Tag: india

Home, Home Again!

..I like to be here when I can. I’m freshly arrived in Chicago for
Christmas for a too-brief rendez-vous with the (entire) fam before heading
back to St Olaf College for the January semester.

Goa was excellent. I’ve had much time in airports and on trains and planes
over the ensuing five days of ravel to think (maybe a little too much
time), and it’s become clear that I’ll be making sense of my semester in
India for a long time to come. I’ve gained so much already in confidence,
experience and perspective, not to mention first-hand knowledge of some of
the problems and joys of my fellows on the other side of the globe. I
invested a lot in this semester, and I’m certain the returns from this
experience will continue to accrue for years. (Okay, it’s a shoddy stock
market analogy, but hey at least it’s not a football one!)

My emails have been upbeat for the most part, and they reflect the
innumerable kindnesses we’ve received from the people we’ve met. However,
there has been much frustration, complaining, and brooding over some of the
things I’ve encountered (I’ll let you know ALL about it if you ask). But
the negative things we’ve experienced have been far outweighed by all the
good. To be reminded of that, all I have to do is think of the names of
Clara, Karpa, Geetha, Pown, Ram (two of them), Irene, Zenis Das, Nandita,
Boma, Dr Manohar, Mr Amalan, Anirouth, Nurse Julia, Datta, Siva, Ms Ancy
Augustine, Kumeresan, Kumaram, Azad, Ms Vijayalexmi (two of them), and Drs
Britto, Sabesan and Kalyana to name a few. There are many more, many of
them anonymous. They are the reason I’ve been able to thrive in India and
they have made me feel so welcome there. They gave me their time and sweat
and in some cases their blood. No joke – one milliliter apiece to serve as
controls in my study! Thank you so much. I look forward to visiting you
again.

In addition I have to thank profusely the folks at the International
Studies Office at St Olaf for support in some tight situations.

The trio of professors who have prepared us since the start and made this
all possible deserve the sincerest gratitude. You know who you are (and
we’ll be seeing a lot of each other as I revise my two papers over the next
few weeks!).

And of course there are my exceptional companions, who have all improvised
and adapted with me in numerous situations. I’ve grown quite fond of all of
them and we’ll be working hard together to get next year’s group both
excited and prepared.

One final thanks for everyone who read or responded: thank you for
appreciating my efforts to share my experience. I hope I have not
ploddingly conveyed my wonder for this amazing country and I look forward
to seeing each of you soon.

Everyone have a great Christmas or otherwise depending on your gods; and
once again I am ever your loving,
Isaac H.

A Summary of My VCRC Work

“Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” An old adage. And the first quote in Carl Sagan’s “The Demon-Haunted World.” So, in the spirit of that adage, I’ll not bitch about the religious pollution here in India just now and instead I will share a summary paper on what I’ve done over the past five weeks. This is one little candle. Oh, and I believe in scientific openness – every new research should be disseminated online and through media to as wide an extent as possible.

The formatting got all messed up when I copied and pasted it from Word, so the original file is attached below. Oh wait, I can’t figure out how the fuck to attach a file, so nevermind.

Oh, and it’s missing an abstract and a personal statement. Don’t judge!

~Isaac

_________________________________________________________________________

Isaac Hanson
VCRC
Britto, Das, Yuvaraj
14 Dec 2007

ASO Levels and Frequency of Acute Bacterial Infection in Patients with Filarial Lymphedema

Introduction Lymphatic filariasis affects about 120 million people worldwide, including 15.5 million in India alone who suffer from chronic disease and 30 million asymptomatic carriers (Joseph et al. 2004; Wijesinghe et al. 2007). Filariasis manifests itself in several conditions, ranging from chronic carriers of parasites to those afflicted with the chronic form of the disease (Nandha et al. 2007). In addition to permanent swelling of the limbs, scrotum and sometimes breasts, chronic sufferers also endure periodic attacks of adenolymphangitis (ADL) (Pani and Das 2006). This acute attack can include severe symptoms of infection in the affected area and may resemble febrile septicemia elsewhere in the body (Suma et al. 1997). Chronic lymphedema combined with recurrent acute ADL attacks bring about significant physical, psychosocial and economic disability among many sufferers of filariasis (Wijesinghe et al. 2007).

The etiology of acute ADL attacks was poorly understood for some time until it became clear over the past decade that bacterial infection plays a significant role in the onset of ADL (Suma et al.2002; Jamal et al. 1990). Now that bacterial dermal flora is implicated, a possible new avenue of research is to identify how such bacteria lead to infection and possibly to predict ADL attacks.

The antistreptolysin O test measures the presence of antibodies to group A streptococcal antigens. As a result it serves as an indicator of recent infection with group A streptococci, which are normal inhabitants of the skin (Gerber et al. 1990). Suma at al. (1997) demonstrated that 90% of patients with filariasis-related ADL had a persistently elevated ASO titer. And Joseph et al. (2004) found that filarial lymphedema patients’ ASO titers were elevated during 84% of the ADL attacks recorded during their study. The present research seeks to evaluate the possible prognostic value of the ASO test by correlating the ASO titer to such measures as the patient’s grade of lymphedema and the frequency of past ADL attacks. The ASO titer may be useful in estimating a patient’s susceptibility to infection with acute ADL.

Materials and Methods Three groups of patients were studied: those with mild to moderate filarial lymphedema; those with more severe filarial lymphedema; and a control group consisting of persons who live in an area endemic for bancroftian filariasis but who have no history of filarial infection. The control group included one non-endemic control who resides outside the endemic area. Persons in the first two groups were residents of Pondicherry, southern India, and the surrounding region, an area endemic for bancroftian filariasis (Nandha et al. 2007). All patients were evaluated in the Filariasis Clinic of Vector Control Research Center, Pondicherry; and in the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Pondicherry; and in Chennagunam village in Tamil Nadu, on the outskirts of the city. Each patient was evaluated by a clinical doctor or a trained technician. Informed consent was obtained from each patient and they received standard medications for filariasis as well as multivitamins. The study protocol was submitted to the secretary of the institutional ethics committee for approval.

Patients were selected based on established history of filarial lymphedema, and most of them were regular patients of the VCRC or NVBDCP clinics. Patients over the age of 70 and minors were excluded. The patients were evaluated, 1 mL of brachial arterial blood was collected, and answers to a brief questionnaire were obtained. The blood was placed in microcentrifuge tubes and then brought to a brief boil before centrifugation at 10 000 rpm for 5 min in order to liberate the serum. They were then transported to storage at -20ºC, where they remained for 3 to 11 days.

Persons from the control group were residents of Pondicherry, an area endemic for bancroftian filariasis, as well as one control subject from a non-endemic area. Informed consent was obtained from each control subject, and minors were included with consent of their guardians.

The antistreptolysin O test was performed using an Olympus AU400 autoanalyzer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The titers of antistreptolysin O antibody titers were graded as non-elevated (≤ 200 IU) and elevated (≥ 200 IU). Lymphedema was graded according to the following criteria: grade I, pitting edema that is reversible overnight; grade II, irreversible edema with no skin changes; grade III, irreversible edema with thickening of the skin; grade IV, irreversible edema with skin changes such as warts and cracks. Patients with lymphedema of grade I or II were grouped together and patients with lymphedema of grade III or IV were grouped together.

Results of an Og4C3 ELISA performed on the serum samples were not included in the analysis.

Results A total of 86 persons were studied, ranging in age from 16 to 66 in the control group and from 23 to 69 in the two groups of lymphedematous patients. The mean was 46 years (Table 1). Of these 86, 27 were control subjects with no history of parasitic infection. Thirty-five were filariasis patients with lymphedema of grade I or II. And 24 were filariasis patients with lymphedema of grade III or IV (Table 2).

The ASO test revealed an increasing number of patients with elevated ASO antibodies as the subject’s grade of lymphedema increased from 0 (control) to I or II to III or IV. In the control group, an elevated ASO titer was detected in 15% of the subjects. In lymphedema patients of grade I or II, an elevated ASO titer was detected in 23%; and in patients of grade III or IV it was 33% (Table 3).

ASO titer also increased with increasing frequency of ADL attacks during the past year (Table 4). In the control group (with no ADL attacks), an elevated ASO titer was detected in 15% of the subjects. In the group with one or two ADL attacks in the past year, an elevated ASO titer was detected in 33% of patients. In the group with three or four ADL attacks in the past year, an elevated ASO titer was detected in 36% of patients. And in the group with four or more ADL attacks in the past year, an elevated ASO titer was detected in 40% of patients.

Discussion Antistreptolysin O titers from the filarial lymphedema patients above suggest a clear correlation with both grade of lymphedema and with the frequency of acute ADL attacks. While control subjects showed an elevated ASO titer in only 15% of cases, the mild lymphedema group showed an elevated titer in 15% of cases and for severe lymphedema that number was 33%.

The pattern of increasing ASO titer was more evident in the correlation with frequent ADL attacks. Again while the control group showed an elevated ASO titer in 15% of cases, that number was 33%, 36%, and 40% of patients in the groups with 1 to 2, 3 to 4, and 4 or more ADL attacks in the past year, respectively.

An elevated ASO titer is an indication of recent infection with group A streptococci, which are normal inhabitants of the skin. Correlation between elevated antibodies to these bacteria and both higher grades of lymphedema and higher frequency of ADL attacks supports the growing evidence for secondary bacterial infection as a major cause of these attacks. Since 40% of the patients with 4 or more ADL attacks in the past year showed an elevated ASO titer, the ASO test may have some value as an indicator of susceptibility to future infection with group A streptococci. However as the ASO test is expensive and time-consuming, finding other means of determining a patient’s susceptibility may be preferable on a widespread basis. Nonetheless this study supports a streptococcal pathology of ADL and provides more support for controlling ADL by minimizing dermal bacteria through proper hygiene, footcare and antibiotics.

Acknowledgements Sincerest thanks are deserved on the part of Drs L.J. De Britto, J. Yuvaraj, and L.K. Das for their guidance throughout the project. The technical work of G. Vijayalexmi, B. Kumeresan, P. Kumaran, P.M. Azad, and M.K. Vijayalalexmi was indispensable and the endorsement of Drs S. Sabesan and M. Kalyanasundaram made the work possible. The reference librarian R. Sundarammal and her staff also helped with finding relevant scientific literature. Thank you to everyone at VCRC for being generous with your time, the most precious resource to be shared.

Works Cited
Gerber MA, Lolita S, Caparas, Randolph MF. “Evaluation of a New Latex Agglutination Test for Detection
of Streptolysin O Antibodies” Journal of Clinical Microbiology 1990; 28: 413-5.
Jamal S, Pani SP. “The clinical perspectives and research needs in lymphatic filariasis” Miscellaneous
Publications of VCRC 1990; 16: 29-41
Joseph A, Mony P, Prasad M, John S, Srikanth, Mathai D. “The efficacies of affected-limb care with
penicillin, diethylcarbamazine, the combination of both drugs or antibiotic ointment, in the prevention
of acute adenolymphangitis during bancrodtian filariasis” Annals of Tropical Medicine and
Parasitology 2004; 7: 685-96.
Nandha B, Sadanandane C, Jambulingam P, Das PK. “Delivery strategy of mass annual single dose DEC
administration to estimate lymphatic filariasis in the urban areas of Pondicherry, South India: 5 years
of experience” Filaria Journal 2007; 6.
Pani SP and Das LK. “Filarial Lymphoedema: Disability and Management” Lymphocon-10: Tenth Annual
Conference of the Lymphology Society of India, Bhubaneswar 2006; 24.
Suma TK, Shenoy RK, Kumaraswami V. “Efficacy and sustainability of a footcare programme in preventing
acute attacks of adenolymphangitis in Brugian filariasis” Tropical Medicine and International Health
2002; 7: 763-6
Suma TK, Shenoy RK, Varghese J, Kuttikkal VV, Kumaraswami V. “Estimation of ASO titer as an indicator
of streptococcal infection precipitating acute adenolymphangitis in brugian lymphatic filariasis”
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 1997; 4: 826-30.
Wijesinghe RS, Wickremasinghe AR, Ekanayake S, Perera MSA. “Physical disability and psychosocial
impact due to chronic filarial lymphoedema in Sri Lanka” Filaria Journal 2007; 6.

LE
Grade
Number Mean Age Std Dev Min Max
0 27 45 12 16 66
I and II 35 46 10 23 65
III and IV 24 48 11 28 69
Table 1 Age of the study participants by lymphedema grade.

LE
Grade Frequency Percent Cumulative Percent
0 (Control) 27 31 31
I and II 35 41 72
II and IV 24 28 100
Total 86 100
Table 2 Frequency distribution of study participants.

LE Grade ASO Titer (IU)
Non-elevated (≤ 200) Elevated (≥ 200 IU) Total
0 23 4 27
85% 15% 100%
I and II 27 8 35
77% 23% 100%
III and IV 16 8 24
67% 33% 100%
Total 66 20 86
77% 23% 100%
Table 3 ASO grade by grade of lymphedema.

ADL Attacks ASO Titer (IU) Total
Non-elevated (≤ 200) Elevated (≥ 200 IU)
0 44 8 52
85% 15% 100%
1 to 2 10 5 15
67% 33% 100%
3 to 4 9 5 14
64% 36% 100%
4 or more 3 2 5
60% 40% 100%
Total 66 20 86
77% 23% 100%
Table 4 ASO grade by frequency of ADL attacks during the past year.

_________________________________________________________________________

India Day One-Hundred Ten

Dear friends and family,

The semester has flown by! My next update will probably be from home in Chicago when I arrive there on the 21st.

Today was the final day of my project, so I presented a brief paper summarizing my results, said my goodbyes, and spent about two hours dealing with Indian-style bureaucracy before packing up my stuff. My time at Vector Control Research Center has been a singular experience. I couldn’t have asked for more. After spending five weeks near the wildlife of Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, I come here and get to visit a tribal village, interact with filariasis patients, and do lab work involving this tropical disease. I’m extremely grateful to my advisers and I promised to send them Christmas cards forthwith!

Our trip isn’t quite over. Tomorrow we’re heading up to Chennai where we’ll catch two trains to get to Goa. Two days of vacation in the one place in India where you can actually wear a swimsuit! Then, back to Chennai where we’ll catch the final flight home.

But before then I’ll eat a final dhosa, take in the chaos one last time, and hopefully say good-bye to Clara, who more than anyone helped me survive here.

Wish us a good time in Goa.

Ever your loving,
Isaac H.

India Day One-Hundred Four

Dear friends and family,

A brief update. (Will that be a first?)

My project here at Vector Control Research Center in Pondicherry is going very well – we collected all our blood samples from the clinic and from out in the villages, and today we finally ran all 85 of them in the “Autoanalyzer.” A play-it-cool technician from Chennai showed up, and we made a day out of running the test on the samples using that slick machine. From what we can tell, I’ll have plenty to write about when I do that forty-odd-page paper when I get back to the US. The results look like they lend themselves to a rich “discussion” section. Hooray!

I received a question on what my project involves and I realize I haven’t explained. Elephantiasis is the most extreme form of filariasis, which is a chronic condition caused by infection with filarial worms (I encourage you to google “filariasis.”). They’re transmitted by mosquitoes, and those swollen legs you may have seen in pictures are elephantiasis. Most of the cases I’ve seen with my adviser are less severe than that. But some of these people with this condition really suffer, not only because of the chronic swelling (which will never go away even once the worms are killed with drugs). But also because of the periodic fevers and infections that come with the disease.

My project stems from the question, “What causes those acute fevers/infections?” And so we’re looking at the blood of patients to see whether it shows signs that they have had a recent bacterial infection, which would indicate that it’s normal skin bacteria that cause these debilitating acute attacks in some of them. And I must say, asking a simple question like that brings you into a world of further questions and further avenues for research and in my case, it’s brought me to see nearly 60 filariasis patients and hundreds of villagers that I never would have encountered otherwise. What a great way to spend my November/December – I could be in Minnesota right now struggling to preserve body heat!

Things are definitely winding down, though, and I’m excited to return. I’m looking at my stock of daily Malarone pills and there is only a handful left. Soon there will be no need for “malarial chemoprophylaxis!” And yesterday my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Only 13 days until I’m home!

But first, one more week at VCRC putting together my data. Then, a couple of days in Goa, the beachy state on the West coast of India. And finally the long journey back. Movies, bowling, NPR, Starbucks, my five siblings, two nieces and nephews, brother-in-law, grandma, and parents will be there a-waiting!

I can’t not mention this: I’m at a cramped Internet cafe (well, more like an Internet room) and there’s a family of seven crowded around the computer kiosk next to me talking to a relative via camera link-up. Perhaps it’s a proud son studying at the University of Minnesota or someone who lives down the street from my house in Chicago. Who knows? We’ve met many people who have studied in the midwest and even more who have a relative who is there.

Okay, okay, so that wasn’t “brief.” Who asked you?

Anyway, to everyone who is a student or professor, have a great last few days/weeks of the semester. And to everyone else, keep up the good work until the holidays!

Ever your loving,
Isaac H.

The Pondicherry forecast calls for pollution – religious pollution

Here’s a little journal entry of mine from last week:

It appears I can’t avoid getting into arguments about supernatural dieties even when I try. So, I had an unfortunate conversation with a Pondicherry shop owner in which he insisted that the Christian god was the correct one. I say unfortunate because any encounter that reminds me of the demon-haunted minds, the shadowy worlds of my fellow humans always weighs heavily on me because I believe such superstitions prevent us from reaching our true potential.

Anyway, he was a very nice man, the owner of the tiny shop where we buy milk and bread. But his first display of ignorance was when he said, “Catholic or Protestant?” (He knew I was a student from the U.S. because he knows Mr Varghese, the guest house caretaker.) For him, is was obvious that all Americans are Christians.

I took a deep breath because I knew the next few minutes would involve some small energy expenditure. “No gods,” I said, “I don’t have any gods or demons.”

“Are they all like that in US?” he asked. Unfortunately I was not quick enough to reply, “No, only some of the more educated people do not worship gods.” But instead I said, “No, mostly Christian, Muslim and Jewish.”

He said, “I don’t wroship any gods, only the god of Jesus Christ.” I didn’t ask this confued man to clarify this particular point. I noticed the Jesus picture, as white/European as ever, that was hanging on the wall of the shop next to the jelly. The half-man, half-god of Christian mythology, he is more powerful than a man but not as powerful as the primary god.

That was when he said, “Well, you are young and that is when you have many thoughts in your head. But someday you’ll realize,” and he pointed upward (to where God lives, I assume). Well yes, sir, I know that for religious people like you, thoughts are to be avoided or contained. Not so for me – I _encourage_ thinking. And what a typically religious display of condescension! I can be condescending, too: you believe in the Chistian god because your parents were Christian. And if they had been Hindu, you would believe in the Hindu gods. I restrained myself from saying this, though.

He then asked, “Why do you not believe in a god?” This question does not make sense to me. Why don’t I believe a teapot revolves around the Sun? Why don’t I believe a bunny rabbit lives in the center of the earth? Because the idea is unsupported by evidence (not to mention absurd). I said, “The search for truth, and no evidence for gods.” He said he believed America existed despite never seeing it, and “such is God,” he said, smiling as though he had just brought me to enlightenment. Yes, there is good reason to believe the US exists. But you probably wouldn’t believe in Atlantis once you had evaluated the evidence for it. And why not believe in _all_ the thousands of gods that have been imagined? An equal amount of “evidence” exists for each and every one of them.

After all this, after knowing my position on this fundamental issue, he had the gall to say, “God bless you” as I walked away with my bag of groceries.

And once again (dammit) I just wasn’t fast enough to ask, “Which god?” and to add with a smile, “May you meet many a lucky leprechaun upon life’s path!”

~Isaac H.

India Day Ninety-Six

Dear friends and family,

It’s been a while since I’ve updated! First off, congratulations to my sister Rachel and her husband Troy on what we now know is a girl – I can’t wait to get back there and see how she’s coming along.

Anyway, my first three weeks at Vector Control Research Center have come with many, let’s say, “frustrations”. But the major redeeming aspect thus far has been this: field visits! My adviser (a clinical doctor) and two technicians and I have been driving out to a village outside Pondicherry to take blood samples and obtain questionnaire answers for my project. Because of religion/superstition (what’s the difference?), it’s really hard to get poor rural people here to give you blood, even when we give them vitamins and drugs for their filariasis problem in exchange. And the presence of Whitey with his clipboard (me) doesn’t help. But most people consent and it’s very interesting to see how they live out there.

So in other words, my project is exciting! It involves filariasis, another one of those things you just can’t see as a student back in the U.S.

Pondicherry is fun, too. Somehow it’s even less cosmopolitan than Chennai, so we are constantly reminded we’re outsiders by all the staring and leering. But the French Quarter is nice and we even found good pizza – in two different places at that. And there is an excellent little French bookshop since the place used to be a French colonial HQ.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, all nine of us managed to rendez-vous here at VCRC for a little celebration! We sort of failed at making the pasta, but pulled off a great dessert.

As for the gym membership, it was definitely a good investment. And for those on my mailing list who have been to India, the answer is yes, the men stare at me even while I am working out.

So what’s next? Two more weeks of my project (I am now going to do lab work on those samples and then do a brief presentation to my advisers), then, Goa! We’re taking the train to the beach district of Goa for a last hurrah here before going home on December 20th.

And that will be my experience in India. I’m really starting to want my life in the U.S. back, but I already know I’ll miss the dhosa, idly and tea and biscuits!

Ever your loving,
Isaac H.

India Day Eighty

Dear friends and family,

We’ve made it to Pondicherry! Now Caitlin, Lauren and I are beginning our second (and last) five-week research project of the semester at Vector Control Research Center. And like my bird survey at Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, it looks like it will be another experience that I can only have in India. The reason why is this: I will be doing a little project involving filariasis, aka elephantiasis, a tropical disease that’s a big problem in some parts of India (google it).

Today I spent the morning in the clinic with one of the doctors here interacting with patients with the swollen filariasis legs that I’ve only see in pictures. My project will involve developing questionnaires on patient hygiene and also some lab work on the bacteria that often make this condition worse. It’s such a unique opportunity and my mind is just racing with the desire to make the most out of it. This is exactly what I wanted from this semester: a project involving the wildlife in this beautiful country; and a project involving patient contact with people afflicted with tropical disease. This is what I want to do with my life and when I send off those medical school applications, this is what I will talk about!

Anyway, that’s what’s going on now. Since I last updated, travel break has ended. We made the most out of those two weeks: a moving kathakali dance (by all means google it!), a backwater boat tour, a tea plantation visit, and best of all, a nine-hour trek through Periyar Tiger Reserve.

The trek was the highlight of my travel break. The four of us started at eight in the morning and saw barking deer and black langur monkeys within minutes. By noon we had made it up a 1000-foot mountain and taken in some of the breathtaking beauty of the Indian rainforest. Our guide seemed to know everything and the armed guard carried a huge gun in case of elephants, which is a good thing since we came across fresh dung. But then it started raining and elephants seemed like a distant concern compared to the dozens of leeches crawling up our bodies. That’s right. Leeches. They were bad enough when it was dry, but when the afternoon monsoon rain came they went on the march, crawling up from the ground onto our shoes and up our legs. I pulled two leeches from the base of my neck, and I made one leech a very happy, blood-engorged leech… until I pulled it from my back and popped it! Okay, I’ll stop.

In other news, the Indian food has finally started to get to me, so you may all be hugging a softer, squishier Isaac when I get back around Christmas. The problem is, South Indian food is really soupy, and the way you eat it is by taking a big scoop of rice with each bite in order to sop it all up. But it’s so messily delicious! Then again, I may be able to avoid turning my body to cookie dough since I just joined a gym near where we’re staying. Three-hundred rupees a month, why not?

I hope Thanksgiving is wonderful there – we might put on a little celebration of our own since we get to cook for ourselves here. But I’ll be thinking about the fam! Have a great holiday and know that I miss you.

Again, I am ever your loving
Isaac H.

India Day Seventy-Two

Dear friends and family,

Travel break has begun! Our group now has two weeks to make a feeble little attempt to see something of this subcontinent, but as always it’s just too much to take in (like drinking from a fire hose). A few days ago we stayed in Agra, just a few hundred feet from the gates of the Taj Mahal which we saw too.

Two weeks ago Jamie and I said our good-byes to all the people at the field station at Mudumalai who have helped us with our projects, and we spent the next few days in the Bangalore campus of the Indian Institute of Science for a little research on our projects before setting off on our well-planned break. Bangalore was such a nice place, posh and less congested than Chennai. Great bookstores, too! And the PhD students from the Institute were incredible about showing us around the city and helping us do last-minute work for our reports. I have good reason to suck up because some of my new Indian friends are now on my emailing alias!

After all that we met with three of the others and took the long train to Agra – about thirty hours in all. It was a novel experience for me: the central Indian countryside, vendors hawking all sorts of delicious greasy food, and big challenges to my personal hygiene. But I managed to shampoo, wash my face, shave and brush my teeth in the train bathroom so I think I passed some kind of test.

Anyway, we survived the journey and encountered the strange feeling of being a tourist instead of a visiting student. It seems like half the city was devoted to getting money out of the throngs of white Westerners walking about. Elsewhere, on the other hand, I felt more like an unusual and welcome guest. For some reason I’ve never felt more like an intruder here than in those really touristy places. I think it’s because I can tell how the whole place has been altered to accomodate the much-wanted tourist business. And it is definitely in the candid places (like long train rides) that I actually connect with people here, not so in the money-money-money places. Still, that and a little travel hiccup in making a rendez-vous with the others didn’t ruin the Taj – an amazing sight to see.

After Agra, Caitlin and Laura and I headed off to Mumbai on the train and saw the standard sights there (thank you Lonely Planet tourist guides). Unfortunately both my travel-mates are sick. But luckily I am with two quite exceptional women and we’ve improvised and adapted and overcome a lot of little challenges so far. Oh, and the others are exceptional, too:)

And now, Kochi! We’ve finally made it to beautiful Kerala and have been enjoying the old part of town (along with hundreds of Europeans, Australians and some Americans). I really enjoy the wet weather, the river boat excursion of today, and the nice little old section of town. But next is what I really love: Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. We’ll see this national park just at the end of the second monsoon season. I can’t wait!

As you might guess, this trip is like trying to do NYC, Chicago, Florida and San Fran in two weeks. But we’re trying our best! I’m already writing down all the places I want to go when I come back here some day. First though is my second research project, which I’ll start about a week from now!

Well, we’re off to eat something. Thanks to everyone who’s reading or responding!

Ever your loving,
Isaac H.

India Day Fifty-Seven

Dear friends and family,

A warm congratulations to my lanky cousin Lars Negstad and my new cousin-in-law Melissa Townsend on their new life together! I wish I could have been there for the wedding.

My time at Mudumalai is coming to an end! It’s hard to believe it – the clouds and the hills and even the elephants all give this place a feeling of timelessness. But sure enough, my five weeks here have gone by in a flash. We’re actually getting out just as the northeast monsoon envelops us in water. This is one area in India that gets both monsoons, and from the feel of it I will never be dry again until I leave here. But it’s actually nice – back in Chennai I was mostly wet with my own sweat whereas here I know it’s from the rain.

My project is wrapping up nicely and I’m trying to read as much as I can from the PhD theses here relating to my project. There’s a sad urban legend about a new PhD putting a twenty dollar bill in his thesis in the library and coming back ten years later to find it still there. Unfortunately the same thing is true for the guy who wrote the thesis I’m reading right now. Not only is it in pristine condition, but there’s no way I’ll be able to find a copy of it when I get back to the US to write my research paper, so I’m trying to absorb as much as I can!

The past few days have been relaxing. On Satuday we watched dozens of winged termites emerge from a hole in the ground one by one and then be snatched out of the air by the waiting birds. It was a massacre – good fun! Later that day we took a bus up to Ooty, the “Queen of Field Stations,” and bought lots of homemade Ooty chocolate, and I even found dental floss! My adviser was confused and horrified when he first saw me flossing, making me think I would never find another roll in India.

I just watched the Sun light up the tips of the Nilgiris (“Blue Hills”) across the small valley and realized how much I’ll miss it all – the funny people, the hills, and especially Boma, my tracker! But soon it’s on to see still more of this country. Here’s what’s next for me: a couple more days here in Mudumalai, then off to Bangalore for a couple of days in the Institute’s Library for research, then it’s a two-week travel break! Agra, Mumbai, Kochi, and Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Then, it’s the second and last five-week research project in Pondicherry, where two others and I will be in a mosquito (disease) control lab. Then, off to the beaches of Goa for just a couple of days, and then back home to the US!

Nandri (thanks) to everyone who is reading or responding to my emails. I’m still enthralled with India but it’s nice to know I have my people back home.

Thanks again – from smelly, damp and ever your loving
Isaac H.

India Day Fifty-Four

Dear friends and family,

India is still surprising me. Back in Chennai, the surprises were along the lines of near-death experiences in rickshaws, contorted beggars, and poo-rivers. Here at Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary it’s the wildlife that continually offers something new. Just last night we stopped to wash off the jeep in a stream after the field work was done, and suddenly we saw an elephant crashing around in the bamboo 80 feet or so away from us. And the Malabar squirrels, the langurs (monkeys), and of course the birds are completely new. That’s to say nothing of the bugs! The rain of the past few days has seen a proliferation of bugs, including these tiny winged ants that have invaded my room. Luckily they are very easy to kill, though not so for the cockroaches. It’s been a real slaughter for the past couple of nights. Oh, and the leeches! When we go out in the morning it’s still so damp that they actually crawl about on the ground. I’ve only had one blood-sucker so far, though. And no ticks yet.

The people provide surprises, too. Last week the village kids came to my door when I was reading and yelled “Isaac. Isaac. Isaac!” until I finally went out. I never should have showed them where I live… For some reason they had collected four baby chicks that had fallen out of a nest, and they wanted me to take them. They’re now under the care of Gita and have taken to rice and sugar-water. The kids are funny – every time I see them they demand that I give them pens, which makes me wonder whether some unscrupulous St Olaf student in the past gave the kids a lot of pens and ruined it for the rest of us. But maybe not – Boma, my tracker, also shows a keen interest in my writing utensils.

Where the people and wildlife overlap there are surprises of the more dismaying kind. The other day, on a morning survery, I saw a brahminy myna, and two minutes later – no joke – a pariah kite. Apparently the caste system rules in the bird world, too!

I have to mention my project! The bird survey went very well – field work is finally over! Yesterday we finished up the final transect in the scrub forest in the coffee plantation nearby. So now it’s a little relaxation during today’s holiday of Dussehra, and then on to putting together all the data. It’s hard to believe that next week I’ll be leaving this place! We’ll spend a couple of days in Bangalore in the Intitute’s library before heading off on travel break.

In other news, I’ve finally found a way of making this little part of India my own. For the past two weeks I’ve been getting up before sunrise for a little run in the chill morning air. It’s so nice – there’s no one out at that time except for a few people walking mysteriously in the bushes or collecting cow dung dropped during the night. It’s nice because exercising outside at any other time makes you a huge spectacle for the hundreds and hundreds of people that are always about. Even when we drive by in a jeep, people drop everything they are doing and watch us until we’re out of sight.

Sorry for not updating in a while – it’s extremely hard for me to get computer time here. You can bet on a flood of excited emails once travel break begins!

Isaac H.