Making the Most of it

A lot has happened since my last post, where to even begin? Initially, my first week I was adjusting to Tarija. But as I've started to realize that my time here was limited, I wanted to make the most of my time here. I feel like the last two weeks were amazing, I felt more normal and comfortable going out on my own. It even feels safe to walk the streets late at night. Tarija really is its own kind of gem, it's very unique. The locals are very much like the people back home; everyone just seems to mind their own business. As I got to interact with more of the people here, I noticed that they're really fun people to have conversations with and that we're both just curious to learn more about each other. Even when walking around to get food or shop for clothes, the only time that we really get stared at or noticed for being foreigners is when they hear us speaking English; even when they do notice, they start to become curious and start to engage in asking questions: "Where are you from?", "What are you doing in Tarija?", "How long are you here for?", etc. Throughout my time aboard, I've noticed the difference in attire as Indigenous people usually wear bowler hats and a silky shawl known as a manta. Usually, as a response, I make sure to show some respect especially if they're older, the same way I treat my aunties and uncles.

Currently, I finished my hospital rotation and am now in the last days of my research clinical rotation. I really liked my surgical rotation. It was at San Juan de Dios Hospital in the surgical wing. We shadowed anesthesiologist Dra. Natalia Rojas and Dr. Limbor throughout the 2nd week, it was so cool; I really had to wear my name tag on this rotation because I didn't want to get confused for a medical student. Dra. Natalia told us about how early students begin their medical training and about sexism in medicine; patients will usually prefer male surgeons and the field of surgery is male-dominated. In this rotation, I got to see surgery for the first time which was a spinal cord repair in the lower back as they put in screws on L2 and T12 to repair a fractured vertebra. I met doctors who were confident and proud of their work, and I was fortunate to see many other surgeries throughout the week. By the end of it, I was thankful to the anesthesiologists who were nice and welcoming. My last rotation was at a Chagas research clinic called "Plataforma Chagas"; it primarily handles patients with Chagas disease and collects data for research purposes. I got to learn many interesting things and to ask my lingering questions about research as a field of study. I shadowed Dr. Luis and Dr. Alejandro as they told me about their research, how they found their patients, what Chagas disease is, the mode of transmission, treatments, and the need for further research.

Overall, this program as a whole has reinforced my interest in pursuing medicine. I've learned so much not only from the doctors and nurses that I shadowed but also from the program coordinators; they taught us about the universal health care system in Tarija and the various types of coverages as well as policies to help eliminate social exclusion in health and improving the living conditions of the population. Lastly, I wouldn't have survived navigating a new language without my Spanish teacher Carolina. I enjoyed the lessons she taught and the field trips we had. My favorite was the observatory in the middle of the desert to watch the super moon when it was at its highest peak. Overall, I am going to miss Tarija when I leave, and I am thankful to my host mom (for the good food), the other host families, doctors, nurses, teachers, and coordinators who were nice and welcomed me into their home. Thank you!