Day 4 - 'No Problem'

05/01/2020

On Sunday, we had our second and last day at the Bangalore Prosthetic Camp. We took the bus and arrived at the camp around 9:45 AM. It started off very slowly. It wasn't until around 10:30 AM that things really started to pick up. Until then, Marcel, Ramon, and Joe were able to help with breakfast distribution and even had some breakfast themselves. They also developed a close friendship with the cook. He later recruited Joe, Claudia, and Ramon to help with breakfast distribution at the nearby temple of the "Jain" community. The camp took place on the grounds of this temple.

On this day, we were able to help with the plaster removal and also made adjustments to some hand prostheses with Mounica's help. Mounica is a doctor we met last year. She has fitted over 6,000 hand prostheses herself. On our invitation, she and Mohan will come to Cologne in May or June to discuss the medical aspects of our software and app in more detail.

As it was the second to last day of the entire camp, there was a high density of local officials present (they also need to be seen) and there was also a large number of people in attendance. A large group of young men from several villages over 300 kilometers away, some with rare injuries and deformities, impressed us in many ways. Some of them have to live with the consequences of having both legs amputated.

In the late morning, we took a closer look at the area for leg braces. These braces are mainly used for children who have difficulty learning to walk or who can only use their legs to a limited extent due to illness or accidents. In the camp, these braces are custom-made in several steps: first, the legs are measured and the rough shell is cut. Then, straps are attached to this plastic shell for fastening, and a cushioning pad is glued. Metal joints are then added in the next step, and everything is finely ground (edges are removed) and precisely fitted in the end. At this camp, the orthosis is completely manufactured within about 1.5 hours. There is a waiting area for the completion of leg prostheses and orthoses, where people can eat and sleep.

In the afternoon, our little friend from the previous day finally received her leg prostheses and was thrilled (see photos). It was a very emotional moment, especially for Vanessa, who had been waiting with her the whole time and was able to witness the moment.

While on the first day we had a packed lunch from the hotel, on Sunday we wanted to have the typical local lunch with all the other volunteers. This was no problem for our Persian friend Ramon, as his tongue and throat had become a "wasteland" since the second evening :-) and it was also a must for Joe and some others in the group who like to have spicy food. Personally, I think Vanessa and I had become very cautious. AND THAT WAS A GOOD THING. We managed to avoid major injuries to our tongues... but it was close. But it was also very delicious.

In the afternoon, Joe and Marcel were quickly enlisted for an interview with a local student. He wanted to meet the two "german boys" and write an essay for a school project. He also wanted to know exactly how we ended up coming to India. This doesn't happen very often.

With heavy hearts, we said goodbye to the camp and everyone involved in the afternoon and headed towards the hotel. After some exercise and a short nap, we took an Uber to "Byg Brewski" in the evening. Mohan had recommended this brewery/location to us and had reserved a table for us that evening. Although he was already on his way to Delhi, he wanted to make sure that we got to experience the place. It was definitely a great idea, as it is a unique location. I don't need to say anything more about Ramon's eating habits... let's just say he's still sweating :-) but the food was consistently good, only the beer got sweeter with every sip. Brrrrr.

Insights of the day: Sven is slowly recovering, Ramon is becoming more courageous, and everything is 'No Problem'... that's what our plaster master said about 2,800 times (no matter what the issue was, it's his filler phrase ;-)) and it became the official slogan of the day, and he remains Mr. No Problem for us!!! (Last photo)