Impressions of Tibetan Medical Camp June 3 – 5, 2015 at Sylviander House

3 days Wellbeing program with the tibetan team from Bangalore, the 3rd Tibetan Medical Camp at Sylviander House!

Friendsoftibet campaigner Eswar Ananadan already arrives a day before, bringing organic rice and organic vegetables for our meals. 

Next early morning he welcomes the tibetan team at the railway station of Alappuzha. 

This time the team is:

Dr. Dorjee Rapten Neshar

Dr. Tamdin Sangmo

Sonam Wangmo

Tenzin Dhonden

Passang Tsering

After arrival at Sylviander House, immediately everybody starts with preparations for the camp. Then later, after having breakfast and done their prayer in Dr.Dorjee‘s room as every morning before consultation, the Tibetan Medical Camp begins punctually at 9 am.

In the entrance hall and on the west verandah all the different medicines are kept on 2 big tables and 1 bench, carefully distributed to the patients by Sonam, Dhonden and Passang.  

As always Lilama is busy preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for around 12 people. 

Victoria has come to help with translations, and on the 2nd day Tharanath from Thrissur for the 1st time arrives at Sylviander House to assist Eswar. 

Patients come and go all day long, waiting on the blue chairs in front of the house under the cashew nut tree or on the west verandah in front of Dr.Dorjee‘s room. 

 

Some seriously sick patients seek help from Dr. Dorjee, who treats a cancer patient to ease his terrific pain. After the treatment he feels better and smiles a bit. I encourage him with some light breathing exercises, which Dr. Dorjee prescribed him. 

Some patients are not able to enter the house, as one man being blind and having cancer, whom Dr. Dorjee examines outside beside the car. 

For our 4 baby cats – now 3 months old – this camp is their first experience with such a crowd. On the 1st day they hide the whole day in the garden full of fear of so many strangers, on the 2nd day they dare to appear on the verandah already in the afternoon and on the 3rd day they stay all day long on the verandah, playing near to their bowl for food. It is heart opening to watch them playing, the patients enjoy it. 

We have our food altogether in the kitchen in 2 rounds because of the limited space and to many hungry people!

To have some fun and joy is the best remedy to relax … 

On Friday noon, the 3rd day, the camp is going to end. While the tibetan team is still busy with the last patients, others sit together, happily talking about the camp. Around 140 patients had come, but nobody of us and the team felt any hectic during these the 3 days. We all managed it well, even this time Sethu Das couldn‘t be here. 

Since Tharanath has to catch the train back to Thrissur at 2 pm, we take the good-bye picture just before he leaves. 

The tibetan team still has some time left. After packing the remaining medicines and storing all utensils properly, they walk to Varghese‘s tea stall, where they have their tea with freshly made tiffins. Our cats – Simba alias Little Buddha, Moojoo and foundling Leo – enjoy the silence and to having back their space in front of the house for hanging around … 

Thanks for this good time. We are looking forward to the next Wellbeing Program in August 5 – 7, 2015 … 

Photographs by Sylvie Bantle and Victoria Sheldon

Impressions of Tibetan Medical Camp April 8 – 10, 2015 at Sylviander House

Wonderful days we had together with the team from Bangalore for our Wellbeing program, the 2nd Tibetan Medical Camp at Sylviander House! 

This time the team was:

Dr. Dorjee Rapten Neshar

Dr. Tenzin Gonpo

Yeshi Chodon

Tenzin Nangsel

Tenzin Dhonden

On April 7 already, Sethu Das and Eswar Anandan arrive for the preparations. But most of the time Sethu is found in front of the Sylviander House being very busy to catch some of his beloved Cashew–Mangas, which awakes memories of his childhood, when Cashew-Trees were growing in every garden. 

It is not easy to get them untouched, because Sethu is not the only one loving these fruits … 

Early morning on April 8 the Tibetan team arrives with the train from Bangalore at Alappuzha. After they reached Sylviander House, they also start hunting and loving Cashew-Mangas together with Sethu …

After breakfast everybody is ready for the arrival of the patients. 

Unfortunately on day 1st of the medical camp there is a harthal: no public transport! That means, many patients from far away cannot reach Alappuzha. 

For the team it is a very relaxed day, only people from nearby come for consultation and getting medicine. 

But day 2nd sees much more rush, since patients who couldn‘t come yesterday appear today. 

The Canadian campaigner Victoria also arrives from Trivandrum to support Eswar, and since she speaks Malayalam to translate during consultation if somebody needs. 

Today is rush. 

Our grandnephew Joyal is a patient too and after consultation he wants to assist Dhonden … 

Already 1.30 pm and still many patients are waiting – the doctors and their team will have a late lunch. But Joyal is too hungry, so he is the first having his lunch, a delicious vegetarian meal, prepared by Lilama – and by me the salad only. 

After a late and short lunch break, the consultations go on up to evening. Among the patients some very serious cases … 

Tired and happy we have dinner together and humor always is with us … 

Here Alexander performs for the Tibetan team how a Malayalee is finishing a bowl of coconut curry … 

… and how a good man is cleaning the kitchen! 

Finally a gift from the sky, when a heavy rain cools the air, while the team is relaxing in the easy chairs on the verandah … 

Morning has risen … 

After the rain washing the air, what a sunrise on day 3 rd … 

… what a light, what a clear sky, what colors of the surrounding nature … 

After the team made a walk to the nearby fishermen beach and then had breakfast, consultation starts punctually … 

Today rush again, many patients arrive … 

This time, many children consult the doctors …

While waiting, the patients enjoy the scenery of nature in the garden … 

Unexpected a patient arrives with horrific head pain, which made him cry … 

… Dr. Dorjee gives him a 40 minutes massage treatment with Tibetan oils … 

Through this loving care this troubled patient finds release and leaves with tears of joy. 

Also Dr. Tenzin Gonpo gets no rest. Noon passed already, the team had a short tea break and a snack only, which was prepared and delivered as always by our brother in law Varghese from his nearby teashop.  

1.30 pm and still patients are waiting. 

Finally it gets 2.30 pm … 

While Dr. Tenzin Gonpo gives a back massage to Victoria, Alexander, Sethu and Eswar having fun with Dr. Dorjee in his room.  

Laughing is important after having faced a lot of suffer and pain of the patients. 

After a late lunch, the tibetan team is packing the medicines downstairs, and Eswar makes an interview with us, which will be the report for this Tibetan Medical Camp on the website of Friendsoftibet.org – what means Wellbeing to us? 

Since I will turn 60 in few days and the arthritis in my hips is troubling me after I was long time on my legs, I have to put them up and rest. 

Oh, I see many Cashew-Manga still in the tree! To high to reach for Sethu, he will have to learn to fly or to climb the tree to get them! 

All suitcases are packed, the big desk and boxes shifted outside to the downstairs verandah. Now it is time to say goodbye. 

Of course our youngest kitten Leo is with us, now for a last time on the arm of Dhonden. 

While my brazilian music plays mixing the air on the upstairs verandah, Dr. Dorjee and me are inspired to dance – we had some brazilian exercises already the evening before … 

So we decided, next time we will have a dance party! 

After the Tibetan team has left, Sethu wants to take a picture from the Sylviander Family, happy to see Alexander is still wearing the t-shirt he presented to him many years back. 

But Simba is not in the mood while Moojoo is quite cooperative. Instead Simba seemed to feel much more comfortable beside the Tibetan map. Probably he is very satisfied with the Tibetan Medical Camp, because this time he got a new name: Little Buddha! 

I am very happy  to be the host for this Wellbeing Program and thankfully touched about Dhonden‘s last words sitting in the auto rikshaw: Our bodies leave, but our souls stay here.

Fortunately there is a next time and a next time and … 

(Photos by Sylvie Bantle and Sethu Das)