Day 1 in India

The day I landed in India, I felt compelled to change things. As soon as immigration was taken care of, all of us foreign visitors were directed to a couple of doctors and nurses who would check us for swine flu. As I was waiting in line, I saw a nurse checking the temperature of a man by putting an electric thermometer in his ear and she merely cleaned thet tip of the thermometer with some cotton. I was disgusted and ashamed. How can medical professionals merely clean a thermometer that has been used with cotton? Not even water was used. From this minor yet disgusting experience, I can say that one thing India has not moved forward on is sanitation. My disgust only increased as I hopped in a cab to get to my house which was an hour away. As we drove, I saw decaying and rusting shops and litter pretty much everywhere. Still standing puddles were infested with musquitoes and who knows what. The air was thick with pollution and humidity left from a monsoon shower earlier in the day. As if these things were not enough, people were openly spitting on to the streets and vehicles such as autos were open on the sides so if one were to spit nearby the passengers could unfortunate enough to get a little wet. Public health here had to change for the better. The only people that can change these conditions are the public. But the complication is that the public would have to be educated about cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation but they would not have the time nor the incentives to learn. I suppose life goes on no matter what.