Day 25/26 - Hospital Civil

Hey hey hey! Welcome to this installment of my random thoughts from down in Oaxaca. The past couple days have been spent in Hospital Civil, a large, public hospital that is around a 30 minute walk from my house. It is generally crowded and is an extremely busy place, with lines upon lines of people waiting near the entrance to be seen for their conditions. However, being a public hospital, and not a privatized facility, it is much less expensive. A consultation costs $35-40 pesos at public facilities such as Hospital Civil; in private facilities that cost jumps to $200-300 pesos. So it comes as no surprise to me to see so many people waiting to be seen at public facilities. Now on to the specifics of my days!

Tuesday
- My first day at Hospital Civil was awesome in so many ways. After walking with my amigas from the program to the hospital, we entered a special building that seemed to be some sort of administrative building crossed with a doctor checkpoint. Sales reps and doctors came in and out of the building frequently. We sat in a lobby/hallway for a little bit before our contact, Dra. Yazmin, arrived. She welcomed us and then gave us our assignments. I was placed in the servicio de tococirugía. Tococirugía is the specialty covering childbirth (natural and caesarean) and other gynecobstetric procedures. I traded my slacks, polo, and white coat for my set of blue scrubs, booties, cap, and facemask and then entered into the tococirugía area. I was introduced to a young surgical nurse, Andrea. She showed me around the facility (rather small considering the amount of doctors, patients, and nurses it contained) before leading me into a room full of pregnant women being closely monitored. She taught me the correct procedure to determine a baby's orientation, and had me identify the location of the baby's back for 4 or 5 embarazadas (pregnant women). This was done so that the fetal heart rate could be found and monitored. After being in that room for about 45 minutes, we exited and entered the main hallway. When I arrived it was empty, but now it was full with women waiting to give birth. After a couple more quick examinations, one women was wheeled away for a C-section. Finally, I was going to witness my first live, in-person, surgery!

- I followed Andrea to one of the OR's where the "magic" was going to happen. She showed me the correct procedure for scrubbing in, then proceeded to get all of the surgical instruments prepared for the surgeons. While this was going on, one of the surgeons entered, set up his tablet, and started playing some music to help him get in the zone. Shortly after, the other surgeon entered, and the surgery was set to begin. I will admit, I was a little nervous before the first incision was made, as a cut open human abdomen isn't what I consider a normal sight, but those feelings quickly faded as the incision was made. It was incredible how quickly the surgery seemed to occur. After 3-4 minutes, the baby was out and crying, and the entire procedure lasted a little more than 30 minutes. I will spare all of the gory details of the surgery and stick to the statement that is was truly an incredible experience that I won't soon forget. After the procedure was done, the woman was wheeled off to the recuperation room. Andrea finished cleaning up some of the instruments and then we headed back to the room we were in earlier. I was then introduced to some other doctors and nurses. I measured some more fetal heart rates and determined more baby orientations before slipping off into the other OR to catch about 10 minutes of another C-section. The baby had already been delivered, so I didn't stay for too long. I worked a little more alongside nurses Andrea, Deborah, and Maria before heading out after 4.5 hours of observation. It was a very fun and interesting day for me, and I hope to return to that floor at some point.

- We had dinner at a restaurant called Terranova, a nice 2nd floor restaurant in a building overlooking the zócalo. They were out of the grilled lamb, but a nice consolation was the chicken parmesan. I also had a lemonade that was heavy on the lemon, but still very good. After dinner, we ventured to a fresh baked bread store for some treats. I had a triangular shaped sweet bread crisp that reminded me a lot of "frog" (pie crust fried in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar). It was very good, and was an excellent treat to have on my walk home.

Wednesday
- It was back to Hospital Civil at 8 am this morning. Sarah and Shan-Shan did not join Lauren and me on the excursion because they were either sick (Sarah) or at another location (Shan-Shan). Nonetheless, we made the 30 minute walk and waited again for Dra. Yazmin to arrive and assign us to a service. I was placed in pediatrics, and that turned out to be an excellent spot for the day. It was very busy, and I was able to see a wide range of conditions, from general conditions such as asthma or appendicitis to more serious conditions such as viral encephalitis and a huge gluteal tumor. I was kept very busy, and worked for the majority of the day alongside Dra. Sandra. She was a third year medical student, and was very helpful in explaining the patient cases to me. First she showed me around the ward, including the pediatric oncology center. There I met another doctor, Dra. Griselda, and she explained to me the various parts of the oncology center. I chatted for a little bit with both doctors, and found it very interesting that they were both my age, but already in their 3rd year of medical school. Mexico's school system is a little different, in that their "high school" equivalent is a little more specialized than our high schools. So they don't need to attend university for 4 years before entering med school, they only need to enroll in a bachillerata program specific for future doctors. Pretty cool, and it really makes me wish I could already be in my 3rd year at the age of 22!

- After our little chat, we went on rounds when a 3rd year resident, Dr. Jhonny, came around. Like I said before, I was exposed to a variety of interesting conditions, including:

• A gluteal tumor on a 3 year old boy that was almost the size of a miniature basketball. It was absolutely enormous, and was unlike anything I had seen before. It was very warm to the touch (yes, I had the opportunity to touch it), and rigid as well. The child needed more imaging done to determine the course of action, but surgical removal was likely to be the method of choice. I felt so bad for the boy, because he was crying non-stop, calling out for his mama. It had to be causing him a great deal of pain. Hopefully the CT scan clears things up and offers a definite solution to his condition. Good luck little buddy!
• A boy around 12 years old had a facial infection, resulting in the swelling of his mouth and nose. It was another case of something unlike anything I had ever seen before. His mouth was extremely distended, and it did not look like it felt too good. A consultation with an infectious disease doctor was ordered (I got to do the paperwork, oh joy!) to better understand what was going on and offer a course of action. A girl around the same age had a submaxillary abscess on the left side of her neck, and a similar procedure was done for her.
• A little girl no more than 3 or 4 years old was in because of severe asthma. She was patiently coloring and drawing when we came in...she was adorable! But besides that fact, I got to listen to her lungs to hear the wispy noise associated with asthma. She was in pretty good spirits and health, so that was nice to see.
• A boy around 10 years old was recovering from being electrocuted. He had burns at all the exit portals of the electrical current. His face, right arm, right shoulder and right side of his back, as well as a few of his left hand knuckles and his legs were either wounded or bandaged. His fluids were being closely monitored, as were his blood glucose levels. I returned later with Dra. Sandra, and got to pin prick his toe to get blood for the analysis. They had tried previously to get him to use his fingers for the test, but he was resilient and threw a fit whenever they tried. We also collected a urine sample and analyzed the results using a standard test strip.
• A couple boys around 10 years old were recovering from an appendectomy surgery. I know what that's like (so much fun, hospital food is the best! ehh) Another, around 5 years old had been bitten by a rattlesnake on his right hand, and needed some treatment.
• There were two cases of viral encephalitis. One, a 4-6 year old boy, was relatively mild in terms of encephalitis, while the other, a 3 or 4 year old girl was pretty advanced. She was quarantined, and we had to throw on a gown, facemask and gloves before entering the room. Her outlook was pretty grave, and it was so sad to see her lying there with all sorts of tubes going into and out of her mouth and nose. She was oozing fluid from her nose and mouth, so we had to aspirate the fluid out to clear her passages. Her eyes were swollen shut and the only visible sign of life was the steady rhythm of her chest bobbing up and down with each breath. I pray she makes a full recovery, but the outlook was not very good for her. She is definitely in my prayers, and I encourage anyone else reading this to do the same.

- It was all in all an awesome day in the hospital. I was afforded the opportunity to practice some clinical skills  as well as assist the doctors with anything they needed. It was very fast paced, and working with the kids was very fun. Once again I hope I can return to the pediatric service before my time here is over.

- I also noticed that I was able to very clearly understand what was going on and hold conversations pretty well today. It was a minor breakthrough in my quest to become conversational in Spanish, and I hope I can continue my quest for success!

- After class I stopped at a little restaurant on a street corner and ordered a torta with an agua de horchata to drink. The torta is basically a warm, grilled sandwich, and mine was phenomenal. It was pollo enmolado (chicken with mole negro), and they had lots of sauces and toppings to put on it. The horchata was also delicious. For dessert, I ventured to La Churrería and ordered 3 churros. They were hot and fresh and muy rico! I had one when I got back to my room and another about an hour later. Saving the last one for my walk tomorrow morning! They are extremely good, and I just might have to order some more before I go! On my walk home from La Churrería, mother nature decided to drop some water on me. Luckily, I came prepared, and whipped out mi paraguas (umbrella) to shelter myself from the drops.

Hospital Civil has been such an awesome location. Tomorrow is sure to bring more excitement, as is Friday. I can't believe my time here is almost over...it seems like just yesterday I was loading up in Des Moines. I have had such a wonderful experience down here, and will be sad to leave. But I am also eager to get back home and resume a relatively normal life. One thing is for sure, I will miss all the good food from down here! Well, that's enough for now. ¡Nos vemos!

Day 23/24 - Takin' It Easy

I just returned from walking around a bit and was able to catch the final moments of the official Guelaguetza celebration for this year. A large fireworks show went on for about 10-15 minutes, lighting up the sky and capping off this awesome time of festivities. Pretty soon Oaxaca will return to normal, and the majority of the tourists will be gone. In fact, I will be one of them, as I leave for home on Saturday early in the morning. I have mixed emotions about this fact. I'm definitely ready to get back home to see everyone I've missed and be around familiar faces again, but I will also be sad to leave Oaxaca behind. It has been such a great experience so far, and I only hope this week can solidify my experience into an unforgettable one. Something tells me it is already past that point. Now on to the happenings of the last couple days. Comparatively speaking, they were pretty relaxed.

Sunday
- Sunday started off meeting up with Dani, Sarah, and Shan-Shan at a Café before making our way to the Santo Domingo plaza, where we were joined by Lauren. Our goal for the day was to check out the museum at Santo Domingo, a huge collection of displays showcasing the art and culture of Oaxaca. Admission was free for me, and the center had plenty of sights to see to keep us busy for almost two hours. Here are pictures of some of the cool things I encountered:



A fountain in the first courtyard near the entrance. The entire building contains beautiful architecture as seen here.

"My apartment smells of rich mahogany and old leather-bound
books...I'm kind of a big deal." - Ron Burgundy

A shipwrecked boat in a rocky sea/courtyard.

 

 

-After Santo Domingo, we all went home for la comida before venturing out to Plaza Oaxaca to watch El Llanero Solitario (The Lone Ranger, with Johnny Depp). It was in English with Spanish subtitles, so that was a nice feature. It was a pretty good movie, and it was a great way to spend a hot afternoon, inside a cool, air conditioned theater. After the movie, we hopped in a cab back to the centro, then found a puesto to eat at. I had tacos dorados covered in guacamole, lettuce and cheese. ¡Muy rico! I then topped that off with some hot cakes, miniature pancakes covered with various sauces and spreads such as nutella, strawberry marmalade, dulce de leche, etc. Another fantastically delicious treat!

 

Monday

- Another free day, in the morning at least, that was met with walking around the city. I met up with Dani, Lauren, and Sarah at the same cafe as yesterday. After some good coffee, we walked around some markets before heading back home for la comida. I had Spanish classes from 4-6, and after these were done we all met back up and headed off to a Chinese restaurant. It was actually pretty dang tasty, and I again found myself searching for some dessert after we left. Naturally I had the same hot cakes from the previous night...they were too good to pass up again. The hot cake stand also happens to be on my way home, so chances are I may stop there again between now and my departure.

 

- The Guelaguetza has finally come to a close. Lots of people will be leaving the city, so I finally won't have to suck it in as I walk through the streets. I'm really glad I was able to experience this celebration during the past couple weeks. There is a wealth of culture and tradition down here that is so interesting to see and learn about. All the parades and dancing was truly a sight to behold. I will say this, I most definitely will not miss all the fireworks at 6 am!

 

Tomorrow morning I begin work in Hospital Civil, the largest hospital in Oaxaca. Hopefully I get to watch some surgeries and continue to learn medical Spanish, all while improving my speaking abilities as well. I'm very excited for all the opportunities that I will encounter, and will be sure to share them with y'all. That's all for now, so long and good night!

Day 19/20/21/22 - La Gente que Me Gusta

¡Saludades de Oaxaca! I have a lot to say in this installment of the blog, so there will be no dilly-dallying around on my end. A lot has happened in the past 96 or so hours, so without further adieu, let's commence. ¡Adelante!

Wednesday- I started the day with a quick breakfast before heading off to the bus stop to meet Lauren around 7:20. We hopped on the bus headed for Colonia Estrella, and 20 minutes later were deposited by the cancha de baloncesto near El Centro de Salud Lomas de San Jacinto. When we got to the centro, we learned that Dr. Cipriano was not there. So we split up and spent the rest of the day with a couple different doctors. I was paired up with Dr. Felipe. He was a young doctor, likely in his very early 30's, who had been practicing for 5 years at the clinic. The majority of the patients we saw were either pregnant women (embarazadas) or children suffering from desnutrición (malnourishment). I asked Dr. Felipe about the prevalence of desnutrición, and he responded saying it is quite common in the Oaxaca area, especially in the outer pueblos. The outer areas generally have a larger concentration of poor people who are unable to buy the food necessary for an adequate diet. Desnutrición is very much related to one's social class in México. It is a very easy problem to fix, but sometimes the money is just not there to help correct the dietary intake.

El Centro de Salud Lomas de San Jacinto. It is open 24 hours and serves many, many people each day.

- Dr. Felipe was a little bit easier to understand because he talked slower and enunciated a little better than Dr. Cipriano (and I had a day's experience in the clinic under my belt). Dr. Felipe was very good about explaining the diagnoses, and also let me perform some basic clinical procedures, such as taking pulses or examining wounds. But probably the highlight of my day was the opportunity to help determine the orientation of a woman's baby in her abdomen. I palpated her abdomen and identified the baby's head, back, and feet (with Dr. Felipe's guidance) before Dr. Felipe measured the foco fetal (fetal heartrate). It was really cool for the nerd in me to help determine those features!

- Language class went well, and was followed by dinner at Café Gourmand with Genevieve, Lauren, Sarah, and Shan-Shan. The toasted turkey sandwich met my expectations and then some. I then headed home, but first swung by a puesto in a makeshift market to pick up a delicious dessert: two postres, one with apple filling and the other with a milk-custard filling. They helped to make the walk home pass a little quicker!

Thursday- It was back to working with Dr. Cipriano on Thursday. We did much of the same work from Tuesday, filling out recetas and again performing some basic exam procedures. I again helped to determine a baby's orientation to help find the foco fetal, and I also got to measure the size of the women's belly, starting from the pubis symphysis and measuring to where the "bulge" ended, a few inches inferior to the xyphoid process. Nothing earth shattering, but still pretty cool (and very difficult to mess up!).

- Today was a much better day for understanding Dr. Cipriano. I am now more aware of the way he speaks and have gotten much better at anticipating what should come next. He still speaks pretty fast, as do most of the patients, but I continue to understand more and more. Another thing I have noted from the clinic is the way that Dr. Cipriano connects with his patients. He is very much invested in the lives of his patients when they are in the room. He gives them his full attention and always conducts himself in a way that puts his patients at ease. He has an extremely friendly and likeable personality, and is somewhat quirky with all his sound effects. Nevertheless, I really enjoy working with him! Before we left, he had us answer some questions about our lives, why we choose to pursue a medical career, our motives for coming to Oaxaca, some random odds and ends questions in a little notebook, as well as our contact information to possibly stay in touch. He is such a kind and caring man, and is a great example of what being a doctor is all about.

- Language classes are still just fine and dandy. You might suspect that a language class dealing specifically with grammar to be monotonous, but Manuel manages to keep them fun and interesting at the same time. We are now starting to venture into topics that are no longer review from my high school courses, so the work is becoming a little more challenging, but it is still bearable.

- After class, I hung around the school for a bit before heading off to a going-away party for Sarah and Shannon, two teachers from Chicago that had been staying with my family. After stopping at a little grocery store to buy some snacks to bring to the party, it was off to the bright pink residence home to a few of the students from their school. Their school (Solexico) has a residence with a bunch of rooms, a kitchen, and some common areas for students to rent for their time there. It was a pretty nice residence, and was a great spot to host a last get-together. A couple of their classmates bought some meat from a puesto in the streets, and others brought supplies to make tacos. We set up a little buffet table, and started to chow down. The group was a very fun and eclectic group, with 1 Mexican, 5 Americans, 1 German, 3 Swiss, and 1 Austrian to round things out. The food was phenomenal (lots and lots of pork, beef, and fresh grilled veggies), as were the conversations that took place. It was a fun group, so the game of "Never have I ever" got interesting quickly. It was a fun night and I'm glad I could participate in the festivities.

Friday- Sadly, Friday was the last day of my clinical rotation at El Centro de Salud Lomas de San Jacinto. I had really come to like Dr. Cipriano, and had learned a lot from him in just a few short days. Lauren did not make the journey with me to the Centro today because she was feeling a little under the weather, so I was on my own with Dr. C today. Surprisingly, I was able to understand nearly everything in the clinic, and ask some pretty good questions (or so I thought). One of the clinical highlights was that I prepared an entire patient file, from the patient history to the exam notes to the prescription. It was a small victory, but a victory at that! We saw a few more embarazadas, as well as the first case of cancer. A woman came in with pain in her left arm, and had been to an oncologist, who determined there was a cancerous mass in her upper arm. She was in good spirits, as were her two daughters. It seemed as though they had caught the mass early enough that it wouldn't be too big of a deal, but cancer is still cancer, and can be wildly unpredictable. Best wishes for her throughout her battle.

- Dr. Cipriano again handed his little notebook over to write a final goodbye letter to him. I thanked him for his time and wished him nothing but the best. He was an awesome doctor to observe and learn from. A parting gift he gave to me was a poem from Mario Benedetti, a famous Uruguayan author and poet, entitled "La Gente que Me Gusta" (The People That I Like). It was a beautiful and eloquently written poem written about a certain type of person that is easily likable, the type of person that a person likes. Here is an excerpt that quite honestly, I could not say better myself:


"Me gusta la gente que es justa con su gente y consigo misma. La gente que agradece el Nuevo día, las cosas buenas que existen en su vida, que vive cada hora con buen ánimo dando lo major de sí, agradecido de estar vivo, de poder regular sonrisas, de ofrecer sus manos y ayudar generosamente sin esperar nada a cambio." - Mario Benedetti
To those of you who don't speak or translate or understand Spanish, it goes something like this. He likes people that "are fair to others and themselves. The people that are thankful for the new day, for the good things that exist in their life, those that live every hour in good spirits giving the best they can, thankful to be alive, that smile regularly, that offer their hands and generously help others without hoping for anything in return." This is such a beautiful way to phrase this sentiment, and I couldn't agree more with the message. Dr. Cipriano is definitely a member of the "la gente que me gusta" club. I'm very thankful to have worked with him for the short time that I did, and hope to someday return to work with him again. One of the really great things about the Carver College of Medicine is the global health distinction track they offer. A definite possibility (if I end up at the U of I, who knows) would be to return and work in Oaxaca as part of the requirements to complete the track. Hopefully Oaxaca is one of the approved sites to do so, but I will worry about that at the appropriate time. Anyways, it is safe to say that I had a great and unforgettable experience with Dr. Cipriano.

- After class, Lauren, Sarah, Shan-Shan, and I ventured to a restaurant we had all been wanting to try since we first arrived, La Biznaga. It is a little more pricey (for Mexico, about $100-150 pesos a plate), but it was SO worth it. The food was absolutely amazing. I had a delicious combination of beef, cactus, onions, peppers, beans, and guacamole to chow on. It had a chile con límon seasoning and was to die for! We of course had to get some dessert, so I choose nothing other than the "cinco hermanos," which was a chocolate mousse dessert made with local oaxaqueñan chocolate. Unbelievable tasty! After dinner, I returned home to rest for the big trip day of Saturday.

Saturday- Today, I went on a huge trip with Dani, Lauren, Sarah, and Shan-Shan covering locales such as Monte Alban, Arrazola, Cuilápam de Guerrero, and San Bartolo de Coyotepec. Monte Alban consisted of ancient Zapotec and Mixtec ruins, Arrazola was an alebrije market, Cuilápam de Guerrero contained an old monastery and church, and San Bartolo de Coyotepec was home to a black clay ceramic making facility.

- Monte Alban was first up, and it was quite the site to see. The civilization was abandoned in the 15th century after Spanish conquistadors came and mostly slaughtered the people. Those that weren't slaughtered likely converted to Roman Catholicism (it was either convert or be killed for them). We learned of a game they played to honor their god (a sort of baseball meets handball meets volleyball, it was played with a huge ball that was thought to weigh nearly 4 kg) and saw the ruins of the playing field. There were a lot of pyramid shaped buildings, each with a different purpose. All the ruins were centered on and around a huge plaza on the top of a mountain. We saw an ancient medical school and hospital, various temples of worship, and some breathtaking views! It was a really cool place to visit, and it was very interesting to learn about a way of life and culture that has long been forgotten.

- Arrazola was next on the trip, and was pretty cool in that it included a stop in an alebrije factory. We learned how the alebrijes were made and got to look around their shop to see if any were fit for a purchase. Alebrijes are so cool, and so unique to Oaxaca. They are very intricately designed, and some are really, really interesting. Plants with many hummingbirds sucking up nectar, or a lion chowing down on a deer can be found, all hand-carved out of wood and painted by an artist. Real neat!

- A stop at a buffet was next before we went to an old monastery. It was delicious, and had a table with 7 different oaxaqueñan moles...mmm mmm good! The monastery in Cuilápam de Guerrero was another cool historical site. It was the site where the Spanish conquistadors built over the indigenous population's city to provide a center of conversion for the indigenous peoples. The monastery was beautiful, and had two distinct parts. Building of the complex was started, halted, then finished, over the span of approximately 200 years. As such, the architectural styles vary greatly from the older and newer portions. There was a wedding about to take place when we went through, so it was a pretty busy site, but a great place for a wedding!

- Our last stop was in the city of San Bartolo de Coyotepec to stop by a place where all sorts of ceramics were made from a special clay that turns black upon curing in the kiln. Apparently, only two locales produce this color of clay. Oaxaca is one, and the other is in the United States somewhere. The time of curing also affects the color. 8 hours produces a shiny black, while 15-20 hours produces a slivery black that, while not as aesthetically pleasing as the shiny black, is much stronger. There was a quick demonstration of how the clay was molded into the shapes and how the designs were carved into the pots. Pretty cool to see how their techniques did not rely on modern technology, but tried and true traditions from their ancestry.

- Upon returning to Oaxaca, we observed some talented musicians playing the marimbas, and hung around the Santo Domingo plaza to watch a little bit of a parade going on down the Alcalá. After heading to a café and then to another, it was time to call it a day.

It's hard to believe that I only have one week left down here. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time, and will be sad to leave. I've met some pretty cool people and sparked some neat friendships that I hope continue once I leave. And I've been blessed to find so many people willing to help out and help me learn. La gente que me gusta. There are a lot of them here! But also a lot of them back home. I do look forward to seeing everyone again when I get back. So long for now!

Day 17/18 - En La Clínica

¡Hola mis amigos! Saludos de la gran cuidad de Oaxaca. This week has started off with much excitement and new experiences. La Guelaguetza is officially in full swing and I have finally started working in the clinics (yes!!!!). But before I reveal my initial observations from the doctor's office, I will begin with the happenings of el lunes (Monday).

- Monday was a free day up until class a las 4 en la tarde. In the morning, I met up with Sarah at a café just off la calle Alcalá (Café Brujala, it rocks) for coffee and to work on homework before class. The café itself is very nice, with free wifi, music that isn't too loud, and an awesome courtyard to just sit back and relax for a couple hours. After struggling to connect to the internet and instead playing minesweeper for a good while, we left, walked around a bit, and returned to our homes for la comida.

- Today was quite the experience. I had to be at El Centro de Salud Lomas de San Jacinto at 8 am this morning, so it was a relatively early start. I had breakfast at 7:00, and was out the door at 7:15 to meet Lauren and catch the bus to the centro de salud. Not knowing how long the ride would take, we figured it would be best to be early rather than late. After a 15-20 minute ride, we arrived at our stop, and it was just a short walk down a dirt road to get to our location. When we arrived, we were directed to our doctor for the day, Dr. Cipriano Mendoza Ramirez. He was very nice, a middle-aged man (likely near my dad's age) with streaks of gray hair near his roots and a great sense of humor. He frequently used sound effects as he wrote things down or examined the patients (when appropriate, of course). After introductions and a short time chatting, he was ready to see his first patient of the day, a 30 year old female with diabetes who was pregnant. Pregnancy was the theme of the day, as well over 50% of the patients we saw were pregnant.

Dr. Cipriano was very personable, and a very likable character. Most of his appointments were routine checkups for pregnancy, but some did come in with children who had fever or a rash of some sort. One of the more involved cases centered around a pregnant woman who was having contractions. She was in obvious pain whenever the contractions rolled around (every 5 to 10 minutes). What made the case unusual was that she was only 5 months along...much too early for a healthy baby to be ready to birth. Dr. Cipriano performed an examination, palpating her stomach and performing a vaginal exam. He found an infection to unfortunately top it all off, and she was dilated 1 cm. He was very concerned for the well-being of both the baby and the mother, and advised her to go to Hospital Civil that day to see a specialist. Hopefully all turns out well for her and her family.

- Dr. Cipriano was great in keeping us busy. He allowed us to fill out recetas (prescriptions) and also allowed us to do some simple exam procedures, such as taking a pulse, palpating something interesting, performing reflex tests, and closely examining areas of interest. He also was very open and receptive to our questions, and we somewhat had a debriefing session after every appointment, if there was time, which leads me to my next point...

- Holy cow did things move quickly! Not just from patient to patient, but the actual doctor-patient interactions. They spoke so fast that it was so difficult to follow at times. So far, everyone who I've interacted with in Spanish - teachers, host family, peers, store employees - has been pretty good at talking clearly and slowly so that I could grasp what was happening. In the clinic, not so much. I would compare this experience to riding a bike, but without training wheels, for the very first time. Yeah, you're still riding a bike, but your whole world has been turned upside down and every inch of your travels is unchartered territory. In fact, my first time without training wheels resulted in a chunk of gravel getting stuck in my palm (and I still have the scar to prove it!). Those same feelings of inadequacy explained how I felt at times during the day. However, by the fourth or fifth patient, I was comprehending a little more, and getting used to Dr. Cipriano's pronunciation, inflection, and routine. I was not completely lost, but this was definitely an experience that forced me to really focus. By the end of our time in the clinic, my mind was more than ready to relax. After nearly 5 hours, we caught a bus back into the center of town, and headed home for la comida.

I ended the day by swinging by Café Café for a light dinner with Genevieve, Lauren, and Shan-Shan. All in all it was a great day. Class went well, and now I must work on my homework for tomorrow. ¡Adios!

Day 16 - To the Top!

Greetings! It was another adventure filled day down in Oaxaca. Let us begin:

- I started off the day with a hike up las Escaleras del Fortín with Ruben, Sarah, and Steve. This is a huge staircase leading up to the cerro, where the stadium of the Guelaguetza stands. Up there the view is remarkable - it's a panoramic view of the whole city. The weather is also noticeable cooler, which is great after the long hike up the stairs! After taking in the views for about half an hour, we ventured over to the statue of Benito Juarez. Apparently he was an instrumental figure back in the 1850's, helping to form Mexico into the republic that it is today. We also checked out the Guelaguetza stadium. Some group appeared to be practicing, so we watched for a couple minutes before heading back down the stairs. In one of the tunnels underneath the highway by the stadium, local artists had been hired to replace the graffiti with their own works. I will say that it was a great move by whoever was in charge! I was picture happy up there, so I took quite a few snapshots of the scenery. Here are a few:


My main man Benito Juarez. Here we can see some of the early manifestations of the disco.



One wall of the mural paintings in the tunnel leading to the Guelaguetza Stadium. How neat is that?!



The view from the top. Santo Domingo is in the bottom left. Sort of a hazy day, but the view is still a sight to behold.

The look from the bottom of las Escaleras del Fortín...started from the bottom! The Guelaguetza stadium is below. It holds over 15,000 when filled to capacity.

- After making our way down (much easier than up!), we headed to a small park to relax and chat for a while near a fountain. Lots of people had their dogs out and about, and one set of canines were very excited to see a fountain, and sprinted towards it to lap up some water for a quick refreshment. Then we headed over to El Llano, a large park a couple blocks east. It has been overrun by a huge market for the duration of the Guelaguetza, which is fine by me. We weaved in and out of the puestos, and I bought a frappe cajeta (caramel frappe) for a little noontime snack. We really wanted to buy some churros, but the churro stand we came across was not ready to open quite yet. Oh well, the churros would come later. :)

- We all returned to our homes to rest before meeting back up at 3:45 to head to a café for some coffee and a little snack. Ruben was now replaced by Elena, another student staying at Sarah's. We ended up at a place aptly named Café Café. The caramel macchiato I had was very nice, as was the Italian sandwich I devoured. We stayed at the shop for about 2 hours before heading out to walk around the Alcalá in search of churros. If there is one thing I have learned down here, it is that my sweet tooth has become even sweeter. There are so many dessert places to choose from, and they are all unlike anything I've seen back home. We finally found a churro place near the 20 de Noviembre market. They weren't fresh, but they were still good! Satisfied (for now), we headed back around the city to walk off some of the calories we had consumed.

- A short while later, we decided to check out the street food scene and see what goodies we could find. We settled on a stand selling all sorts of local cuisine. I ordered up an empanada de verde con pollo, and it was nothing short of phenomenal. This was my first experience with street food, and I'm glad it was a good one. You have to be leery when choosing which vendor to eat from, paying careful attention to how they handle money and how the food is prepared. This stand met our standards, both in cleanliness and in taste. And what better way to top off a delicious meal than with some authentic oaxaqueñan desserts?! A postre stand immediately caught our eye as we left the empanada stand. Cookies, crème filled pastries, and a variety of other treats stood before us. I gravitated towards a custard filled horn shaped pastry...and this was a great choice. It was certainly not short on sugar, but my taste buds didn't seem to mind. After cruising around the marketplace for a little while longer, it was time to call it a day. Today was easily the day that I walked around the most. Which is probably a good thing, considering how much I ate today.

The atmosphere down here is getting to be very exciting. Everyone is enthused and ready to kick off a rockin' Guelaguetza celebration, and I am too. It is likely going to be a busy, yet exciting week, but I am looking forward to whatever opportunities come my way. ¡Adios mis amigos!

Day 13/14/15 - Party in the Streets

Another few days have passed since my last post, meaning that one, I have been slacking in the blog department, and two, that I have what I would consider cool observations to share. Enough with the needless blabbering, let's get into it!

- Friday marked the last day of conversation class with Andrea. It was a really great class, and I really enjoyed having Andrea as a teacher. She was very nice, helpful, and funny throughout our time with her. In just two weeks, I have come a long way with respect to my speaking ability. My understanding is skyrocketing, and I have a lot more confidence in my abilities. Thanks Andrea! Luckily, we will still see her around the school, so we don't have to say goodbye yet! Grammar classes with Manuel also continue to be running smoothly. Manuel is another great teacher. It is going to stink to have to say goodbye to all the awesome people I've met down here!

- Speaking of goodbyes, Friday was the last day of volunteering at El Centro de Esperanza Infantil. I'm going to miss working with the kids! We finished our work somewhat early on Friday, which left about two hours to sit around and play with the kids. Jenga, pick up sticks, Uno, and just talking were some of the activities we did. We also had to say goodbye to Marcos, one of our go to guys for figuring out what to do. Originally from Oaxaca, he moved to the states when he was two and is currently a student at UCONN. In the downtime we had at the center, we had a great time getting to know him and sharing our advice with him (he is an aspiring pre-med student as well).

- Every day and every night continues to be a party in the streets! The celebrations are really ramping up, both in intensity and frequency with the passing of each day. Fireworks continue to dot the sky, and more and more people are out and about. In fact, the city is noticeably swelling up with both foreigners and natives. The surplus of wanderers in the streets can make for some great people watching, as well as some slowed down travelling times. Nevertheless, it is really cool to see so many people come together to celebrate the cultural melting pot that is the state of Oaxaca.

- La Guelaguetza is set to officially begin on Monday. However, plenty of entertainment has already taken place. For the past couple nights, there have been free parades showcasing the different groups that will be participating in the official ceremony. There are about 14 indigenous groups of Oaxaca, and most, if not all, are represented in the celebration. Tonight, a huge parade with about 10 of the groups took place within the heart of the city. The parade proceeded down la calle Alcalá, around el zócalo, and back up la calle Garcia Vigil. Each group had many, many people dancing, some in large costumes, in traditional dress, with a band playing an identifying piece of music. It was so cool to see, and the crowd was very into it. There were, at the very least, tens of thousands of people congregating around the main route. Quite the spectacle. I can't wait to see what the actual festival entails!

A sea of people watching one of the groups dance. ¡Que divertido!

- I hit up a local organic market with Genevieve, Lauren, Sarah, Shan-Shan, and a new friend, Steve, this morning. It was small in size, but rather large in the amount of things to see. Fresh juice, homemade crafts, local sweets, free mezcal sampling, you name it; this place almost had it all. I bought some dried fruit, some milk chocolate treats, a fresh squeezed jugo de naranja (orange juice), and some delicious cracker type snacks in addition to a few free samples of a local mezcal. It was a "cool" way to spend the morning, even if the temperatures were approaching 100°F. In fact, the forecast for next week has the daily high hovering around 105°F. Hothothothothothothot!!

- After a delicious la comida (it's never been bad, and I have yet to try some food item down here that I don't like), it was off to a café with Sarah and Steve to cool down for a while before watching the parade. The café itself was really nice, offering free wifi to go along with my delicious mocha frappe. After an hour or so, we left, met a group of Sarah's friends at the Santo Domingo plaza, and watched the parade with thousands of others. Then it was off to Café Mayordomo for a refreshing Malteada (quickly becoming my favorite local treat, so tasty!). After walking around the nearby market for a bit, it was time to retire for the evening.

The next week promises to be full of awesome experiences, both with the start of the official Guelaguetza celebration and the beginning of my clinical rotations. I have a free day Monday, as most of the town will be shut down for the start of the main event, so hopefully I can get some good pictures of the happenings. Until next time, take care!

Days 10/11/12 - El Tiempo Vuela

Greetings my friends! Not much has changed in the past few days. I'm still performing the basic physiological functions that are required for the phenomena called life, and my location still happens to be a neat little place by the name of Oaxaca. But I do have some interesting little tidbits to run through. ¡Comencemos!

- This is a busy week volunteering at El Centro de Esperanza Infantil. All of the kids enrolled in the program are supposed to come to the center this week to begin the registration process for school, which begins towards the end of August. That being said, there has been plenty of work to do. On Monday, I helped take photos of the kids to send to their sponsors. It was a lot of fun, and I did my best to make the kids smile for the camera! We've also been very busy sorting report cards (boletas) to send with their letters and pictures. There is still a lot of work to do, but I look forward to helping out! I also have helped to translate some letters from Spanish to English and I even got to help a high school student write his letter (in English). These activities have definitely helped to improve my skills. One of the best things about volunteering at the centro is the interaction with the kids. They are all so bubbly and happy, all the time it seems. One little girl is there every day of the week, and she is absolutely adorable! She always asks to watch videos with us, the main one being a cartoon called El Chavo. Winnie the Pooh is also quite interesting in Spanish, fyi! Volunteering at the center has been very rewarding, and I'm very glad I've had the opportunity to do so.

- Tuesday started with a bang, literally. At 6 am, fireworks were exploding very close to my house because some local church was having a celebration. The activities are really ramping up down here in preparation for La Guelaguetza, a huge cultural celebration of all things Oaxaca. Luckily my parents warned me that things would be going boom in the morning, but it was still a little startling to hear their loud explosions that early. I'm very excited to participate in the festivities, and can't wait to try some of the amazing food dishes that Oaxaca is known for!

- It has been raining in the evenings for quite a few nights this week, which has really impeded upon my desire to walk around the city. It has, however, allowed me to begin watching a new TV series, at the suggestion of my peers. Parks and Recreation. It is quickly growing on me, and also helps me with my Spanish due to the subtitles from Netflix.

- Clinicals start next week, and I am amped! We have a meeting tomorrow with our medical director, where we will be going over expectations and our schedules for the next two weeks. I'm eagerly anticipating Monday morning (I just may be one of the only people in the world doing that), but am going to take things one minute at a time so as not to miss out on something in the meantime!

- There is a café next to my language school that serves one of the best, if not the best, frappucinos I've ever had. To make things even better, they top it off with a cinnamon sugar whip cream that is too good to be true. So if you ever venture to Oaxaca, make sure to make a pit stop at Nuevo Mundo Café. You won't be disappointed!

- I finally got to check out some alibrijes today. Alebrijes are some of the art pieces by which Oaxaca has made its claim to fame. Often made by artisans in the surrounding pueblos, they are wooden sculptures extravagantly decorated and hand-painted. All are done by hand and some take around 3 months to complete. They originated in Oaxaca and are a unique art form to this region. Here is a picture of one of the many different kinds:



This alebrije may just jump out of the screen at you! Ribbit!

- Well, that's all for now. I can't think of much else to spill for tonight. ¡Adios!

Day 9 - Around the Countryside

Today's adventures took us to many interesting places, encompassing the whole gamut from indigenous rugs to ancient ruins. Let's make this blog a swimming pool and dive right in! Goggles on...let's go!
- I set off on a tour set up through Becari at around 10 this morning with the rest of my group. On the agenda were trips to the widest tree in the world, a Zapotec rug making shop, the ancient ruins of Mitla, a traditional Sunday market in Tlacolula, and a Mezcal factory on the way back to Oaxaca. The trip was supposed to be a "short" one, but still managed to last around 8 hours. It was definitely a long day, but so worth it for the experiences we had. First stop was El Árbol del Tule, just outside of Oaxaca. There was a nice park with some very neatly trimmed hedges and gardens. The tree itself was quite the sight, with a perimeter of some 57 meters around its trunk! At over 2000 years old, the tree was definitely a cool thing to take in. Here it is, in all its glory:

El Árbol del Tule, also known as Big Gertha. The trunk has a perimeter of approximately 57m!

- Next was an indigenous rug making shop. The Zapotecs are one of 14 (I think) indigenous groups present in Oaxaca. They are very much traditional in their culture and way of life. The family we visited was 48 in number, and was one of five families to still use all natural ingredients for their pigments. We watched a really cool presentation on how the rugs were made, starting with the lana (wool) and then progressing to pigment making and weaving. It was so, so interesting, and the final products were absolutely incredible! It was amazing to hear how long some of the rugs took to make. Depending upon the size and pattern to be placed on the rug, rugs can take anywhere from a few hours to 6 months or more. They showed us a rather large rug that was custom ordered by a family in Guatemala. It had taken 5.5 months to make and cost around 55,000 pesos ($5,000 US, give or take). Here are some examples of the sights from the Zapotec shop:

The all natural ingredients (in the bowls) used to make the pigments. A few of the colors of wool can be seen here. Below to the left is the weaving machine. It is incredible that all the threads are thrown through this machine to make the beautiful rugs as seen below to the right!

 

 

 

- It was then off to some ancient ruins in Mitla. They were very cool, and offered a glimpse into the life and customs of the indigenous tribes of Mexico before the Spanish influences arrived from Spain. Many of the buildings were about 1200 years old and had no mortar between the large stones of the walls. A true engineering marvel for an early 1st century civilization. Additionally, metal had not yet been introduced to them, so all of the intricate stonework was done using other stone...talk about dedication! It was a very cool history lesson to take in on a beautiful afternoon.

- We stopped at a buffet for a quick bite to eat before heading off to a traditional market in Tlacolula. Many of the markets within Oaxaca are artisanal markets. This market was more traditional, with a much larger selection of food items to choose from (including live chickens!). We walked around the market for about a half hour, and also had a chance to visit a local church. It was marvelous inside, with tons of gold painted accents and even a solid silver railing separating the pews from the altar. Splendid!

- Our last stop of the day was a mezcal factory. Mezcal is to tequila as moonshine is to whiskey, sort of. Tequila is basically the industrialized production of mezcal. Tequila can only be produced from blue agave, but mezcal can be made from any of the 31 types of agave. We learned about the process, from the harvesting of the agave "heart" to the final distillation and flavoring processes. At the end, we could sample all the mezcal we pleased! They had a lot of really good ones, so it was tough to make a decision. Luckily, they had a promotion going on where you could basically buy three for the price of two. So Lauren, Genevieve, and I each picked our favorite flavor to buy. I choose the extremely tasty Crema de Maguey Maracuya (passion fruit).

- I tried my first tamale today, and it was phenomenal! It was a pollo con mole negro wrapped in hoja de plataño. Let's just say this food is taste-bud approved! ¡Es todo por ahora, hasta luego!

Day 7/8 - Coming Down With the Sickness

For all of my time spent down here, I have been waiting for the inevitable...the upset stomach typically encountered by travelers in a foreign land. Well, the change in diet finally caught up to me, as my great times were slightly interrupted by a day and a half of digestive problems. Eww! Thus I did not get to go to the salsa club with my friends, but I did get to plow through an episode of Grey's Anatomy, a couple of How I Met Your Mother, and three of Parks and Recreation. I guess getting sick has its benefits? Not really, but Netflix did help to pass the time, as did Skyping with my good friends Ryan and Taylar, the soon to be newlyweds (only a few more weeks you two!). Luckily, I started to feel better Saturday morning to participate in the days festivities!

- Saturday was full of some awesome events. In the morning, I rested up and continued to watch  episodes of Grey's and Parks and Recreation. I also switched rooms (and houses) because the two Stanford students are now gone. In the afternoon, around 2, I met up with the rest of my group and a couple volunteers from El Centro de Esperanza Infantil, and we headed off to the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca. There were a lot of really cool pieces in the museum. Many of the walls had extravagant murals painted on them, and some of the displays were quite impressive. I definitely glad I got to experience this place, all for only 20 pesos.

- Next we ate lunch at some local restaurant. It was very good, and included free juice, soup, and jello. I ordered a hamburger that was much larger than anticipated, and it also included a slice of ham wedged between the patty and the bun. Bonus! We then wandered through market to find a chocolate store with a sit down chocolate bar. After walking through a couple random chocolate stores, we finally made it, and boy was it worth it! I ordered a malteada, which is basically a gourmet chocolate milk. My oh my were my taste buds pleased! They used fresh, 100% natural chocolate made in house. I will probably be going back there daily to get myself one of those bad boys! Next, we wandered through a market, El Mercado 20 de noviembre. There were lots of really interesting items for sale, from miniature combs to fried crickets and everything in between. It was a neat experience to be in a part of town that much better represented the culture of the city, and not the more touristy area of the Alcalá.

- For dinner, we were going to eat at a place on the cerro del Fortín with panoramic views of the city, but mother nature had other plans. The rain was going to make for poor visibility, so we instead found a neat little restaurant to satisfy our hunger. I had espagueti boloñesa, and it was fantastic! After dinner,  we found a real nice spot for dessert. I ordered a frappucino oreo and a piece of the cake of the day, Tres de leche. Absolutely hit the spot! Then it was time to go home and rest up for the big day Sunday.

- I took my clothes to the Laundromat before heading off to the museum. Here, you pay per kilogram for a wash, and come back at a later time. Additionally, they fold your clothes for you...what a deal!

Time to get some rest now. I'm going on a tour of some pueblos tomorrow and am looking forward to visiting some of the less expensive markets. I'm absolutely loving every minute of my time down here. Until next time!

Day 5/6 - Adelante

Greetings once again from beautiful Oaxaca, Mexico! Nothing too exciting has happened in the past couple days. Nonetheless I will press on with the recording of my thoughts. On to some random points:

- Oaxaca just feels like home. The city itself is very safe for gringos such as myself...even the women of the group have commented on how secure they feel while walking about the city. What makes this city so easy to like has got to start with the people. The oaxaqueños are very helpful, and will without a doubt welcome you with open arms. Just sit around at la Plaza de Santo Domingo and, within five minutes, chances are you have struck up a conversation with a complete stranger. In fact, I ran into a gentleman selling tickets for tours on la calle Alcalá, the pedestrian street connecting Santo Domingo to the zócalo. We had a quick conversation in Spanish, when all of a sudden he starts talking in English. He said he had only been to the US once, and had visited Cincinnati many years ago. I then pointed out that the Reds were my favorite MLB team, and that he picked a good city to visit. Turns out he is also a Reds fan. We talked for a good five minutes before I continued on my exploration of the city. But this type of interaction is not atypical in Oaxaca...it happens all the time! Very friendly people make for a very enjoyable stay!

Looking up la calle Alcalá. Santo Domingo is off to the right in the distance. ¡Qué bonito!

- It's incredible to see the amount of diversity down here. Where I volunteer, I have been working alongside Lauren and Shan-Shan in addition to two women from Germany and Sweden. So that makes two Americans, a German, a Swede, and a Taiwanese all working together...in Mexico. Many of the language classes attract students from all over the world, and it shows! On Wednesday night, we went to a couple different social cafes with members of another school in town where the German, Lara, studies. Sarah and Shannon, who stay at the same house I do, are also a part of this group. Anyways, this group introduced me to two guys from Switzerland and another from Germany. So we made up a pretty diverse group as we walked about the city! Lots of nationalities, in addition to indigenous cultures, meet in Oaxaca. It is really cool to experience it firsthand and talk about the differences that exist between our cultures.

-My host mom's birthday was today (Thursday). Apparently it is a very big celebration as well, because she is either having breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a group of friends for the next 3 days! The food continues to be phenomenal. I had some cactus (delicious!) and today had some onion soup and fish covered with peppers, onions, red sauce, and olives. I also ordered some tostados del pollo when I was out with our group and they were so good! Not only is the food good, but it is so inexpensive! For example, at the restaurant/bar Comala, I had the Tostados del pollo and two margaritas (the best margaritas de fresas I have ever had!) for about $12 US.

- I did have a nice Skype session with my dad and sister tonight. It was great to see them again! Naturally, my dad had a lot of questions but I enjoyed every one of them. My mom did miss out, so she'll just have to wait until next time to see me!

That's all for now. ¡Hasta luego amigos!

Day Four - Right Back At It

I'll try to keep today's post short and just brush up on the highlights, but I can't guarantee that I won't ramble on. Let's get after it!

- Today was the first day of volunteering for the program. Lauren, Shan-Shan, and I all chose to volunteer for a really cool organization called Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots. They help local children who would otherwise be selling goods on the street to get off the street and into the classroom by providing the money and resources they need to enter into the school system. Their families are often very, very, very poor and cannot afford to give them an education. Additionally, they are often from the pueblos outside of the city, many of which require a 30 to 45 minute bus ride into town. The organization relies on sponsors to send money to support the children and make sure they can buy school uniforms and make it to the center. We went to their main location, El Centro de Esperanza Infantil, and went through a brief orientation, learning about the mission of the center and about the options we would have to assist them. There were plenty of volunteers around, and we quickly found work sorting letters from the kids to their sponsors. I skimmed through a couple of the letters as I packed them into envelopes. The kids were so appreciative of the support, and you could really sense the genuineness in their writing. One little boy even said he prayed for the sponsor everyday, thanking them for their support and hoping that they would be safe and in good health for years to come. Very sweet to read!

- Language classes are continuing to go well. I am continuing to understand more and speak more as well. My confidence is growing every day too. The instructors at Becari are so great. Manuel and Andrea are engaging, and make the material fun to learn. They keep all of us involved and routinely ask for our participation. Even though they always assign tarea for the next day, I look forward to class and can't wait to learn more tomorrow.

- During our conversation lesson with Andrea, we talked about the healthcare system of Mexico. One thing that I thought was pretty cool was that some of their insurance plans have a huge list of procedures they cover. Doctors check what number of plan the patient has (if they have one) and then can see if the procedure they need to perform is covered by the patient's insurance. So for example, if I would've been a Mexican citizen with Andrea's coverage, my appendectomy would've costed me a grand total of...nothing. Sounds a lot better than the $30,000 hospital bill I had!!! Even procedures that aren't covered are so much more inexpensive than in the states. Manuel had two surgeries last year that weren't covered by his insurance, and paid around $4,000 pesos, which is the equivalent of around $400 US dollars, more or less. Unheard of in America! Heck, in America $400 is just enough for a wound dressing change (jk, but you get the point).

In the evening, I walked around Oaxaca and took some pictures of the scenery. La iglesia de Santo Domingo is so beautiful, and the interior is remarkably detailed. It is truly a sight to see. Here are a couple pictures of this historic church.

The exterior of Santo Domingo. It is visible from many places within Oaxaca.

The interior of Santo Domingo. This picture doesn't do it justice!

That's all for now. ¡Hasta luego!

La Programa Empieza!

Today marked the beginning of my CFHI program entitled, "Intensive Beginner Spanish and Healthcare in Oaxaca, Mexico." I awoke at 7:15 am to the beep of my watch alarm and the high-pitched buzzing of a seemingly overexcited mosquito hovering around my ear. I was told that mosquitoes would not be a problem in Oaxaca, but that advice is proving to be incorrect...I have probably killed about 5 of those blood-sucking bastards while praying they don't carry the parasite for malaria! So far so good, but we'll have to wait and see. It seems like I am sort sort of mosquito magnet, but I'll just say mi sangre es demasiado dulce (my blood is too sweet).

Breakfast was again good, with té con límon, tortillas filled with cheese, and fresh papaya and banana. A friend of my host family, Juan, joined us (Avi, Maddy, and myself) for breakfast. He is originally from Massachusetts, but has spent the last 8 years working in Oaxaca as a teacher and president of the Lion's Club. I think this is pretty cool because, as he explained, the Lion's Club donates numerous pairs of used glasses from the US to areas that desperately need cheap or even free glasses such as Oaxaca (which happens to be one of the poorest states of Mexico). In fact, in my dad's office back in Fairfield has a Lion's Club donation box. If you have any old glasses you do not use, you just drop them off into the Lion's Club mailbox and then they can be sent off to people who really, really need them! It was very cool to hear Juan explain the work he did. He takes the glasses to schools and gives them to the kids who otherwise would not be able to afford them, for free mind you. Actually hearing about philanthropic organizations and witnessing firsthand the positive effects they are responsible for is truly inspiring. It just goes to show how there is so much potential for humanity, and that it doesn't take much to make a difference in the world. Making a difference can be as simple as dropping an old pair of glasses you have no use for into a mailbox so that some kid thousands of miles away can be able to see his chalkboard at school. Incredible in my mind.

Juan's story also gives me hope and new aspirations for the future. Yes, I do want to be a doctor, and yes, I do want to specialize as an ophthalmologist, but just getting to that point is not enough for me. There are always opportunities to go above and beyond in everything you do, and he has set an example for me to reach beyond my current professional goals and aspire to do more. With that being said, I hope to one day be in a position similar to Juan's. I would like to shut down my operations in the US and travel to some needy foreign land (Oaxaca in particular, but I'm open to any place needing assistance) for a month or two and take with me glasses and contact lenses to give to those in dire need of them. I would also like to perform routine exams and procedures on the individuals who need them most, all for free. Going through with a project like this would be so rewarding; I don't think words could describe how invaluable an experience like that would be. I realize that I might not end up as an ophthalmologist, but I feel this idea could be applied and adapted to a variety of other specialties, and I hope that one day these dreams of mine do come true.

My classes at the Becari Language School started at 9 en la mañana. I took a quick placement test and then met the others in my group. Lauren, Shan-Shan, and Sarah were my new classmates and peers. We received rockin' cell phones and then went on a tour of Oaxaca to see the various clinical sites we will be working in. Once again, the traffic was insane. One of the main highways through town actually has an intersection where the lanes switch sides! So you go from driving on the right side of the road to driving on the left...never in my life have I seen, or heard of anything like this! So weird, but apparently it works just fine for the oaxaqueños. This tour also exposed us to the poorer areas of Oaxaca. The area where the CFHI participants live (el centro) is relatively wealthy, and is well maintained, likely due to the fact that it is very touristy. However, one of the clinics, El Centro de Salud Lomas de San Jacinto, was located in a very poor neighborhood. The roads were dirt. Houses made of poorly held together strips of corrugated tin dotted the mountainside. Dogs roamed the streets, and the people who were fortunate enough to have cars by no means had the latest models. It was an eye opening experience for me, and again reinforced the idea that there are a lot of people out there who need help, not only at home but in foreign countries as well.

The trip wrapped up and I returned home for la comida, or the main meal of the day. This usually takes place around 2-3 in the afternoon, and is comparable in portion size to our dinners back in the states. As always, it was very good. I then headed back to Becari to take my first Spanish classes. They went well, and were divided into two sections with two different profesores. Manuel taught us prepositions and auxiliary verbs, while Andrea helped us participate in a conversation about ourselves and healthcare in general. It was a great session, and really helped to get my mind working in Spanish mode (imagine that!). And during these classes we received some tarea, or homework! After the classes finished, our group (Lauren, Sarah, Shan-Shan, and myself) decided to walk around a bit and get some food. We met up with Lauren's friend, Genevieve, and ended up at a restaurant called Zandunga. We ordered a tlayuda (basically a quesadilla, but this one was filled with cheese and vegetables) and some moletes de plataños (fried plantains served with fresh cheese and a cream sauce). They were very good, and to wash them down we all shared a sampler of three different types of mezcal. Mezcal is a type of tequila, and is very sweet because it is made from agave. The three were pretty good, and offered a great taste for a local specialty.

We left Zandunga and walked around a bit before ending up at a rooftap bar called XX (good thing there wasn't one more X!). After a round of cervezas, we walked back towards our houses and found another bar to relax in. This one also had a two for one special going on, so it was quite the bargain! After another round of cervezas, we called it a night and headed back to our respective houses.

With the passing of each day comes a little more knowledge and a little more confidence in my Spanish speaking abilities. I am beginning to understand more of what I hear, and talking is beginning to come more naturally, even after only one day of classes. I can't wait to see where I stand at the end of the program, and look forward to continuing to put my best foot forward each day. ¡Te veo más tarde!

Day One/Two - And We're Off

Yesterday was the big day...my first trip outside the United States!  The day started plenty early (3:30 am) so I could arrive at the airport with enough time to check-in and get frisked by TSA before my 6:30 connecting flight to Detroit. My parents were kind enough to stay at my place Friday night and drop me off at the airport Saturday morning at 5 (thanks mom and dad!). As I waited in line at the Delta check-in, my intuition told me my bag was going to come in just a tad on the heavy side. Try 17.4 pounds over the 50 pound limit...oops! But hey, for a month of clothing and accessories, I think I did pretty well. Anyways, not wanting to pay the outrageous $90 overweight baggage fee, I heeded the advice of the helpful Delta employee and popped into the airport's gift shop to buy a $30 duffle bag to use as my second carry-on. I unloaded a few of the heavy hitters from my suitcase (namely my shoes and jeans) and managed to come in at an acceptable weight.

With my bag finally checked, I gave mom and dad their good-bye hugs and then got in line for the security checkpoint. The line itself seems to move pretty fast, well, at least until it is your turn. It seemed like I was removing stuff from my pockets and carry-ons for five minutes before I was "randomly selected" to go through the new body scanning machines. After getting through the machine I had to wait for another TSA agent to pat me down and scan me again. I finally got through, packed my stuff into my bags and pockets, and headed to gate C5 to wait for my flight. The flight was on time, and departed right at 6:30. It was off to Detroit! I lucked out and sat next to a friendly gentleman who was travelling to New York with his wife and daughter. He was an ex-minor league ballplayer and a high school baseball coach from California, so naturally we had a nice conversation centering on baseball for pretty much the duration of the two hour flight.

After a safe landing in D-town, I had a 54 minute layover before my flight to Mexico City at 10:30. Detroit's airport is quite large, so I had a good little walk to get to my gate.  Thankfully there were long conveyors to speed up the process. I arrived at the gate and waited for the boarding call. This flight marked the beginning of my cultural immersion, as the traveler information was given in both English and Spanish. After boarding the plane, I learned of the troubles this flight had just a day before. A volcano had erupted in Mexico City. Unable to safely land at the airport, the plane had to turn around and head back to Detroit after being airborne for two hours. Both of the young ladies seated next to me were on that flight, so they were more than ready to get this show on the road. Fortunately, the plane left on time and there were no complications as we flew. The four hour flight was relatively painless, and was made even better due to the fact that I spent about half of it staring at the backside of my eyelids.

The landing in Mexico City was also uneventful, and I was now officially in a foreign country for the first time! Which meant that a trip to immigration and customs was in my near future. After presenting a couple documents I filled out on the flight, an immigration officer stamped my passport with my tourist visa and sent me off to pick up my luggage before going through customs. At customs, I had my first opportunity to practice my Spanish with more than just yes or no, or short and simple answers like 29 or Oaxaca. The customs officer only spoke Spanish, so I did my best to hold a conversation. It was difficult, but a good experience at that, and something I should certainly get used to! The customs officers really dig through every nook and cranny of your stuff. I cleared customs and then headed to get my boarding pass and check-in my bag with AeroMéxico. I only had 4 hours between flights, so I felt so rushed...not!

While waiting to board my final flight to Oaxaca, I participated in some hardcore people watching. It was very interesting to see and hear many different cultures mesh together in the same place. Mexicans, Americans, Italians, you name it; they could all be found in this huge airport. After relaxing in a large seating area, I made my way to gate 53. After boarding, the plane left on time and arrived in Oaxaca at approximately 7 pm. The flight itself was short, but it was not short in great views. Oaxaca is set in a mountainous region, and the city itself is surrounded by mountains. It was a very sight to see. I picked up my checked bag and headed into the atrium to find my host family. My host mother, Inelva, was waiting near the entrance with a sign reading "Grand Liebe." Close enough! I introduced myself as we made our way out of the airport towards the car. My host father, Gilberto, was just rounding a corner to pick us up. They are both very, very kind, understanding, and easy to talk to. Inelva is basically a Mexican version of my Grandma Chalupa, and Gilberto is your stereotypical awesome grandpa!

The journey from Oaxaca to mi casa was about a half hour. During that time, they told me a little about the city, things to do, places to see, etc. One thing I immediately noticed was the way everyone drives. I'm not talking India crazy, but it is certainly not as orderly as driving in America. Traffic laws are more like silly guidelines than actual ordinances to obey. Have a red light coming up? No worries, just plow on through and don't think twice about it! Mopeds and motorcycles weave in and out of traffic, and it is not uncommon to see three or four people on them. 

The city of Oaxaca is beautiful in its' own ways. Each building is painted in a vibrant color, and many walls lining the streets are covered with colorful murals or tasteful graffiti. El centro de la cuidad (city center) is very historic, with cobblestone streets and magnificent iglesias (churches). Numerous plazas are popular spots to meet with friends, and street vendors are heavily concentrated in these areas. Every night is a fiesta at these locations. El zócalo and La Plaza de Santo Domingo are the most popular spots. After getting home, I dropped my stuff in my room and headed off on una camina (a walk) with my family and their dog, Tomás. We walked by the Becari Language School, where I will be taking classes, and the Santo Domingo Plaza, as well as the zócalo. Many groups were out performing, including mariachi bands and dancing groups. Fireworks went off every few minutes, sending a loud boom throughout the oaxaqueño streets. Nighttime in Oaxaca is a celebration, and is essentially a huge party in the streets! Well, at least on Saturday nights. Regardless, it is truly a sight to see, and I would encourage anyone taking the time to read this post to put a trip to Oaxaca in their plans.

The people of Oaxaca are very friendly, and are also extremely proud of their heritage. Oaxaca is one of the more traditional states in Mexico, and has the largest population of indigenous peoples. Many cultures intersect in Oaxaca, creating an environment unlike any I've previously experienced. There is definitely a greater sense of community down here, and the focus is certainly on the family as opposed to the individual. Even my house reflects this vision. My house is in a family compound of three houses. My host parents have a home, as do Inelva's aunt and sister. I'm actually staying in her sister's house, but like they always say, mi casa es su casa! The homes are beautiful as well. Large, with tiled floors, elegant staircases, and homey decor make these houses ideal for hosting.

After walking, I was exhausted from long day of travel. We came back and had a dinner consisting of bread and fried potato cakes with some homemade tea (it was the best tea I've ever had!). Inelva boiled some water then threw some fresh, homegrown hojas de límon (lemon leaves) into it. Then I headed to my room and decided to call it quits for my first night in Oaxaca.

Today (Sunday), I woke up at 9 to eat breakfast. Fresh fruit followed by some sort of tortilla covered with beans and cheese, and some bread. There are two other students staying at my house, both part of a group from Stanford participating in the CFHI program. Maddy joined us for breakfast. She invited me to go watch Despicable Me 2 with the rest of their group at a local theater. After breakfast, I met Avi as we headed for the movie. I haven't even seen the first Despicable Me, so I find it funny that I see the second one first, in Spanish, before I see the first. We walked to Santo Domingo, met up with the rest of the group, then hopped into taxis for a short trip across town. The movie itself was pretty good. I might not have understood a whole lot, but I had a basic understanding of what was going on, and I could still laugh at the behavior of the minions! After the movie finished, we piled back into taxis and came back for lunch at home. Two more students, Sara and Shannon, came right before lunch started. This house truly is a foreign student factory!

So far, my experience in Oaxaca has been phenomenal. The people here are extremely friendly, and I feel like I'm a part of their culture, even though I've only been here for about 24 hours. I'm excited for the start of my CFHI program tomorrow, and I look forward to learning each and every day I'm down here. I highly recommend for anyone reading this and looking for an awesome foreign location to visit to consider Oaxaca. It is a great place, from what I can tell, and has more than enough excitement to keep even the most easily bored people occupied. Hasta luego!