Alok, Obama and snakes

Today's traumatizing wildlife adventure: a snake. About 5 feet long and very scary looking, slithered across the path as I was walking home. I think he might have been looking for the mongoose that I saw the other day. Hopefully, I won't see him again anytime soon. By the way, the monkeys have been spotted on campus some more, but I think our fight is over. They left me in peace. Then again, I didn't try saying hello to the baby monkey this time, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Well, it's been a week since my last post. I guess I'm settling into a routine and not much new has happened. But, yesterday marked the arrival of a new president for our country as well as another Tufts Medical Student in Vellore. Quite a day for me. I found my classmate Alok asleep in his bed after coming home from the hospital. I showed no mercy and woke him up immediately. We chatted a bit and then headed out to watch the inauguration ceremony. Another medical student from Stoneybrook in New York, Matt, is spending a year in Vellore as a Fogerty Fellow. He has an apartment with a TV and invited us over for the event. So, in the middle of Tamil Nadu, India, 4 US citizens (along with a Canadian) took in the inauguration. I will say that I finally understand where the phrase "no rhyme or reason" comes from. Someone heard a poem at an inaugural address and thought, "that poem didn't rhyme or make sense!"

This weekend we're off to visit the wealthiest temple in India at Tirupati. Apparently it is the most visited holy site in the world - ahead of Mecca or Jerusalem. I'm not sure how they keep track of those statistics, but that's the word on the street. We have also planned a few other trips for the following weeks, so hopefully I'll have some interesting photos to share in the next week.

For now, you're stuck with more shots around the hospital, including one of me in the operating room courtesy of a camera on one of the ENT resident's phone. My sister was worried I was spending all my time at the pool. See, Liz, I work.

Yes, those are the "sterile" gowns surgeons wear while operating hanging out to dry.
Yes, I look like a Ninja.