unheimlich “reife” Art mit diesem Thema umzugehen.
Ohne mit einer ganz bestimmten Reaktion zu rechnen als ich mich, wie immer, als deutschen Studenten vorstellte, war ich doch ueberrascht von allen Patienten von sich aus auf Deutsch angesprochen zu werden.

Eine Mann wurde ganz nostalgisch als er von seiner Arbeit in Graz erzaehlte. Jemand anderes vermisste die Wuerstchen und die Sauberkeit und kommt noch regelmaessig zu Besuch.
Eine Frau musste ich erst fragen, ob sie vor den NAZIs fliehen konnte. Als ich auf das Schweigen, das folgte, eine Antwort suchte, nahm sie meine Hand und sagte ganz selbstverstaendlich: “das ist ja nicht deine Schuld” und oeffnete damit den Raum fuer einen Austausch. Das hat mich sehr beruehrt.
Eine weitere alte Frau hielt mir mit den Worten: “ich mag noch nicht einmal die Sprache” ihren Arm unter die Nase, auf dem Ihre KZ-Nummer eintaetowiert war um mich im Anschluss trotzdem ihren Mann untersuchen zu lassen und sich sogar ueber ein Gespraech auf Englisch zu freuen.

Momente, die mir noch einmal das Grauen im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes vor Augen fuehrten; mich erinnerten, das es noch immer Zeitzeugen gibt; mich erinnerte, das sich die schrecklichen Erlebnisse von damals so oder so  “eingebrannt” haben werden, aber die Nummern auf dem Armen es die Betroffenen jeden Tag wieder erinnern laesst.

Wahrscheinlich wird man denken, ich habe mir bereits vorher viel Gedanken zu diesem Thema / so einem Treffen meine Gedanken gemacht, mir vielleicht etwas ueberlegt.
So war es aber nicht. Ich wusste, das der Tag kommt und ich beschloss, die Dinge auf mich zukommen zu lassen und bin gut damit gefahren.
Erst im Austausch mit Kathrin ist mir dann aufgefallen, wie sehr ich mich seit meinem Jahr in den USA auf einen bestimmten Umgang mit diesem Thema festgelegt zu haben scheine. Mein Weg scheint mir zum Glueck recht sicher und stabil, es ist ein guter Weg, aber man weiss troztdem nicht, wann es Steinschlag gibt.

Ein spannendes Kapitel von dem ich mir, so schwer es auch manchmal scheint, mehr wuensche.

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Von admin, 12. März 2008 22:00

1. My German cell phone isn’t working over here but we got a Nepali number: +977 980 370 2548.
2. Email is really slow. However, I do read my email more or less regularly.
3. We will be leaving Kathmandu this Saturday or Sunday to go trekking in the Annapurna region.
   This might leave us without internet for the next three weeks!
4. I will be back in Mainz on April 12th.
    

Three out of four current German volunteers at the morning conference

Hospital update

Originally we planned to stay in neurosurgery our last week.
However, this was more complicated than we first thought. Four German electives would’ve been fine but we didn’t take in account those Japanese-students who are staying this week at our hospital. As this wouldn’t have been enough, the department is misteriously lacking patients …… which left us with just ONE day in the operation theatre (OT) and without any knowledge of neurosurgery.
This made me sad a little bit because the head of the department, Dr. Pant, is a famous person over here and a really nice and fun teacher as well!

Our hospital is also famous for its plastic surgery team. They get a bunch of support from Australia (financially and through visiting doctors) and seem to be doing great work.
Since there was a really nice surgeon from Australia working in the OT we decided to check out their work and were interested from the beginning on. He was willing to explain his work throughout the operation and we told ourseves to be back in the morning. But bad luck continued since a huge operation was cancelled altogether which left is with nothing more than one to go before he left for vaccation!

That way we ended up in internal medicine again.
It just seems like our “Nepali-rounds” get longer and therefore more tireing which isn’t helping our motivation. We got to visit a different hospital at Kirtipur for a couple of hours on Wednesday which was a treat!
Tomorrow will be our last day and I am not sad about it. It was fun working with two of the doctors but since we weren’t able to do ANYthing ourselves (due to a lack of work!!) time gets by very slowly. Further, most of our patients presented with COPD and other chronic conditions (like DM) we weren’t able to treat very well anyway.

Kathmandu

The city was (and is) a great place to spend your time. Three weeks were not enough to fully get to know this amzing place and there are still places and restaurants we want to visit.
At the same time I am ready for a change! In the end you always end up browsing through shops, looking at poor kids or enyoing the crazy traffic or the beautiful and insaine buildings and three weeks is enough of that. It makes you crave for some quiet(!) garden (with GREEN)

One thing I was originally planning on writing about – how do we live vs. how to the Nepalis live – turned out to be too hard for me to describe in a propper language and probably needs some more thinking anyway.
Just so much: yes, it’s very poor and it still touches me while at the same time I am always troubled how good everything is for Nepal is supposed to be one of the poorest countries in the world! One thing that probably troubles me the most. Due to a lack of research(-options) I still have very poor knowledge about the “facts”.

From here on…

…everything is up in the air
The plan is to go to Pokhara this weekend, spend a day or two there and then set off for our trek around the Annapurna (a huge mountain massive close by). If we do the whole round-about it will take at least 18 days but there is an option to fly back from a city after 14 days or so. The highest point will be around 5.400m and I’m kind of scared how my body will adapt to this.
The funny things is, even while we plan to be gone for more than two weeks, we haven’t really read up on the trek itself for we were too much “occupied” with everyday-life. So, as I meantioned, from here on my journey will contain a certain amount of not-knowing…
That much we know already: since there will be elections on April 10th (the first after the kings was killed six years ago) we have to (and plan to) be back in Kathmandu a day or two earlier.

Even though I just had some cheese cake and good coffee on a rooftop with the sun at full power, I long to be back in Mainz somehow and just want to take it easy. Some Heimweh, maybe? Not too bad, though! Juts miss my cutie…

You all take care…
…and please keep me posted on your life, too.

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Von admin, 7. März 2008 22:00

Dear folks,this was our first unpleasant week and this wasn’t only due to the bad weather we were suffering!
At first Matze got some descent food-poisoning (I was at work alone for two days) and then it was my row (I wasn’t working today). I lost more fluids than one can imagine over the last 24 hours. Since it started off earlier, I decided to take some antibiotics which might help my sinusitis, too. I guess it’s just something everybody will get at some point but it’s really no fun!

Further, I was very unhappy to get robbed the other day during a festival at Pashupatinath temple (Mahashivaratri ).
It doesn’t even bother me so much what got stolen, but I thought was taking every precaution necessary – still, as the crowd was so tense somebody must’ve grabbed our cell-phone and some change.
As one can imagine, I couldn’t really enjoy the festival afterwards even though it was great to be there. It is kind hard to describe what was really going on. To “the Germans” it looked very much like a gathering of young people who enjoyed to take a legal smoke (marijuana) and get excited about it at a holy place. What it was really all about though:

Hindu devotees in thousands are thronging the temples of lord Shiva and worshipping him for well being in their lives. The traditional Shivaratri ritual of raising donations by using rope-blocks to stop vehicles could be seen in most side streets of the capital. Kids are often seen stopping drivers and sometime even pedestrians and allowing them to go only after they are given some money.

The headline of yesterday’s paper, “The PADT said that nearly 350,000 devotees and about 3,000 sadhus is expected to visit Pashupatinath temple this year”, was probably true and I encourage your to check up on this on any video online.

Well, other than that live goes on
It seems like we have our own little routine in the hospital and afterwards. Even the fuel situation has eased as tensions in the Terai (South Nepal) are of the past!
We met two other Germans currently volunteering at the Model Hospital who are great and we enjoy hanging out together. We even seem to get closer with the sisters and our doctors which is a nice treat, too and makes time go by even faster!

Hopefully I will feel well enough to go to Patan (a samll town in the South of Kathmandu) tomorrow.

Please, keep me posted on your life in Germany as I enjoy reading your stories!
Take care. -me

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Von admin, 1. März 2008 20:43

T H A N K S
to all who were thinking about me yesterday and found the time to let me know!
I really enjoyed reading your emails and appopogize in advance if I don’t get to reply to you in person.
It may seem strange that I find the time to “blog” but not reply to emails. Well, I hope you understand that the internet is REALLY slow over here and GMX seems to be the worst. Therefore I  try to update ‘everybody’ by writting about this and that here.

Birthday
I was very happy to get the opportunity to spend the “weekend” in Duhlikhel – together with my dad. What should I say more than it was awesome?!
Well, as some of you might know my dad is working in a great hospital just on the eastern edge of the Kathmandu Valley. It’s 30km from Kathmandu, but if you drive on the local bus like we did and you count in “Nepali time” and the bad streets and fuel shortage, it takes you up to 2 hours to get there! However, it was a very smooth and wonderful ride with lots of sunshine and a seat
It was great not only to meet up with my dad but to stay the night in their wonderful resort. Not that we would’ve spend much time over there but it was great to someone bringing you a hot water bag into your bed after 9 pm Further, it was great to simply get out of Kathmandu and enjoy the peace and easy in this small mountain town. That way it felt a little bit like a holiday without changing more than the city!

Our day at the hospital was great! (This is friday, my birthday.)
We got the chance to meet most doctors, got a special guided tour of the whole complex (even though we just stayed the day) and were free to do whatever we were pleased afterwards.
We decided to check out the Operation Theatre and saw three operations – one done by the CEO Dr. Ram Shresta and two by two German doctors currently staying there.
Then we decided to check out the ER, where we saw a massive (M A S S I V E and open) testicle infection, a penis CA and a women wo got her foot into a motorcycle wheel. All cases were samwhat disturbing but very interesting.
Ferwards we joined the dental department where we had some great coffee (actual coffee!) with my dad and took off early.

Later on we had a great dinner a very fine restaurant! So good! No party though – I went to sleep at 10.30 pm.  //hehe

Saturday = Hiking
We started with an early but huge breakfast around 8 am (I was still tired) and then read the newspaper from A to Z. So great!
In short: fuel is distributed again and even the terrifying situation in southern Nepal (there was some fighting and strong tensions between the government and a communist political group which caused curfews, deaths and the fuel shortage) seems to be resolved! We were happy about all of that and will keep a close view on how the situatin resolves from here on.
Further, there was a great story about a mother giving birth to a child on a train-toilet in India. The child slipped right out, down the toilet and was found alive on the tracks later on!

Then we started to hike to a Tibetean monastery 2 hours south of Duhilikel. It was rather ‘rough’ trek since we both were clearly out of shape and the climps we rather steep too. However, it was a great 6 hour walk to Panauti and we were blessed to see some of the ‘real’ Nepal!
It started off with a seeing a lot of help that the Rotary Club put into this city, then we ended up in a military camp with even hearing some firearms and then we had lunch a a Tibetean monastery with real monks, some fair views and two other Germans currently volunteering in Kathmandu in Physiotherapy (Tomke aus Hamburg und Christoph – you can’t escape the Germans, never ever!!!) and it ended with some nice temples along terraced fields (of rice) besides s rather clean stream of water. The only downfall was that there was a lot of mist in the air! We were supposed to see great landscape and even Himallaya and all we got was the next kilometer! Such a shame!!
I guess tomorrow I will feel most muscles and have to tape one blister already. Such a shame, too!
We were happy to take the bus back to Kathmandu right afterwards where we returned around 6 pm.
Now, after dinner, we are both so tired and worn out, we will probably be in bed by 10 pm again (and since there is no power, what else should be do) ;)

Self
Anyway, I found the time to get on the computer down here and even got the chance to upload some pictures (one hour for 8 or so!). Feel free to check them out.

I am feeling much better after having to deal with a virus infection of nose and throat. Now Matthias seems to have it, but that’s just how it goes, I guess.

You all take care. -me

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Von admin, 21. Februar 2008 22:00

After a great night of sleep, I was greeted by a major chill of cold water under the shower.

Hitting the streets was great since we walked through a really cute neighborhood where we seemed to be the only white people before we got a little lost. However, finding the hospital was no big deal.

We were greeted by nobody and it took them a while to get used to the idea that we would stay the day. Finally we were appointed to a young doctor who clearly wasn’t interested in showing us around. Luckily three Nepali students showed us the place and took us to a procedure. There were quite a few people waiting outside but nobody introduced us to the Outpatient Department. Since there was nothing else left to do on the wards we left the hospital together with them around 1pm.

The hospital itself is pretty small with maybe up to 40 patients on the internal medicine ward. They have X-Ray, CT, a pathology lab, a blood bank, surgery-, internal medicine and neuro-surgery departments. Since there are better and bigger places in town it is a second or third-row place to go to. It’s partly private, so really poor people won’t be able to go there anyway.

Kathmandu is mostly a vibrant city where everybody seems to be on the streets all day long. Kids to and from their way from school, singing, cheering, laughing, small babies playing on the streets (which isn’t great to look at if they sit there in just a diaper and cleaning a stone with a toothbrush or something like that), people carrying all kinds of stuff around and vendors, vendors, vendors, vendors and …. more vendors! You get so caught up looking at shops and watching your step that you hardly recognize the buildings or streets or anything else, which is a bit of a shame. But, oh well….

So far. Take care!

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Von admin, 20. Februar 2008 22:00

I made it! Hello Kathmandu!

What a great feeling when we dipped through the clouds and I saw a mystical landscape in front of me. Terraced fields, gentle hills, sunshine, … this wasn’t Nepal, this was China is what I first thought. Just then the huge city revealed itself with tons and tons of concrete buildings. It felt more like landing in a combat zone than in a mountain village. There were even people going for a walk on the airfield and two aircrafts burned out. Clearly, the world outside my taxi window was different from anything I have seen before, but it didn’t feel weird, just different. I was so excited to have the opportunity to be here that I was feeling really happy.

Meeting up with Matthias was no problem and we strolled through the streets of Kathmandu all afternoon trying to find a decent place to stay at. We finally settled for a L.P. recommendation for 3.50 EUR per night and it seems to be an alright place with running water and a great backyard and a rooftop garden overlooking the city south of touristy Thamel.

I am SO tired though, that I will close for now. Be assured that I am well and happy and eager learn how the hospital is working.

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Von admin, 20. Februar 2008 02:35

Hello from Doha in Qatar!

It it warm outside and the air is filled with salty water as I leave the aircraft. Such a refreshment after my first 6-hour flight with stunning view of the Alps!
Inside this tiny airport building is is pretty humid though. Unfortunately, I will stay for 10 hours in this packed place because my “5 Star Airline” isn’t willing to give me a hotel room. Instead I was offered a cheap meal on a plastic platter! Such a great feeling when you know that your 1000 EUR for a plane ticking was the right investment… That really was a bummer, especially since I was planning to catch up on sleep but there has been no chance so far!
UPDATE Well, and after cuddling with the cold floor at gate 15 for the past hours I must say I am just happy when I am out of here!

The situation in Nepal seems to be stable but not easy. There is still a great lack of fuel and I hope that taxi prices don’t explode until I arrive. Whoever wants to catch up on those news should visit www.nepalnews.com .

I just got an email from Matthias who arrived in Kathmandu yesterday and is working in the same Hospital. Hopefully we will be able to meet up, which is my biggest concern at the moment.

Since there is a long line of people waiting I will leave you for now and hopefully get beack to you when I am in Kathmandu.
Take care!