The quotation above is from Thirukkural, a book of writings on social life. It was written hundreds of years ago by the author Thiruvalluvar and is considered a classic of Tamil literature. A friend recommended the book to me a few weeks ago. It remains very popular to this day and provides insight into the values of the culture here. I've chosen this quotation because it expresses so well how I've felt about my recent experiences in Chennai.
This is also a brief update to explain why I haven't posted anything lately. One of my colleagues fell ill and is in hospital. I have been spending time with her and her husband, who flew in from Canada to Chennai to be with her. Fortunately, Chennai is renowned throughout Asia for the quality of its medical care, and the hospital where she is staying is reputed to be among the best in the city. We have confirmed that she is receiving excellent care.
In case you're worried about me, I have been blessed with good health so far. I cannot "catch" my colleague's illness, either from her or from anything in the environment here. At the same time, I don't want to minimize the additional health risks in India compared to Canada, but they are manageable and reasonable with vaccination, purified water, properly prepared food and basic hygiene. In the hospital, I am scrupulous about using hand sanitizer.
People have been extraordinarily kind and helpful to us through all of this. The doctors and nurses have been very capable, attentive and caring. Men and women from the hotel and the office have spent hours with us at the hospital, helping us navigate the system, getting our questions answered, and providing encouragement. Colleagues outside of Chennai have gone to great lengths to extend practical and moral support. We have been fortunate to have never felt alone going through this.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment