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