Mid-Semester Thoughts

Among the stress of midterms and everything else in the life of a science student, I have been thinking about a lot of things, like the future, or the people who have helped me get to where I am now, or what life would be like if I had done anything differently. So here are a few for you (in list form, because that is the only thing keeping me functioning):

• College Majors... and what I wish someone had told me before:
• When you are in high school, everyone wants to know what you want to do for the rest of your life and where you are going to school. They put so much pressure on making decisions for the rest of your life that it becomes overwhelming. I know, for me, having to make that decision made me look at the reputation, character, and success of people in all the different fields. I knew I wanted to do something in science, but that is such a broad spectrum of topics. It wasn't until I chose to switch schools and find an option that would allow me to experiment with classes, to find what I was interested in, that I found what I love. The difficult part of this was this discovery coming in late in the game. I wish someone had told me that there are options that allow you to go as broad or narrow as you choose with your major. I also wish someone had told me that you don't have to follow the stereotyped ideas of what type of person should do what major. Not just athletes have to do Kinesiology, not just child geniuses have to do some super complicated Math or Science, good writers do not have to do English. I was so stuck because of these ideals that I lost out on initially finding what I love. Long story, short: Finding what you love in college is not necessarily the "ideal" stereotype.
• Thoughts on Graduation:
• I have one full semester left before I become a college graduate (pending getting into my classes). I have been in college for almost 5 years. I have been up here at Humboldt for almost 4 full years. The idea of graduating college is a lot more foreign than how I felt in high school. Graduating from high school is like a way of saying, "Yay! You were able to meet 12 years of standards in order to become a functioning member of society." It was a way to end one life chapter in order to begin another. Graduating from college is a way to show you tried your hardest, stressed a lot, overcame many obstacles, and fought the good fight to fulfill requirement after requirement while still figuring out what to do with the rest of your life. People expect so much more out of you after you graduate from college, they want to know how much you have your life together. Truth is, I still don't know what I want to do when I "grow up."
• When things fall in place, but may not be together yet:
• I am preparing for my last semester of my undergraduate life. I have all my classes laid out and they fit together perfectly, but I still don't know yet if I will get into them. I have been debating about the future, and opportunities keep presenting themselves that would be perfect, yet I still am unsure if they are right. I keep telling myself to just go for everything, but something is still holding me back. I don't know why. I guess I am still getting over the thoughts of the previous two points. I guess I just have to continue to trust that everything will fit together and go exactly as they are supposed to.
• Homesickness (or just missing home):
• I don't know if I can call it homesick, but I miss being home. I miss my friends at home, and my family, and my fluffy things. Talking on the phone and Skype of FaceTime and Facebook are fantastic, and I am so thankful for them, but there is nothing that can match actually being there where I can sit and have dinner with my parents, or spend hours playing with the cats, or catch up with friends that I never get to see anymore because I chose what I thought was best for me in order to grow myself. Thanksgiving week cannot come any sooner.
• School burn-out:
• I don't care what you say, but burn-out is worse than "senioritis" in high school. I have been in school for 20 of my almost 23 years I have been alive (minus the summers I didn't do anything school related). I have worked so hard to get to this point. I feel like I have reached a max capacity of learning for some time, at least at this intensity. As a senior in high school, I wanted to move on to bigger and better things, and the idea of high school grew old. That's what "senioritis" is, wanting to be done with forced education and making your own decisions. I am past that point. I have been so continuously overwhelmed semester after semester that I am full of information and am running out of the energy to keep going. My "life gas light" has been on for a while and I am calculating the number of miles I have left of gas to see if I can make it to the gas station at the end of the education system. (Metaphor brought to you by my brain on school.) At this point, all I can do is wait it out and continue to give it my all.

Well, this is a lot of thoughts. Sorry, not sorry.
Until next time,
Kallie

First Day of School reflections

Happy First Day of School to me!!! Today marks the start of my last year as an undergraduate student. Wow! The last four years have sure flown by quickly. I am excited to see what this year has to offer.

And as I look back on these last couple years, I have so many things that have brought me to where I am today. Here are the top picks:

1. My parents. My prime support system. The ones I can call in any stage of excitement, frustration, sadness, anger, extreme focus, and yet they love me anyway and will always have my back. I am lucky to have the best set of parents I could ever ask for standing behind me.
2. My friends, whether new or old, who have been there for me at some point in my life, even if we do not talk much any more. Those who supported my decisions wholeheartedly and those who may have questioned some of my ideas, I am thankful all the same. I look forward to making new friends this year.
3. My teachers. Past, present, and future. Who would have thought that the shy little girl that sat in your class would be finishing her Bachelor's degree. I will never forget having a teacher tell my parents that "it is always the quiet ones you have to look out for." I may no longer be that quiet girl all the time anymore, but the fire still burns inside of me, and I have my teachers to thank.
4. Camp. Two summers spent working in one of my favorite places in the world with some of the coolest people in the world. My decision to apply at camp was definitely a step out of my comfort zone, and as the summers progressed, that comfort zone began to grow. It definitely made me more comfortable to be who I truly am.
5. Atlantis Project. The smartest, but definitely craziest, decision I have made in my college career. I never would have guessed I would travel to Spain, let alone leave the country, on an epic adventure and figure out which direction I wanted to go in life. It gave me more motivation to be successful and figure out what necessary steps I needed to take to pursue my dreams. (If you want more info, read the previous blog posts.) I could go on forever...
6. Humboldt State University. Coming up here definitely was a great decision. I knew it was the right place for me when I visited. The atmosphere felt right. This school, while a struggle at times, has allowed me to have some of the greatest experiences, meet some of the coolest people, and see some of the most beautiful things. I have much more appreciation of the world around me. Never doubt a school like this, despite its reputation.

Here is to the start of a new year, with new opportunities, new frustrations, new experiences, and a more confident me.

Kallie

When one chapter ends...

... you never know how the next one is going to begin.

I have been putting off writing this since I got home almost 2 days ago.

Saturday, my friend Sasha and I wandered around Vigo, did some shopping, had a nice drink, watched the sunset while eating dinner along the port, and enjoyed the last couple hours before sleep and her departure. The next morning was bittersweet, knowing we would both be home soon but aware that we were at the end of the journey.

Sunday morning, I spent time relaxing and preparing myself for a long journey and 2 days worth of traveling and airports. Not really hungry, I went to see what I could get for a late breakfast and found the frozen yogurt place at the mall just opening, and the guy working there realized that I spoke English and tried to help me. I spent a little time walking around the port before heading back to the hotel to grab my bags and head to the airport, thinking I would check in when I got there and see what I could do for the 6 hours until my flight without having to worry about all my stuff. Little did I know that the airport shuts down for siesta time, leaving me with nothing to do except hang out at the airport so I could keep track of my stuff. And there is nothing in Vigo airport, literally nothing but a little store and a cafe. It is so small. Six hours of sitting and reading or going through puzzle books or reading or people watching, I finally checked in my bag and got on the dinky little plane that took me to Paris airport. What a difference in size. I almost got lost in Paris airport because their lack of signs and direction-indicating displays was tremendous, and communication was a slight issue since I don't speak French. I finally found my way to where I was to meet my shuttle to my hotel for the night and waited.

The hotel was one of the nicest hotels I have stayed at in my life. The Hilton was conveniently located between Terminals 1 and 2 of the airport (1 being the more private airport and 2 being for the big commercial flights) and the shuttle took me there, and I got checked in, let my family know I had made it, figured out where I needed to go in the morning, and fell asleep in my giant bed to recover from a travel/dehydration-induced migraine.

I woke up the next morning and got ready to go, checking out a little before the first shuttle to the airport so I could ensure I had enough time in case I got lost. My first flight of the day was pretty nice. I watched movies almost the entire time, except for the 45ish minutes that I slept, and the 9+ hour flight went by rather quickly (or as quickly as a 9 hour flight can). After arriving in Atlanta, I braved the line at customs, which wasn't as daunting as I had heard it could be. The customs officer was even joking with me, which was refreshing and a nice change from the stoic border patrol officers in Paris that I had encountered both directions. Once making it through customs and rechecking my bag, I got my next boarding pass and prepared for another nice 8 hours in the airport. At least most the people spoke English, and there were more people for people watching, and I had good internet access and regular cell service. I somehow survived the long wait (I am pretty sure I walked the terminal enough times that people were looking at me funny for not walking to a gate) and got on my plane home. That was probably the most uncomfortable flight I had been on my entire trip, but it was also the smoothest landing. At least I slept a couple hours for my 4+ hour flight, and once I got into Sacramento, I was familiar with the airport so I didn't have to worry about getting lost.

Nunca camines solo.

This phrase is widely used by travelers on El Camino de Santiago, meaning "You never walk alone," and I think it is a good way to sum up this trip. I met so many smart, caring, amazing people, made so many new friends, and stepped way out of my comfort zone, and I will never regret that decision. It filled me with so much joy to be around people who had such similar interests and build such a strong bond in a short four weeks. I just hope that, one day, we will be able to connect again. Not saying that my friends at home are bad or that I don't have anything in common with them, but there is just a different bond I share with the group of individuals from this trip. I was always aware that there were people around me that were on the same journey I am and we were all going through each day together, whether being in the hospital or out on excursions. Galicia will always hold a special place in my heart. I have more motivation to pursue my dreams than ever before, and I now have a new dream to learn more Spanish and travel back some day.

I am so excited to see what the future holds, but I am so happy to be home.

Vigo sunset over the port.

Paris hotel room. (The picture above my bed is the closest I got to the Eiffel Tower)

Sacramento from the sky at night. I never realized how big it actually was.

Well, this is it on my trip. It has been quite a journey.
I hope to continue blogging throughout the year as I finish up my last year of my Bachelor's, so don't stop looking here.

TTFN, Kallie

The beginning of the end

Saying goodbye is probably one of the hardest things to do. But let's recap the week instead of talking about that. 

Thursday: hospital. Sweetest doctor with a British accent when she spoke English. She saw my interests and let me take time to look more into them and ask questions. Intensive care is exactly that: intense, but the amount of care and respect the doctors have for their patients in the Spanish hospital is incomparable. Thursday night, we had our final group dinner. We enjoyed delicious food and a nice glass of Spanish wine before the first couple people headed off. That night was spent in our last night out on the town enjoying each other's company. 

Friday: as it was my last full day in Ourense, I decided to give myself a break from the hospital. (That and something about seeing comatose people for that long was a struggle.) we had a nice breakfast and did a little shopping before saying goodbye to a couple more people of the group. After a nice siesta (nap time), I had my last English lesson with my student. The evening was time for the last meal with those of us that were left before a couple more departed. 

Saturday (today): the four of us that remained enjoyed a nice breakfast at the cafe that we had gone to every morning before the hospital. We thanked the ladies working there for all they did for us and they returned our thanks with our favorite breakfast foods. All of us spent the rest of the time in Ourense making sure everything was packed. Two more left. Shortly after, my friend Sasha and I headed to the train station to make our way to Vigo, where I am now. Will update about Vigo later. 

Here are some pictures:

Drinks with friends

The last four

Ttyl. Kallie

Hiking, climbing, and surgery selfies

Oi... The last week in Spain. 

Sunday: for our group trip, we did quite a bit. We visited two different monasteries, one that was set up as a historic site and one that was formerly a seminary and church and everything else but is now a 4 star hotel. Both were beautiful. We then went to our lunch place, by way of a scenic view over a valley. We ate lunch outside next to a creek before we headed out on what was probably the hottest hike/walk I have ever been on. It wasn't that long or that difficult, but this girl doesn't hike in 100 degree humid weather. I am pretty sure I sweated out all the water I drank at lunch. When we left the train and restaurant, we headed in the (thankfully air conditioned) bus to a winery along the river we had seen earlier. In Spain, a lot of wineries are built along rivers and other water ways so they require less artificial irrigation. We toured the small winery and tasted some wine (and maybe bought some). The rest of the day was spent relaxing and prepping for a busy week. 

Monday and Tuesday: surgery days. I was in general surgery, which meant the first day was spent on digestive tract surgeries and the second on a lot of outpatient surgeries. I was so thankful to be in an area where I could wear scrubs and spend time in an air conditioned part of the building. I followed around a medical resident, getting to watch her experience things for the first or second time in her first month of residency. The doctors were excited to show me things and learn things in English the entire first day. Surgeons are so calm on the outside and handled things like they were all routine. The strangest part of both days was the fact that most of the patients were awake during the procedures. I enjoyed it a lot, but they do so much work. 

Wednesday day: I was really nervous going into the day as I headed to intensive care because I knew there would be people who may not have any life left in them. All I could think about was my family, those I still have and those I have lost and what I would do without them. I was also kind of nervous about the fact that many of the people were in similar or worse (mostly worse, way worse) shape as my grandpa. (Shoutout to grandpa!! Love you and miss you a lot!!!) I didn't think I could handle it, but I decided to give it a try. The doctor I was supposed to be with wasn't there so the other doctors in the department welcomed me in and explained things to me as best they could until a doctor got there that I could shadow. To my surprise, the doctor I ended up with spoke near perfect English with a British accent and she was very willing to show me things. She noticed I took particular interest in the CT scans and let me look at them and try to analyze them with her help. I got to go with her to see a CT scan on a patient as well. While this particular patient may not have the best results from the scan, it made me realize again that radiology is something I truly have an interest in. I could definitely see myself doing radiology in the future. The career of an ICU doctor is difficult at times, but they all have such a passion for what they do and are so willing to show it. I am happy that I get to spend my last rotation there.

The evening consisted of a group adventure to the town of Allariz (or something like that) for some swimming and general wandering around the town before dinner. It was refreshing to get in the water and swim a little even though it was a little cooler than the last couple days. The old city itself was quaint. Lots of little shops with nice clothes and other things. My friend Alec and I wandered off to explore. I am pretty sure we walked almost the entire old part of the town. We may have struggled to find our way back, but we eventually found it and had time to spare before dinner. 

Picture time:

The bell tower of one of the monasteries. Yes, we did walk up there and everyone was terrified of I breaking and us falling. 

View from the winery. 

Surgery selfie. No hot lab coat for me, just a nice pair of hospital scrubs and air conditioned rooms. 

Walking down the old streets of Allariz. 

That's all for now. See you in the next update. 

Kallie

Week 3 gets crazy

It has been quite a busy week. 

Monday and Tuesday: 

Internal medicine. Lots of sick old people. The two days included a lot of visiting patients rooms to check on them (one man got moved from a higher care floor to the internal medicine floor because his state improved) and checking on medications of hospitalized patients in other areas of the hospital. I was in the infectious diseases ward, so most of the patients had some kind of strong bacterial infection that wasn't extremely contagious but some highly resistant to normal treatment. I also got to go into the Bacteriology lab, but I didn't get to see much of what they do. After the hospital both days was a lot of relaxing and dinner with friends and attempting, but failing) at going to events/concerts as part of the fiesta. Oh and maybe possibly rolling my ankle. (Don't worry. I'm fine.)

Wednesday: gynecology. The doctor I was with was extremely nice and willing to let me see what his work (yes his) entailed. Lots of pregnant women and lady parts. Interesting, but not necessarily the most glorious job in the world. I also got to see a natural birth. Dads with newborns are still so adorable, but definitely makes me want to wait to have kids, and take advantage of all the drugs I can when I do. 

Our afternoon adventure was to one of the local hot springs that they turned into a spa along the river. It was relaxing and a beautiful place, definitely a one time experience for me. 

Thursday and Friday: more gynecology. Thursday I was with residents because they had a shortage of doctors. Saw my first actual surgery as well as two more births, both with assistance like vacuum or tongs. It was eventful, to say the least. They are very efficient about deliveries. Friday was not as eventful, and I got shuffled around a lot of places. Nurses got mad because I didn't understand them and I finally ended up just leaving. Both evenings were good. Relaxing dinners, good food, great company. Last night, Friday, we got a special treat of sangria and fruit and custard cake to celebrate one of our coordinators birthdays. A couple of us walked the medieval market after dinner before meeting up with more friends to watch a Police tribute band and have a nice drink to end the day. 

Saturday: today, after struggling to decide, I stayed in Ourense to wander around a bit more. A friend and I walked to ding the river and ended up getting lost a bit, but found our way back. We met a nice man at the medieval market where I bought a new backpack (my othe r me got a hole) who gave me a discount because We started talking to him about America and why we were in Spain. After a rest, we finally made our way to the river to climb the arches of Ponte do Milenio (Millennium Bridge). It was hot, but totally worth it.

More adventures to come. Will see what the last week in Spain brings. 

View from the hospital. 

Hot springs (not the ones we went to). We were waiting for our train back. 

One view from the top of the Millenium Bridge. We were at the equivalent height as the other side of the arch. Lots of stairs. 

Until next time

Kallie

It's getting hot in here...

The first thing I have to say, this girl is so not used to hot weather. If there was a way to stay in Spain forever and bring the cool weather from Arcata, I would never come home. Unfortunately, when the average high of the week is around 90 F (like 30 C) and the humidity is around 50%, I sweat just by walking outside. It is not fun. 

Coming back to where I left off in the last post, Friday was my last day in pediatrics. I was a little sad to be leaving the babies and Dr Felix. I had kind of grown attached to them by checking on them everyday and helping with research on their conditions. It truly made me happy to see the doctors actually taking time to research conditions when they were not positive on how to treat. Just as I was getting ready to leave, and after the day of talking with Felix about his family and his honeymoon and California, it warmed my heart to have Felix wish me luck in the rest of my stay and Ask me to come back and visit him when (not if) I am successful and talk to him about where I end up and how I am doing. It was tough, but on to new adventures. 

Friday afternoon, we had lunch with the founder, COO, and European coordinator  of Atlantis Project. They were visiting all the sites to talk to everybody about how things were going and see how their work was paying off. They were all three genuinely nice guys and it was nice knowing the faces behind the program that gave me such an amazing opportunity. 

Saturday was a little all over the place, lots of errand running, meeting the new some of the new people coming in, and the experience of the beginning of Festival Ourense, a huge 10 day fiesta in the city here. Traditional Galician bagpipe music, lots of people, a dance party with a dj and performances prizes, and the knowledge that there were more events to come the rest of the week. There were even kids out later than me (which was cut short due to the fact that everybody in Spain smokes and little asthmatic me couldn't handle it). It was tons of fun. 

Today, we took a bus to the south of Galicia to the city of Lobios where we hiked and climbed and suffered through the heat for the most beautiful views of the valley and one of the largest waterfalls in Galicia. We even got to get into the water. After hiking back, we enjoyed a nice lunch before heading to our next destination. The bus dropped us off just before the Portugal border and we walked about 1-2km to another waterfall to play in the water. Again, super gorgeous. By the time we were done there, we were exhausted and sunburnt and sweaty and ready to hop back on the air conditioned bus to head home. 

This week I am in Internal Medicine and Gynecology. Will have to see what adventures arrise here. 

Traditional Galician bagpipers and drummers. 

Made it to the viewing point for the top of the largest Galician waterfall. It was so gorgeous up there. 

Standing on the border to take a picture of both the Portugal sign and the Galicia sign. 

That's all for now. 

Kallie

A whole lot of adventure

It has been a while, so mass update is needed. Days are long and busy and we have done quite a bit. 

Weekend: Saturday was spent relaxing, getting groceries, bathing in the pool at the hot springs (super warm), nothing too thrilling. Sunday, we took a bus to towns and cities around Ría do Pontevedra (Pontevedra estuary) and walked/toured a lot of the old towns along the water, including the city of Pontevedra itself. As part of the tour, we went on a boat ride through the estuary where we saw the floats where they farm shellfish, tried mussels, watched dolphins, and fed seagulls. The cities were beautiful and the water was super clear, which made up for the crappy weather. 

Beginning of the week: Monday and Tuesday, I was in the oncology department with a friend. Let's just say that I doubt it is either of our future careers. 

End of week: Wednesday, I switched departments, and I get to stay until Friday, to pediatrics. The doctor who speaks the best English is in NICU (neonatal, so a lot of premature and unhealthy babies). Dr. Felix is one of the nicest doctors I have met at the hospital. He was so excited to have another "English teacher" there with him and has done his best to explain everything to me, and even gave me a lesson on Spanish culture to practice his English. I never thought I would say it, but that is a place I could possibly see myself. They are so caring, yet not so gentle that they don't get anything done. Today, I went with one of the other doctors into a C-section so they could check to make sure the baby was okay. They even let me scrub up and press a button. I have learned a lot, and it made me happy to see doctors that spent time researching different cases if they were not exactly sure what to do. Also, new dads are the most adorable things I have seen in a long time. They look at their babies (especially premise babies) as if they are the only thing in the world. It is like a connection that not even a mother could have. I wish I could stay there forever. 

Wednesday adventure: Our midweek adventure was to the city of Santiago de Compostela (named for Saint James of the stars and sky). There, we saw where the original hospital of the city was, the city hall, a monastery/seminary/hostel, and the great Cathedral de Santiago. The city is known for being the meeting place of travelers of El Camino ("the Way," look it up. There is a movie based on it) and the site of the former monastery where Saint James was buried, lost, and later discovered. Everything was gorgeous and there were such an array of people there. We even met two guys from southern Spain who had done El Camino and walked somewhere close to 300 km and had just received their final stamp for the journey and a certificate saying they had finished it. That is definitely a place I could go back to. 

Dolphin from our boat ride in Pontevedra. I think there was a pod of four or five. 

One of the churches of Santiago de Compostela. 

The public library of Santiago. Why can't American libraries be this cool? (Well maybe some of them are)

My "I get to scrub up for a C-section" face in my borrowed scrubs. One day, I could have a set of my own. (P.S. Yes, it is crazy hot and humid and my hair is super curly because of it)

Well, that is it for now. An exciting weekend lies ahead. 

TTFN

Kallie

A new field...

So, I was going to wait until tonight to post something, but since I have an hour and I doubt anything will be different today than the last two, might as well do this. 

Wednesday, I switched departments (or especialidads as they call them) to endocrinology. I can say now that it is not something I see myself doing in the future. It involves a lot of sitting and patient consults. Not a field I recommend if you get bored really easily or don't get enough sleep the night before. I spent a lot of time between patients staring out the window at some wild horses in a field to try and keep myself awake. 

Thursday was about the same with a few minor differences. Different doctor, a medical student with the doctor, and some department turmoil that I caught enough of the words to kind of figure out what was happening. I spent a good amount of time at the beginning sitting by myself, but a resident (med student) came in to talk to me. She was really nice. She went to school in Columbia but could not get into a hospital there and chose Spain as her next option. It was nice having someone who understood a little more English because not many people in the department do. 

I am there again today (Friday) and I doubt anything will be different. Excited to see what else this experience has to offer. 

On a different note, we went on our first excursion as a group on Wednesday night. We got a tour around almost the entire city of Ourense (it literally takes about 20-30 minutes to walk across) where we learned about some of the places and activities we could see and do while we were here. The city is known for its hot springs, so of course one of those was on the list, but we also went into the cathedral and saw the city hall and visited a palace. In Spain, every city has many churches and palaces but only one cathedral. The palaces were used as social clubs for parties and dinners. Ourense is also known for its bridges because it is located along the Miño river. 

After our tour, we were given about an hour to walk around the mall (like the shopping kind) before dinner. It was nice. Dinner was great. Meals in Spain are so large. I think it is because they want you to spend more time eating as there is an ideology that meals are a time to spend with company. It is nice being able to use that time to talk to everybody. I never realized what it would be like to be around such likeminded people. We get a lot of strange looks because of the size of our group and the fact that we speak English, and sometimes for our topics of conversation from those who understand English. 

One thing we learned about on our tour is about El Camino, "The Way." This is when people come and backpack Spai, traveling by foot from different locations to the city of Santiago de Compostela, as a way to find themselves and an inner peace and faith that they may have not had before. We have met some travelers that are on this journey and find welcome relief when some speak English. 

This is city hall/ museum. The town square in front of this is a location for a lot of fiestas because it is located in the center of the city. 

This is inside the cathedral. There were a lot of gold-plated wood structures and figures inside, and they actively hold mass in there almost every day. 

McDonalds in the mall. 

Dinner from Wednesday night. The plate was probably over a foot in diameter. 

That's all for now. 

Kallie

A vida do hospital

(Translation of title written in Galician: the life of the hospital)

I just realized it has been 3 days since my last update and I am getting ready for bed but let's try this. 

Sunday, I arrived in Ourense with another person from our group, Juan. We met up in Vigo and took the train together after 3 hours of waiting at the train station for our train. We were picked up my one of our site coordinators, Serxio (said ser-she-o), and got all checked into our rooms to wait for everyone else. Once the group got here, we went to dinner and tried a whole bunch of traditional foods from ourense, like eel tortas, squid, sardine type things, steak and patatas, and flan. My favorite was the squid and the steak. 

The next day, Monday, was our first hospital day. I started off in the hematology department. I wasn't so sure at first what I was going to do, but I got to hang out with the medical assistant residents and go to appointments, and go to the blood bank. The blood bank was my favorite part because they showed me all the machines and programs they use to analyze the blood and protein products for use in transfusions and transplants. It was cool to be able to see machines and computer programs that did what I had learned about in class simplified, and people were able to explain things to me in English. 

The second day (today), I was in the same place. I got to spend more time with the doctor and he went over more specifics of some of the patients with me. I also got to talk to him about his family. Today, I also started the English teaching portion with one other person. We were able to speak to our student, a resident at the hospital, getting to know her and the level at which she speaks. I think it will be interesting. We meet with her next week as well as another person. 

Two things I have learned so far, spaniards drink a lot of coffee ( I even tried some. Don't go into too much shock), and I am picking up on Spanish again by listening to the hospital professionals speak and reading material in Spanish. 

This picture is of me and one of the medical assistants after her first time preparing the product for a transfusio. I got to watch as she learned from the doctor I was shadowing. 

Will try my best to update more as I get further in and figure out times. Lots of love. 

Kallie

(P.s. My English is turning into a mix between American English and the broken English of the people I am working with. Soon, I may speak English with a Spanish accent. Oh well)

But I don't speak French...

After 10 hours on a plane where a majority of people spoke French, 3 hours in a little tiny terminal on 45 minutes of sleep, and another 2 hour flight, I can officially say that I have arrived in Spain.
My flight from LAX to Paris was long. An angry French man sat next to me and wanted me to give up my window seat for a middle middle seat (like the very middle of the plane with no space whatsoever) so his wife could sit next to him. Sorry, but no. At least there was an attractive male flight attendant who called me endearing terms in French and argued with the angry dude so I could keep my seat. I also watched a lot of movies and tv shows. And we were given a full dinner, ice cream bars, and a full breakfast, all which weren't half bad. So it wasn't horrible despite my legs and butt being sore and literally sleeping for less than an hour.
This meant that by the time i got to Paris I was exhausted and really had to go to the bathroom. But of course, i couldn'texpect things to go so smoothly when going through security for a second time. I guess shampoo is on my list of things to buy. And little tiny airport+ tired Kallie= bad combo.
I slept most of my flight to Vigo in order to avoid awkward situations with another angry French man next to me. Then a nice lady helped me get a taxi to my hotel, in which the driver was nice and so excited to have an American in his car. My hotel room overlooks the ocean, by the way. ( Thanks grandpa!!!)
The hardest part so far has been the language barrier. I don't speak French and my Spanish is at about the level of a 3 year old. I will figure it out, though. I remember enough to understand a little bit, and everyone I have encountered has been as helpful as they can and are very apologetic when their English isn't very good.

Now to figure out what to do with myself.

Spain fact: cars drive on the right side of the road.

The adventure begins

So... Here I am... Sitting at the airport. All by myself. Bags have been packed and checked and I have nothing left to do but wait. 

When I graduated high school 4 years ago, I never would have imagined I would be going on an adventure like this. I have to admit that I am nervous as heck and thoughts have definitely crossed my mind that it is not too soon to turn back. But what kind of person would that make me if I quit. I don't want to look back and think about what I could have done, but rather what I did do despite any negative thought. 

At least I have the entertainment of the airport. So many people from so many different cultures and stories as to why they are here today. Loads of people watching. When I get on my flights, I will travel from LAX to Paris where I change planes and travel to Vigo, Spain to spend the night before my final trip into Ourense. 

Ourense facts: the city is the capital city of the Provence of Ourense located in Galicia, the northwestern part of Spain. It has a unique climate that can change at any moment. Can this NorCal girl handle it? We will have to see

Let's get started...

So... I decided to give this whole blog thing a try as a way to record my summer (and maybe further) adventures and keep all those interested in my adventures up to date.

I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name is Kallie, and I am on the path to obtaining a Bachelors in Biology with a self-created emphasis in Human Anatomy and Physiology at Humboldt State University next year. I am still trying to figure out exactly what I want to be when I "grow up," and let me tell you, it is not easy. Someday, I will figure it out.

If you did not know, I have been given the opportunity for an experience of a lifetime. In two weeks, I will be in Ourense, Spain with a group of other students from all over America (and maybe other places) to spend four weeks shadowing in a local hospital. This internship is set up for Pre-Med students, or those with interest in medicine, to gain hospital experience in order to solidify career direction and boost resumes and Med School applications. The program through which I am doing this is called Atlantis Project, and they set up a relationship with hospitals in Spain and Portugal in order for students to come and shadow, getting a taste of European healthcare. As a way to give back to the community, us students will be teaching English.

I am so excited for this opportunity. It is definitely going to be a growing experience for me, a way to see the world and journey into the unknown. Most people would never guess I would be doing anything like this, but I am not really up for following what everyone thinks I should be doing.

This is about all I know for now. More updates to come when I know more.

Love Always,
Kallie

(Ourense is in the top left corner)