Back in India....so much has happened since my last visit here....so much still happening....but isn't that the reason I'm here? I arrived after an uneventful flight from freezing cold Toronto to the warmth of Mysore. The place is a zoo! Over 300 students registered to practice at the KPJAYI which is just nuts when you think about it. There is nowhere to live unless you booked a room last year. People arriving here without a room booked are all crashing w friends - which is what I ended up doing - while literally walking up and down the streets knocking on doors asking if the home owners are interested in renting out a room! When I first started to come here in 2003, you could just rock up from the train station and call Shiva or Dev. He would arrive in his rickshaw and drive you around to different homes asking you which one you wanted. Now? Not so much...I potentially have my own room at a friends place lined up for mid February. For now I am grateful that I have friends here who will share with me! Especially this week!
The minute I landed I had a tickle in my throat which wouldn't go away. I just thought it was irritated from the insecticide sprayed on the last leg of the flight from Abu Dhabi. Or by the taxi ride from the airport with my crazy cab driver who had to keep the windows unrolled so that he wouldn't fall asleep! LOL! But after attempting to take a nap and then practicing in the Shala the next morning with everyone else sick w the flu this thing took on a life of its own. I started taking vitamins and echinacea and naps. Got worse. Stepped up to Advil and Neo Citron. Still worse. Went to the homeopathic doctor who gave me a slew of things to take, but nope, still hacking up a lung and dripping from my nose. Then to the pharmacy to see what other delights I could get my sticky fingers on...but nothing was touching this thing! After 3 sleepless nights - for everyone in the house- because of this wicked cough, I relented and went to the hospital.
I have to say...Indian hospitals rock! Walked in and said, "I need to see a doctor." I was ushered into the next room where I was attended to by two doctors. They checked my vital signs, took my blood pressure, listened to my lungs and immediately administered a Nebulizer to help me breathe. Sent me for a chest x-ray and blood tests which were all done immediately. The nurse who did the blood tests was amazing! I barely have a mark! I don't know how many nurses in the west have almost removed my arm while removing the needle after blood tests. I was in and out of Emergency in less than 2 hrs! If this happened in Toronto....well, don't get me started on "Free" health care. Anyway, the verdict is I have a lower respiratory tract infection aka Pneumonia. Damn! I've been sent back to bed w new medicine and a promise that I will be just fine in a few days. It's Moonday tomorrow so I have the day off practice anyway.
The thing that sucks is that it was Conference today. It would have been my first conference of this trip and we were supposed to be watch "Mysore Magic", a new documentary about practicing at the source. The internet connection here is not strong enough to support streaming. SO if you watch it let me know what you think! Hope all is well and you are all still practicing while I'm away. My website is acting up, not sure what's going on. So will keep you updated as much as I can.
Be well....
E xo
