Spotty internet - hence this post is from yesterday (Thursday):
Today we headed to Hospital General bright and early in the morning. Mary decided we needed the exercise from the 20-30 minute walk so we made the trek over from the university to the hospital by foot instead of our usual van ride. At one point we had to use a bridge to cross over the busy highway. According to everyone else, the bridge wasn't that high up. To me, on the other hand, thanks to my fear of heights, it felt like I was a mile off the ground. I gripped Hannah's hand the whole time and tried to focus on looking up instead of down. Everyone else was taking their time snapping pictures of the view and I just sped along. Luckily Hannah (who is also my motion sickness buddy) just charged ahead with me.
The group split up in pairs among three different floors - post-op, internal medicine, and intensive care. I honestly can't remember who was where but the pairs were Heather and Sarah, Elli M. and Katie, and Hannah and Ellie B and each were subsequently paired with a nurse on the floor. Once we got the them settled, Mary, Nanci and I headed down to the Urgencias unit. Mary was especially curious to observe this area because she is an emergency nurse back home in the U.S. and has been for over 30 years. Nanci also said that she is interested in possibly pursuing a job in emergency nursing so she was eager to see this unit as well.
When we first arrived, there were already some beds lined up against the wall since the rooms were all occupied. The heat and mixture of odors was present but not completely overpowering, though it still made me feel a little dizzy - I made sure to drink plenty of water. We met one nurse in particular, Marcos, who spoke English because he lived in Georgia for a few years. He let us follow him around for a while and we were able to visit with a patient who had suffered complications from a brain surgery that left him handicapped. It was so sad to hear the story of how the surgeon had made a mistake that resulted in brain damage and subsequent neurological problems. When I asked Nanci if legal cases were often filed in Mexico and she said that although they are, it is always a long process that takes a lot of time and effort and energy to work out. From what I have gathered, it appears that there is not the same sense of "entitlement" and frequent blaming of health care workers for deaths or medical complications like there is in the U.S. When we were in the clinics, Nanci had explained to me that Mexicans more or less accept these things as being inevitable given the situation and there wasn't anything that could be done by the health care team to prevent them from happening. When we later returned after taking a break, the floor was even busier and people were seated in chairs along the wall waiting for beds with their IVs already started. I was allowed to start an IV on an elderly patient and he had such a good vein that I got flashback right away! The nurse stepped in to collect blood samples and then I helped her hook up and start the normal saline solution. After all this great practice with IV starts, I'm hoping that I will feel very confident in completing this skill on patients once I get back to the U.S. and start my Adult clinical and internship in the fall.
We then went to check on the pairs on each floor and spent some time in patient rooms with them. At one point, we were on the intensive care unit and were able to visit with the family of a burn patient. He had suffered third degree burns after an electrical accident at work. Mary, Nanci, Elli M., and I were given disposable gowns (which we later found out we were supposed to share and use to go in the room in pairs rather than all four at once...the nurse manager was not happy with us for using them all at once...) and masks to wear. When we entered the room, I was immediately hit with the smell of burned flesh. This paired with the fact that the room was at least 10 degrees hotter than the already-warm floor hallway and the fact I was feeling funny in the emergency unit made my head spin a little. I tried my best to listen to the conversation Nanci was having with the family member but I was just trying to concentrate on not locking my knees and keeping my breathing even. Mary explained the differences between the treatments in the U.S. compared to Mexico for burn patients. For example, the patient's skin was open to air whereas in the U.S. there is a certain covering they use to put over the body. Subsequently, the open air dries the skin and they use heparinized solution (a blood thinner) to break up the dried blood for debridement and cleaning. The covering used in the U.S. contains a solution that keeps the blood from drying. Later, once we had thanked the patient's family for taking the time to talk with us, Nanci said that there was a great need for nurses to work in the burn hospitals (which is where this patient was being transferred later). Apparently there is a shortage because hardly anyone wants to work in these facilities. Nanci said that because of this need, she would be willing to work in one of these hospitals to do her part in helping these people. It was inspiring to hear about her great desire to help others, especially those who are underserved.
After checking on all the floors, the three of us (Mary, Nanci, and I) wandered into the peritoneal dialysis area and were surprised to find a young teenage patient who appeared to belong in the intensive care unit with dozens of medications and tubes. As we were looking over the patient's chart to review the reason for hospitalization, diagnosis, and symptoms, I could hear and see a family member carefully and gently providing care. He had brushed her hair so it was shiny and laid flat on the pillow and was singing softly as he massaged her feet and calves. When we walked in to talk to him about exactly what happened, I could clearly see the pained look in his eyes while he explained how his daughter had gotten there yet also the tenderness he showed as he rubbed her feet and held her hand. I don't know what came over me but I suddenly felt tears sting my eyes and threaten to cascade down my cheeks. I excused myself from the room and let them fall down my face. I couldn't believe this young patient's grave prognosis and my heart broke for her father who so obviously adored her. I hope and pray for them and the rest of their family as they work through this difficult time, that God watches over them and brings them comfort.
Hospital General was definitely busier than the other clinics and hospitals we've visited thus far. Not only were people lined up in the emergency unit, but rooms on the floors often held 2-4 patients, and all the rooms were at full capacity. It amazes me that on average, the nurses who work on the general floors have at least six patients each and those in the intensive care unit have at least three critical patients at a time. It is for this reason that often family members are very involved in patient care, providing baths, helping with feeding, assisting in the bathroom, and changing clothes. Without the assistance of unit techs, I am sure the nurses are grateful to have the help of willing family members.
When we got back to the university in the afternoon, Mary and I headed home to eat before going downtown to run some errands. We exchanged dollars for pesos, retrieved some money from the ATM (with a bank withdrawal fee of $69.50 pesos! eek), and were sorely disappointed when we found out from the department store that they didn't carry small fans, or any fans less than $299 pesos (about $25 USD) for that matter. It's been so hot and mosquito-y in our rooms that we were really looking forward to picking up some cheap fans for the remainder of our time here. However, we left the store empty-handed and refused to take the long ride to Walmart (suggested by the Del Sol department store employee) in search of small fans. To drown our sorrows, on our walk back home, we got iced coffees from Express Arte Caffe to go and also picked up some freshly baked cookies and cheese bread from our favorite panadería down the street from our house. Once we got back, we settled onto the patio and read while sipping our drinks and taking bites of our baked goods.
We did this until 7:30pm rolled around, when Melisa picked us up. We went downtown to San Miguelito (the restaurant with the fabulous margaritas) and met her 31-year-old student, Juan, who meets with her twice weekly for private English classes. Melisa had decided him meeting me and Mary would make for great practice since we are native English speakers. We spent two and a half hours drinking margaritas, eating some totopos (tortilla chips) and guacamole, and having some good conversation. We found out that Juan is planning on traveling to New York City in June and will be staying there for two months to attend English language school. Although he is a lawyer who works as a public notary in Mexico, he wants to improve his English and was granted time off to go to this school. Melisa had him practice asking questions so he also was able to learn about me and Mary and the U.S. It was fun having things flipped for once here where we were the ones being asked to speak more slowly and repeat things!
Melisa drove Mary and I home and we had our final goodbyes since we will not see her again before we leave next week. When we walked into our house, we were "greeted" with a nasty surprise - a salamander hanging out in our entryway! It was actually really gross - almost translucent with beady eyes and about six inches long including its tail. Mary screamed right away when she saw it and I ran upstairs to grab my camera! She got the broom out from the cleaning closet and attempted to get it to run towards the front door and outside. However, it kept circling around one of the pillars and out of her reach. Mary was screaming the whole time for it to just get outside and I had this mixture of laughing, snorting, and screaming coming out of my mouth at the same time. We must have been quite a sight, two American women jumping up and down and yelling at a tiny lizard, one trying to bat it away with a broom and the other just taking pictures the whole time. One of the neighbors who was walking outside with her son asked if we needed help and without hesitation we unlocked the door. Her son walked in, grabbed the broom that Mary had abandoned on the wall when the thing wouldn't move, and proceeded to shoo it away from the pillar and stomp on it when it tried to escape, all the while we are still freaking out and jumping up and down. He managed to beat it to a pulp and sweep it out to the street, but we didn't realize until after we thanked him and shut the door that THE TAIL HAD BEEN LEFT BEHIND AND WAS NOW TWITCHING ON ITS OWN (I kid you not). I went back to screaming while Mary had no idea what was going on and just followed me into the living room as I jumped up on the couch. She then went to look to find it and when she did, resumed the screaming right alongside me. Since our neighbor boy was long gone by this point, having already gotten rid of the salamander's body, it was up to us to get the (thankfully-no-longer-twitching) tail outside to join it. It took about 15 minutes of screeching and maneuvering the tail over our stony entryway before we could sweep it out.
All in all, the whole process probably took about a half hour to 45 minutes. People were definitely outside on the street either watching us, laughing at us, or both as Mary and I couldn't help ourselves but absolutely freak out about the incident. It seems like everything is starting to creep out in this house now - the salamander, the mosquitos and we've found four cockroaches (one in the fountain in the entryway, another in one of the bedroom doorways, and the other two outside by the washing machine). If there is anything that is making me look forward to going home, it's the lack of these things in my home! Though, I can't speak too soon, since Husband sent me a picture of a huge spider in our bedroom...I'm going to try to ignore that for now, though...
Ay caray.
Let's hope and pray and hope and pray again that we don't have to deal with THAT again.
Ugh.
Hasta luego :)
Friday, May 24, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Día libre y una cena en nuestra casa
For the first week in Mexico, despite the heat in my room, I fell asleep quickly and slept soundly throughout the night for at least 8 hours. However, as the heat has built up and the rain has brought mosquitos, my sleep quality and quantity has greatly diminished to about 5-6 hours per night. For the past three nights, as I've started to fall asleep, a mosquito or two has buzzed in my ear and woken me up in a hot second. Each time I've quickly turned on the light with hopes of seeing them with intention to kill, but sadly I always miss it. I've taken to burrowing underneath the sheet in spite of how much it makes me sweat because I refuse to offer up my body as a blood buffet for the evil insects. You see, I'm slightly traumatized by a past experience from high school when I woke up with bites on my face for a whole week. I went on a weeklong bike trip with my church's youth group from our town all the way up north to Mackinaw City. We slept in tents on campgrounds each night and I ended up with a tent that had more than few holes. Each night, mosquitos would find their way in and feast on our bodies, particularly our faces. My tentmates and I would awaken to unconscious scratching that refused to subside as the day progressed. Imagine trying to scratch your face while attempting to ride a bike for 60-80 miles each day - not fun. Thus, I despise mosquitos when I'm sleeping and slightly freak out when I hear their buzzing as I fall asleep.
**Update at midnight: I've been trying to fall asleep for the past half hour and so far I've killed two mosquitos. Despite dousing myself and my entire bed in bug spray, one managed to land right on my neck and another followed on my arm. Needless to say I fought all instinct to immediately swat them away and rather let the buzzing continue until they landed on me before violently smooshing them to their death. Let's hope the rest learn from their counterparts and stay the heck away from me for the remainder of the night.**
Luckily today I was able to get a little more sleep since it's our day off. Though I sweated throughout the night underneath the sheet because mosquitos woke me up three separate times as I tried to sleep over the span of two hours, I was able to sleep in this morning. Mary and I headed out to meet one of the former UAQ host students, Nayelli, for breakfast. We met at El Arcangel downtown, where Mary and I went once before during the first week. Nayelli, now graduated and working as a nurse in a facility for older adults, updated Mary on her life. We also talked about the different hospitals and clinics our group has been to and the differences between them and those in the U.S. About two years ago, Nayelli and Montse were chosen by UAQ to visit our school and local hospitals, just like what the U.S. students from our group are doing now in Querétaro. They were able to see the similarities and differences between the health care facilities - technology, responsibilities of the nurse, medical resources, etc. It was interesting to hear her perspective and thoughts on these topics.
After heading back to the house to let Galdina, our chef for tonight, in the house and to greet Brenda, the girl who comes to clean weekly, Mary and I headed to the university computer lab (for her to get some actual work done and for me to catch up on Facebook, blogging...the essentials, you know). It was so funny to sit and eavesdrop on some of the nursing students' conversations because it is obvious that whether in Michigan or Mexico, nursing students work hard and sometimes just need to laugh about how ridiculous school is sometimes. Their professor was late for class in the lab so they ALL took the opportunity to jump on the computers and take a break. The girls behind me giggled over Facebook photos and posts and I could see the guys in front of me on YouTube and having at least five different Facebook conversation chats going on. Some worked on PowerPoint presentations, but the vast majority chose to engage in some social networking instead. Save for the Spanish, it felt like I was sitting in our nursing resource room or in class with my fellow nursing classmates. I liked being able to just be like a bug on the wall observing the surroundings and interactions and relate them to experiences back home at school. I love how being a nursing student transcends languages and locations :)
We headed back home to find Galdina working hard in the kitchen. Mary and I set up seating and plates and utensils in preparation for the evening's activities. I enjoyed a conversation completely in Spanish with Galdina, learning about her family (she has six grown children) and how she came to learn to cook so well (she worked in a factory cafeteria where she cooked for a thousand employees every day). I was so excited to see her making tamales and rajas con crema, the latter of which is what Ryan's host mom made for me when I went there for lunch. Galdina even made me a chicken tamale to try before the group arrived and I was in heaven!
Quite a crowd showed up for dinner and it was so much fun to have everyone over. Along with Mary and me, there was Galdina, Heather, Katie, Elli M., Ellie B., Sarah, Hannah, Ryan, Eduardo, Mini, Alex, Sindy, Montse and Keta (who also brought Cailen and Bastián for a while) and Hugo, Esme, and their two daughters (Ellie and Sarah's host family). It was a full crowd! Galdina made a feast of steamed vegetables, guacamole, tortilla chips, quesadillas, fruit salad, tamales (vegetable AND chicken), rajas con crema, and a sweetened pineapple water to drink. For dessert, Mary and I had bought a large fruit tart and tres leches chocolate cake from the mercado the night before and both were nearly gone by the end of the night. Before we dug in, Elli M. suggested we say grace so we all joined hands in a big circle and Mary said a wonderful prayer (in English), giving thanks to God for the delicious food and for the opportunity to gather together. I loved being able to speak both in English and Spanish and help with some interpretation for those who couldn't speak one or the other very well. Despite some of these language barriers and challenges, everyone made efforts to communicate with and among each other.
Sadly, the night had to come to an end, as we all have to be up tomorrow early for our first day at our last hospital here in Querétaro. Tomorrow we head to Hospital General, the public hospital where those who cannot pay (and the majority of which are from surrounding rural areas and of lower socioeconomic status) go for medical care. Many of the UAQ students have talked about how much more hectic this hospital is in comparison to the clinics and other facilities we've visited thus far so it will be very interesting to observe and work there for the next two days. I just cannot believe we're in the final days of this May term! Time has definitely flown by and I'm still not ready to head back to the U.S. just yet. While I'm looking forward to going back to Husband, flushing toilet paper instead of throwing it in a trash can, getting my drinking water from the faucet instead of hauling large garrafones from stores and putting them on the dispenser, and having air conditioning in hot weather, I've truly enjoyed and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience all that has happened over the past two weeks. I know that I will look back on these posts with so much fondness and reminiscence and I'm really glad I've been able to stick to writing nearly daily. Let's hope that doesn't falter during this last week!
Adiós :)
**Update at midnight: I've been trying to fall asleep for the past half hour and so far I've killed two mosquitos. Despite dousing myself and my entire bed in bug spray, one managed to land right on my neck and another followed on my arm. Needless to say I fought all instinct to immediately swat them away and rather let the buzzing continue until they landed on me before violently smooshing them to their death. Let's hope the rest learn from their counterparts and stay the heck away from me for the remainder of the night.**
Luckily today I was able to get a little more sleep since it's our day off. Though I sweated throughout the night underneath the sheet because mosquitos woke me up three separate times as I tried to sleep over the span of two hours, I was able to sleep in this morning. Mary and I headed out to meet one of the former UAQ host students, Nayelli, for breakfast. We met at El Arcangel downtown, where Mary and I went once before during the first week. Nayelli, now graduated and working as a nurse in a facility for older adults, updated Mary on her life. We also talked about the different hospitals and clinics our group has been to and the differences between them and those in the U.S. About two years ago, Nayelli and Montse were chosen by UAQ to visit our school and local hospitals, just like what the U.S. students from our group are doing now in Querétaro. They were able to see the similarities and differences between the health care facilities - technology, responsibilities of the nurse, medical resources, etc. It was interesting to hear her perspective and thoughts on these topics.
After heading back to the house to let Galdina, our chef for tonight, in the house and to greet Brenda, the girl who comes to clean weekly, Mary and I headed to the university computer lab (for her to get some actual work done and for me to catch up on Facebook, blogging...the essentials, you know). It was so funny to sit and eavesdrop on some of the nursing students' conversations because it is obvious that whether in Michigan or Mexico, nursing students work hard and sometimes just need to laugh about how ridiculous school is sometimes. Their professor was late for class in the lab so they ALL took the opportunity to jump on the computers and take a break. The girls behind me giggled over Facebook photos and posts and I could see the guys in front of me on YouTube and having at least five different Facebook conversation chats going on. Some worked on PowerPoint presentations, but the vast majority chose to engage in some social networking instead. Save for the Spanish, it felt like I was sitting in our nursing resource room or in class with my fellow nursing classmates. I liked being able to just be like a bug on the wall observing the surroundings and interactions and relate them to experiences back home at school. I love how being a nursing student transcends languages and locations :)
We headed back home to find Galdina working hard in the kitchen. Mary and I set up seating and plates and utensils in preparation for the evening's activities. I enjoyed a conversation completely in Spanish with Galdina, learning about her family (she has six grown children) and how she came to learn to cook so well (she worked in a factory cafeteria where she cooked for a thousand employees every day). I was so excited to see her making tamales and rajas con crema, the latter of which is what Ryan's host mom made for me when I went there for lunch. Galdina even made me a chicken tamale to try before the group arrived and I was in heaven!
Quite a crowd showed up for dinner and it was so much fun to have everyone over. Along with Mary and me, there was Galdina, Heather, Katie, Elli M., Ellie B., Sarah, Hannah, Ryan, Eduardo, Mini, Alex, Sindy, Montse and Keta (who also brought Cailen and Bastián for a while) and Hugo, Esme, and their two daughters (Ellie and Sarah's host family). It was a full crowd! Galdina made a feast of steamed vegetables, guacamole, tortilla chips, quesadillas, fruit salad, tamales (vegetable AND chicken), rajas con crema, and a sweetened pineapple water to drink. For dessert, Mary and I had bought a large fruit tart and tres leches chocolate cake from the mercado the night before and both were nearly gone by the end of the night. Before we dug in, Elli M. suggested we say grace so we all joined hands in a big circle and Mary said a wonderful prayer (in English), giving thanks to God for the delicious food and for the opportunity to gather together. I loved being able to speak both in English and Spanish and help with some interpretation for those who couldn't speak one or the other very well. Despite some of these language barriers and challenges, everyone made efforts to communicate with and among each other.
Sadly, the night had to come to an end, as we all have to be up tomorrow early for our first day at our last hospital here in Querétaro. Tomorrow we head to Hospital General, the public hospital where those who cannot pay (and the majority of which are from surrounding rural areas and of lower socioeconomic status) go for medical care. Many of the UAQ students have talked about how much more hectic this hospital is in comparison to the clinics and other facilities we've visited thus far so it will be very interesting to observe and work there for the next two days. I just cannot believe we're in the final days of this May term! Time has definitely flown by and I'm still not ready to head back to the U.S. just yet. While I'm looking forward to going back to Husband, flushing toilet paper instead of throwing it in a trash can, getting my drinking water from the faucet instead of hauling large garrafones from stores and putting them on the dispenser, and having air conditioning in hot weather, I've truly enjoyed and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience all that has happened over the past two weeks. I know that I will look back on these posts with so much fondness and reminiscence and I'm really glad I've been able to stick to writing nearly daily. Let's hope that doesn't falter during this last week!
Adiós :)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Segundo día en HENM y caminando el centro por la noche
I had wanted to post this yesterday but we were without internet again. I'm now at the UAQ computer lab with wifi so here is a recap of Tuesday:
Today we went back to Hospital de Especialidades del Niño y la Mujer (HENM) for our second day in the NICU and on the L&D floor. At first, I thought I would be going to the NICU with the group who was on L&D yesterday with me. However, after thinking about the rare opportunity to see so many deliveries in a short amount of time, I asked Mary if she would mind if I went back to L&D with Hannah and Ellie B. She graciously let me go with them along with Marlen (the UAQ student substituting for Nanci again today) and Ryan, who joined us today in order to see a live birth and observe a PT working in the hospital.
We met at 8:15am and piled in one of the UAQ vans as usual. However, this van had some strange seating going on that resulted in me not being able to see out the windshield despite sitting in the first row. This coupled with the fact that our driver was very stop-and-go left me with the worst headache and a slight bout of nausea. Luckily these subsided as soon as we arrived at HENM and my feet were able to touch solid ground. We dropped our bags off in a conference room, shoved our snacks in pockets for later, retrieved our protective wear, and split up into separate groups.
Mary had been telling Ryan (who had never seen a birth) before we even left for Mexico that if he observed a delivery, he was NOT allowed to faint by any means. This morning she reiterated this, along with the fact that he MUST IMMEDIATELY leave the room / delivery area and sit down if he felt at all faint or dizzy or ANYTHING out of the ordinary. I added to this sentiment by telling him that if he did in fact faint, I would by no means attempt to break his fall, as he's well over 6 ft tall and probably 200 lbs and I am a dwarf next to him. It's not like I really doubted his ability to handle the delivery, but considering yesterday the air conditioning was broken and there was so much movement in and out of the room that even experienced nursing students who had seen births had to leave the room as a result made me wary. In fact, the other girls with me (Hannah and Ellie B.) had also not yet seen a birth since they haven't had their OB clinical yet, so it was also pressed upon them to remove themselves from the area if they felt uneasy.
Thankfully, the air conditioning was working just fine right from the time we got there and there also seemed to be a lull in deliveries. I showed them the two laboring rooms, the postpartum area in the back, two c-section rooms, two urgent delivery and general gynecological procedure rooms, and the room designated for spontaneous and elective abortions. I encouraged the nursing students to seek out opportunities to get involved with patient care. We met the charge nurse for the day and were then informed of a c-section that was getting started in one of the rooms. I was so relieved when all the students handled it well! Nobody felt faint or had to leave the room and were able to see the whole process. When the baby was lifted out of the uterus by the doctor, I heard Ryan behind me saying, "Oh, there it is! There's the baby!" almost in awe. It was too precious (both the infant and Ryan's reaction). Not too long after the c-section we were all able to observe a vaginal delivery, which the students handled well, too. Ryan left soon after to follow the hospital PT around while Hannah, Ellie and I stayed behind.
It was during the vaginal delivery that I introduced myself to the pediatrician, Dr. Perez, who was standing by. He asked where we were from and what we were studying and I told him him that me, Hannah, and Ellie were nursing students from the U.S. Once he learned that I was a senior student and the other two were still early on in their nursing education, he made it a point throughout the day to get us involved in different deliveries to see and learn as much as we could about the role of the OB nurses at the hospital. He also had us assist every now and then throughout the day, such as having Hannah tie his surgical attire before he assisted in a c-section and hold oxygen for a newborn delivered via emergency c-section due to meconium.
As we watched three more vaginal deliveries, two more c-sections, a dilation and curettage (D&C) for a miscarriage, and postpartum mother / baby care, it was interesting to see how the nurse acted in so many different roles for each situation. With so many responsibilities, it's no wonder the nurses are all over the place and running back and forth between patients and rooms. Today I got to see some of the nurses act as encouragers for laboring women, which answered my question from yesterday about it possibly being culturally driven. This encouragement was slightly different from that in the U.S., though. It seemed to be more of a "tough love," with nurses and doctors encouraging the mother to stop crying or yelling out and to instead put her energy into pushing. However, they used terms of endearment such as "mija" (mi hija = my dear) and it was evident that they were trying to be supportive and empower the women in having the ability to get through the hardship that is birth. Another thing that I saw today that I didn't observe yesterday was presenting the mother with the baby after completing the newborn assessment and medication administration. The nurse (or the pediatrician, in the case of emergencies) completes a full newborn assessment, checking APGAR scores, vital signs, reflexes, etc. as well as administering prophylaxis eye drops and vitamin K injection. After wiping the infant off and swaddling, the nurse or pediatrician then brings the baby to the mother's side to "introduce" them and have the mother give the baby a "besito" (little kiss). It was so beautiful to see the instant connection between mom and baby each time.
At one point, a nurse who was teaching some Mexican nursing students allowed us to be part of one of her lessons. We used a Pinard horn (which is like an ear trumpet) to listen to fetal heart rate on a couple of laboring women. It was fascinating to learn how to use this instrument, since I had only learned about electronic fetal heart rate monitoring during my OB clinical back home. My OB professor had mentioned the Pinard horns at one point, but we didn't go in depth about them since we are not likely to come in contact with them working in the U.S. However, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to learn about it here in Mexico. When I saw the nurse using it and teaching her students, I pushed Hannah and Ellie to politely ask questions and if they could try it since they most likely wouldn't get the chance otherwise.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted from the constant movement and hustle and bustle of the unit. It was an awesome experience and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to be on the L&D floor twice. While I intended to observe in the NICU today, I may try to get that unit back home for my internship this fall so I can get some experience that way. I am really happy Mary let me stick around the L&D unit to experience more births. While it was very sad and difficult to watch, I am also grateful for the chance to stand in on a D&C and see how that process is carried out. The past two days have been an amazing learning experience and I can't believe I had all of these opportunities to observe.
After removing and throwing away our disposable scrubs, we met back up with the Mary and the other students. We headed back to UAQ on the dreaded van with all the stop-and-go driving and I felt even worse than this morning when I was able to jump out. Mary wasn't feeling well either (but due to dehydration) so we quickly walked home. She decided to take a nap while I changed and headed downtown back to Express Arte Caffe for a light lunch and iced coffee and to start writing this blog post. It was such a relaxing and refreshing afternoon sitting in the cafe with the doors open and breeze going in and out. I stayed for two and a half hours, taking my time eating, sipping, and writing. I decided to wander around the area for a while before heading home, walking through bookshops and other little stores as I zigzagged through the streets. As I made my way back to the casa, I stopped at a little panadería along the way that Mary and I have gone to countless times since arriving in Mexico. We've always gotten a variety of sweets each time and I've come to love these cookies called "orejas" (ears). They're made to look like elephant ears and are very crisp and taste like sugar cookies but lighter and more buttery. They're fantastic :)
After I got back home, Mary and I had to go to the Mega mercado (grocery store) to pick up some more items for the dinner we are having at our house tomorrow. Ryan and his host brother, Alex, had hoped to have the group meet up for some drinks and catching up but nobody in the group felt up for the trek to the bar they had chosen. After some texting, I said I would be interested in hanging out with them in the downtown area since it was within walking distance and then I wouldn't have to take a bus or taxi alone. So they swung by our casa to pick me up and the three of us walked downtown. We went to a "tranquilo" (calm) bar, had some cervezas Mexicanas (Mexican beers), and had some great conversation. Alex and I spoke a lot in Spanish while Ryan tried to follow, and then I talked with Ryan in English and Alex attempted to follow the conversation. We talked about each others' lives, the differences in nursing and nursing school between Mexico and the U.S., and we joked about how Ryan is "un niño consentido" (a spoiled child) in Mexico because his host mom loves him so much and does so much more for him (cooks him his favorite foods, washes all of his clothes, picks up his room, etc.) than she does for her own son, Alex. After finishing up our drinks, we decided to just walk around between different plazas. Along the way, I learned so much cultural stuff from Alex! For example, he told me that Querétaro is so clean because the government pays workers to wash the plazas, sidewalks, and streets every night. They drive around with large water tanks and hoses and spray down each plaza and along the road. They also pay workers to sweep all of the sidewalks and storeowners also regularly wash these with soap and water. Additionally, he explained to me the difference between "mudarse" (to change positions) and "moverse" (to move places) and taught me cultural phrases, vocab words, and social norms (such as calling a person "naco" who is of lower socioeconomic status - saying this to someone's face is acceptable and taken as a joke between friends but is very offensive with strangers). He also told me that it is safer for me at night to walk in the middle of the street rather than the sidewalk because there are so many places people can lurk and hide for snatching. The middle of the street is out in the open and more well-lit and thus safer for walking at night when alone. To be noted, he DID say that this is NOT common in Mexico (the lurking and subsequent snatching, that is) but sometimes it happens and it is better to just stay on the safe side. I was also able to learn about both Alex's and Ryan's aspirations and goals in life and just get to know them better. It was both fun and relaxing to hang out with them and I'm so glad they decided to come to the centro (downtown) area so we could all go out together.
Tomorrow is our last free Wednesday and I can't believe that we leave to go back home in exactly one week - where did the time go? It has FLOWN by and I've truly loved every minute of it. It has been wonderful learning about the Mexican culture, specifically their health care system and the many roles of nurses in this country. I've even enjoyed the challenge of sharpening my Spanish speaking skills, since the practice was lacking the past four years since graduating from Hope with that degree. As we head into our last week here I hope to enjoy and really soak everything up :)
Hasta la próxima vez!
Today we went back to Hospital de Especialidades del Niño y la Mujer (HENM) for our second day in the NICU and on the L&D floor. At first, I thought I would be going to the NICU with the group who was on L&D yesterday with me. However, after thinking about the rare opportunity to see so many deliveries in a short amount of time, I asked Mary if she would mind if I went back to L&D with Hannah and Ellie B. She graciously let me go with them along with Marlen (the UAQ student substituting for Nanci again today) and Ryan, who joined us today in order to see a live birth and observe a PT working in the hospital.
We met at 8:15am and piled in one of the UAQ vans as usual. However, this van had some strange seating going on that resulted in me not being able to see out the windshield despite sitting in the first row. This coupled with the fact that our driver was very stop-and-go left me with the worst headache and a slight bout of nausea. Luckily these subsided as soon as we arrived at HENM and my feet were able to touch solid ground. We dropped our bags off in a conference room, shoved our snacks in pockets for later, retrieved our protective wear, and split up into separate groups.
Mary had been telling Ryan (who had never seen a birth) before we even left for Mexico that if he observed a delivery, he was NOT allowed to faint by any means. This morning she reiterated this, along with the fact that he MUST IMMEDIATELY leave the room / delivery area and sit down if he felt at all faint or dizzy or ANYTHING out of the ordinary. I added to this sentiment by telling him that if he did in fact faint, I would by no means attempt to break his fall, as he's well over 6 ft tall and probably 200 lbs and I am a dwarf next to him. It's not like I really doubted his ability to handle the delivery, but considering yesterday the air conditioning was broken and there was so much movement in and out of the room that even experienced nursing students who had seen births had to leave the room as a result made me wary. In fact, the other girls with me (Hannah and Ellie B.) had also not yet seen a birth since they haven't had their OB clinical yet, so it was also pressed upon them to remove themselves from the area if they felt uneasy.
Thankfully, the air conditioning was working just fine right from the time we got there and there also seemed to be a lull in deliveries. I showed them the two laboring rooms, the postpartum area in the back, two c-section rooms, two urgent delivery and general gynecological procedure rooms, and the room designated for spontaneous and elective abortions. I encouraged the nursing students to seek out opportunities to get involved with patient care. We met the charge nurse for the day and were then informed of a c-section that was getting started in one of the rooms. I was so relieved when all the students handled it well! Nobody felt faint or had to leave the room and were able to see the whole process. When the baby was lifted out of the uterus by the doctor, I heard Ryan behind me saying, "Oh, there it is! There's the baby!" almost in awe. It was too precious (both the infant and Ryan's reaction). Not too long after the c-section we were all able to observe a vaginal delivery, which the students handled well, too. Ryan left soon after to follow the hospital PT around while Hannah, Ellie and I stayed behind.
It was during the vaginal delivery that I introduced myself to the pediatrician, Dr. Perez, who was standing by. He asked where we were from and what we were studying and I told him him that me, Hannah, and Ellie were nursing students from the U.S. Once he learned that I was a senior student and the other two were still early on in their nursing education, he made it a point throughout the day to get us involved in different deliveries to see and learn as much as we could about the role of the OB nurses at the hospital. He also had us assist every now and then throughout the day, such as having Hannah tie his surgical attire before he assisted in a c-section and hold oxygen for a newborn delivered via emergency c-section due to meconium.
As we watched three more vaginal deliveries, two more c-sections, a dilation and curettage (D&C) for a miscarriage, and postpartum mother / baby care, it was interesting to see how the nurse acted in so many different roles for each situation. With so many responsibilities, it's no wonder the nurses are all over the place and running back and forth between patients and rooms. Today I got to see some of the nurses act as encouragers for laboring women, which answered my question from yesterday about it possibly being culturally driven. This encouragement was slightly different from that in the U.S., though. It seemed to be more of a "tough love," with nurses and doctors encouraging the mother to stop crying or yelling out and to instead put her energy into pushing. However, they used terms of endearment such as "mija" (mi hija = my dear) and it was evident that they were trying to be supportive and empower the women in having the ability to get through the hardship that is birth. Another thing that I saw today that I didn't observe yesterday was presenting the mother with the baby after completing the newborn assessment and medication administration. The nurse (or the pediatrician, in the case of emergencies) completes a full newborn assessment, checking APGAR scores, vital signs, reflexes, etc. as well as administering prophylaxis eye drops and vitamin K injection. After wiping the infant off and swaddling, the nurse or pediatrician then brings the baby to the mother's side to "introduce" them and have the mother give the baby a "besito" (little kiss). It was so beautiful to see the instant connection between mom and baby each time.
At one point, a nurse who was teaching some Mexican nursing students allowed us to be part of one of her lessons. We used a Pinard horn (which is like an ear trumpet) to listen to fetal heart rate on a couple of laboring women. It was fascinating to learn how to use this instrument, since I had only learned about electronic fetal heart rate monitoring during my OB clinical back home. My OB professor had mentioned the Pinard horns at one point, but we didn't go in depth about them since we are not likely to come in contact with them working in the U.S. However, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to learn about it here in Mexico. When I saw the nurse using it and teaching her students, I pushed Hannah and Ellie to politely ask questions and if they could try it since they most likely wouldn't get the chance otherwise.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted from the constant movement and hustle and bustle of the unit. It was an awesome experience and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to be on the L&D floor twice. While I intended to observe in the NICU today, I may try to get that unit back home for my internship this fall so I can get some experience that way. I am really happy Mary let me stick around the L&D unit to experience more births. While it was very sad and difficult to watch, I am also grateful for the chance to stand in on a D&C and see how that process is carried out. The past two days have been an amazing learning experience and I can't believe I had all of these opportunities to observe.
After removing and throwing away our disposable scrubs, we met back up with the Mary and the other students. We headed back to UAQ on the dreaded van with all the stop-and-go driving and I felt even worse than this morning when I was able to jump out. Mary wasn't feeling well either (but due to dehydration) so we quickly walked home. She decided to take a nap while I changed and headed downtown back to Express Arte Caffe for a light lunch and iced coffee and to start writing this blog post. It was such a relaxing and refreshing afternoon sitting in the cafe with the doors open and breeze going in and out. I stayed for two and a half hours, taking my time eating, sipping, and writing. I decided to wander around the area for a while before heading home, walking through bookshops and other little stores as I zigzagged through the streets. As I made my way back to the casa, I stopped at a little panadería along the way that Mary and I have gone to countless times since arriving in Mexico. We've always gotten a variety of sweets each time and I've come to love these cookies called "orejas" (ears). They're made to look like elephant ears and are very crisp and taste like sugar cookies but lighter and more buttery. They're fantastic :)
After I got back home, Mary and I had to go to the Mega mercado (grocery store) to pick up some more items for the dinner we are having at our house tomorrow. Ryan and his host brother, Alex, had hoped to have the group meet up for some drinks and catching up but nobody in the group felt up for the trek to the bar they had chosen. After some texting, I said I would be interested in hanging out with them in the downtown area since it was within walking distance and then I wouldn't have to take a bus or taxi alone. So they swung by our casa to pick me up and the three of us walked downtown. We went to a "tranquilo" (calm) bar, had some cervezas Mexicanas (Mexican beers), and had some great conversation. Alex and I spoke a lot in Spanish while Ryan tried to follow, and then I talked with Ryan in English and Alex attempted to follow the conversation. We talked about each others' lives, the differences in nursing and nursing school between Mexico and the U.S., and we joked about how Ryan is "un niño consentido" (a spoiled child) in Mexico because his host mom loves him so much and does so much more for him (cooks him his favorite foods, washes all of his clothes, picks up his room, etc.) than she does for her own son, Alex. After finishing up our drinks, we decided to just walk around between different plazas. Along the way, I learned so much cultural stuff from Alex! For example, he told me that Querétaro is so clean because the government pays workers to wash the plazas, sidewalks, and streets every night. They drive around with large water tanks and hoses and spray down each plaza and along the road. They also pay workers to sweep all of the sidewalks and storeowners also regularly wash these with soap and water. Additionally, he explained to me the difference between "mudarse" (to change positions) and "moverse" (to move places) and taught me cultural phrases, vocab words, and social norms (such as calling a person "naco" who is of lower socioeconomic status - saying this to someone's face is acceptable and taken as a joke between friends but is very offensive with strangers). He also told me that it is safer for me at night to walk in the middle of the street rather than the sidewalk because there are so many places people can lurk and hide for snatching. The middle of the street is out in the open and more well-lit and thus safer for walking at night when alone. To be noted, he DID say that this is NOT common in Mexico (the lurking and subsequent snatching, that is) but sometimes it happens and it is better to just stay on the safe side. I was also able to learn about both Alex's and Ryan's aspirations and goals in life and just get to know them better. It was both fun and relaxing to hang out with them and I'm so glad they decided to come to the centro (downtown) area so we could all go out together.
Tomorrow is our last free Wednesday and I can't believe that we leave to go back home in exactly one week - where did the time go? It has FLOWN by and I've truly loved every minute of it. It has been wonderful learning about the Mexican culture, specifically their health care system and the many roles of nurses in this country. I've even enjoyed the challenge of sharpening my Spanish speaking skills, since the practice was lacking the past four years since graduating from Hope with that degree. As we head into our last week here I hope to enjoy and really soak everything up :)
Hasta la próxima vez!
Monday, May 20, 2013
Hospital de Especialidades del Niño y la Mujer y comiendo leches malteadas en La Mariposa
Today we were back in the clinical setting at Hospital de Especialidades del Niño y la Mujer (HENM). This is a public hospital that specializes in pediatrics, gynecology, and obstetrics. Patients who come here have insurance and therefore do not pay for the services. For patients who can afford to pay more, they go to private hospitals, such as Médica Tec100 which I wrote about visiting last week Friday. I have REALLY been looking forward to today and tomorrow since labor and delivery (L&D) is my favorite unit and I hope to one day work on an L&D unit or in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). I've been so excited to see some births and hold some babies since coming to Mexico and finding out that we'd be going to this hospital!
We met at the university at 8am. Since Nanci has to be in Mexico City for today and tomorrow to get her visa approved for travel to the U.S., Ruth had another student join us named Marlen. We all piled into a UAQ van and headed over to HENM. Once we arrived, we were given a tour of the entire hospital, which had two buildings. In the first building, we went to Urgencias Pediátricas on the main level, which was an emergency unit only for pediatrics. We then headed up to the next level where on one side there was the NICU and intermediate / stepdown NICU. The other side of this floor had a mix of pediatric units, which included respiratory illnesses, oncology, dialysis, and internal medicine. On the third level, there was one side that had inpatient postpartum women who were accompanied by their babies if they were healthy. On the other side this floor, there were patients with various gynecological issues such as cancer, infection, etc. We then walked over to the other building that had a separate emergency area for laboring women. Further inside we were able to see the entrance to the L&D unit, in which both vaginal and Caesarean section births take place. In this area there was also a short-term postpartum area for women who were able to go home within hours of giving birth.
We split up into two groups, one going to the stepdown NICU unit and the other in the L&D unit. Mary went with the NICU group (Ellie B. and Hannah) while I went to L&D with Heather, Sarah, Katie, and Elli M. We got personal protective wear that included a disposable top and pants along with a mask, head covering, and shoe booties. It's interesting because here they have a step that goes from the changing room up into the unit so you can't forget to put on your shoe booties. You lift one foot up, put on the bootie, set that foot down on the other side of the step, and then put the other bootie on the other foot and cross completely through the doorway. It's a good way to ensure you have all the right stuff on because it makes you stop and think to consider what you're wearing!
When we were all dressed correctly and on the other side of the doorway with our protective wear, we were shown around the unit by the nurse manager, Gabriela. She showed us the rooms reserved for C-sections, general vaginal delivery, and abortions/miscarriages as well as the two labor areas and the one postpartum area for mothers and babies. It was interesting to note the differences between the OB units I've seen and had clinicals in in the U.S. compared to this unit. Family members are not allowed back in this unit and women are lined up right in a row to labor. Sometimes they also give birth right next to someone else, often without a curtain to separate the space they share. At one point, there was a woman giving birth crying out in pain and her "roommate" who was still laboring looked very nervous. In that instance and in several other situations I wanted to hold the woman's hand or offer encouragement as she gave birth, but I wasn't sure if that would be culturally appropriate in these situations. I'm still not sure if that would be welcomed by staff or patients and I wonder if social support during birthing is something that is culturally driven.
It was sweltering hot for the first hour or so being in that unit and I would guess that the temperature was somewhere in the 80s. I was sweating profusely and at one point while observing a C-section, two girls had to step out of the room and sit down. I don't think it was so much the actual surgery itself that put them over the edge, but the mixture of the heat, the overwhelming number of people moving around and in and out of the room, and wearing a stifling mask that was difficult to breathe through that made it easy to feel slightly faint. I realized how we take having air conditioning in a hospital for granted, seeing as how all the public hospitals and clinics we've observed in while here in Mexico don't have it. I can't imagine giving birth, something so strenuous and requiring so much energy, without at least a fan. We are fortunate to have such resources and I give so much credit to these hospitals' patients AND staff who stay and work in these facilities. Additionally, I noticed paper charting and typewriters all over the tables on the floor. I actually recorded four people (med students? nurses? doctors? a mix I think) at one table just typing away at their notes. All over the unit the sound of typing on the typewriters echoed. Again, I give the staff credit for their organization and skills in keeping track of and completing all their documentation without computers like we have in the U.S. I peeked at one of the charts and was so impressed to see the great detail documented through handwriting and typing by the hospital staff - SO much work with such little time since they juggle several patients at a time.
In all we saw about four C-sections and four vaginal deliveries - WAY more than what I saw during my half-semester OB clinical back home! It was very fast paced and women were just laboring and giving birth left and right! I loved watching the women get moved to the postpartum area and spend time with their tiny little newborns. After working so hard and going through so much pain (only C-sections got epidurals, from what I could see), it was great to see the moms bond with and love on their babies. However, I must admit, just like how I felt after my OB clinical back home, watching all that laboring and delivering made me cringe at the thought of myself going through that process. It's true that they say nurses / any health care worker make the worst patients because it will sure be awful to know exactly what's happening, what could happen, and what to expect when/if I find myself in a L&D unit as a patient!
We met back up with Mary, Ellie B. and Hannah and headed back to UAQ. Some of the girls went out to lunch at VIPS downtown for some American-type food while Sarah and I went to Express Arte Caffe to eat and have internet access at the same time. We enjoyed eating at a table just by the doors that offered a nice breeze that accompanied by the soft music made for a perfect afternoon. We had some great conversation while eating and then I worked on this blog post and she did some homework. It was soooo relaxing and perfect after constantly moving all morning / early afternoon in the L&D unit.
Elli M., Katie, and Heather met up with us at the cafe and I took them to a place downtown where that I had found that was really cool where I thought I would buy Husband a gift (note my extreme vagueness here since I don't want to ruin the surprise of what I got). They all thought the place was great, too, and proceeded to buy the same gift for their families back home. After I walked back to the house and got ready to go out with Mary and her friend Melissa, who she met during her first year in Querétaro.
Melissa picked us up around 7:45pm and took us to La Mariposa (The Butterfly), which is a cute little ice cream shop and restaurant with a 50s vibe. Mary had taken me there on Sunday night when we got some leches malteadas (milkshakes) and we ended up ordering the exact same thing this time around! Once again, it was so delicious and refreshing. The place was also air conditioned so I even got cold after drinking the my chocolate shake! We talked for a long time about what Melissa has been up to (she's an English teacher at a bilingual school here, she also teaches private English lessons to adults, she has recently bought a new car and started living on her own, her little sister's quinceñera that happened in February, etc.), what Mary's been up to, and introducing me and my life. Naturally, since she's an English speaker, the whole conversation was in English and I was super impressed with her. Apparently she studied in the U.S. for a year during high school as part of an exchange program and that sparked an interest and propelled her toward her current career teaching English at the elementary, middle, and high school level for Mexican students. She was a blast to talk to and get to know! Mary had told me that she had a lot of energy and she was definitely right! Melissa also brought Mary some gifts of traditional Mexican items and candies and even brought me some, too - too sweet of her :) We headed home, bid farewell to Melissa, and are now about to go to bed, considering we have another early morning and long day tomorrow again.
Hasta luego!
We met at the university at 8am. Since Nanci has to be in Mexico City for today and tomorrow to get her visa approved for travel to the U.S., Ruth had another student join us named Marlen. We all piled into a UAQ van and headed over to HENM. Once we arrived, we were given a tour of the entire hospital, which had two buildings. In the first building, we went to Urgencias Pediátricas on the main level, which was an emergency unit only for pediatrics. We then headed up to the next level where on one side there was the NICU and intermediate / stepdown NICU. The other side of this floor had a mix of pediatric units, which included respiratory illnesses, oncology, dialysis, and internal medicine. On the third level, there was one side that had inpatient postpartum women who were accompanied by their babies if they were healthy. On the other side this floor, there were patients with various gynecological issues such as cancer, infection, etc. We then walked over to the other building that had a separate emergency area for laboring women. Further inside we were able to see the entrance to the L&D unit, in which both vaginal and Caesarean section births take place. In this area there was also a short-term postpartum area for women who were able to go home within hours of giving birth.
We split up into two groups, one going to the stepdown NICU unit and the other in the L&D unit. Mary went with the NICU group (Ellie B. and Hannah) while I went to L&D with Heather, Sarah, Katie, and Elli M. We got personal protective wear that included a disposable top and pants along with a mask, head covering, and shoe booties. It's interesting because here they have a step that goes from the changing room up into the unit so you can't forget to put on your shoe booties. You lift one foot up, put on the bootie, set that foot down on the other side of the step, and then put the other bootie on the other foot and cross completely through the doorway. It's a good way to ensure you have all the right stuff on because it makes you stop and think to consider what you're wearing!
When we were all dressed correctly and on the other side of the doorway with our protective wear, we were shown around the unit by the nurse manager, Gabriela. She showed us the rooms reserved for C-sections, general vaginal delivery, and abortions/miscarriages as well as the two labor areas and the one postpartum area for mothers and babies. It was interesting to note the differences between the OB units I've seen and had clinicals in in the U.S. compared to this unit. Family members are not allowed back in this unit and women are lined up right in a row to labor. Sometimes they also give birth right next to someone else, often without a curtain to separate the space they share. At one point, there was a woman giving birth crying out in pain and her "roommate" who was still laboring looked very nervous. In that instance and in several other situations I wanted to hold the woman's hand or offer encouragement as she gave birth, but I wasn't sure if that would be culturally appropriate in these situations. I'm still not sure if that would be welcomed by staff or patients and I wonder if social support during birthing is something that is culturally driven.
It was sweltering hot for the first hour or so being in that unit and I would guess that the temperature was somewhere in the 80s. I was sweating profusely and at one point while observing a C-section, two girls had to step out of the room and sit down. I don't think it was so much the actual surgery itself that put them over the edge, but the mixture of the heat, the overwhelming number of people moving around and in and out of the room, and wearing a stifling mask that was difficult to breathe through that made it easy to feel slightly faint. I realized how we take having air conditioning in a hospital for granted, seeing as how all the public hospitals and clinics we've observed in while here in Mexico don't have it. I can't imagine giving birth, something so strenuous and requiring so much energy, without at least a fan. We are fortunate to have such resources and I give so much credit to these hospitals' patients AND staff who stay and work in these facilities. Additionally, I noticed paper charting and typewriters all over the tables on the floor. I actually recorded four people (med students? nurses? doctors? a mix I think) at one table just typing away at their notes. All over the unit the sound of typing on the typewriters echoed. Again, I give the staff credit for their organization and skills in keeping track of and completing all their documentation without computers like we have in the U.S. I peeked at one of the charts and was so impressed to see the great detail documented through handwriting and typing by the hospital staff - SO much work with such little time since they juggle several patients at a time.
In all we saw about four C-sections and four vaginal deliveries - WAY more than what I saw during my half-semester OB clinical back home! It was very fast paced and women were just laboring and giving birth left and right! I loved watching the women get moved to the postpartum area and spend time with their tiny little newborns. After working so hard and going through so much pain (only C-sections got epidurals, from what I could see), it was great to see the moms bond with and love on their babies. However, I must admit, just like how I felt after my OB clinical back home, watching all that laboring and delivering made me cringe at the thought of myself going through that process. It's true that they say nurses / any health care worker make the worst patients because it will sure be awful to know exactly what's happening, what could happen, and what to expect when/if I find myself in a L&D unit as a patient!
We met back up with Mary, Ellie B. and Hannah and headed back to UAQ. Some of the girls went out to lunch at VIPS downtown for some American-type food while Sarah and I went to Express Arte Caffe to eat and have internet access at the same time. We enjoyed eating at a table just by the doors that offered a nice breeze that accompanied by the soft music made for a perfect afternoon. We had some great conversation while eating and then I worked on this blog post and she did some homework. It was soooo relaxing and perfect after constantly moving all morning / early afternoon in the L&D unit.
Elli M., Katie, and Heather met up with us at the cafe and I took them to a place downtown where that I had found that was really cool where I thought I would buy Husband a gift (note my extreme vagueness here since I don't want to ruin the surprise of what I got). They all thought the place was great, too, and proceeded to buy the same gift for their families back home. After I walked back to the house and got ready to go out with Mary and her friend Melissa, who she met during her first year in Querétaro.
Melissa picked us up around 7:45pm and took us to La Mariposa (The Butterfly), which is a cute little ice cream shop and restaurant with a 50s vibe. Mary had taken me there on Sunday night when we got some leches malteadas (milkshakes) and we ended up ordering the exact same thing this time around! Once again, it was so delicious and refreshing. The place was also air conditioned so I even got cold after drinking the my chocolate shake! We talked for a long time about what Melissa has been up to (she's an English teacher at a bilingual school here, she also teaches private English lessons to adults, she has recently bought a new car and started living on her own, her little sister's quinceñera that happened in February, etc.), what Mary's been up to, and introducing me and my life. Naturally, since she's an English speaker, the whole conversation was in English and I was super impressed with her. Apparently she studied in the U.S. for a year during high school as part of an exchange program and that sparked an interest and propelled her toward her current career teaching English at the elementary, middle, and high school level for Mexican students. She was a blast to talk to and get to know! Mary had told me that she had a lot of energy and she was definitely right! Melissa also brought Mary some gifts of traditional Mexican items and candies and even brought me some, too - too sweet of her :) We headed home, bid farewell to Melissa, and are now about to go to bed, considering we have another early morning and long day tomorrow again.
Hasta luego!
Visitando Tequisquiapan
Seeing as how I am without internet signal in the casa (for the third or fourth time so far), this post will most not likely get put on the blog until tomorrow. It's such a bummer that the internet can be so spotty, but I'm at least grateful for any access at all in the house. I think back to my summer in 2007, right after I finished up my freshman year of college and I worked for Merge Ministries in Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and Mexico, when I had to go to an internet cafe in order to get access (which was probably close to once every two weeks or so). Hardly anyone even really had smart phones back then. I most certainly didn't, let alone have any electronic gadget with me for those two and a half months save for my free-with-plan flip cell phone and a travel alarm clock. Fast forward six years and here I sit, back in Mexico but for a totally different reason, with (albeit spotty) internet in my house and an iPad to document each day. Gratefulness abounds.
Moving onward...
Today (Sunday) was a more-than-welcomed free day for me. I was so exhausted last night that I yawned at least ten times throughout my attempted FaceTime with Husband (which, by the way, ultimately failed, thanks to the spotty internet and its tricky signal that kept going in and out). I slept in until I could no longer ignore the various noises that daily make their way into my bedroom (it has a window that faces the street), which was at 9:30am. This left me with nine hours of sleep and still wanting for more. But as the heat started to set in in the bedroom, I got myself up and ready for the day.
Mary and I decided to go to a little town called Tequisquiapan for our day off. I called Eduardo, a taxi driver who our program was recommended years ago by UAQ students and staff as a reliable and safe driver and Mary has used every year, to pick us up and take us to the bus station. He came only 15 minutes later and dropped us off at the terminal. In no time we paid our 45 pesos each for tickets, boarded the bus, and were on our way. The nine hours of sleep I had gotten the night before apparently wasn't enough, seeing as how I immediately fell asleep and dozed for the whole hour-long ride.
We arrived in Tequisquiapan and attempted to get information on how to return to Querétaro. That turned out to be way more confusing than it probably should have been! First, I went inside the station and asked a man at the desk where I could buy return tickets to Querétaro. He replied saying that he doesn't sell those tickets and that I had to go back outside where the buses were. When I asked where exactly I needed to buy them, he just said to go outside and there would be someone. So, when I went back to where the bus dropped us off, I approached the guy with a fanny pack full of money and tickets, calling out announcements for travel to Mexico City. When I asked him if he sold tickets for Querétaro, all he replied with was no, and then was back to calling out. When I asked WHERE I could get tickets, he just said to ask someone else. I was stumped. Mary suggested we go back to the bus driver who dropped us off to inquire so we headed over. Thankfully he was very patient and explained that we would simply come back to the station before the last bus left at 8:10pm and could buy our tickets right before boarding the bus. I had him confirm at least twice more that we did not have to buy tickets in advance and that we could just buy them right before getting on the bus. He agreed both times, only emphasizing that we should probably at least be there 10 minutes before the last scheduled time at 8:10pm. After thanking him profusely for clearing up the confusion, we hailed a taxi to take us into the main downtown area.
The taxi driver dropped us off at the main plaza, which had a gazebo in the middle, a large church with a towering steeple toward the side, restaurants and shops beneath a line of arches surrounding the plaza's entirety, and groups and crowds of people throughout. We went to Kpuchino, where we sat outside underneath an umbrellaed table and ordered some coffee (hot mocha for Mary and a cold frappe for me) and a corn dulce de leche piece of cake to split. It was so relaxing to sip our drinks, slowly nibble on the cake, watch passersby, read a bit from our books, and just take it all in without any rush or hurry to get anywhere.
We then decided to browse the markets nearby the downtown area. There were two artisan markets with lots of basketry, pottery, wooden toys, and other items. At the first market, Mary bought some custom-made calves' fur slippers which, despite my initial indifference to the fact that baby cows had died for them, were incredibly soft and I could tell would be perfect for Michigan winters. We also walked through a more general market that had items I think locals would shop for - shoes, everyday clothes, produce, watches, socks, belts, etc. The last market we browsed was an outdoor lineup of booths with pretty table linens, jewelry, and other handmade things. After going through all of them, we decided to go back to the first market to retrieve a few things we'd had our eyes on but wanted to see other options before biting the bullet. Mary bought a beautiful handpainted ceramic planter and I got some pretty pottery in a pattern I've been swooning over ever since I laid eyes on it when I first arrived in Mexico. I picked out a pretty bowl with a scallop-like edge and a butter keeper. The pattern is a mix of blue, yellow, white, and sometimes orange and/or red with dots and lines and flowers throughout. It's difficult to explain but I've seen it at a bunch of shops throughout the cities we've visited and I LOVE it. In Bernal I also bought a small pot in this pattern and hopefully now I'm all set! I'm looking forward to figuring out how to decorate with it around the house.
We walked through some more shops and took a look inside the church in the plaza before deciding to go eat some "lunch" (at 4pm). I was slightly embarrassed when we went back to Kpuchino, but that quickly dissipated once I realized how wonderful the food appeared. I ordered chicken flautas (my favorite) while Mary got a tuna fillet and berry salad. We were both stuffed and full with food babies from the large portions and decided to head back to Querétaro when we finished our meal at 5:30pm. We grabbed a taxi by one of the markets and headed back to the bus station.
Just as the driver had said, we were able to buy tickets right before boarding the bus and leaving Tequisquiapan. Apparently we had gotten to the station just in time because it left within minutes of us getting on, at 6pm. Although I slept for about half the trip, I was soon woken up by someone asking me to move over so they could take the seat next to me. The bus was PACKED and even one person had to stand up. It was only about 20-30 minutes longer before we were back in Querétaro and dropped off. Initially there was some confusion when we went to get a taxi, since there was a line of people waiting by a sign that said "Línea Para Taxis" (Line For Taxis) with each person holding what looked like tickets in their hand. It turned out that we had to go to a booth inside the station, indicate what neighborhood and street we were heading to, pay, and get a ticket in order to get a cab. We followed the steps, were directed to a taxi once the line moved through, and were brought back to the house.
The rest of the night consisted of finishing up the book I've been reading, attempting to access the internet, eating my two leftover flautas from lunch for dinner, and writing this post. Tomorrow is the start of our second (and last) full week in Mexico and I can't believe how much time is flying here! We are in for another full schedule of hospitals, this time to the mother/infant/child hospital to see lots of deliveries and to the general hospital for experience in a variety of floors. While we will still have our free day on Wednesday, Mary and I will be busy getting the house ready for a group dinner. Galdina, another person who Mary has developed a friendship with, will be cooking a traditional Mexican dinner for the group and their host students that night. Apparently this is something she's done each year and I'm looking forward to trying some new things.
Hasta mañana!
(See you tomorrow!...or at least I hope so, since the internet might be out again...crossing fingers that this won't be the case...)
Moving onward...
Today (Sunday) was a more-than-welcomed free day for me. I was so exhausted last night that I yawned at least ten times throughout my attempted FaceTime with Husband (which, by the way, ultimately failed, thanks to the spotty internet and its tricky signal that kept going in and out). I slept in until I could no longer ignore the various noises that daily make their way into my bedroom (it has a window that faces the street), which was at 9:30am. This left me with nine hours of sleep and still wanting for more. But as the heat started to set in in the bedroom, I got myself up and ready for the day.
Mary and I decided to go to a little town called Tequisquiapan for our day off. I called Eduardo, a taxi driver who our program was recommended years ago by UAQ students and staff as a reliable and safe driver and Mary has used every year, to pick us up and take us to the bus station. He came only 15 minutes later and dropped us off at the terminal. In no time we paid our 45 pesos each for tickets, boarded the bus, and were on our way. The nine hours of sleep I had gotten the night before apparently wasn't enough, seeing as how I immediately fell asleep and dozed for the whole hour-long ride.
We arrived in Tequisquiapan and attempted to get information on how to return to Querétaro. That turned out to be way more confusing than it probably should have been! First, I went inside the station and asked a man at the desk where I could buy return tickets to Querétaro. He replied saying that he doesn't sell those tickets and that I had to go back outside where the buses were. When I asked where exactly I needed to buy them, he just said to go outside and there would be someone. So, when I went back to where the bus dropped us off, I approached the guy with a fanny pack full of money and tickets, calling out announcements for travel to Mexico City. When I asked him if he sold tickets for Querétaro, all he replied with was no, and then was back to calling out. When I asked WHERE I could get tickets, he just said to ask someone else. I was stumped. Mary suggested we go back to the bus driver who dropped us off to inquire so we headed over. Thankfully he was very patient and explained that we would simply come back to the station before the last bus left at 8:10pm and could buy our tickets right before boarding the bus. I had him confirm at least twice more that we did not have to buy tickets in advance and that we could just buy them right before getting on the bus. He agreed both times, only emphasizing that we should probably at least be there 10 minutes before the last scheduled time at 8:10pm. After thanking him profusely for clearing up the confusion, we hailed a taxi to take us into the main downtown area.
The taxi driver dropped us off at the main plaza, which had a gazebo in the middle, a large church with a towering steeple toward the side, restaurants and shops beneath a line of arches surrounding the plaza's entirety, and groups and crowds of people throughout. We went to Kpuchino, where we sat outside underneath an umbrellaed table and ordered some coffee (hot mocha for Mary and a cold frappe for me) and a corn dulce de leche piece of cake to split. It was so relaxing to sip our drinks, slowly nibble on the cake, watch passersby, read a bit from our books, and just take it all in without any rush or hurry to get anywhere.
We then decided to browse the markets nearby the downtown area. There were two artisan markets with lots of basketry, pottery, wooden toys, and other items. At the first market, Mary bought some custom-made calves' fur slippers which, despite my initial indifference to the fact that baby cows had died for them, were incredibly soft and I could tell would be perfect for Michigan winters. We also walked through a more general market that had items I think locals would shop for - shoes, everyday clothes, produce, watches, socks, belts, etc. The last market we browsed was an outdoor lineup of booths with pretty table linens, jewelry, and other handmade things. After going through all of them, we decided to go back to the first market to retrieve a few things we'd had our eyes on but wanted to see other options before biting the bullet. Mary bought a beautiful handpainted ceramic planter and I got some pretty pottery in a pattern I've been swooning over ever since I laid eyes on it when I first arrived in Mexico. I picked out a pretty bowl with a scallop-like edge and a butter keeper. The pattern is a mix of blue, yellow, white, and sometimes orange and/or red with dots and lines and flowers throughout. It's difficult to explain but I've seen it at a bunch of shops throughout the cities we've visited and I LOVE it. In Bernal I also bought a small pot in this pattern and hopefully now I'm all set! I'm looking forward to figuring out how to decorate with it around the house.
We walked through some more shops and took a look inside the church in the plaza before deciding to go eat some "lunch" (at 4pm). I was slightly embarrassed when we went back to Kpuchino, but that quickly dissipated once I realized how wonderful the food appeared. I ordered chicken flautas (my favorite) while Mary got a tuna fillet and berry salad. We were both stuffed and full with food babies from the large portions and decided to head back to Querétaro when we finished our meal at 5:30pm. We grabbed a taxi by one of the markets and headed back to the bus station.
Just as the driver had said, we were able to buy tickets right before boarding the bus and leaving Tequisquiapan. Apparently we had gotten to the station just in time because it left within minutes of us getting on, at 6pm. Although I slept for about half the trip, I was soon woken up by someone asking me to move over so they could take the seat next to me. The bus was PACKED and even one person had to stand up. It was only about 20-30 minutes longer before we were back in Querétaro and dropped off. Initially there was some confusion when we went to get a taxi, since there was a line of people waiting by a sign that said "Línea Para Taxis" (Line For Taxis) with each person holding what looked like tickets in their hand. It turned out that we had to go to a booth inside the station, indicate what neighborhood and street we were heading to, pay, and get a ticket in order to get a cab. We followed the steps, were directed to a taxi once the line moved through, and were brought back to the house.
The rest of the night consisted of finishing up the book I've been reading, attempting to access the internet, eating my two leftover flautas from lunch for dinner, and writing this post. Tomorrow is the start of our second (and last) full week in Mexico and I can't believe how much time is flying here! We are in for another full schedule of hospitals, this time to the mother/infant/child hospital to see lots of deliveries and to the general hospital for experience in a variety of floors. While we will still have our free day on Wednesday, Mary and I will be busy getting the house ready for a group dinner. Galdina, another person who Mary has developed a friendship with, will be cooking a traditional Mexican dinner for the group and their host students that night. Apparently this is something she's done each year and I'm looking forward to trying some new things.
Hasta mañana!
(See you tomorrow!...or at least I hope so, since the internet might be out again...crossing fingers that this won't be the case...)
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Visitando San Miguel de Allende
After our late night of salsa dancing, I was very reluctant to get out of bed at 7:30am. However, I coaxed myself and got ready in time to head out to the university (UAQ) to meet the group by 9am. Along with some of the host students (Mini, Eduardo, and Alex) and Nanci, the group piled into a van and headed over to San Miguel de Allende for the day. The drive took about an hour and of course I fell asleep along the way!
When we arrived, the first thing we did after we got dropped off was go to Starbucks :) I ordered a tall iced white chocolate mocha and I was just about in heaven. Not only was it what I needed after a sleep-deprived night, but it was STARBUCKS, which I love! I also finally spotted a real bagel since leaving the U.S. almost two weeks ago and promptly ordered it with copious amounts of cream cheese. I've actually been REALLY craving a bagel since I got here and I have NO idea why. The last place I went to that served breakfast had something that hinted at a bagel but I wasn't sure and I was sorely disappointed when a straight up biscuit accompanied by jam and cream cheese sat in front of me on the place. So, thus, I ordered and snatched up that bagel in a hot second, sharing it with Katie who also shared the love and great need for a traditional American bagel.
After sipping our Starbucks for a while, we found a trolley tour and discovered that they had a bilingual tour available in about 15 minutes. We hopped on the trolley along with some middle-aged couples and spent the next hour and a half driving through the beautiful city. We got out to check out the old lavandería, which is a large gathering place of about 15 stone wash basins that women used to go to in order to wash clothes. The water came from a river (now called El Río de Los Perros - The River of Dogs) that legend says had been discovered by thirsty dogs accompanying native Mexicans about 500 years ago. There was a channel that collected the river water and women would scoop up using a device in order to put it in the wash basin. During this stop we also walked through a park that had been renovated in 2004 and featured local artist work being sold by the fountains. We also made a stop at the highest point of the city that overlooks all of the downtown and surrounding area. It was so beautiful! I tried capturing the view on my camera with a panoramic but it just doesn't do the depth and breathtaking view that can be seen in-person justice. We also were able to sample tumbagones, which are a traditional candy specific to San Miguel de Allende. They come in different flavors and are rolled and very fragile. I tried vanilla and it tasted like a less-crunch version of a waffle cone. It was pretty good!
We returned to the beginning point of the tour and proceeded to hunt for a restaurant that Mary had eaten at in the past called The Bugambilia. While we never did find the original restaurant that she had actually been to, we were directed to another restaurant with the same name on the other side of the main square. I ordered sopa azteca (tomato-based broth soup with tortilla chip strips, queso, avocado, and dried chiles), which I LOVED. I was worried about not getting enough soup since it was half the cost of the entrees, but I couldn't even finish all of it - the bowl was huge!
We had about an hour and a half to shop around for a while so all of the nursing students and Ryan and I poked around stores together. Along the way, we witnessed at least two weddings - one actually taking place in the church and the other getting their photos taken. Nanci and Mary had mentioned that we would probably see at least a few weddings since San Miguel de Allende is a very popular spot to get married and the weekends fill up. They were right! We met the rest of the group at the garden near the main square and got back in the van for the ride back. We were all so exhausted that the majority of us fell asleep on the way back to UAQ.
Mary and I walked back home after getting dropped back off at UAQ after the long day and just took things slowly. Changing clothes, starting a load of laundry, catching up on blogging, and folding the previous set of laundry is what my afternoon/evening consisted of. Around 8pm, Mary and I decided to venture out downtown, where we went to the most delicious ice cream shop and got chocolate (for me) and strawberry (for Mary) malts. I've noticed a trend in having cinnamon be incorporated into anything with chocolate here and I finally figured out today that this is the flavor of Mexican chocolate. I really like it and how the cinnamon subtly adds a little something different to the chocolate flavor. We slurped as we walked and headed over to Fin de Siglo, which is the restaurant where we'll have our final group dinner with the host families and people from UAQ who have helped us. I helped Mary speak with the manager and make a reservation for the 27th, which is only 8 days away.
Time is moving too fast! I can't believe we've been here for nearly two weeks and leave in just about one - I don't want it to end just yet! I'm having so much fun!
Hasta la próximo post :)
When we arrived, the first thing we did after we got dropped off was go to Starbucks :) I ordered a tall iced white chocolate mocha and I was just about in heaven. Not only was it what I needed after a sleep-deprived night, but it was STARBUCKS, which I love! I also finally spotted a real bagel since leaving the U.S. almost two weeks ago and promptly ordered it with copious amounts of cream cheese. I've actually been REALLY craving a bagel since I got here and I have NO idea why. The last place I went to that served breakfast had something that hinted at a bagel but I wasn't sure and I was sorely disappointed when a straight up biscuit accompanied by jam and cream cheese sat in front of me on the place. So, thus, I ordered and snatched up that bagel in a hot second, sharing it with Katie who also shared the love and great need for a traditional American bagel.
After sipping our Starbucks for a while, we found a trolley tour and discovered that they had a bilingual tour available in about 15 minutes. We hopped on the trolley along with some middle-aged couples and spent the next hour and a half driving through the beautiful city. We got out to check out the old lavandería, which is a large gathering place of about 15 stone wash basins that women used to go to in order to wash clothes. The water came from a river (now called El Río de Los Perros - The River of Dogs) that legend says had been discovered by thirsty dogs accompanying native Mexicans about 500 years ago. There was a channel that collected the river water and women would scoop up using a device in order to put it in the wash basin. During this stop we also walked through a park that had been renovated in 2004 and featured local artist work being sold by the fountains. We also made a stop at the highest point of the city that overlooks all of the downtown and surrounding area. It was so beautiful! I tried capturing the view on my camera with a panoramic but it just doesn't do the depth and breathtaking view that can be seen in-person justice. We also were able to sample tumbagones, which are a traditional candy specific to San Miguel de Allende. They come in different flavors and are rolled and very fragile. I tried vanilla and it tasted like a less-crunch version of a waffle cone. It was pretty good!
We returned to the beginning point of the tour and proceeded to hunt for a restaurant that Mary had eaten at in the past called The Bugambilia. While we never did find the original restaurant that she had actually been to, we were directed to another restaurant with the same name on the other side of the main square. I ordered sopa azteca (tomato-based broth soup with tortilla chip strips, queso, avocado, and dried chiles), which I LOVED. I was worried about not getting enough soup since it was half the cost of the entrees, but I couldn't even finish all of it - the bowl was huge!
We had about an hour and a half to shop around for a while so all of the nursing students and Ryan and I poked around stores together. Along the way, we witnessed at least two weddings - one actually taking place in the church and the other getting their photos taken. Nanci and Mary had mentioned that we would probably see at least a few weddings since San Miguel de Allende is a very popular spot to get married and the weekends fill up. They were right! We met the rest of the group at the garden near the main square and got back in the van for the ride back. We were all so exhausted that the majority of us fell asleep on the way back to UAQ.
Mary and I walked back home after getting dropped back off at UAQ after the long day and just took things slowly. Changing clothes, starting a load of laundry, catching up on blogging, and folding the previous set of laundry is what my afternoon/evening consisted of. Around 8pm, Mary and I decided to venture out downtown, where we went to the most delicious ice cream shop and got chocolate (for me) and strawberry (for Mary) malts. I've noticed a trend in having cinnamon be incorporated into anything with chocolate here and I finally figured out today that this is the flavor of Mexican chocolate. I really like it and how the cinnamon subtly adds a little something different to the chocolate flavor. We slurped as we walked and headed over to Fin de Siglo, which is the restaurant where we'll have our final group dinner with the host families and people from UAQ who have helped us. I helped Mary speak with the manager and make a reservation for the 27th, which is only 8 days away.
Time is moving too fast! I can't believe we've been here for nearly two weeks and leave in just about one - I don't want it to end just yet! I'm having so much fun!
Hasta la próximo post :)
Médica Tec100, la casa de Montse, y bailando la salsa
Friday I accompanied Mary and the nursing students to Médica Tec100, one of the private hospitals in Querétaro. They had already spent the previous day at this hospital but I was unable to be there since I was with Ryan at his campus. I had read the course blog post written by Katie that described the hospital but I really wasn't sure what to expect. Upon walking through the automatic glass doors, however, it was like I was transported back home. This hospital has many of the accommodations and resources that are used in the hospitals where I've had clinicals. I noticed air conditioning, hand sanitizers outside each patient's room, electronic vital signs machines, and was able to see the vast amount of modern technology available. The hospital was so clean and sleek and aside from all of the staff speaking Spanish, it was like I was in a hospital from back home. It was difficult for me to think about how this hospital is solely for those who can pay for it and therefore receive state-of-the-art care while the majority of the population goes to places like the general hospital, where care is compromised.
Sarah and Hannah had gotten to the hospital early at 6:30am (which we later learned had actually been pushed back to 7:30am) to observe a surgery. We met the rest of the group in the lobby at 9am and proceeded to drop them off at each department that they were assigned. We left Heather and Elli M. in the surgical unit, brought Katie to the NICU, and dropped Ellie B. off at the cath lab. There wasn't anything for me and Mary to do so we walked through the hospital, got some coffee, and read for a little bit while we waited. Since there weren't very many patients in the hospital to begin with, none of the girls noted anything remarkable about their mornings other than being able to hold some infants in the mother/baby unit and observe the surgeries.
After finishing up at the hospital, Mary and I returned home to get ready to head over to Montse's later in the evening for lunch - their lunch usually is between 3-5pm while their dinner takes place around 8pm or later. She had received a beautiful blouse from them the previous year and wanted to wear it, but was unsure of how exactly to style it. So I came to the rescue :) We went downtown and found a cheap but pretty belt to put with the blouse tucked into a skirt. She looked great!
Montse came and picked us up around 5pm and drove us to her home about 15 minutes away. I met her mom, Keta, who cooked us an absolutely delicious meal of pan-seared chicken with mole sauce, rice, black beans, tortillas, jamaica (a type of flower) water, and a gelatin for dessert. I had to keep myself from totally scarfing it all down at once! We were stuffed - or as we have been saying the whole time we've been in Mexico, we had food babies (so much food in your body that you look like you're pregnant from it all popping out). Seriously. Then we played with Cailen (no idea on the spelling), one of the children that Montse and her family take care of throughout the week for one of Abby's (Montse's sister) former university professors. She is only about 6 months old but has the biggest smile with huge dimples! Throughout the whole night she was so happy and always smiling.
Montse had to run to the ATM to get some cash for salsa dancing later that night, so Mary, Cailen, and I piled into the car to run the errand with her. We actually went to the hospital that she works at, since that had the closest ATM and we wanted to see the floor where she worked. We were also able to meet Guillermo (nicknamed Memo), the guy she has been seeing recently. He's also a nurse but works in the emergency department, while Montse works on another floor. She showed us around the hospital a bit, which is another private one but less selective than Médica Tec100. One thing I found interesting is that the hospital features four master suites, which are for those who can pay for them. The entrance into the area is exactly like a hotel and much different from the rest of the hospital. There is a large sign on the glass door indicating that these are the master suites. We weren't able to look in on the rooms, but Montse said they have a large living room for the families to stay in and it was very apparent just from the lobby area that this unit was set apart from the rest.
After we returned home, the parents of Cailen and Bastián (the other child who Montse and her family look after who is two years old) were there to pick them up. Queta showed Mary and me some of her Herbalife products that we could try (some aloe concentrate that's added to water, a refreshing facial spray, exfoliating face scrub, etc.) since she is a distributor. We found out that each morning she or someone in her family opens the door to the people in the community and make and sell Herbalife smoothies/shakes to them. Many people walk to work and often pass their house and there is always at least a few people that come buy the drinks. Queta said that she makes more money selling packaged items, though. After the product demonstration, Queta's friend Claudia and her one-year, ten-month-old daughter Valeria showed up for a visit and then Abby and her boyfriend Alan arrived, too. Queta immediately excused herself from us and set about getting food for them. I guess it's common in Mexico to have lots of friends (and family) in and out of the house throughout the day and to feed them!
We headed out for the salsa dance club around 9:45pm and arrived at 10pm, which was when we told the rest of the group to meet us there. We got in and it was EMPTY - we were EARLY! It turns out that people don't really start arriving and dancing until midnight! We got a spot with four couches pushed together in the second level and got settled in. We ordered our drinks and by the time they arrived, that was when the rest of the people started trickling in. By 11:30pm the place was packed and people were on the dance floor. At one point, two guys approached Sarah and me and tried to have us dance with them. I was actually so bad and trying so hard to really keep my distance from him that I am pretty sure he left within a minute of meeting me because of my inability to get into the rhythm. I had Alex, Ryan's host brother, teach me a few moves to help get me acclimated to moving to the music. It was funny because when I asked him if he knew how to salsa dance and if he could teach me, he said he only knew a little bit. But when we actually started dancing, it turned out that he knew more than just basic moves and could really dance well! The girls and I lamented over how learning to dance is just part of this culture and how we wish it could be the same in the U.S. We had a great time dancing the night away until 2:30am, at which point our ears were ringing and our (or at least my) feet had been stomped on by multiple women's spike heels and we were really getting tired. Alex hailed a taxi for me and Sarah, who decided to stay over at Mary's and my house, and we were home by 3am.
It was so much fun going out and dancing and totally worth the meager 4.5 hours of sleep I got that night since I had to be up bright and early to head out to San Miguel de Allende for Saturday (today). Even though the cover charge was 50 pesos, all the drinks were outrageously overpriced, and the taxi ride home cost another 60 pesos, it was definitely a worthwhile experience and I hope we do it again before we leave :)
Adiós!
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