Tulate

Warning: This entry is ridiculously long and detailed. Skip to the end for the highlights and facebook for more pictures.

This weekend was a free weekend with no scheduled activities. Hannah, Harim, Rachel, Sarah, Korrin, and I decided to take a trip to a new beach. We were craving a weekend of relaxation, reading, and waves. We had read about Tulate in a few books and asked around and decided it was our closest and best option. We left Saturday morning around 8am on foot. At the Rotunda, we picked up a micro to Las Rosas (1.25Q). From Las Rosas, we boarded a chicken bus for Mazate (20Q). Korrin and I are plenty familiar with this route as we travel to Las Rosas every day for our clinic transportation and have been through Mazate to get to the clinic in San Antonio. After an hour and a half, we arrived in Mazate. The day was getting warmer and the sun stronger – clear signs that we were now in la costa region. We waited on the next bus for nearly thirty minutes and headed to Tulate (15Q). This bus seemed to stop every ten minutes to pick up or drop off passengers. We took a twenty minute pause in the pueblito La Maquina and finally departed the bus where we saw a sign for the Eco Hotel. We had emailed the hotel the day before and the website looked great. After a twenty minute walk down a dirt path, we arrived at the hotel to find the gate locked around 1pm. The sign on the gate said “toque la bosina” but we did not see a bell, speaker, or notification device of any kind. We decided to walk down to the water, which was a tide pool left by the low tide. We scampered across rocks and sandbags around the neighbor’s yard to the other side of the hotel. The sandbags were clear evidence of the impact the heavy rains for the storm two weeks ago had on the region. As we entered the rusted gate, we were met by a woman. She was surprised by our arrival and had not received our email. She tried to show us two accommodations but did not have the correct keys. The other rooms were damaged by the rain. She also informed us that she did not have food to prepare for us either. She recommended we tried another hotel down the beach. We started to walk along the water, climbing over more rocks and sandbags, when a neighbor called our attention. She informed us the hotel we were seeking was also closed but offered to help us find a place. We loaded into her pickup and she drove us into town to find a hotel. The next hotel we arrived at was also closed. Our last option was to take a lancha (2.50Q) across the channel to the other side of Tulate. She dropped us off the lancha and we thanked her with 30Q for her help. She said the ride was a gift but we appreciated her assistance and we know how expensive gas is.

Around 2pm, we arrived in the beach of Tulate. We saw the rolling ocean and walked down a cobblestone path lined with restaurants and hotels. We realized that we had been in this less popular part of town. Unfortunately, this street was nearly empty. There were tables set up selling swim suits, sandals, and cold drinks but no one was there to buy it. When we arrived at the beach, two men approached us – both trying to convince us to come eat at their restaurant. We chose the one that offered the lower price and were happy to finally arrive at the beach. There were a few Guatemalan families enjoying food as well and swimming in the waves. After we ordered cold drinks, we took turns going down to the water’s edge. The water was cool and refreshing after the last hour of wandering, dripping with sweat, and carrying our backpacks. I ate a lunch of fried chicken, French fries, and cucumber salad with an orange soda (40Q). After lunch, we went in search of hotels. The first hospedaje we visited was set off the main road and completely empty, dirty, and pigs were roaming around (as they would be all day and night in Tulate). We then walked ten minutes down the beach to a hotel. This place was entirely different from the other – a pool with a slide, refrigerator with cold drinks, and clean rooms. Unfortunately this place was out of our price range (nearly 100Q/person) so we decided to go back to look at a final option. The third hospedaje we visited was just up the street from where we ate lunch. The mattresses were not in great shape but the girl had clean sheets to cover them with. We got three beds for the six of us and paid about 40Q each. We eagerly changed into our swimsuits around 3:30pm and headed down to finally swim in the ocean. The first plunge was so refreshing! We had finally made it! After some play time, I spent some time to myself watching the waves and napping. The beach made me think of my past trips to the beach and how relaxing it is. I thought about visiting the beach with some of my favorite people in LA – Alex Bucur, Alex Gayda, and Carmen Wong: Ms Bucur laying with her eyes closed, Ms Gayda laughing with her giant floppy beach hat she stole from her mom, and Ms Wong reading a trashy magazine.

As we watched the beautiful sunset around 530pm (really, one of the best I have seen), we discussed options for dinner. A few girls went back to the nice hotel to ask about prices and I went with a few to see what our options were near our hotel. The two restaurants that were open for lunch were closed but the owner of our hotel said she could cook us dinner around 8pm. The fancy hotel wanted to charge us 25Q to enter the hotel and then 50Q for a typical Guatemalan plate (rice, beans, eggs, tortillas) or 70Q+ for seafood dishes. We decided we had enough of the snobby hotel and wanted to help out our lady. Before the food was ready, we walked down the street back toward the lanchas to find a place to get a cold drink. All of the restaurants and homes were dark. A few tiendas were open selling packaged snacks. We finally came upon selling cold beers. Four girls enjoyed a cold Gallo and Harim and I enjoyed some cold Coca Cola (6Q) – very refreshing. We sat at a plastic table under the light of a local woman who owned the tienda enjoying our drinks and chatty away.

Around 8pm, we returned to our hotel. The streets at this point were disserted with the exception of a few groups of men. We could hear someone singing terrible karaoke and we all wished Harim was singing instead (she won a karaoke competition last week). Harim and I ate garlic shrimp with potatoes and salad (45Q), Korrin ate a fried fish with potatoes and salad (35Q), and Hannah, Sarah, and Rachel ate a caldo (stew) with a whole fish, crab, and some shrimp (35Q). Harim taught me her technique for peeling the shell off the shrimp so I had a more productive experience than the last time I ate shrimp in Tilapita. Everyone liked their food and we continued to chit chat. We complemented our meal with bolsas (bags) of aqua pura, which were COLD!

After dinner, we headed upstairs to go to bed. While brushing our teeth and needing to use the bathroom, we discovered that there was no running water, the toilet didn’t flush, and there was no toilet paper. The bathroom was the biggest downfall to the weekend. Luckily, a few of us had tissues in our backpacks and we were able to make do – although it was a much less than desirable experience. Easily the second worst bathroom of my life (first worse was the public bathroom at the cathedral in San Salvador). I shared a bed with Sarah and we read and chatted a bit before falling asleep. Between the feeling of insects crawling on me (which there weren’t), the desire to avoid the bathroom (which was impossible to hold it forever), and the clucking chickens (cock-a-doodle-doing all night), I did not sleep so well. A few hours here and there but lots of tossing and turning.

By 6am, we were all awake and looking to avoid the bathroom. We put our suits back on and headed down to the beach. There were no other people on the beach, but the entire town was already up and moving around. Rachel and Hannah went for a run while Sarah and I read on the beach. Harim and Korrin joined us and we all went swimming again. The sun was already starting to heat up the day and we wanted to take advantage of our last moments on the beach. With the little activity on the beach and our desire to get some work done, we decided to head back to Xela early. Around 8am, we were ready to head out. Someone asked about the water in the shower and the boy who lived at the hotel was able to get us some water upstairs. I took a body shower to wash off the salt and changed for the ride. We took the lancha back across and there was a bus waiting. Luckily the bus left shortly after we arrived around 830am. Unfortunately, we spent two and a half hours returning to Mazate. The bus stopped nearly every minute to pick someone up, we spent twenty minutes in a market area, and then had to drive very slowly because we had an engine issue. As soon as we arrived in Mazate, a bus was heading out to Xela. We were ushered aboard a crowded bus and squished into the last two rows. I was in and out of sleep as we went around the curves and back up the mountains. The little boy next to me fell asleep on my arm while I was sleeping on my backpack. At 1pm, we arrived back at Las Rosas and waited for a bus back toward the parque. I was eager to shower and eat some lunch.

Overall, I spent nearly 10 hours of my weekend in transit and used a disgusting bathroom more than once but I swam in the ocean and saw a beautiful sunset. I spent the evening enjoying great time with my newest family. In all, I spent 170Q ($22) for transportation, food, and lodging – T.I.G. This is Guatemala.

The Interview

One day, one interview, and one lasting hope.

I woke up at 530am at my friend Shin’s house and started my day with the best shower in 4 months – hot water and water pressure! I ate a small breakfast of banana blueberry bread my mom made and sent and got all put together in my interview duds. I walked 20 minutes down Massachusetts Avenue to the BU medical school campus. I followed another young person with a backpack in a suit and knew I was headed in the right direction.

Around 8am we all moved from the awkward fruit and coffee breakfast to a small auditorium. The dean of admissions at the medical school greeted the 36 of us. He immediately began to make jokes and tried to lighten the mood. He explained that we were not here to prove something to him but to learn about the school and see if we are a good fit for one another. He gave a history of the school, a variety of anecdotes with well-planned, cheesy jokes, and explained the course of events for the day.

Just after 9am, I went with half of the other interviewees back to the conference room in the admissions office. We spent the next hour chatting with a member of the faculty, Dr. Jodi Abbott, a high risk pregnancy ob-gyn. She wore quirky glasses, a bright pink scarf, and tight curls. This session was meant to be a Q & A about the school and Boston but we were all thinking about the interview. Fortunately, Dr. Abbott had lots to share about her experiences and supplied a few answers to commonly asked questions. She was lighthearted and very obviously passionate about her work and commitment to BU. I would choose her to be my doctor, mentor, or friend.

At 10am, I walked across the medical school quad to one of the ambulatory (out-patient) care centers to the urology department. After twenty minutes, Dr. Wang greeted me in his patient waiting room and we went to his office. Dr. David S. Wang is an urologist who specializes in robotics and minimally-invasive prostate procedures. On his desk was my application and photo staring back at me. He also had a full-page of notes and questions ready for me after reviewing my application. He began by asking me to give a brief summary of my life and how I came to be living in Guatemala. I then explained some of the significant things I have down recently – what I am doing in Guatemala, my teaching curriculum, my experiences as an RA. He also asked how I became interested in medicine. He continued with conversational questions for me to further explain why I chose to do things. With each story I told, he would end by saying, “Well we could talk about that for an hour. Let’s move on.” At one point, he mentioned that I was definitely not lacking in extracurricular and volunteer experiences (I took this to mean he was impressed with my background). He asked me some challenging questions: If you could not be a doctor ever, what would you do? Do you have any regrets from college? Have you had any ethical dilemmas recently? Of course, you have to answer strategically but confidently. I felt very comfortable with our conversation and I had to remind myself that this was an interview. He ended by asking me to explain my response to a situation where a son is translating for his father, the patient, but does not want to tell his father that he has cancer. After all of Dr. Wang’s questions, I asked a few questions about the opportunities to volunteer in the community and global health. Dr. Wang told me the programs available at BU were compatible with my interests. Dr. Wang also told me one of his favorite things about working at BU is that he treats CEOs and the poor in the same office (I really like this too). BU hospital’s mission is to provide equal care to every patient. After over an hour of interview time, I thanked Dr. Wang for his time and he gave me his card, offering that I email at any time.

After the interview, I rushed to lunch, to which I arrived late. Current first and second year students joined us to answer more questions and share their experiences. I really liked this part because you get a sense of the type of people who are students. I think I could be friends with them – how nice to go to a school I like with people I want to be friends with. Lunch was a simple sandwich and salad.

After lunch, fourth year students took us on a tour around the school. We visited the library, anatomy lab (I saw real cadavers for the first time!), student lounge, two hospital lobbies, auditorium for first year classes, and the testing room, which is actually the top floor with floor-to-ceiling windows and beautiful views of the city.

The afternoon concluded with two additional presentations in the conference room. The first was about finances – the cost of attending, scholarships, loans, etc. The average student leaves BU with $170,000 in student debt. Yay! The second was a wrap up by the dean. He assured us that he had an equally enjoyable day as we did and continued to emulate the message about finding students that were a good fit for BU. He explained the selection process and timeline for admission offers. They try to make the selection equitable without the date of interview giving preference for admission; this is different than most schools which have rolling admission. The dean also shared some staggering statistics. Of the 12,000 applicants this year, they will offer 1000 interviews for the 125 open seats in the incoming class (the other 55 seats will be filled from other affiliated programs). There are two groups of interview. The first group of interview ends in December, which includes about 600 interviews. At this time, the admissions committee with individually review each interviewee and decide to admit, reject, or defer decision. They will offer 1/3 of the incoming seats in mid January. In March, after the remaining interviews are given, they will send a second round of decisions to admit, reject, or waitlist. If you were deferred in the first round, your application will be re-reviewed in the second round. If you are waitlisted, you have a high chance of being admitted if you are patient and continue to show interest in the school. We were all encouraged to update our applications whenever necessary to provide the admissions committee with the most information possible.

After the closing remarks, I stuck around with about 8 other people who were interested in learning more about the combined MD-MPH (Masters in Public Health) program. It is an additional year of school but you receive your credits at a discounted rate from BU’s Public Health School (ranked 2^nd or 3^rd in the nation). This is an option I would consider if I attend BU. It is also offered at a few of the other schools I applied to.

Ultimately, I LOVED Boston University. Their mission and impact on the community really resonates with me and the type of doctor I want to be. There are few places in the States where doctors are providing top-of-the-line medical care to uninsured or poor patients because they are equally deserving of great treatment, not just those who are insured or can afford it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and plan to update my application after I finish Somos and have commitments for the spring.

Boston

The bottom line up front … I loved Boston University, I loved the city (as many of you have known for a long time), and I would love to spend the next 4 years of my life there.

I arrived in Boston late Friday night after rushing through customs in Atlanta, only to find that my flight had been delayed and I had plenty of time to get dinner and coffee (first Starbucks latte in 4 months!). My amazing friend from USC, Rohin, picked me up at the airport and we went to his house. I spent Friday and Saturday nights at the lovely abode of Rohin and John. Rohin and I chatted a bit and enjoyed some of the peanut butter thumb print cookies my mom sent before heading to bed.

Saturday was a day of football. Rohin and I woke up early to head to Rohin’s flag football games in South Boston. We went to Starbucks (obviously, my addiction is back) and a local Mexican place to pick up breakfast burritos. We went to the T and our burritos on board. After a short bus ride and walk, we arrived at the field. I enjoyed my coffee as Rohin and the other hundred men in matching jerseys warmed up. I watched both of his games from the sidelines and chatted with a few of his teammates and their friends who were also watching. Unfortunately his team lost both games but it was a lot of fun to watch. Some people had more experience than others but everyone had a good time. After the games, we headed back to Porter Square, near Rohin’s house. We picked up a few things for the party and had lunch with another USC friend, Shin. I enjoyed pad thai noodles and diet coke. I had been thinking about Thai food for about a month and it was so delicious! Rohin and I spent Saturday afternoon going to the grocery store and cooking two HUGE trays of lasagna and two giant pitchers of sangria. About 25 people came over to watch the USC-Notre Dame football game. The majority were John’s Harvard Law friends and were not really interested in the game. I did meet a couple from So Cal who were Trojan fans and two other great friends from college came over too. Eric, Eric’s girlfriend Jensen, and Sierra came! Eric and I were kines majors together and worked on the Spirits in Action committee a long time and Sierra I have known each other since the dorms and four years of crazy good times. It was so nice to watch a college football game (my first SC game of the season) and with good company. And we won! After stuffing myself with lasagna, caramel brownies, and sangria, I was ready for bed.

Sunday afternoon was a bit of a lazy transition day. I slept in then Rohin and I went to Target. I had a pretty extensive list of things I wanted to take back to Guatemala – most things were for myself but some things were for other friends and teachers. Lotion, body wash, and contact solution all exist in Guatemala but are very expensive. Some of the other thins I bought were more comfort items, slippers to wear around the house, headbands for the gym, and magazines. I also bought a digital camera for my host mom as an early Christmas present (she was so shocked Hannah and I wanted to gift it to her – she almost cried). I also bought two giant bags of Halloween candy to bring a bit of home back to my new home and share with everyone. After lasagna leftovers for lunch, Rohin and John drove me to Shin’s house. He lives very close to BU and closer to the airport so it made the most sense to stay with him Sunday and Monday nights. Shin had some work to do so I dropped me stuff and headed out. I used my walking time to take in some of the sights of Boston and catch up on some needed phone calls. I miss my people! I met up with Eric and Jensen at the Head of the Charles, a famous crew race on the Charles River. It was amazing how fast those people can move. We walked along the course from BU undergrad campus to Harvard Square. I headed back on the T to Boston Common. I wandered around, did some window shopping, and ended up at the Tufts Medical School. I met up with Sierra again and she gave me a brief tour of the school and her dorm. We then went out to dinner with Shin at brew house in the area. I ate a barbeque pulled pork sandwich – yummy. After dinner, Shin showed me the BU medical campus and the route to walk their in the morning from his apartment. I stayed up late re-reading interview responses and information about the school. I was too nervous to do much else but finally decided on sleep.

Monday I woke up early and spent most of the day at BU for my interview. See the interview blog for more details on that. After the interview, I changed out of my suit into some more comfortable clothes and set off for Boston Common and Newberry Street. I pick stopped at yet another Starbucks and enjoyed my stroll down the tree-lined streets with different colored leaves. I also made a few phone calls during this walk. On Newberry, I bought some essential items and some not so essential items and did some window shopping. I do not even want to know how much the Kate Spade bag I looked at would cost in quetzales – way too much! I returned to a shoe storm I had been to the day before and gave in to their deal. I bought some Sperry rain boots and another pair of Toms for half off! Luckily, I was shipping my suit back to my mom so the boots were just another item in the box. After Rohin got off work, I headed back to his place to pick up the rest of my stuff. I had a lot of crap to organize, stuff into my camping backpack, and put in a pile to send back home. Some needed items (like a blow dryer for the freezing mornings in Dec) got backed and others (black pumps) were sent back. I said goodbye to John then Rohin and I went back to Shin’s to meet for dinner. During a transfer on the T, I got the chance to talk to a Somos friend, Logan, who was also in the States for interview. It was a strange connection between my Guatemala and America lives. After we dropped off my stuff at Shins, we walked to PF Changs. My buddy DJ from Oakland met us for a drink and appetizers. Another smiling face, I was so grateful to see! I stuffed myself with soup, rice, and Mongolian Beef. Then to top it all off I had a mini chocolate mousse brownie dessert shot thing – muy rico! As we parted ways with the crew, Shin and I headed back to his place. I reorganized all my stuff and ended up using a Target bag as a second carry-on. I had one last late night chat on the phone with a friend and fell asleep.

Tuesday the taxi came at 4am to take me to my 6am flight. I slept the whole way to Atlanta. On my flight to Guate, I watched Mr. Poppers Penguins (not as good at the newest X-Men I saw leaving Guate), read a magazine, and did my Spanish grammar worksheets. Outside the airport in Guatemala City, I ran into an employee of the hostel I stayed at previously who helped me find a reliable taxi. I go to the bus with 40 minutes to spare before the 1230pm bus to Xela. I read another magazine and slept on the bus. Around 430pm, I arrived at my house in Xela. Everything looked just as I remembered it. The dream was over.

Guate to Boston

Last Thursday, I headed to Guatemala City to start my adventure to Boston. I wanted to leave Xela Friday morning but the bus company had cancelled all their early morning buses with the ongoing risks for the tormenta (storm). Rachel was heading to Guate (what everyone here calls Guatemala City) to meet up with her godfather for the weekend so I thought I would travel with her. We left Xela at 12:30pm with our backpacks half-filled (soon to be stuffed). We spent most of the ride chatting, snacking, and looking out the window. There were a ton of rocks, mud, and debris from all the derumbes (mudslides) that blocked the carretera (freeway). In many places, only one side of the freeway was open. In one place, part of the road had fallen away and left a giant hole. This happens when the rain wipes out the supporting dirt under the road and the road cannot tolerate the weight. This happened somewhere closer to Guate and a couple died walking across the road when it collapsed. After four hours, we arrived at the Alamo bus station. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. Rachel headed to the airport and I called the hostel to come pick me up.

A very friendly Guatemalan, who at first glance did not appear Guatemalan to me, came to pick me up. She has lived in Guate her whole life and is the sister of the owner of the hostel, Quetzalroo (named for the Guatemalan Quetzal bird and the kangaroo – the owners are a Guatemalan and Australian pair). We had a nice chat in Spanish and I asked her a bit about the city. Everyone, including Guatemalans, talk about how dangerous Guate is and how you should never walk anywhere alone. When I arrived at the hostel, I was eager to find some lunch. She assured me I could walk down the street to McDonalds or the Oakland Park shopping center a few blocks further. I locked all my stuff away in a locker in the very clean dormitory and headed out. I was not interested in eating another shitty burger walked past the McD’s option.

The first place I arrived was the Design Center. This was a large glass building with furniture and artwork that reminded me of high end offspring of Crate & Barrel and IKEA. The stores inside were closed because Thursday was a federal holiday to remember the revolution. There was an appealing looking Italian restaurant so I decided to eat there. I should have looked at the menu before I went in but I could not resist real Italian food. Pasta at my house or in the clinic is overcooked and covered in tomato paste – not so flavorful. I ordered pasta Bolognese and a Coke Light. I paid 96!! The can of Coke Light cost 18Q!! In the grocery store, a can of Coke Light costs 4Q. What a rip off! While waiting for my food in the restaurant, I spotted a Starbucks across the street. This was the first one I have ever seen in Guatemala. The Starbucks was located outside a giant mall.

After receiving my giant shopping bag of take out without plastic silverware, I crossed the street to check out the mall. As I entered the doors, I could have been entering any mall in the States. There was a Steve Madden store, Lacoste, North Face (1200Q for a vest), Claire’s, and hundreds of others. I wandered around and got trapped on each floor. They do not use the same logic in positioning up and down escalators as in the States but I guess it forces you to walk past every store on a level before leaving. I passed a woman selling miniature cupcakes, a huge line at the movie theater (it was a federal holiday), and a man making crepes. There was even an animatronic dinosaur on the top level and a fashion show on the bottom floor. I was overwhelmed by this splash of American life clashing with my new normal in Xela. All of the customers looked like they could be from any country in the world. I did not see anyone in traje (indigenous dress). This is where the elite of Guatemala come to shop and play. I got out pretty quick.

I headed back to the hostel in the afternoon sun, eager to eat my ridiculously expensive pasta. It was very tasty and flavorful. I spent the rest of the evening reading The End of Poverty by Jeremy Sachs, writing responses to potential interview questions, and chatting online with friends.

I awoke Friday morning after most of my other dorm mates had left, showered, and relaxed a bit more until it was time to go. I got dropped off at the airport with plenty of time to spare. After I dropped my bag, I headed to find a snack. With my chicken Caesar salad wrap in hand, I used the complimentary wifi and awaited by departure. I guess Guatemala City was a good transition back to the States but I am sure grateful that we live in Xela.

Tropical Depression E-12

Unless you watch the weather channel religiously like my grandmother, you probably have no idea what has been going on off the Pacific coast in Central America. First, Hurricane Jova hit south-western Mexico, followed shortly by Hurricane Irwin. The outskirts of these storms includes tropical depression E-12, which came straight over Guatemala. Starting Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, while we were all sleeping, the rain started to bucket down all over Guatemala. I woke around 4am, surprised by the force of the rain. I have come accustomed to afternoon and evening rain but not round-the-clock rain. The rain continued until at 11am in Xela. The combination of the HUGE amount of rain, drains clogged with trash and debris, loose dirt hillsides, and poorly constructed homes has led to a significant amount of flooding, landslides, and a general shut down of normal life. As of Friday, some 12 people, including two children who were trapped in their house when the walls collapsed, have died as a result of the storm. Many freeways have been closed due to landslide, bridge destructions, and ongoing rains.

On Wednesday, I was supposed to go to the clinic in Xela. However, we could not get there. The Rotunda is a nearby bus stop to all parts of town and was impassible with waist-deep water. The neighborhood of Las Rosas where the clinic is located was flooded as the river that runs about 300 feet from the clinic rose and overflowed onto the already muddy road. I spent the morning inside watching the news with my family and helping clean up in our house. We only had some minor water leaks from excessive rain on the roof. I had a light flow of drops, which I had discovered before going to bed on Tuesday, were falling on my pillow. Needless to say after a few days of rain and continued leaking, my room has still been rearranged and a towel resides on the floor to collect the drops. Hannah woke up Wednesday to find a lake around her bed. She is on the opposite side of the patio. The wind blew rain off the roof onto her door, which subsequently went to the space between her door and door frame, dripped down the door, and found home on her bedroom floor. She didn’t even realize this happened until her feet went “splash” in the water the next morning. Yaki’s room had the worst leak. She woke up in the middle of the night because her feet were frozen cold. She has several leaking spots, one directly over her bed. There was also water falling on her armoire and bookcase. As a result, the top mattress from her bed is in the front hallway (smells like mold, gross) and her room has been rearranged as well. The doorway to the kitchen, which leaks even with light rain, was a mess. The paint and plaster are pealing; its very slippery.

Wednesday afternoon Korrin and I were able to escape to a café for a bit. All of the banks, schools, grocery stores, and roads were closed in the morning. As we walked around town, there was still a tremendous amount of water on the roads and a light rain falling. We scoured the Internet for information about the roads and villages but there was nothing. The radio in my kitchen was the best source of news. The local television showed broadcast of communities and streets in Xela but they did not share information about which roads were washed out, which rivers flooded, only that you should stay home. Wednesday evening our conference was cancelled on account of anticipated rain.

Thursday the damages from the previous day and new rain resulting in new landslides persisted. The road to our San Antonio clinic was impassable so Korrin and I stayed home again. We spent most of our morning watching Easy A at Korrin’s house and at a café trying to connect to the outside world and stay warm. Thursday I went to salsa after discovering that ESPN was super delayed only played post-season MLB.

Friday we had our group Spanish class in the morning. We had some rather unmeaningful conversations and some interesting ones. We were most concerned with how to spend our weekend. Our initial plans called for a day-long volunteer project in a very rural community called Alaska, about an hour outside of Xela, and a fun day at a waterpark. With the storm, we are unable to travel to either of these locations. The community suffered some damages but everyone is safe. Erika and Kate rescheduled these activities to the following weekend but I will be in Boston for my interview – bummer. In the mean time, we will all be trapped more or less in Xela. It is very risky to travel with the unstable hillsides, still raging rivers, and threat of more rain. Friday afternoon Korrin, Hannah, Harim, and I snuggled in my room and watched Bridesmaids on Korrin’s computer. I made popcorn in our microwave after the power came back on and it was a nice afternoon. Hopefully this weekend will lead to some more excitement. Right now we are planning to stay inside, watch some movies, knit, and bake brownies. It is not safe to leave because we may get stranded somewhere.

This weekend, we are planning to meet with the Mormon church in the afternoon and assist them with some relief efforts. Hannah, Aeja, and Jeff spent time with the firefighters on the volunteer projects earlier in the storm. On Wednesday morning, Hannah waded through knee deep water to help evacuate people from a flooded hotel. She later paddled a BOAT to rescue people for second and third story floors of their homes. I would imagine we will spend our time helping clear mud and debris from flooded homes. Luckily, I have my boots.

In all, I am safe but thankful. This is my first natural disaster experience that has resulted in a such a change of lifestyle. I am limited by what I can do and information dispersal. The lack of centralized information is the most frustrating. There is no website or phone number or radio or TV station that states the status of freeways, buses, schools, or the airport. Hopefully, things will be cleared quickly and there is no more loss of life or property. I’m hoping that I can easily leave Xela next Friday to travel to Guate and my flight back to the States. Oh boy!

These are two simple newspaper articles:

http://www.guatemala-times.com/news/guatemala/2534-guatemala-red-alert-due-to-tropical-depression.html

http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/10/tropical-depression-kills-at-least-16-in-guatemala-2/

This is a video of the bridge we needed to cross this weekend but cannot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe1kbhVO8a0&feature=player_embedded

The Little Things

It has now been nearly four months since my arrival in Xela. After a weekend free of activities and commitments, I had time to reflect on the little things.

Walking: I really enjoy walking in the sunshine. Both Saturday and Sunday mornings were beautiful. Without anywhere to be, I walked without a backpack in a tshirt (it was warm) and enjoyed the sites of Xela. I got a coffee, ran into Rachel, and we wandered through the street fair celebrating the birthday of the Virgin Rosario (Virgin Mary).

Coffee: I drink easily three cups of coffee a day: one with breakfast and one with dinner and usually one in the afternoon at a coffee shop. I thought I had a coffee addiction before I came here – woah! The coffee at my house is super diluted and usually just flavored warm water but there is good black coffee and iced lattes around town. The baristas recognize me and one of them knows my name.

Clean sheets: Every Saturday without fail my sheets and comforter are changed. The two wool blankets between the sheets and comforter remain the same. I left the house for less than an hour Saturday morning and returned to find my bed changed and my computer and papers returned to the same position on top of the bed.

Power outages: Sunday night around 8pm the power went out. I had my flashlight handy and helped Patty find the candles in the store. Without a few minutes, the house was illuminated with the flicker of candlelight. Rain and cold usually results in a periodic power outages but it is no surprise to anyone – not even me anymore. I was ready to settle into bed for an early night and the power came back.

Reading: In the States, the only time I have to read is on airplanes and vacations. Without internet at home or movies to watch on my computer (there is TV but I choose not to watch it), I have found myself with lots of free time before bed. I have read Enrique’s Journey (a true immigration story), Mountains Beyond Mountains (highly recommend for anyone interested in public or international health), and Water for Elephants (a fast read). I am currently reading La Alquimista (yes, The Alchemist, in Spanish) and My Life in a Harem (about a modern call girl who finds herself part of an prince’s harem).

Laundry: A family who lives around the corner from me does my laundry about every week. There store is called Las Burbujas (the bubbles), which is comprised of two washing machines and two dryers. They wash and dry everything and fold it. The feeling of warm clothing on a cold night is wonderous. Occasionally I run into family members around town and it brings a smile to my face. Their two-year-old son always wants to run out and play. The family knows each of us and asks about our trips.

Xela: I feel at home here. Whenever we leave, it is always nice to come back to Xela. I know what to expect, where to go for whatever I need, and the customs of the people here. I recognize people and run into friends, teachers, and common faces all the time. It will be very strange to leave for good. The lush green mountains surrounding the city are beautiful and glisten against the blue sky when the sun is out. At night, you can see the twinkle of lights on the hillsides. When we run around the streets, I know where to go and enjoy passing familiar sights. Xela will always hold a special place in my heart.

Second week at Salud y Paz

I feel well-acclimated to our clinic adventures. It feels very natural to wake up early (my body wakes up by itself now), eat breakfast, and hop a micro to another micro to the clinic. This week I am spending most of my time having direct patient contact. Monday and Tuesday I was assigned signos vitals to take blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and weight of all the patients before they are seen by the doctor. I encountered patients who only spoke Quiche, who could not see well, and one who only spoke Quiche and could not see (her daughter was essentially dragging her around and translating for her). The patients ranged in age from 7 to 70. A few had high blood pressure, all had regular heart rates, and they all weighed less than me except one woman (over 200 pounds). Some people appeared more sick than others. During a lull in the influx of patients, I spent my time with Sarah, the 4^th medical student from UVA. She gets to see patients on her own and then consult with the nurse practioner Chery or Dr. Fredy. I worked with her to help translate and hand her supplies as necessary for laboratory tests or exams. Her Spanish is pretty good but she is not always confident or knows the right word. I often repeat what she says in slightly different words to help the patients understand. She lets me listen to the heart and lung sounds and look at patients’ concerns. She is a great resource for answering questions.

Wednesday in Xela, I worked with Sarah the entire day. We saw a wide variety of cases. One of the most frustrating was an elderly man with a cataract. There is a surgical team coming to the Camanchaj clinic over the weekend to do eye surgeries. However, the list is full. He will need to come back to the clinic in a few months to get on the list for the team coming next year. He kept asking us for a medicine to fix the cataracts and unfortunately, the only solution is surgery, which is an option out of reach at the moment. Dr. Fredy gave us the name of another opthomological clinic in Xela but not how much it cost (another limiting factor for this patient). Hopefully, with a low sugar diet this patient will not develop a cataract in the other eye before the next year.

On Thursday, we trekked out to San Antonio again. Luckily, there was a clinic car going out there to bring our temporary doctor. Since Cheryl is back in the States for the next few weeks and Dr. Fredy works in Xela on Thursdays, there was no one to see patients in San Antonio. Dr. Manual lives in Xela so the clinic arranged transportation for him and we got to tag along (awesome!). We left two hours later than we did last week and arrived at the same time. I worked in the patient reception room to take vital signs. I measured blood pressure manually with the sphygmomanometer and took pulse and blood oxygen content with an electronic finger thingy (I do not know what it is called). I also recorded their temperature and current weight. I also taught Candelaria how to weigh patients. She usually works as the receptionist in Camanchaj and Xela but in San Antonio she does patient history. I really like helping her out because she wants to learn and I can practice my Spanish and share what I know. In between patients, I helped translate for Betty, a retired nurse from the States now living in Guatemala to volunteer indefinitely at the clinics. Unfortunately her approach to communicating with the staff is to yell loudly in English. Then they all look at me for help. It was nice to work on my translation skills but a bit awkward to be in the middle of it all. Betty has lots of concerns about the efficiency of the clinic but cannot communicate any of her questions to the staff so they all went through me - questions about lunch, questions about toys, questions about staff family members, questions about cooking. Through this process, I found myself preparing lunch. Maribel, the cook, does not travel with us to San Antonio but she prepared food for us that we need to reheat. Betty asked me where the water was, where the pots were, where the plates were, and was concerned about everyone not eating at the same time. In Guatemala, especially in the clinic, it is customary to eat when the food is hot and you have a break in your work. If you are still working, you keep working and join the table when you can. Betty did not want to offend anyone and serve all the plates pre-served at the same time. I tried to explain my experiences so far and how things work at the clinic but she was interested in learning for herself. Needless to say, we heated up chicken fried steak, veggies, and spaghetti. Tomin bought some tortillas and Victor bought Coke at the tienda across the street. The meal came out just fine and still warm.

Today my experience with Betty made me question why some people come to Guatemala. Don’t get me wrong: it is incredibly wonderful that people are willing to give up the comforts of home and volunteer their time and expertise for people who need it. But … If you cannot communicate with the people, you cannot learn from them. Very few people in Guatemala speak English. The fact that so many do in our clinic is a rarity and some of the doctors and nurses would be lost if those people were not there. If you do not spend time experiencing the culture, you cannot embrace it. Living with a family has been the best thing about this whole thing. I understand how families work and social norms because I live them myself everyday. Overall, my experience this week in the clinic has been great. I have learned a lot about communication and seen how scared some people are my modern healthcare. I realized that narrating while I am taking vital signs is comforting to the patients so they can learn from their visit too. I found this incredibly helpful with patients, especially children, who had never been to the clinic before. I also really want to learn Quiche. It is quite difficult to communicate with both you and the other person are speaking in a common second language. Unfortunately, Quiche is only recently a written language and is very difficult to learn. Luckily, I am making great connections with the staff :)