26 Tuesday Mar 2013
Posted in vacation
Tags
I first saw this quote back when I ventured to South Africa as a medical student in 2005. I remembered it today when I was looking at some old blog posts. It is definitely still fitting.
“Coffee makes civilized living possible in these chaotic times.”
13 Thursday Dec 2012
Next month, I should be traveling to Haiti in order to perform a medical mission and medical fact-finding trip with some colleagues at the Department of Public Health here in Massachusetts. I’m VERY excited as I’ve been wanting to go do medical work in Haiti for quite some time now – circumstances have just prevented me from going in the past. But now the timing is finally right.
I was all ready to book my flight when I thought to myself – wait, when does my passport expire? Oh crap, February. You see, Haiti (along with many other countries) requires a passport be valid within 6 months of the date of entry. Sadly, my passport would not have met this requirement. Fail. So I had the pleasure today of getting passport photos taken and then expediting my passport renewal. A mere $200 later and the passport is in the mail.
I have to admit I’m sad to see my old passport go. That passport has been a lot of places in the past 10 years and has seen a lot of sights. Not to mention the good times spent in foreign countries, often with friends. There are numerous stamps in that passport – my first trip to Paris by myself and the ride through the Chunnel to London in 2005. My first medical trip to South Africa in 2005, complete with the temporary visa required for the two months I spent there, and my second medical mission to Nicaragua in 2008. There’s the multiple stamps from the trip I took to Europe to celebrate graduation from medical school with my good friend Katrina – France, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium. My relaxing trip to Spain after my first year of residency in 2009. And most recently trips to Barbados, and then to Mexico with my good friend Areeg.
I will fully admit that I’ve been incredibly blessed to be able to see as much of the world as I’ve managed to see in the past 10 years. And I’m really excited about getting a new passport that will have a stamp in it from Haiti. Here’s hoping the next 10 years have as many opportunities for travel as the past decade has.
13 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in emotional, relationships, revelation, vacation
I recently returned from a trip to the Riviera Maya in Mexico with my good friend and confidante Areeg. When we departed for Mexico last week, she was surprised to find I never wrote a blog post about my vacation in Barbados. Areeg is not the first person to point out the utter lack of commentary on my part about my journey to that lovely Caribbean isle. I guess I wasnt ready. Maybe I thought there was nothing worth posting. Or perhaps I thought it would be too self-centered and personal.
But then again, divulging my inner thoughts and feeling is how this blog started. So with the aid of some classical music in the background, here goes nothing…
I left for Barbados on January 6th. I booked this trip a mere two days after Christmas (and somehow got a really good deal on JetBlue). And I went alone. Several people commented that this was brave – traveling alone to a foreign country on such short notice. I cringe at the word brave because my need and desire to go to Barbados was not a courageous act in the slightest. I was practically running. And I needed to get away…
I went to Barbados to re-group, re-focus, re-center, and rediscover who I am. I’m not proud to admit it, but I went on vacation to heal a heart that had been shattered and broken barely a short month before my trip. In the interval time, I had put back together my Humpty-Dumpty of a heart with duct tape and gradually built a weak fortress around it to protect what was threatening to crumble inside at any moment. At the base, I was still shattered and broken but had now layered bitterness, confusion, and sadness on top. Several people, Areeg included, noted that the light was gone from my eyes. I’d hate to know what they actually saw in those blue eyes at that moment, and I’ve never dared to ask. Simply put, I was a mess twice-warmed over and slowly recovering.
So I traveled alone to Barbados. Even though I had friends who offered to go with, I ultimately decided that I needed to go away alone, be at peace, and get away from the world I knew in Boston. Thankfully, Barbados did not disappoint. I’m not kidding when I say that the trip was everything I needed and more. There wasnt anything in particular that happened, no grand events. I spent much of my time on the beach in the sun, lounging around the hotel, or swimming in the ocean. There were several late walks on the beach as the sun set. And a late night walk on the beach under full moonlight. In which I bared my soul to the island that saved both it and me. I healed, and I am forever grateful to that little island in the Caribbean for making me whole again.
Naturally after a vacation in which one repairs their soul, a trip filled with sunshine, laughter, and good times is absolutely necessary. And thus, the trip to Mexico was born. Areeg and I cooked up this little trip in much the same fashion as my trip to Barbados – booked a mere 10 days prior to boarding a plane for Cancun. We had a great time in the sun and surf and ate far too much food at the all you can eat buffets. And may have had a drink or two… or thirty? Naturally, Areeg and I came up with solutions for world peace and balanced the federal budget while sipping margaritas. I think for both of us, the highlight of the trip was spending a day at Chichen Itza and cave diving at the cenote in Ik Kil. A trip I will definitely remember for a life time, and the perfect opposite of my trip to Barbados.
26 Monday May 2008
Posted in vacation
5/8 – Paris to Fontainebleau
So Katrina and I arrange to meet Andrew at the train station to go to Fontainebleau for the morning. Sadly, none of us made it ontime to the train so we take the later one. Morning spent at Fontainebleau
Katrina spends afternoon at the Sacre Coeur.
Andrew and I spend afternoon walking Jackie Brown, uploading pictures, and drinking wine.
Andrew takes us to dinner on Montmatre…and it’s DELICIOUS. I cant even explain what I had for dessert…but I basically died and went to heaven.
5/8 tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 8
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 9
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 15
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/9 – Chartres
Katrina spends the morning at Giverny (where Monet’s house and garden is).
I spent the morning at Chartres since I’ve already been to Giverny. I also had the most delicious apple tart in Chartres
Afternoon spent at the Pantheon and walking around St Germain des Pres.
Katrina and I have delicious smoked salmon salads in Le Marais for dinner
I go out for the evening and get home at 3am..again (you’re only in Paris so many times!)
5/9 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 3
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 10
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 18
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/10 – Versailles
Brian meets us at our hotel (and decides to stay in our hotel since his hostel was a shithole) and comes to Versailles with us.
Morning and afternoon spent at Versailles. We basically wait in line for 2 hours and pay a million and five euros to see Versailles. I quickly go through the chateau since I’ve been before and head off to see the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, and the Hamlet. We agree to meet at 2:45 at the entrance to the gardens.
I get to the entrance at 3:15 (yes, late, I realize)…no sign of Katrina and Brian. We FINALLY find each other around 5:30pm.
We all go home and shower to get the day off of us since it was a million degrees at Versailles.
Dinner in Republique with Andrew and some of his friends that lived in Houston for awhile.
Memorable quote of the evening “all I need is the Rabbit and a stack of porn and I’m good to go!”
5/10 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 7
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 11
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 25
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/11 – Paris
Katrina and I attempt to go to Chenonceaux but the train is sold out.
We then attempt to go to the Catacombs…but they are closed
We finally get to see the inside of the Opera Garnier. We also hit up Le Madeleine and walk along Avenue Montaigne to see the expensive designer stores.
On the Champs-Elysees, we walk into the Louis Vuitton store. And see a group of Asian tourists with about 25 bags full of Louis Vuitton merchandise. Crazy
5/11 tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 13
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 25
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/12 – Depart
Sadness 
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 13
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 25
Chocolate consumed: 16
26 Monday May 2008
Posted in vacation
5/4 – Brussels
Katrina and I meet up with my cousin Lorena. Spend most of the day with Lorena walking around Brussels, seeing the Atomion, and grabbing coffee at a cafe. It was a lazy day but a nice lazy day. I get sunburned as the day goes on…awesome
Katrina and I grab delicious Asian food for dinner. We decide to crash and sleep that night instead of going out.
5/4 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 5
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 14
5/5 – depart Brussels for Paris
Katrina and I finally find an internet shop that has decently fast internet…it unfortunately happens to be in the Brussels train station and is therefore a bit expensive.
We leave Brussels and arrive in Paris and check into our hotel. And I realize that I’ve left my Eurail pass on the train. Awesome. So basically we spend the afternoon at the police station making a police report so that I can get a replacement pass (thankfully I had the rail insurance plan).
After that fiasco, we hop over to Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower. We end up walking from Trocadero to the Ecole Militaire to Les Invalides to the Grand Palais to Place de la Concorde down Rue Fauborg St Honore…at some point we hop on the Metro and go over to Notre Dame where we attend evening mass (which was incredible!)
5/5 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 5
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/6 – Paris
So the breakfast at our hotel is so yummy. It consists of cafe au lait (although there were other options but let’s be serious…we’re in Paris), croissant, baguette, and an assortment of jelly as well as butter. GREAT way to start off the morning…yummy!
Katrina and I spend the morning at the Concergerie and St Chapelle…where we again run into people from Chicago that we know (crazy).
We meet Andrew at the Musee d’Orsay and then spend the afternoon in search of cheese and macaroons for a picnic dinner that Andrew and his friend Lizzie are having on the Pont des Art. We take twilight pictures of Notre Dame and spend the evening having dinner under the stars at the Pont des Art.
5/6 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 3
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 6
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 7
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/7 – Paris
Morning spent climbing the Notre Dame and going back inside to check it out some more.
Katrina spends the rest of the day at the Arc de Triomphe and walking the Champs-Elysees. I go in search of St. Sulpice
Evening spent in the Louvre (they are open late on Wednesday night at a discounted rate)
For Katrina’s birthday, we go up the Eiffel Tower at night. Yes we climbed the stairs. And yes I’m never doing that again since it was my second time
Needless to say we both have incredibly painful legs by the end of the day after all the climbing we did.
5/7 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 7
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 7
Chocolate consumed: 16
06 Tuesday May 2008
Posted in vacation
4/30 – Amsterdam
The 30th is Queens Day in Amsterdam which is essentially one giant party in the city. Not a party in one part of the city. No, a giant party in the entire city where people basically walk around and eat and drink beer the whole time. It was fun at first but then started to get a little old as people got more and more drunk and therefore more and more stupid. Managed to go to the Van Gogh museum for some culture
4/30 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 11
Wine consumed: 4
5/1 – day after Queens Day
spent the morning at the Rijksmuseum being cultured. Spent the rest of the day walking around Amsterdam taking pictures and being a tourist. Awesome. Sat down at Coffee Company (they’re version of Starbucks) for about an hour just drinking coffee and reading a magazine in Dutch (it had cool pictures).
Went out at night and discovered Amsterdam night life which was totally necessary after the disaster that was Berlin.
5/1 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 6
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 17
Wine consumed: 4
5/2 – travel to Bruges
so Katrina and I make it from Amsterdam to Antwerp just fine (even though I was incredibly hungover). We get to Antwerp and cant find the train to Bruges. Awesome. We go to information and the clerk tells me that we’ve just missed a train to Bruges. Thanks lady, rub a little salt in the wound. Great. Fantastic. Anyway there was another train to Bruges in like, 20 minutes so no worries.
so we get to Bruges and we attempt to call the owner of the B&B that we are staying…except her number doesnt work. Big ordeal but we finally get in contact with her. Turns out she speaks Flemish and Italian but very VERY limited English. So basically I talk to her in Italian the whole time with Katrina being very confused.
Our B&B is ADORABLE. I cant even explain it properly.
5/2 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 6
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 4
Beer consumed: 18
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 6
5/3 – Bruges and depart for Brussels
Bruges is super cute and has so many good chocolate stores (not to mention lace if you are into that as well as beer)
We spend the morning in Bruges and then hop on the 2pm train for Brussels where we are staying at the Hilton (yes, we spoiled ourselves, and yes it was amazing). Katrina has her first run-in with a bidet. And our bathroom had a phone in it.
do a bit of a whirlwind tour of Brussels since most things close at 6. Have mussels for dinner (yum!!!)
I decide to go out that night but Katrina stays in. Three guys from Brussels buy me champagne. I get home at 3 am….without spending a dime!
5/3 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 6
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 5
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 12
30 Wednesday Apr 2008
Posted in vacation
4/26 – depart Munich for Berlin, which takes a surprisingly long 6 hours
arrive in Berlin and meet Katrina at our hostel!
spend day walking around Berlin
Take pictures of Queen Nefertiri at the Altes Museum
Go to see Brandenburg Gate. However our view is obstructed by a fair which we discover is “Kinderfest 2008″ at which point Katrina utters the phrase “Damn Kinders!” (Kinder is German for kid)
Dinner at YUMMY Italian restaurant near our hostel – 2 glasses of wine
4/26 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 7
Wine consumed: 4
4/27 – Potsdam
Day trip to Potsdam to see fantastic San Souci Palace
Katrina and I get in separate lines to get tickets and I get to register one person before Katrina. Cashier takes FOREVER with customer in front of Katrina and we end up getting different tour times (1pm vs 2:15pm)
Return and see Pergamon Museum. Basically the entire city of Pergamon, Greece is in the museum. Add Germany to the list of England and France of countries that stole precious works from Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.
4/27 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 7
Wine consumed: 4
4/28 – Berlin
get up early to go to Reichstag (all the museums are closed on Monday) and the line is SO long to get into the Reichstag, but ultimately worth it.
Walking along some street in Berlin…we hear this noise near the traffic signals, a steady beeping sound that occasionally becomes faster. Katrina asks, “is that a signal for DEAF people?”
We had dinner at this Viet-Thai restaurant that had these really neat basket chairs (We have pictures).
4/28 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 2
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 9
Wine consumed: 4
Total number of Starbucks seen in Berlin: 8
4/29 – depart Berlin for Amsterdam via Cologne
Katrina and I stop at Aldi to grab some stuff and each buy 1.5 liter bottles of water, since we havent really been drinking a lot of it. We also grab a pain au chocolait at the train station (it was in German of course, not French, but still).
Train transfer in Cologne, where we have 40 minutes to see the Cologne Cathedral. We grab pretzels on the way back to the train.
Drama on the train. Two people are sitting in the seats we’ve reserved for the train to Amsterdam. No big deal, we take two empty seats. There is a group of 4 Asian tourists sitting in front of us. At Dusseldorf, 3 people get on the train and 2 of the Asian tourist are sitting in their seats. The train conductor comes by and the Asian tourists are very quick (and bitchy) to point out that they just moved seats to be together and should in fact be sitting in the seats that Katrina and I Are now occupying. The 2 sitting in the wrong seats get booted by the conductor setting off a chain reaction whereby we get booted from our seats and then must boot the 2 people who were sitting in our reserved seats. Drama drama drama. And then all is well.
so I should mention that the weather in Berlin was beautiful….it didnt rain once, was quite warm and sunny. Beautiful. The weather in Munich was on and off rain and sunshine and wasnt quite warm.
Amsterdam on the other hand was rainy and wet and cold (not surprising).
Ran into Bennett and John from Chicago (random!)
haul ass to the Anne Frank House cause it closes at 9 (and it’s 7:30 at this point) and we are under the impression that since the next day is Queen’s Day that everything will be closed.
Queen’s Day celebrations begin. We are walking randomly around the city at night (which is rather cute) and decide to stop in a McDonalds to see if the menu is different from our menus in the US. We didnt notice any changes in the menu; what we did notice was the intense smell of marijuana eminating from the McDonalds. Interesting…toking up at McDonalds
We pay €3.50 for a Heineken that is in a small cup. Boo
4/29 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 10
Wine consumed: 4
25 Friday Apr 2008
Posted in vacation
so tonight is my last night in Munich so I figured it was time for a little update prior to my departure for Berlin
4/24 – spent most of day at Neuschwanstein castle near the Austrian border in the Alps
returned from Alps and went to the world famous Hofbrauhaus – and drank a LITER of beer (i think that counts as two beers)
4/24 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 3
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 5
Wine consumed: 2
4/25 – last day in Munich
spent the morning at the Dachau concentration camp memorial – sad, depressing, somber, sobering, and revealing
grocery store lunch of swiss cheese on baguette (plus 6 apples and a can of pringles-like chips) = €5.90
afternoon spent the Munich Residenz palace, which was almost as ridiculous as Versailles in decoration and expense
rest of afternoon spent walking around Munich and taking more pictures than likely necessary
4/25 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 2
Wine consumed: 0
Total number of Starbucks seen in Munich: 3
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 7
Wine consumed: 2
23 Wednesday Apr 2008
Posted in vacation
As many of you remember, I went to Europe 3 years ago during my first year of medical school. I went to Paris for 7 days and then London for 3 days. This time I’m going to record my journey and impressions.
4/21 – arrive in Paris
notice Mango and Esprit stores in the train station as well as McDonalds – evidence of the Americanization of Europe (and I suppose the Europeanization of America?)
paid €1.60 for a bottle of Evian at the train station (the only brand available – you gotta love France), that’s roughly $2.40.
notice several people wearing my brown long coat from Banana Republic. Begin to play “spot the American” by looking for North Face, Abercombie and Fitch, etc.
4/21 Part 2 – arrive in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is to Paris as (small American city) is to New York City
manage to see almost all of Luxembourg City in approximately 3 hours
Consume entire baguette for lunch and dinner
Pass out from jet lag at 8pm, sleep until 8am the next morning
4/21 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
4/22 – Luxembourg
Miss train from Luxembourg to Koln because weirdly labelled at train station and station manager of no help
pay €40 (over $60) for train ticket from Strasbourg in France to Stuttgart in Germany
4/22 – Strasbourg
Lunch = baguette with brie, tomato, and lettuce (delicious btw and only €2.50)
really cool looking train station in Strasbourg – old train station encased in glass outer structure
4/22 – Stuttgart
conductor tells wrong track number for train to Munich (I figured it out though and made it)+
Trains in Germany between major cities REALLY nice.
4/22 – arrive in Munich at 5:30pm
hostel really close to train station, quite nice in fact
walk around Munich until it begins to rains
meet roommates for the night (Mac from Toronto and Julia from Shanghai)
dinner at Indian Restaurant (Palak Paneer and beer)
4/22 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
4/23 – Munich
nice day in Munich with threat of rain
visit Nymphenburg Palace and Alte Pinakothek – take way too many pictures
notice that Munichiners adhere to rules like sticklers, almost militantly (example, although no one checks to see if you have a ticket, everyone buys a ticket for the subway…of course there is a €40 fine if you dont have one.)
Lunch from grocery store = ciabatta, tomato, buffalo mozarella, Coca-Cola and an apple (€5 total!!!!)
Learn that it is an arrestable offense if you jay-walk (which explains why NO one does it)
Walking around Munich, notice child’s dance school on second story of building…above a strip club….?
Get home from walking around and have a beer at the hostel (delicious and only €3)
Dinner at yummy vegetarian restaurant – tagliatelle with wine from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (200cc which I think counts as 2 glasses)
4/23 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 2
Wine consumed: 2
01 Saturday Jul 2006
Tags
So this is an email to my mother…feel free to read. It’s a pretty good summary.
New experiences to report. Well, we went to the top of the famous Table Mountain on Monday. There really are no words to describe how beautiful the views are. It’s amazing. It was a really clear day and you could see up the South African cost line looking north for MILES. And then lookign south you could see the Cape of Good Hope clearly. Several people told us that normally you cant see the Cape point from the top of Table Mountain, but we picked the perfect day apparently. The Friday before that we also went to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens which were expansive and just amazingly beautiful and green with some of the most interesting plants ever.
This weekend we are planning to go to Robben Island, which is a World Heritage Site and the location of the prison that Nelson Mandela was held in before he was released and basically ended apartheid. A lot of political prisoners were held here. Also, since it’s an island in the middle of the Cape, it has excellent views of the city. So lots of pictures to take. The final thing we plan on doing is going to the tip of the Cape of Good Hope, the most South western point of Africa. It’s apparently an amazing view as well and supposedly the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, although we’ve learned this actually isnt true.
So this week I was on Obstetrics and was on call on Tuesday. I saw so many babies being delivered, learned how to draw blood, and also watched a C-section. The “miracle” of birth was very neat to see the first time, but after the 7th baby, it becomes very much the same routine although there are always things that are different. We actually had one woman who delivered in her hospital bed because all of a sudden she progressed so quickly and we didnt have a chance to get her to the delivery room. The baby was normal and healthy though. We also delivered a set of twins, sadly they were only at 25 weeks gestation. The mother had never been to pre-natal care, didnt even know she was having twins. The babies unfortunately didnt survive more than 24 hours. It was very sad because I saw them in the NICU and they seemed to be doing well, but they were just too small.
But to answer your question, for every sad story here there are 10 good ones. The work they do at Tygerberg Hospital (Hospitaal in Afrikaans) is amazing considering the resources they have, what they are up against, and the sheer number of patients they see. I saw a map the other day that outlines the area that the hospital serves, and it is ENORMOUS. And again, they are serving 85-90% of the population in the area because the private health care system is very expensive. But the doctors in South Africa are some of the best physicians in the world, in both the public and private sector. So, considering what the public sector has to deal with, the doctors do an excellent job. With more money and more resources, they could accomplish far more…
So another interesting thing that we learned is that in order for a patient to be tested for HIV, they have to give consent for the test as well as consent to be told the results. Thus, few patients know of their status and the doctors must assume that every patient is HIV+. Thus, when they say that 25% of South Africans are infected with HIV, no one really knows what the rate is because that’s only people who have agreed to testing. So naturally we were confused, with HIV being such a big problem here that testing is mandatory and that it’s not a reportable disease to the government like it is in the US. Apparently because of the way that the government previously handed HIV (and that would be that they didnt think HIV caused AIDS that in fact it was poverty that leads to AIDS) there is still a lot of discrimination surrounding the diagnosis of HIV. And thus, national policy dictates no one can be forced to be potentially subjected to that discrimination. It’s very backwards and the students think it will slowly change. Incidentally, all students at the university must submit to an HIV test before they are allowed to start medical school (and obviously they must pass). It’s all very interesting.
09 Saturday Jul 2005
Posted in vacation
Just a few things I’ve picked up while I’ve been here.
1) Gynecology is really just a legal way of raping women. If you dont believe me, think about this the next time you or someone you know goes to the gynecologist and has a transvaginal ultrasound. The ultrasound wand is shaped like a penis.
2) Sick people smell. Trauma patients smell even worse.
3) Coffee makes civilized living possible in these chaotic times. (Thank you Mugg and Bean, the Starbucks of South Africa)
4) That being said, the British definitely did things right because having high teas is by far one of the best experiences one can have.
5) That being said, nothing really compares to a good glass of South African wine.
11 Saturday Jun 2005
Tags
As many of you know, I’m currently doing medical rotations in South Africa. Here is an update.
This was an email I typed to my friend Lindsay…but feel free to read it as well.
Ok, so here’s the scoop on the good SA. Yes, it is winter here, which is not nearly as cold as Chicago, thank GOD. It’s about 55-65 everyday so far, but it gets rather cold at night (prolly around 45 or less). There arent that many bugs but that’s cause we’re in the Western Cape province and right by Capetown so it’s mainly all housing and industry, not really room for bugs. There will probably be more when we go on safari.
All of the students speak English, basically anyone who is educated speak English. Most of the patients speak English but are usually embarrassed to speak it around the doctors. The reason is that doctors in South Africa are almost equivalent to God, and you wouldnt want to speak poorly in front of God (also, since doctors are god, there’s no malpractice in the public sector hospitals). So instead, they speak Afrikaans and pretend that they cant speak English. Then there are a select few that only speak Xhosa (said Kosa) and speak neither Afrikaans nor English, in which case you are shit out of luck, pardon the _expression.
The Cape Town area doesnt have a lot of wildlife, and actually lions, tigers, and bears never lived on the same continents 
We’ll see tons of critters when we go on safari though, so I’m not worried. Apparently though, whales arrive in late June, so we might go whale watching one weekend, but we’re not going diving as there are great white sharks in the cape, and a student here was actually killed by one last weekend. Yeah, scary. Also, it’s a little cold to be going in the ocean.
So what have we been doing? Well, today we actually just got back from a town called Franschoek which means French Hook in Afrikaans (Hook or hoek means a mountain corner, which we took to mean valley). Anyway, Franschoek was populated by French Protestants who fled France during the reign of Louis (not actually sure whether it was XV or XVI) and brought wine culture to South Africa…hence Franschoek is wine country. So went wine tasting, which was just amazing, and then we went to Stellenbosch, which is the heart of wine country and where the main campus of the university is. Very nice town and one of the most expensive places to live in the Western Cape. But…South Africa is a dichotomy because you have people who are extremely rich and people who are extremely poor. So just outside of Stellenbosch (it’s actually part of Stellenbosch) is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Western Cape with an 85% prevalence. It’s very sad. Usha and I were travelling with a student here and he was telling us a lot about South African history and it was very interesting (South Africa gained independence from England in 1960, it’s a very young country and has come a long way considering).
So, really what have we been doing? First, let me say that we are in a government run hospital. Again, this is where the dichotomy of South Africa plays out, as the private sector hospitals are excellent care and beautiful hospitals because the people who go there can afford health insurance. This is only about 10% of the population though and a mostly white south african population. Our hospital is public and government run, therefore the hospital isnt as nice and the care isnt as good. Basically they do the best they can (which is actually pretty good). We learned today that Tygerberg hospital used to be one of the best hospitals in South Africa in the apartheid days (the hospital is actually entirely symmetrical to reflect that blacks should be on one side while whites on the other….each side of the hospital is perfectly matched…gives new meaning to separate but equal). Since those days though, the hospital has become rundown, although the government is starting to invest more money in Tygerberg. This isnt really evident in Trauma though because it’s so fast paced and quick that there really isnt time, apparently we’ll notice the difference more when we’re in OB/GYN.
This week (wednesday, thursday, friday) we started in Trauma, which basically involves going to rounds at 8 am to about 10 or 10:30 am. Then there is a tutorial at 11 which goes until 1pm. We are on rounds with 4 doctors: 1 consultant (attending), 2 “residents”, one intern; and also student interns which are 6th year students and then 3rd year students who are just starting their clinicals. So we go on rounds and listen and learn. This part isnt really all that interesting except that we’ve learned SO much about stab wounds, motor vehicle accidents, blunt traumas, penetrating traumas (almost everyone is a stab wound, South Africa has a very high crime rate). The tutorials have been really informing and actually make me feel like I know what I’m doing sometimes. We learned the ABCDE’s of resuscitating a trauma patient and about the different types of burns, etc. Tonight and tomorrow night we’re on call. So tonight we’ll probably learn how to suture, we already learned how to intubate, we’ll probably learn how to put in IVs and draw blood. Apparently the weekends are VERY busy in trauma. We’re on trauma all next week and then we have two weeks of OB/GYN where we will be catching babies (in SA, it’s required to catch 25 babies in order to become a doctor, and yes, they say catching, not delivering). After that we do a week of community health although that might get changed to pediatrics (paediatrics as they spell it here) and then a week of HIV. Then we’re off to safari for three days and then back to Chicago.
25 Thursday Mar 2004
Posted in inspirational, relationships, revelation, vacation
Tags
It’s been awhile, so I should speak. Spring Break…in the Dirty Dirty. I went on an Alternative Spring Break this year down to Atlanta, GA in order to do community service with Project Open Hand. The organization prepared, packages, and delivers meals to homebound seniors and people with HIV/AIDS. The entire experience was amazing. The people we worked with were the nicest people. After preparing 3000 meals, they cooked lunch for us everyday. They absolutely enjoyed having us there and I really felt like we made a difference. The experience was really rewarding, especially seeing how much impact the work you did had on the people around you and just how much a group of people can accomplish. The people at Project Open Hand were extremely thankful and we had a great time.
Additionally on the trip, I met an AMAZING group of people from Boston University. I had an excellent time hanging out with my fellow ASBers, and hopefully many more fun adventures are in store. We all got along really well, which was great, and there were so many good times and inside jokes, plenty of laughing until it hurt. Shout out to Sareen, Sam, Alexis D, Alexis B, Christine, Kate, Sumit, Solange, Omar, Emily, Rolanda, and Debbie!
Things around here have been a little crazy. For some reason I’m stressed out and really busy, and I dont like it. Hopefully things will mellow out after this week cause if this is how it’s going to be until graduation, I cant deal.
My lovely Allegrettos are doing so many performances this Spring, it’s fantastic. We have three performances this weekend and I’m really excited. I wasnt here last week when they performed, so it will be fun to get back into performing with them again. I just love hanging out with them, they are such a different and unique group of friends, they bring a very different energy than most of my other friends, and I like that a lot. And of course, who can forget the AMAZING and scandalous Allegrettos parties
Last weekend I went home and interviewed at University of Pittsburgh Medical School. I was surprised at all that Pitt had to offer. I’ve always thought of it as the school in your backyard that you dont necessarily give much credit to, but the university is really quality, and I never realized that until now. Would I go to school there, I dont know…. Only time will tell I suppose.
This entry was going to be a lot longer and much more deep…but pooh on that. I’m done. Peace
28 Thursday Aug 2003
Posted in revelation, vacation
Tags
The past week and a half have been a lot of fun with nature. Colleen, Rey, Kerrie, and I traveled to northern Vermont to visit the University of Vermont in Burlington. I must admit that Vermont is an absolutely beautiful state. Miles of untouched forest, the amazing views that Lake Champlain offers…just incredible. I also have to admit that I enjoy driving in New England a lot. I havent been able to drive for long distances for a long time, so I was excited.
Last weekend, Colleen, Kerrie, and I traveled to Jamestown, Rhode Island where Kerrie lives. We spent a large portion of our day on Saturday kayaking, which was incredibly fun and I absolutely have to do again. I had a great time, and the experience made me realize that I do enjoy nature quite a bit. Combined with the trip to Vermont, I really appreciated the beauty of the outdoors while simultaneously knowing that if I lived in the country, I would need a car to travel to a major city or go crazy.
Yesterday, Rey, Kerrie, and I moved both Rey and myself into our respective dorm rooms. I have one suitcase and 1.5 boxes left to unpack. I’m actually rather impressed with how my room is coming along, although it is rather empty looking. Aaron and I are going to need some additional furniture.
Well, I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to take a nap.
20 Friday Jun 2003
Posted in relationships, revelation, vacation
Tags
Ok wow, it’s been awhile. Let’s catch up on some stuff.
My sister’s wedding has come and gone. I had only met her husband, David, once before they got married, so I didnt really know very much about him. Turns out he’s a really nice guy and my sister is a very lucky woman. David and I got to spend a lot of time together prior to the wedding, so I got to know more about him and about he and Nadia met and all the good details that everyone should know. It made me happy to know that my sister was going to be married to such a great guy. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, the florist did an excellent job with the church, it looked really nice. The reception was great, there was SO much food and my mom made far too many cookies (there are trays of them still at my house!). All in all, it was a joyous and great event, and I’m very happy for the newly wed couple.
After the wedding, I went up to Clarion, PA to visit Kelly and Brendan. They’re staying up at school to work and take classes. So, I’m sure they enjoyed having someone around to talk to about stuff. I got to meet their friends Brandon, John, and Bob. They all seem really nice. John is really funny and outgoing…total extrovert. Really nice guy. Brandon seems really down to earth and cool too. I had a good time just relaxing and being able to do things that I dont get to do in Boston. How often do you go out into the woods in the middle of the night and look for frogs?
So while I was there, I got a little surprise. Rob stopped by on his way to New Jersey from Cedar Point where he’s working for the summer. It was nice to see him even if it was 5:45 am and I didnt have my contacts in so I really couldnt see him clearly. I’ve missed him a lot. I know that sounds funny considering Rob and I see each other maybe twice a year for a total of about 4 hours. I guess I’ve developed a bit of a crush on him, so when he kissed me on the forehead as I lay in bed…well yeah I liked it.
So moving on. I’m back in Boston and back doing research. It’s rough getting back into the swing of things having been gone for over a week. But, I have a lot of work to do. Hopefully my research will be beneficial at some point. Tomorrow I begin volunteering at the Boston Living Center, an HIV/AIDS shelter. I’m super excited. It’s been so long since I’ve done community service outside of Boston University. Should prove to be a rewarding experience. Ciao for now.
