13/12/12 All is very new and a little mind boggling ;)

13/12/12

Arrived in Dehradun yesterday,the hour drive from the airport was hair raising, traffic was incredible and endless along a drive that was filled with rubbish, cows, monkeys and on coming traffic in the wrong lanes.

The Raphael centre is amazing and has a number of broad community programs, there are some 70 resident disabled children and adults. They run a early intervention programs, schooling, prevocational training, craft work shops and one on one high level care to people unable to function in a class room situation. There are also day classes and these children head home at the end of class.  Raphael also has some looms and work shop where people who have been cured of leporasy work but are sadly still not accepted in the general community due to social stigma. Some of the people have been here for over 50 years.



There is also a learning centre where there are opportunities for people to learn nationally recognised qualifications in special education and dyslexia. People may also attend to learn unit specialities in care and support.

There is a TB hospital here caring for people with multiple drug resistance to cures for TB that requires and a two year program of painful and expensive medical treatments.

My room is two single beds with a mattress that that is slightly more giving than a concrete floor. A couple of the lights work and they have managed to find me a small radiator that I would guess is older than me but it has taken the chill from the room, drying my towel in front of it seems to have released the mould in the towel and the room smells musty but some incense should fix that.

Thanks to David another volunteer who has been here for a couple of months, for helping me to gain my bearings and understanding.  I was treated to a local chai at a small dingy place, at 6 rupees it was little more than 3 cents. The shop, if you could call it that is only a few steps from the local store, ten minutes walk from Raphael... I think this will become a regular haunt for me.

At this point everything is new and mind boggling so I could ramble for ages. Let me just say I went to bed before 8pm, I never expected this lifestyle in my wildest dreams but I think I will be up to the challenge and I know that working with the kids that all my concerns regarding the lifestyle "challenges" will fade to black.

This post will be delayed as I have no hope of a local SIM or internet for a few days.