¡Hasta luego!

Serious Blogage.

So much has happened in so little time! Monday night we had dinner with our family and then finished the night with some P90X. Our little sister, Kimi, joined in like a champ! Tuesday morning we went to the med school and did a project on the pancreas with the Peruvian med students. It was so cool to hear the things we’ve learned but this time in Spanish. So many medical cognates which helps out! Then of course headed to class (every afternoon for 3 hours). Wednesday we headed back to the hospital but it was a pretty frustrating day. The strike here was not over... YET! We didn’t get to do much but we did see some patients with the gynecologist. Then came Thursday and we headed back to the med-school and saw a fascinating frog dissection (we aren’t talking middle school dissection anymore) and then headed to a (far to disturbing for me) cadaver lab. To me, it was like something filmed in a scary movie, not like in the states. Then to class and then came Friday.

Friday we headed back to the hospital hoping to have a more active afternoon. We were ecstatic to find out that the strike was over! What perfect timing as it had been going on since May. Prayers are powerful! That morning was a little more active. We were with a doctor/nutritionist for part of the morning and saw a couple things such as TB and many pregnancies and babies. Then we made our way down to emergency only to find one of our own helping to stitch someone’s hand up, cool! Then we headed to class and did our presentation on respiratory diseases.

Later that night, we had a class trip to a discoteca and I’m pretty sure my hearing was impaired. But it was a nice break and fun night to just dance with my chicas! And I felt much better with our UGA and UCV coordinators there.

Saturday morning, we headed to Chan Chan (more Incan ruins) and then to a place called Big Ben for lunch that is AMAZING! And I, Hannah Dahl, tried Ceviche. For those who don’t know… this is RAW fish “cooked” in lemon juice. I had some making up to do for avoiding the alpaca. In Chan Chan, there is a species of bald dogs. Think naked mole rat mixed with boxer. Then we took a few pics and the beach and headed back home. Now… Saturday night is my favorite night to talk about. It was the night Kayla shut the power down for the whole block (50 houses). I was in the shower, shaving none the less, and someone else was in the upstairs shower. Now you need some background on our shower. Our family bought it specifically for us because the store owner said that every American loves THIS shower. None of us have ever seen it… Also, one should take precaution while showering because it SHOCKS YOU!!! Yes. Water + Electricity. It heats the water in the huge shower head. As a result, it uses mucho mucho energy. So two showers already on meant that the second Kayla turned on her hair dryer, 50 houses lost power. We had some laughs about that one. We hung out with the kids and did shadows on the wall while the parents saved the day.

Sunday was pretty chill as we got to sleep in and have a free day. I washed my clothes and hung them on a clothes line on the roof/terrace! So fun but had not a clue what I was doing. The most I had done with clothes pins was turn it into a Rudolf ornament at Christmas time. First world problems, I know. I loved it though. Then we took Momoka for a walk in the park with the kids and came back and our Padre taught us how to cook a Peruvian dish. So delicious and so fun! However, only with Pre-Med students does preparing a chicken turn into a dissection and time for organ identification. Poor Jorge. Later that night, we went to see Maleficent with the whole family :)

Finally, Today: We got to our second hospital rotation and we were placed in peds. The doctor was awesome. And best yet, she took me to see a sweet little girl be born! The whole thing. They were so great and made sure that I felt involved and could see. So. Much. Blood. Later that day, we were in Emergency and wait for it… a stab victim came in. He was rather intoxicated for 11am and had 1.5-2 inch deep wound in his back. None of us were expecting him to be carried in but the good news is that he should be just fine after surgery! The doctors were so calm and kicked into action. This was a bittersweet balance between being inspired by the doctors and encouraged by their work but also being saddened by the tragedy and pain in the world. What is cool is to come back together as a group of students and know that I am already building my doctor network. The compassion and strive in this group is inspiring in itself. I’m learning much more than Spanish and Medicine on this trip!

Now I need to study for my midterm.

Buenas Noches!