Pretty much what I looked like today. This morning I was really comfortable in my bed. It was warm, I had three blankets, and when I began to peel them away decided my room was much too cold to justify moving from my cocoon. The only problem was I had my internship. I had to get up. (Also Valencia "cold" is nothing, I could take it.) My lack of motivation made me arrive to the hospital at 9am...later than normal. Yet, as I expected it didn't matter that I got there at 9am. There was nothing to do. I changed into scrubs, and then went and sat and waited...and waited...and waited. The past couple weeks I had lost motivation to go to my internship. I observe surgeries and....that's it. Yes, it is amazing and I know I'm lucky. BUT when you just stand out of the way and can't see anything, it gets kind of repetitive. Also, I had fainted a while back in surgery, so I now constantly am preoccupied it will happen again--luckily it hasn't. Anyway, back to today. Finally, after about an hour, they were prepping for surgery. I donned my scrub hat, and shoe covers and then waited. Nothing. I was thirsty, and decided to ward off any possibility of fainting, I should go buy water. When I got back from the vending machine the med-student I had been waiting with was gone, so I decided to loiter outside the operating rooms and see which surgery looked more interesting. I decided on the second one because there was music, and honestly I didn't know what the procedures were just from the prep. As I'm standing there, trying to be as much of a wallflower as possible and not get in anyone's way, the doctor comes up to me. "¿Quieres lavar?" I was shocked. He was asking me if I wanted to scrub in. Of course I wanted to, I just hadn't been forward enough to ask anyone. After some babbling through surgical masks and across language barriers it was understood that I had never scrubbed in, but would like to learn how. And I did. I learned the proper way to wash your hands and arms, put on the sterile gown, and of course struggled with the gloves. Guess what? I even got a job. I got to dry the blood, so that the surgeon could properly see what he was doing. Mind you it wasn't a big job, there was suction and he was also drying the blood, so mostly I just stood there. But still. I was right there, participating in my small way in a real live surgery. Participating in this internship has solidified the fact that I don't want to be a surgeon (although today I did have a few moments where I thought maybe I shouldn't throw that idea out the window just yet...those thoughts didn't last long though). There is nothing wrong with it, but surgery just isn't for me. I would love to do it, but only for a year or so, and then I would want to switch--so surgery isn't a viable option considering how long I would be in school. It's not really a career you can commit to for only one year. However, this internship has made me a little more confident in the fact that I want to do medicine in some way. I think. There is still time to figure that out. For now, though, I just have to say that was awesome. It is amazing that I was able to scrub in and participate. I don't think I ever would have had that opportunity in the US without being a med-student, and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. Oh, and one last note. Did I mention there was music? Ok, but did I mention that this was the last song that was playing before I left for class? (Class which I ended up being late for, oops! It was worth it though.) Photos:
http://www.brooksidepress.org/Products/Scrub_Gown_and_Glove_Procedures/images/scrub250.jpg http://www.expressmedicalsupplies.com/images/products/i11379.jpg
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Oh the joys of the internet, especially Stumbleupon. It is a dangerous vacuum for productivity, but sometimes you find some gems out there. So in my procrastination I've found these, and thought I would share them. (Because if I'm sharing then it isn't complete procrastination, right?) First, an entertaining cartoon from the NY Times about a flight. http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/red-eye/?smid=pl-share Next, this (which I looked up and discovered was a quote from Saint Augustine. And last, but definitely not least, a quote from Mark Twain.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." Just some food for thought, more on my travels later! Going to Granada was amazing. It was a small trip--just me and one friend from the program going to visit a friend from home. Not traveling alone was nice. After Italy it was good to have a trip where figuring out buses and transfers wasn't a solo operation. Not to mention we understood Spanish, which helped even more. If you ever get the chance to stay at a pension I would say to seriously consider it. I opted to book the pension instead of a hostel, because it was closer to my friend and about the same cost. What a great decision. We had our own room, it was quiet, and tucked away right by the university residence where she lived. The only downside was we got completely lost trying to find our way back because no one had heard of the street (yep, when I say tucked away I mean it). I guess the other downside was the accordion player who decided to perform at the exact same time as our daily siestas--but I have to admit I grew to...like him. I can't say love because some of his songs were really annoying. But mostly it was charming. Mostly. To the actual city. Other than the rain, it was amazing. The Alhambra was beautiful, and with the rain there weren't as many people there (going off season has its benefits at times!) As amazing as that was though, I would have to say it was the little things that made the visit. Going out to tapas at a vegetarian bar (veggie burger? yum. curry tofu tapa? yum. eco-wine from the region? yum.) There was definitely the smell of pot mixed with body odor when you walked in...but in a charming hippie way...you probably have to be at least a little hippie to understand how that could be charming, but just trust me. Oh, the nice thing about Granada? Every time you order a drink (soda, wine, beer...basically anything but water) you get free tapas. Other than the curry tofu, which was delicious, I would have to say the eggplant with honey was my favorite (sounds weird? try it, right now). Tapas hopping, the botellón (drinking in the street), and the Alhambra are all nice, and they are great typical Granada experiences. My favorite moment though? Hiking up into the olive groves to watch the sunset. Being in Valencia is wonderful, but it was really refreshing to see trees and mountains again. And green. So much green. And the view was stunning. The company was genial (first word that came to my head...translates to 'great' or 'brilliant'). As it turns out, uncured olives not so great--actually they are really bad. But did I mention the view? I did. Well you should see it for yourself... Breathtaking, isn't it? And this too... Not as breathtaking in the photo--but rows and rows of olive groves is pretty stunning.
Basically, it is the little things that you wouldn't find in a guidebook that made this trip so great. Getting lost and asking what felt like every shop owner for directions, getting lost and walking the long way back (hmm..pattern?), walking around the various neighborhoods with one of my best friends, and hiking up into the olive groves, followed by some delicious tea at a Moroccan tea house. Granada felt a little bit like home. A larger, European (more specifically Spanish) version of home. But in some strange hippie and mountainous way, it reminded me of C'ville. Then again, who am I kidding? Nothing could ever live up to C'ville for me. Hasta luego! Italy...where to start? How about this... I landed late at night, was confused, got in a taxi where I couldn't find a seatbelt, and then I saw a vespa..and another...and another. Every single one made me think of this. There seemed to be no traffic laws in Naples. The vespas? Yep, no helmet, zooming along (I actually saw a girl holding a helmet like a purse). And the kids, oh the kids. I saw a child as young as 1 1/2 on a vespa and a child who looked to be around 12 driving one (is that even legal?) So as much as I was trying to be culturally sensitive I couldn't help but laugh to myself, because I was hearing Eddie Izzard say "ciao" every single time I saw a person drive by on a vespa (and yes, they do say ciao a lot). Aside from the "ciao" attitude, most people think of food when they think of Italy. This may be blasphemous, but...I didn't think the food was that good. Naples is supposed to be the capital of pizza...Christian's is better. So is my mom's homemade pizza, and my friend's mom's pizza. And Two Wives. And New York Pizza. To be fair, I didn't try all the pizza there was to have in Italy. But still, I was shocked. It wasn't just the pizza. The pastas were also mediocre. And the gelato? Splendora's and that place in the Galápagos have got them beat by a long shot. The exception to this was the food I ate while on the boat in Ischia. The homemade food and the small family restaurants we went to were all very good. All that being said I am definitely spoiled by my mom's amazing cooking and I grew up in a foodie town and have a group of foodie friends, so my expectations were pretty high. What did live up to its reputation was the wine and the limoncello. The island of Ischia was out of white wine--well at the very least the local wine. If you wanted more you would have to settle from something made off the island, or you would have to wait a couple months. Speaking of the island... Beautiful, right? It is beyond description. There were definitely tourist strips--especially in Ischia Porto, the main port town. Overall, however, it had such a pleasant island atmosphere. I enjoyed being in Naples and Sorrento--I mean I got to see this --but after a few days in the business of Italian cities I was ready for a break, and Ischia is just what the doctor ordered.
The boat was lovely. The crew and other volunteers were amazing. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to sail out with such great people. Our days consisted of espresso, breakfast, espresso, bruschetta, wine, lunch, wine, espresso, wine, dinner, and more wine. Of course there was work in there too--but the stereotype of Italian life revolving around food was very clear on the boat. After a long day out on the water we would have food on the boat, or go to a friend's restaurant to enjoy large family style meals. This is the food that is the exception to my disappointment in food while I was in Italy. I've concluded you have to know what the really good restaurants are, or you have to have home-cooked meals; or in this case, boat-cooked. If I'm back in Italy someday (which I really hope I am) I will make sure to swing by Ischia again. I recommend to all of you to do the same. It is well worth the trip. Hasta luego! Oh, and P.S. The Italian men live up to their reputation of being...um...forward. I was invited to pizza, drinks, and the top of a ferry--among many other catcalls and stares. I even got the stereotypical "ciao bella." Ok, I'll admit I have been very lazy about updating my blog. Stress, midterms, laziness, and more travel leads to me not writing a. single. thing.
But oh do I have stories! Italy is so much I don't know where to begin, then there is Granada, and how could I forget Paris. All of which were amazing and deserve their own posts, not a combination summary. So with that said, I'll try to get everything up (stories, photos, and maybe even some videos!) in the next week. Oh, and P.S. while you are waiting GO VOTE! Hasta luego! |
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Claire AngelineI am traveling the world from October 2017-October 2018, and the plan is to visit all seven continents. I'm a vegetarian foodie, a baker, a dance enthusiast, a nonprofit co-founder, and a huge travel addict. When I'm not traveling I'm putting my MPH to good use and doing public health research. Archives
September 2016
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