Gaining confidence in India

Just wrapped up day 1. Here's an update on the last 24 hours:

Upon arrival in Mumbai (home to 18.4 million natives), our first task was to get our luggage. This turned out to be more than just your average baggage claim. Everyone stood 4" from the track so spotting and grabbing our bags was difficult. The crowd started to disperse bag by bag and we got moving an hour and half later. The three of us then checked out through customs and exchanged dollars for rupees. At an exchange rate of ~1:60, the dollar goes along way here. We had our first tourist moment just before we breached the airport doors at the prepaid taxi stand. We told the clerk the name of our hotel, paid 280 rupees, and headed for the door. After realizing we (okay mainly me) forgot to grab the prepaid slip we had to go back. Unfortunately we we're already beyond security so attempting to go inside caused a mini scene. After finally figuring out the slip, we passed through the gate and all craziness broke loose. On our way to the cab, about 5 guys rushed to take our bags then hassled us for a tip to which we responded by forgetting Pratik's advice (do everything yourself) and tipped. The bags were then strapped on to the top of the car with a rope and we hit the road. 

Mario Andretti couldn't have been prepared for this drive. There really are no lights, no lanes and no visible organization. Red lights seem to be a suggestion and horns are used to warn others of your position. Thankfully our driver was a seasoned vet. We swerved, dipped, and bobbed our way to the hotel. 

Today was better after getting over the initial shock of being here. We woke at 6am and drove 4.5 hours from Mumbai to Pune. The natural scenery was beautiful. We saw monkeys, palm trees, and waterfalls in Lonavala. The area's waterfalls during the rainy season supply Mumbai with drinking water for the year. 

We immediately met with Dr. Rashmi (Jhpiego), Pushkar (Laerdal GH), Dr. Kokani (Region's Maternal Health Director), and the Region's Child Health Director at the Reproduction & Child Health Center in Pune. The impromptu meeting was extremely informative. We got to ask questions regarding health initiatives in the region and quickly learned that anemia was not only on the radar, but ranked high among antenatal (AN) concerns. Low birth weight, anemia, and malnutrition rounded out the top 3. We have a chance to meet with this group again on Wednesday after experiencing the clinics first hand; their insight has been extremely valuable. 

The team members are also wonderful hosts. Lunch was a five course Indian meal consisting of tomato soup, vegetable 'meat' balls, naan and dips, tikka masala, and ice cream cake. Amazingly this whole meal cost only $5 per person! Dr. Rashmi is guiding us tomorrow through a primary health center where we'll be interacting with community health workers and nurses. Our Jhpiego/ Laerdal team is great and the last 24 hours have us all feeling much more confident about being in India!