It can’t be Christmas, it’s 79 degrees!

Here on the other side of the world, I realize how much I gauge time passing by the changing of seasons. Hot summer days and fireworks mark the end of another school year. When the leaves start to change, I look around and think “huh, I’m a year older!” And not a year has passed that I don’t look outside the window to appreciate winter’s first snowfall.

But in Bolivia, it’s all kinds of crazy! I’m standing in my flipflops at the supermercado shopping for some Coke and see Santa on the label. “Gosh, that Coke must be about 6 months old!” I think to myself… before realizing that Oh yeah, Christmas is days not months away!

Celebrating the holidays is different when you’re outside the U.S.A. As there’s really no giant shopping malls, there have been no repetitive Christmas songs to torment me, no joyful elevator music greeting me as I enter stores, and the radio is full of thug-type reggaeton music. While in a taxi, we passed a small town square with a gigantic line weaving around the park benches. I asked the driver what was going on, and he said “To see Papa Noel.” Of course! No mega malls, so sitting on Santa’s lap happens in the park! Genius!

Being in South America, Channukah doesn’t make much of an appearance, but we celebrated it at our house with some latkas and gugel (hope I spelled that right Yuna!) Someone brought out a guitar and sang some songs, but I think most of us forgot about Christmas… no carols even in our own house.

To be honest though, I really don’t miss the hype. Christmas is my favorite holiday because I enjoy spending time with my family and sharing going to midnight mass, a big holiday feast, popcorn and movies by the fireplace. The American culture of shopping and materialism haven’t invaded my Christmas season this year, and I’m liking it!

I will, however, admit to missing one thing: 24 hours of “A Christmas Carol” on TNT. There’s just nothing like watching Ralphie get his official Red Ryder BB gun over and over and over again

 

iBuenas Noticias!

The only times I ever wake up before my alarm clock goes off are the nights I am super stressed out. So when I woke up a full half hour early this Wednesday, I wasn’t surprised… it was possible I might find out where I would match!!

There are 2 air force med students here in Bolivia staying at the house who got an email Tuesday night announcing the list would be out at 5:30 AM CST. I didn’t get an email like this from the Navy, but had heard a rumor (through Facebook, no less) that we might find out at 9 or 10 AM. That morning, I sat at the kitchen table watching the other students nervously fidgeting and clicking “update” on their email every 4 seconds. Finally the list was up, they were on their feet scanning the pages, and “YESSSS!” they screamed in unison. But I had to wait until later…

As we had to work in a rural clinic that day, we drove out 2-3 hours into the Bolivian rainforest and saw patients who came in from the nearby pueblos. When clinic was over, a few of us drove an hour to the nearest internet cafe in Buena Vista, Bolivia. Just off the town square is this tiny, hot, steamy room filled with local boys playing video games. After getting a computer, opening my email, and initially missing the GME-1 email amidst the junk I received, the match list was slowly…slowly..slowly downloading. Then it aborted and an error message popped up in spanish.

With my heart pounding and hands shaking, I actually consider opening up Facebook to read the messages on my wall which may actually tell me where I’ll be next year. A little girl in the cafe tries to peer around at the screen as I’m unconsiously saying “Oh my gosh… oh my gosh…” as I’m wringing my hands with nervousness and sweat is dripping down my neck.

Deferring to Plan B, I log onto the Navy GME-1 site and enter the password. The page slowly begins to load…the circle at the right top hand of the screen swirling away… and just as someone behind me offers a suggestion, a list of names with locations pop up. I gasp and hear nothing else as I punch the down arrow quickly but scanning carefully so not to misread the “Crawford, Leslie….” that should scroll up any second. Before I have time to register that next to my name reads “… Transitional Year, San Diego” I am already out of my dirty red plastic chair, screaming and literally jumping up and down.

The other med students and doctors from the clinic high-five me, give me hugs, as I see the street vendors gaping at me through the open garage-type door. Later I was told that one of them asked our clinic coordinator

“What’s going on? I just about had a heart attack!”

“Good news from home.” she responded.

“Oh! Is she having a baby?”

I am totally oblivious to this as I’m grinning and still jumping up and down and realize that I’m so happy I can cry… and I did tear up a bit! I am soooooo sooooo lucky!!! Barely catching my breath, I compose myself enough to sit down and see where my friends matched, write off a few quick emails before my computer time runs out, and then call my parents with my phone card.

The rest of the day I spent glowing and squealing with disbelief about how awesome this is and how lucky I am that I actually matched in my first choice!!! Then the other med students and I toasted with some Cuban rum and coke (a.k.a. Cuba Libre) and watched telenovelas. Though I wish I could have spent it in the USA so as to be able to call friends and family and celebrate properly, the knowledge alone that I will be moving to San Diego next year made it one of the happiest days I have ever had in med school.

 

Getting a tan in December

It s easy to forget that Christmas is approaching when I m walking down the sidewalk enjoying an ice cream cone and feeling a light sunburn on my shoulders. This weekend a few of us rented out a villa in Samaipata, Bolivia and toured the local waterfalls and Incan ruins. It was a fantastic weekend, as we stayed in this place called La Vispera which is an organic farm where your food is picked off of the plants on the gardens after you place your order.

We re getting some really great exposure to tropical medicine both in the Santa Cruz hospital of Japones (yes, as in Japanese) and also out in the countryside at the Centro Medico Humberto Parra in Palacios. Though most of it is vichos, or parasites, some of the things we see in the city hospital have been really cool rare stuff we ve only seen on House.

The countryside clinic is great, except the first night I opened the porch door to step outside I just about had a heart attack when I saw how many bugs there are! Giant frogs come up to our door every night and one night we saw a cockroach measured out to be about 5 inches long. One of the other doctors saw some monkeys behind the clinic up in the forest which is classified as a lowland Southwest Pre-Andean Amazon rainforest. It s pretty cool

Other than that, we ve been to the largest butterfly dome in the world, looked out at night to the southern hemisphere constellations, danced all night at a Daddy Yankee concert, went to the local circus (that experience deserves its own blog!) and enjoyed the local food.

My match is either tomorrow or Friday and I may not be around the internet to find out where I ll be next year, but as soon as I know I ll spread the word! Also, my IT band has calmed down a bit but I m really trying not to push it. It s hard not to run when you re surrounded by active athletic people but I m trying to keep up some fitness for my Inca Trek to Machu Picchu next month. Hope it all works out

Here is the entrance to the circus where we saw hula hoop people, clowns telling jokes in spanish, a Star Wars duel, and trapeeze artists

This cockroach was GIGANTIC. I have a video too where I scream like a little girl when it starts to fly!

These horses graze outside of our house next to the clinic. Behind them is the bumpy dirt road that gets rained out on occasion…and is why 4 wheel drive is essential!

Katie, a Northwestern resident standing at our front desk. This is usually covered in patient charts and surrounded by patients waiting in line. To her left is our pharmacy, a closet stocked with anti-parasitic meds, anti-inflammatory meds, and the occasional Lipitor if we’re lucky!

 

Hola Santa Cruz de la Sierra

After flying 4 connecting flights I landed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia a little tired and ready to take a shower. The flight down to South America wasn’t too bad actually, we flew over some gigantic river that was probably the Amazon plus got to see Lake Titicaca with nearby La Paz and surrounding mountains all in the morning sunlight. From the perspective of a plane, La Paz can be described as “brown.” while Santa Cruz is “green!”

So here I am in Santa Cruz in a house full of medical people.. residents, med students, a nurse, people working on research projects, etc. Everyone here seems to be extensively traveled so it’s been fun talking and getting to know them. Yesterday we all took a trip out to the grocery store to shop for a Thanksgiving dinner today and then went to an open air market (“feria”) which sold knock-off clothes and mystery meat cooking in large vats of oil. Then we went to dinner at Casa de Camba, which I Highly recommend! We orderd a bunch of Chilean and Argentinian wines (Bolivian wine.. I’ve had better but I’ve also had worse) and they served us yucca with spicy sauce. The meat only dishes come over hot coals and pretty much all the food is great. There’s no walls to the restaurant and they had this awesome open courtyard with live music. So even though I was exhausted from no sleep on the plane, it was a fun night.

Today a few of us ran 2 miles to the Plaza 24 de Septiembre. Although my marathon was just one week ago and I really shouldn’t run with my IT band needing to heal…. I couldn’t resist!! The girls I ran with had a bit slower pace and I was a little winded from the higher altitude, so it wasn’t too bad. The weather was also perfect, about mid-70’s (cool for this time of year) overcast and a little rainy. My knee didn’t bother me until maybe mile 1.5 and hasn’t hurt much for the rest of the day- although I did pre-medicate with some ibuprofen.

The plaza is gorgeous and full of spanish tourists. A political rally of about 50 people stood on the cathedral steps chanting for autonomy. The tensions are getting a bit high just recently here in Bolivia as the northern group wishes to set up their own nation. Although I’m still unclear about the details, apparently a new constitution was approved under some shady circumstances and OK’s the current president to be re-elected repeatedly.

The people back at the house were cooking all day for this Thanksgiving lunch which was absolutely delicious, complete with stuffing and cranberries and apple cobbler. Afterwards we went to a futbol match and cheered on the local Santa Cruz team of Blooming… though they lost. Fireworks went off- IN the stands and onto the field- whenever a goal went in.

But that was nothing compared to the crowd after they realized they lost when they began throwing things and rattling the barbed wire fence behind the opposing team. On the stadium itself “Autonimia Si…” is posted, in reference to the brewing-maybe-starting-civil war. As we exited, police in full riot gear were outside and fights were breaking out so we got away fast. People randomly raced past when some loud banging was heard, but it was probably just a scare tactic to keep a mob from forming. So far, we’re not concerned the political situation is serious enough to be dangerous- there’s no talk of blockades or closing down the airport. Basically we’re keeping an open eye and ear to what’s going on.

I’ll have photos posted as soon as I can dig my camera cord out of my luggage and load them up. I’m soo excited to be here in Bolivia and start this rotation! Yay Santa Cruz!