Language Anecdote

Yesterday a volunteer imparted to me an interesting story that happened a few weeks ago that I wanted to share. This particular volunteer is learning Hindi, and he speaks English and Spanish at home. Well, he was speaking to two volunteers who had returned from the market in Delhi NCR. These volunteers were from Germany and Denmark. As they passed by a smoothie stand at the local market, they saw a pineapple, and wanted to order a pineapple smoothie; however, they had forgotten how to say pineapple in English! The Danish volunteer said to her friend that she wanted to buy what people call in Danish "Ananas." And the German volunteer described that the word for pineapple in German is also "Ananas." Even more interesting, the local Indian smoothie maker explained to the volunteers that the word for pineapple in Hindi is also "Ananas!" The volunteer who told me this story also expressed that in Swahili, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese the word is also "Ananas!" Now why is English so different? At least the volunteers were able to enjoy their fresh pineapple smoothies from the Indian market, and have a great story too!

Excellent Host Families

We at Aim Abroad are very proud of our recent recognition award! A couple of months ago, a few volunteers came to Aim Abroad for volunteering programs in India through a travel agency based in the US. When the volunteers completed their programs, they returned home and completed some feedback forms for Aim Abroad and the travel agency. The travel agency only had such positive reviews, that they decided to award us their Excellent Host Families award! We are very happy that the volunteers had such wonderful experiences with us, and we would like other volunteers to hear of our previous feedback!

Film with Children

A few months ago a camera crew came to the street children school. Filming the school and the children, the producers of the film wish to bring awareness of their program to people in other countries. They interviewed five of Aim Abroad's volunteers who were present that day as well, and they will probably be included in the film! This filming company has produced short films which have premiered in New York City film festivals, and we really hope that it will bring much international awareness about the street children school!. This weekend, the coordinator of the school has informed us that they have produced the film and have given the school a copy! We feel quite lucky that our projects are having wonderful opportunities to raise awareness of their missions globally.

Orphanage in India

Three of Aim Abroad's volunteers went to an orphanage in a rural part of Delhi NCR. The orphanage is for girls, ages 5-18. Inside the orphanage, there is a temple where there are daily morning and evening prayers, when the children and women running the program sing, pray, and play musical instruments for the Bhajans and Poojas (Hindu hymns and worship ceremonies). Every day the children focus on their studies and help with chores for the orphanage. Particularly interesting to the volunteers, the orphanage has its own garden area where they grow their own produce, so they do not have to depend on funding or outside donations for feeding the children. Also, there is a playground area in the orphanage, and sometimes I bring my children when I visit and they play with the children at the orphanage! All of the volunteers who visit this orphanage usually have a wonderful and interesting experience, and are always welcomed as part of the family!

Ultrasound Clinic

Today some volunteers went to the ultrasound clinic to volunteer. The clinic was fairly slow today, but the volunteers had more time to interact with the doctor who runs the clinic. They learned about the health care system in India, which they explain is quite different from their home countries. For example, as you walk into the clinic, you will see a list of the different procedures available at the clinic, with a price associated with each procedure listed. This list of costs is extremely common in hospitals and doctor's offices in India. There are also government-run hospitals, however, the volunteers have not visited those hospitals. The volunteers also asked the doctor about the frequency of cases where women are unmarried and pregnant: The doctor explained that she has seen such cases, but it is very uncommon to see these cases in India. About once a month or so the doctor will have such a case in her clinic. She explained that raising a child without a husband is not possible in this city in India, and usually the women will have an abortion, if they are unable to find a way to quickly have a wedding. The volunteers understood the complexity of the situation, as they have been living within Indian culture for some time, even though it breaks their hearts to hear the sad truth about the matter. Usually though, at the clinic, the volunteers describe the wonderful experience of seeing an expecting mother having her first ultrasound ever, as she sees the different parts of the baby, hears the baby's pulse. The volunteers feel very lucky that they are able to have such a great opportunity for volunteering while with AIm Abroad!

Malignancy Case

At the ultrasound clinic, Aim Abroad's volunteers saw one case of a malignancy today. The patient was very elderly, and had not been telling anyone about the growths on her breast. Instead of seeing a doctor, she just figured that everything would work itself out in the end. The doctor had to explain to the patient that she would do the very best she could to help the patient, but that it is a fairly serious case of cancer, since the cancer had been spreading for months. The volunteers were able to see what the malignancy looks like at the ultrasound clinic, both on the patient physically, and looking at the ultrasound machine's image of the patient.

Ambulance Project

Today, a Tuesday, is a very exciting day to volunteer with the medical ambulance project, while with Aim Abroad! The volunteers went to the ambulance headquarters, where they met the people who drive the ambulance and distribute medicines to the people in rural areas. On Tuesdays, the ambulance visits a temple in a village in Delhi NCR. Tuesdays are an important day in Hinduism, and most meat and alcohol shops are closed on Tuesdays. So, on this day, more people will go to temples, which is why the ambulance visits the temple on Tuesdays. When the volunteers arrived at the temple, they had the choice to stay in the ambulance and distribute the medicines, or to help the doctors evaluate patients just outside the ambulance. The volunteers, today, decided to work with the doctors, as they had some background with pharmacology. Usually, when working with the doctors, our volunteers will take blood pressures of patients (the doctors teach how to do so if the volunteers are not familiar with the process) and assist the doctors with their work. If the volunteers have a background with pharmacology, as today's volunteers did, then the work is always more interesting, as they can discuss with the doctors the different medicines that are helpful and come up with a treatment plan for the patients. The volunteers described that they had a very interesting day, and learned so much about medicine as they practiced with the medical ambulance.