Just 3 weeks ago our first year of medical school officially ended. And guess what? I PASSED!! That's right, I am now promoted one notch higher or as my class likes to say "we're 1/4 MD!" I'd like to say my last 3 weeks have been filled with lots of rest and relaxation, but, as captured by my blog title, I'm restless and I like to keep busy.
The day after our "baby step" some fellow med students and myself headed to Carolina Beach for a much needed vacation in the fun. Picture it: mini golf, soft serve ice cream, settlers of catan, ocean. That pretty much sums up what I'd call a perfect weekend! I, of course, got sunburnt (next time more sunscreen), but it's since turned into a nice golden brown.
The weekend after the beach I went to NYC to meet up with people from my TFA days, Antoinette and Alleen. We had a wonderful time eating our way around the city including smorgasbord in Williamsburg, which is kind of like a flea market for food! Apart from food, we managed to do a few cultural things including visiting the 9/11 memorial (beautiful dedication), watching Once (just won several Tony's including Best Musical) and Newsies, and going to see Snow White and the Huntsman (cultural, right?). Antoinette and I also saw Hysteria, which if you haven't seen it you should. It's hysterical! And we meet up with other TFAers, Jess and Marianne, who are both completing their last of med school at Columbia (smart ladies!). Then it was back to NC for me.
And here I am...NOT in NC. A few days after NYC, I boarded a plane for Guatemala (or Guate as everyone seems to call it). What am I doing here? Good question. I'm working with the CDC Global AIDS program (GAP) this summer in Guatemala City on some public health projects (and improving my Spanish). I'll be here for 7 weeks, returning stateside in late July. I'd put a picture up, but I have yet to take any (not like me at all!). Instead, I'll try to provide you with some initial impressions of Guate:
1. beans, rice, tortillas, and REPEAT...I'm not sure if this is common, but the house I'm staying at eats this for every meal (including breakfast). Needless to say, my bowels are going crazy.
2. there's a lot of work to do...within 1 hour of entering Guate I was already working on a project. The office does amazing work and manages a lot of projects throughout Latin America, so they always need more hands to help.
3. inequity...as described by my boss, Guate has a severe divide between those people who have money and those who don't. Those who don't often can't afford cars and have to take city transportation to get around, which can be really unsafe. Just to give you some perspective, our housekeeper (who is absolutely amazing) makes a really good wage for those who are poorer in Guate. She makes $220 a month and has two kids.
4. people...Guatemalans are incredibly nice in all my experiences so far. I have yet to meet anything but friendly faces.
5. language...to my surprise, I can actually understand a lot of what people say here (probably about 75-85%, maybe more...not bad). not to my surprise, my actual speaking back in Spanish is not so hot, but I've got 7 weeks to work on that.
6. landscape...Guatemala is beautiful!! Even in Guatemala City, we're surrounded by volcanoes that are visible on a clear day. Makes for a wonderful view each morning!
7. rain...Who knew it was winter in Guatemala and the rainy season? Well it is. What that means is it's much colder than one would expect (gets to about 60 degrees at night), sun sets at 6pm, and it rains most afternoons/evenings/sometimes mornings.
I think that is a sufficiently long post for now. Look for another one Monday!
No comments:
Post a Comment