Chile Siempre Estará en Mi Corazón

To fill you in on the happenings of my last week in Chile, it basically consisted of:

• An essay about the effect of culture on women's health and personal decisions
• An oral presentation about organ donations and transplants in Chile
• A final exam
• 3 yummy gelatos from Bravissimo
• 1 gelato from Emporio de la Rosa...they have awesome flavors like pineapple thai, pepper chocolate, rose, and honey!
• 4 pisco sours
• A night in Las Urracas, a popular discoteca
• A farewell dinner with the students from my program at Los Adobes de Argomedo, which included lots and lots of meat and Chilean dancing
• A trip to the hospital to be treated for pharyngitis
• A visit to the Museo de Artes Visuales
• An attempted visit to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (it was closed due to earthquake damage)
• Last-minute souvenir shopping
• Last-minute chorrillana lunch with some friends

At this point, I've been back in the States for two full days. My program ended on the 16th, and I left Chile on the 19th. While I've enjoyed taking in the hot summer heat, breathing smog-free air, eating peanut butter, and drinking actual hot water poured through the coffee beans, a part of me still longs to be back in Santiago. I really fell in love with the city, the people, the language (however ugly Chileans claim it to be), and my host family. The most difficult thing, by far, was leaving my apartment and saying goodbye to Vicente and Andres. I tried really hard to hold back my tears as I said goodbye; it was especially hard since Vicente began sobbing and even refused to hug me because he did not want to let me leave. Even a few days before my flight, any time it looked like I was getting ready for something he would ask me, "Kiki, te vas??" ("are you leaving??"). However misbehaved Vicente was (he bit me and spit on me on several occasions), I couldn't help but love him.  Living with this wonderful family and their two children for seven weeks was one of the things that helped me realize why I want to be a pediatrician.  I keep going back to chapter 18 of Matthew, which reads:

      At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  He called a little child and had him stand among them.  And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."

These verses have really been speaking to me lately, as I realize more the passions the Lord has put in my heart and the ways in which he is calling me to grow in my faith.  I think children have taught me the most about following Christ, and have helped me develop a more child-like faith in Him.  As I observed Vicente's innocent trust in his parents, the way I trusted in God began to change.  Instead of analyzing and questioning everything in my life, I am getting better at approaching the Lord and simply asking, "What's next, Daddy?"

In short, my trip to Chile was an experience that I am so thankful to have had.  I saw so many awesome things, improved my Spanish, grew in my faith, and got to know some amazing people.  I'm really grateful for all of my family and friends who supported me during this trip.  For everyone who kept up with this blog, I hope you enjoyed it!

What's coming up for the remainder of the summer: Adventures of Amanda and KiKi in Baltimore, MCAT studying, and prepping and praying for leading the RAM VILLAGE Small Group!!!

Also, I am going to continue blogging here, in case anyone is interested!

Nos vemos,
KiKi

The Rest of Clinical Observation

Because I've been traveling and doing so many exciting things, I've hardly had time to update on my actual clinical observations.  If you're interested, I'll use this post to explain all that I've seen and done in my Chile & Health class since I last updated.

During the second week of observation, I went to the Centro Médico de Especialidades de la Universidad Católica.  There, I got to watch several endoscopies.  One endoscopy that was performed was on a nun in her 50's or 60's who had swallowed some kind of caustic liquid.  Since she told the story in Spanish, I only really caught the gist of what happened.  Apparently, she wanted to taste some kind of liquid she found in her cabinet, because she thought it was anise.  Turns out it was something caustic instead, and it burned her entire mouth and esophagus.  Seeing the extent of the damage through the endoscopy made me realize how painful it must have been. 

That day, I was only able to watch a few procedures because Chile was playing in the World Cup at 10 AM.  All procedures conveniently concluded at 10:00 sharp, and there were none taking place after that, since the doctors wouldn't dare schedule one during the game.  It was a really new experience for me to see how literally everything was put on hold for the sake of watching soccer.  The only thing to which I could attempt to compare the situation in Chile would be the Super Bowl, but that's only one evening!  Imagine the Super Bowl, but lasting for several weeks, and having the whole country united and cheering for the same team.  Well, Chile won that day, and it was complete madness in the streets.  I thought there were a lot of people when Chapel Hill rushed Franklin Street after winning the national championship, but compared to what I saw here in Santiago, that was nothing!

The next day of observation, I saw my first surgery ever!  Although it was a relatively minor surgery, I was very excited about it.  I watched a doctor remove a tumor from a woman's thyroid to be biopsied.  The whole time, the doctor chatted and joked with the other nurses and anesthesiologist in the room, which somewhat caught me off-guard.  I expected the climate in an OR to be a little more serious, but that definitely wasn't the case.  I'm curious whether this happens in every OR in both Chile and the US.  I guess I'll find out in time! 

At the same hospital, Hospital Clínico de la Universidad Católica, I spent additional time in palliative care with a palliative care physician.  I followed the doctor as he made his morning rounds and listened to him speak with patients who had terminal cancer or had very late-stage cancer.  I am glad that unlike other days, I wasn't just thrown into a patients' room and told to speak with them about their experience, because quite honestly, I don't know what I would have said to someone dying with cancer (especially in Spanish).  I feel like the ability to speak with a terminally ill patient is a skill that's only acquired through time and only successfully acquired by certain types of people.  It was very interesting to watch this doctor speak to and care for his patients; he did a very wonderful job at it and I was really impressed by his dedication to such a difficult field of medicine.

During the last day of week two I went to a Reiki and Hipnosis center.  The entire morning basically consisted of me discreetly rolling my eyes and attempting to keep my mouth shut about my own rather strong opinions.  A lady performed Reiki on me, and basically all she did was try to gather "energy" from her surroundings and transfer that energy to me by waving her hands around.  Feel free to call me a skeptic; I just can't get myself to believe that these therapies are legitimate.  I do believe they can have a positive effect when used in addition to modern medicine, but only because of the "placebo effect" they have on patients.  For example, the Reiki woman told me someone was cured of cancer after receiving Reiki.  The only way I believe that could be possible is because she was also receiving chemotherapy, and that Reiki helped her maintain a positive attitude towards her disease.  There are studies that have found tangible effects of patients' positivity on their recovery from diseases, including cancer. 

Another example of alternative or traditional medicine I learned about was Mapuche medicine.  We went to a Ruca Mapuche, which was basically a hut that was considered the Mapuche health "clinic."  There, we spoke with a Machi, which is basically a Mapuche witch doctor.  He practices traditional Mapuche medicine on his patients while his wife cooks the special medicinal herbs in the hut.  It was an interesting experience visiting the Ruca, and it definitely gave me a small glimpse into a world completely different from my own.

Later, we went to the Centro Médico Madre Teresa de Calcuta.  This clinic is located in Puente Alto, which is part of the southern region of the Greater Santiago area.  The clinic serves mostly low-income patients.  I shadowed a dentist, and although that wasn't my first choice, I enjoyed observing and talking to him.  The dentist had a lot to say about health education issues in Chile, specifically oral health.  Oral health education is lacking not only among low-income patients, but among the entire Chilean population.  My conversation with the dentist made me realize how thankful I was for being raised in an environment in which oral health and dentist visits were very important, but it also made me realize how unfair it is that people have not benefited from the same situation. 

During my very last day of clinical observation, I went to the Centro de Salud Comunitario Lo Franco.  This clinic was poorer and had even less resources than Madre Teresa de Calcuta.  At this clinic, I observed an OB/GYN.  Each checkup lasted only 15 minutes on average, which was rather surprising to me.  Because of this, I got to see him perform checkups on many patients.  Some were pregnant, some had already had a child, some had infections, and some wanted birth control.  Of all the patients who were pregnant or who already had children,  the pregnancy had been unplanned and the patient was extremely young.  As in the United States, this is a significant issue in Chile, but the influence of Catholisism on culture and certain taboos in the country make things a bit more complicated here.

I concluded my internship with a research paper and presentation related to my clinical observations.  My research topic came from the day I spent at the orphanage for HIV-positive children.  The title of my project, which I worked on with another student, was: El progreso de la lucha por la conciencia de VIH/SIDA en Chile y los Estados Unidos: Una Comparación de las Campañas, las Pruebas, y los Estigmas Relacionados al Virus.  Or, in English: The progress of the fight for HIV/AIDS Awareness in Chile and the US: A comparison of campaigns, testing, and stigmas related to the virus.  We worked really hard on this paper and I was really proud of the end result (and the fact that we did it all in Spanish!).

My clinical observation experiences here have revealed many things to me.  Firstly, the fact that I've been simply reflecting on my future career has made me realize something that should have been obvious a long time ago.  How did I not realize before this what kind of doctor I'm being called to become?  It's so obvious now that God has placed in my heart a really strong love and compassion for children, and that's who I'm called to serve when I'm a doctor.  I've known for a long time that there's a special place in my heart for kids, but I never but two and two together until now.  I also realized that I have a fascination with surgery and the idea that we can just go in and fix the human body just like my mom can fix my ripped jeans or like glue can fix a broken toy.  While I've got tons of time to decide my specialty, it's becoming clearer that I definitely want to do something involving both children and surgery. 

Observing and learning about the health inequities both in Chile and the United States has both increased my frustration and increased my desire to do something about it.  We'll see exactly what that means in terms of where I end up in my career, but I feel really strongly called to work in an underserved hospital in a US city and am also constantly reminded of the Lord's desire for justice and mercy for his people in the city.

Mendoza and San Pedro de Atacama

I know it has been a while since I've last posted, but don't worry--I'm still alive!

Here are some of the things I've been up to:

Two weekends ago, I went to Mendoza, Argentina.  It was about a 7 hour bus ride, but I didn't mind that because we basically drove straight through the Andes and the view was amazing for pretty much the entire ride.  My favorite thing that we did in Mendoza was the wine tour.  We rented bikes for the day and rode around some country roads to different vineyards and wineries.  I got to taste some wine, of course, but we also made a stop at an olive oil/chocolate factory.  There, we got to taste olive oil, balsamic vinegar, olives/olive products, and chocolate.  It was super tasty!  We ate lunch at a vineyard, and it was really wonderful because it we were the only ones there, and we got to sit outside next to the vineyard drinking wine while they grilled our amazing chicken and steak.

Preparing samples for us to taste

"Bienbebidos," literally, "well drunk," a word-play on "bienvenidos," or "welcome"

The next day in Mendoza, we watched the Argentina-Mexico game in a fast-food restaurant that happened to have a big-screen TV.  Little did we know what a popular spot we were in...once the game started, the employees locked the doors to prevent more people from entering and causing a scene, only to cause an almost-riot outside.  The police came three times before they sent the really intense police on motorcycles to chase everyone away.  In this picture you can see the employees trying super hard to hold the doors closed:     

                      

Mendoza, Argentina is known for their chocolate in addition to their wine.  We went to an amazing chocolate shop called La Cabaña, and I bought so much chocolate that I'm a tiny bit concerned it won't all fit in my suitcase!

The next weekend, I traveled to San Pedro de Atacama, which is the driest desert in the world.  I was told it only rains three times a year there!  Our flight left super-early in the morning--around 5 AM, and after the flight and 2-hour bus ride, we finally arrived in San Pedro around 11 AM.  Our hostel was really neat, but very rustic, to say the least.  Our room wasn't completely enclosed, so it was extremely cold at night, and the bathroom was a bit open to the outside, so I couldn't even force myself to wash my face some nights.  I think that was the first time I've ever slept with my gloves on.  In the daytime, however, it got very warm and sunny--about 70 degrees. 

During the first day in San Pedro, we toured the Laguna Cejar, which is a salt lake that contains more salt than the dead sea.  Even though it was only 70 degrees out, and the water was rather cold, I forced myself to get in.  I was so glad, though, because it was so much fun to float in the water! 

Us Floating in Laguna Cejar 

The next stop on our tour was Ojos de Salar, or literally, "salted eyes."  The Ojos de Salar were two small-ish lakes, and what was especially neat was how clear the reflection was in the water. 

Part of the group and Ojos de Salar

Lastly, we went to Tebenquiche Lagoon to watch the sun set.  We even got free pisco sours as part of our tour!  Even in just one afternoon, I saw so many neat things in San Pedro.

Tebenquiche Lagoon

The next day, we had a tour that began at 4 AM.  Our first stop was the Geysers del Tatio, where we watched the sun rise.  At this time, the temperature was below freezing, and that morning may have been the coldest I've ever gotten.  I really enjoyed seeing the geysers, since I find it really fascinating that things like that just occur naturally in the earth.  By the end of the sunrise, we were served breakfast, but I was so cold that I couldn't even stand to eat outside.  After a bit of time back in the van, I slowly started to regain feeling in my hands and toes.  Shortly after, however, we arrived at the hot spring.  Originally, I was determined to swim in the hot spring, but I was so freezing cold that I couldn't imagine the idea of getting wet.  Although the water was relatively warm, the air was still very chilly.  I managed to force myself into the water, however, and I'm really glad I did.  I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm glad I compromised my desire for comfort in order to experience the trip 100%.

Sunrise at the Tatio Geysers

It was a bit chilly

The hot spring.  Notice the people who are NOT in the water and what they are wearing!

After the hot spring, we went to visit another geyser/salt lake thing, and then to a small pueblo where I tried llama meat.  That's right!  I ate llama.  It actually tasted really good!

 

These are called vicuñas; they're closely related to the llama

More Scenery

 About to eat our llama kebab!

During the second half of our tour, we went sandboarding and then watched the sun set over Valle de la Luna ("Valley of the Moon").  We hiked up part of a mountain, so we had an excellent view of the entire valley.  Being in Valle de la Luna, I really did feel like I was on the moon!

After sandboarding--it was quite the workout!

Me in Valle de la Luna

Sunset in Valle de la Luna

I had a really wonderful time in San Pedro.  It's by far the neatest place I've ever traveled to.  I have a really strong desire to go back sometime in the future and bring my family with me.  Mom, Dad--wanna go to San Pedro? ;-)

One last picture.  During our last day in San Pedro, we came across a man with two baby llamas.  They were so cute and I was so excited that I literally stopped talking mid-sentence and skipped excitedly over to pet them.  They were so cute!

Me giving Little Llamita a snack!

Again, sorry for the lapse in posting.  Expect another one this weekend!  I miss you all!