I'm new to this whole blogging culture, but I figured I would give it a try as I get ready to embark on my journey to Nepal. I will be going to Nepal for 6 weeks as a medical volunteer on a grant I received from Boston College. My proposal for the grant included gaining insight into the various medical facilities that exist in this developing, third world country. In particular, I will be studying both the developing allopathic medical facilities as well as the engrained traditional practices in order to understand the status of Nepalese healthcare and how it may be improved. Studying developing allopathic facilities in Nepal will allow me to compare such facilities to those in the United States, so that I may understand how differently the institutions in Nepal are organized and how effectively they are run. By learning about traditional practices in Nepal, I will learn about the basis for these practices and study how adequate the care is. Understanding and evaluating the positive and negative aspects of both facilities is extremely important in order to address the medical inadequacies of the country. But in addition to studying the medical facilities, I hope to experience the rich Nepalese culture. By learning and experiencing Nepalese society, I will better understand the Nepalese people and their culture, which is the first step toward working with them. In no way, do I think I can "correct" Nepal nor do I want to. I just hope to better understand the country's healthcare and gain insight into some of it's inadequacies.