My first time

Okay, since Brian may croak if someone doesn't post something soon, I'm stepping up to take one for the team. This is our official fifth day in Hyderabad, and third day at work. It seems like everyone's having a pretty darn good time too. Minus the constant grief I'm getting from my beloved new friends (and for those who care about me back home, it's a lot of grief!!!) I really like this city so far. Haven't spent that much time here before, as most of my time is centered in Mumbai around my family. Our first few days at Sivananda Rehabilitation Center have been pretty cool. We've been learning all about leprosy, the stigma still associated with it and all the aspects regarding treatment, rehab, etc. Our own Dr. Dumford even assisted in surgery, and can probably now be called one of America's leading surgical experts on leprosy. We also got a tour of the facility, which is huge, covering a 50 acre campus, in a very beautiful wooded area. My favorite part (and possibly the saddest) was seeing the kiddos with HIV, all of whom were orphaned by parents with HIV. They were cute as could be, and seeing two of the oldest ones sing "We shall overcome," is something I probably won't forget for awhile. All these kids were taken in from the streets, fed, provided clean water, medicines and some TLC, and have reportedly all recovered well. I guess the really sad part is knowing how many more are out there. The people who run this place were explaining too us how the budget doesn't allow for very many kids but they're trying to expand if they can.
Of course I can't leave out the social part. I think we'll all agree that we had some really good mango milkshakes today at my insistence, and the McDonald's veggie burgers are about the best thing ever. We're all eating pretty much all the time, with tea interspersed about every few hours. Whoever comes and picks me up from the airport will need a forklift. So, there, that's my first attempt at blogging. More to come.........