So since I've been gone, my Grandma turned 80 and my older brother got engaged!!! With awesome events like these happening while out of the country, Skype has been a great way to keep in touch. Here are some pics of me skyping people at my house for my grandma's birthday party... of course there were tons and tons of people (cause that's just how the Besaw's do it) but I only snapped a few shots. I also put some pics of my hermanita maria paz and I goofin around. She's pretty much hilarious.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Puerto Escondido
So I survived the 6.5 hour van ride from Oaxaca to Puerto!! I've been in Puerto Escondido for the past 2 weeks.
I'm staying with a family of 3. Roger, his wife Sol, and their daughter Maria Paz. Roger and Sol actually run the language/surf school that I am attending while here. She also is the local coordinator for my program, so they are definitely very friendly people!
I'll post pics soon, i promise. Here's one i took of Carrizalillo, the beach thats about 5 min from my house :)
I'm staying with a family of 3. Roger, his wife Sol, and their daughter Maria Paz. Roger and Sol actually run the language/surf school that I am attending while here. She also is the local coordinator for my program, so they are definitely very friendly people!
I'll post pics soon, i promise. Here's one i took of Carrizalillo, the beach thats about 5 min from my house :)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Last pics from Oaxaca de Juarez
Ok so these pictures are from the last week I was in Oaxaca. There are a couple from the week 3 clinic with Dr. Hector the pediatrician, but they're all from week 4 for the most part (4/25-4/31).
I spent week 4 at a family practice doctor's office. Her name is Dra. Margarita and she was really nice and seemed to enjoy her job. It was VERY laid back and there was Air Conditioning!!!! So I was happy. Most of the patients would come in for basic check ups or for sore throats, fever, flu, vomiting, etc. She'd charge children/elders 40 pesos and adults 50 pesos... that's about 4 or 5 dollars!!! So cheap. There was one lady that I won't forget, because... well she had an infection in her vagina. So yeah... I got a full view of this lady. She was about 65 years old and was very worried about it. Dra. Margarita diagnosed it as just a bacterial infection and gave her a cream and antibiotic. She then kind of started crying when she started talking about her son being involved in the drug trade. I had a hard time following, but it was sad to see how much she was hurting and I could tell the stress of her health and her son were getting to her.
There are also pictures of when Jenny and I went to the Central to catch a 'collectivo' to take us to a couple pueblitos where they make a lot of the artesanias that are sold in Oaxaca. We kind of wanted to go to the source, so we went to Arrizola and San Bartolo. Theyre known for their artesanias/alebrijes and barro negro respectively. Collectivos are aptly named, as they basically 'collect' as many people that they can pack in the taxi and take them to a single destination. Well it was quite the experience being packed in a little car the size of the old Toyota Corollas with 7/8 mexicans. It was only 60 to 70 cents to get a ride to a pueblito about 20-30 min away, so it's quite a deal!
The rest of the pictures are just around Oaxaca and then at Monte Alban. Here's a link to Monte Alban for those unfamiliar: Monte Alban Info. Basically it is thousands of years old--built by the Zapotecs/Olmecs 500 years B.C. So it was cool seeing buildings that were literally built before Christ walked.
I spent week 4 at a family practice doctor's office. Her name is Dra. Margarita and she was really nice and seemed to enjoy her job. It was VERY laid back and there was Air Conditioning!!!! So I was happy. Most of the patients would come in for basic check ups or for sore throats, fever, flu, vomiting, etc. She'd charge children/elders 40 pesos and adults 50 pesos... that's about 4 or 5 dollars!!! So cheap. There was one lady that I won't forget, because... well she had an infection in her vagina. So yeah... I got a full view of this lady. She was about 65 years old and was very worried about it. Dra. Margarita diagnosed it as just a bacterial infection and gave her a cream and antibiotic. She then kind of started crying when she started talking about her son being involved in the drug trade. I had a hard time following, but it was sad to see how much she was hurting and I could tell the stress of her health and her son were getting to her.
There are also pictures of when Jenny and I went to the Central to catch a 'collectivo' to take us to a couple pueblitos where they make a lot of the artesanias that are sold in Oaxaca. We kind of wanted to go to the source, so we went to Arrizola and San Bartolo. Theyre known for their artesanias/alebrijes and barro negro respectively. Collectivos are aptly named, as they basically 'collect' as many people that they can pack in the taxi and take them to a single destination. Well it was quite the experience being packed in a little car the size of the old Toyota Corollas with 7/8 mexicans. It was only 60 to 70 cents to get a ride to a pueblito about 20-30 min away, so it's quite a deal!
The rest of the pictures are just around Oaxaca and then at Monte Alban. Here's a link to Monte Alban for those unfamiliar: Monte Alban Info. Basically it is thousands of years old--built by the Zapotecs/Olmecs 500 years B.C. So it was cool seeing buildings that were literally built before Christ walked.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Clownin' Around
Remember how I talked about the clown show that I was dragged into in downtown Oaxaca (in my last video blog)? Well here's the evidence... Good times.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
More Pics from 4/12 - 4/18
Couple pics from La Hospital Civil with Dr. Jacob during week 2. Then a couple from the procession that I talked about in the vid. The rest are from the Sunday tour of Mitla, Hierve el Agua, and the weavers of Tenochtitlan. So basically these were all before I made that last vid, for those of you that like to keep things in chronological order.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Week 2's Clinic
Ok so I haven't been keeping up with this as much as I wanted, but I first wanted to post about my week 2 experience at La Hospital Civil.
I already talked about week 1, where I was at the public clinic-Xochimilco working with the nurses doing vaccines and then with Dr. Anna.
Like I said, Week 2 I was at La Hospital Civil. Here I was in the pediatric ward working with Dr. Jacob, who specializes in Pediatric Gastroenterology. He was absolutely awesome to work with. The days would usually start around 730am with some type of lecture presented by a medical student (it's a teaching hospital, right next to the local medical school) followed by the Attending Doctors commenting and questioning their reasoning/understanding/etc. One morning the Residents gave a run-down on a few of the patients and their treatment plans, while another morning was a talk on sepsis and the best methods of treating it. After the morning meetings, Dr. Jacob would take Dr. Maya, Cliff (A 3rd year med student at Touro Univ), and I for morning rounds. Dr. Jacob would give us the history, treatment plan, and prognosis--accompanied by lots of questions ranging from anatomy/physiology, medications, prognoses, etc.
We saw a variety of situations. I'll run through the ones I can remember off the top of my head:
- One 8-9 year old kid had nephrotic syndrome. He was experiencing some serious edema throughout his body and especially in his stomach and genital area. He was on some corticosteroids if I remember correctly--suppressing the immune system, as this syndrome is often a result of autoimmune diseases. I'll never forget this kid though... his name was Javier. Dr. Jacob tried to get him to learn some English from us, but whenever he asked him to say "Good Bye", the boy would just say it in his native dialect. He was so cute and he would always smile when answering questions. His smile couldn't get any bigger and it kind of just made you appreciate the innocence and positive attitude many of the kids maintain even in unfortunate situations.
- Another kid had chicken pox or 'varicela'. Chicken pox is still a problem here, more-so than in the US where the vaccine is more readily available. This boy had a terrible case that had reached the point of encephalitis--inflammation of the brain. This ultimately lead to brain damage and it was sad being there as Dr. Jacob explained to the boy's mother that he may never be the same. She was very upset to say the least :(
- We saw at least 5 or 6 appendicitis cases. Appendectomy's are the most common procedures done on children.
- One 10-11 year old boy was hit by a car while he was riding his bike. He had a fracture in the temporal bone of his skull. We were able to look at his X-rays and Dr. Jacob went through the entire workup with us, as he did with every patient.
- A few young children with pneumonia. He showed us the X-rays and basically explained to us the antibiotics they use to treat it.
- One patient that was really a sad situation was in the pediatric oncology room. She had some treatment for her leukemia that pretty much killed her immune system to the point where she became terribly ill. She had bacterial and fungal infections on her skin and throughout her entire body. The next day we were informed that she had significantly improved, so that was good news.
The day of rounding would usually slow down around 11am. At this point we would just talk to the Residents or learn more about the patients. One of the days we went to lunch with Dr. Jacob and the Pediatric Oncology Dr. who's name escapes me. The food was amazing as always and it was fun to talk to them about things other than medicine.
The people at La Hospital Civil were great, and they made us feel more than welcome to come back the next week if we didn't like our new clinics, haha. I have a huge amount of respect for Dr. Jacob and all of his residents--they have a tough job and work non-stop--but they are excellent at what they do. Based on this experience I can definitely see myself working in pediatrics someday.
p.s. I'll post some pics of the Hospital along with a bunch of other pictures this weekend.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Another Picture Slideshow!
I have some I haven't uploaded yet of hospital civil, but here's some pics for now.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
El Mercado 20 de Noviembre
Ok so this is from Easter Sunday, my first full day in Oaxaca. I've just been lazy with trying to get videos uploaded. Anyways, it's of one of the 3-4 mercados here in Oaxaca. Lots of Oaxacan clothes, shoes, souvenirs and locally grown/farmed food. The markets are pretty fun to explore--lots of random stuff. This video is the food area of the market
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| From 20 de Noviembre |
Clinic 1 - Final thoughts
So like I said, we are at a different clinic every week. The first clinic which was just a public, primary care facility called Centro de Salud was pretty interesting. There were a lot of poor/uninsured patients waiting to be seen. I was there last week (6th-9th) then this Monday (12th) again. As of now, I've started working at La Hospital Civil which is quite a bit different, but I'll give you an idea of how my Monday went at El Centro de Salud first.
I saw patients with Dr. Anna--a very young looking, but extremely nice lady. She was in this little room and they'd just call patients out of the waiting room. They'd bring in a lot of their own medical records, and usually it was a family affair. Like I said, Dr. Anna was REALLY nice and let me ask the patients questions and would always explain anything I didn't understand. She spoke no English, but she liked to read through my notes and try to learn new words, which was kind of fun. Anyways, here's kind of an idea of the patients that came into the clinic:
The first patient was a little 5 year old girl that vomited 8 times the night before--just not feeling good. Dr. Anna immediately began questioning the mother about sanitation and preparation of food and learned that the family had live chickens that were often around where they ate. So this pretty much was attributed to contamination, which is a common problem in Mexico. She prescribed the girl amoxacilin and nimesulide, which is just a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.
The next patient was a basic sore throat. No rapid strep test, but based on the the history and symptoms--she prescribed Amoxacilin and an anti-inflammatory. There is a lot of antibiotic resistance in Mexico, as many are available over the counter--so she did a thorough history of what the boy had taken to ensure he wasn't resistant to what she prescribed.
The third patient was interesting. She was a young pregnant woman, 20-24. It was her second check up since being pregnant, and she claimed her last menstrual cycle was July 1st... putting her overdo for labor. Her first time seeing a Doctor was '8 months' into the pregnancy, so the woman wasn't really keeping on top of things to say the least. Dr. Anna immediately doubted that July was the conception date, especially after doing a physical exam of the mother's stomach and seeing how small the baby still was. The mother was very indifferent to her pregnancy and that was cause for some concern. She ordered an ultrasound to get a better look at the baby's development and asked the woman to return in 2 days. Whether the woman actually did either of those things, I don't know.
Another patient that I can remember was a mother who's baby was constantly upset, due to bubbles forming in it's intestines from poor nursing. So Dr. Anna pretty much just went through how to nurse and get good 'contact/suction' and how to properly burp the baby to get the air out. Not overly exciting, but it just shows the variety of problems the Doctors address at the clinic.
Unas fotos:
I saw patients with Dr. Anna--a very young looking, but extremely nice lady. She was in this little room and they'd just call patients out of the waiting room. They'd bring in a lot of their own medical records, and usually it was a family affair. Like I said, Dr. Anna was REALLY nice and let me ask the patients questions and would always explain anything I didn't understand. She spoke no English, but she liked to read through my notes and try to learn new words, which was kind of fun. Anyways, here's kind of an idea of the patients that came into the clinic:
The first patient was a little 5 year old girl that vomited 8 times the night before--just not feeling good. Dr. Anna immediately began questioning the mother about sanitation and preparation of food and learned that the family had live chickens that were often around where they ate. So this pretty much was attributed to contamination, which is a common problem in Mexico. She prescribed the girl amoxacilin and nimesulide, which is just a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.
The next patient was a basic sore throat. No rapid strep test, but based on the the history and symptoms--she prescribed Amoxacilin and an anti-inflammatory. There is a lot of antibiotic resistance in Mexico, as many are available over the counter--so she did a thorough history of what the boy had taken to ensure he wasn't resistant to what she prescribed.
The third patient was interesting. She was a young pregnant woman, 20-24. It was her second check up since being pregnant, and she claimed her last menstrual cycle was July 1st... putting her overdo for labor. Her first time seeing a Doctor was '8 months' into the pregnancy, so the woman wasn't really keeping on top of things to say the least. Dr. Anna immediately doubted that July was the conception date, especially after doing a physical exam of the mother's stomach and seeing how small the baby still was. The mother was very indifferent to her pregnancy and that was cause for some concern. She ordered an ultrasound to get a better look at the baby's development and asked the woman to return in 2 days. Whether the woman actually did either of those things, I don't know.
Another patient that I can remember was a mother who's baby was constantly upset, due to bubbles forming in it's intestines from poor nursing. So Dr. Anna pretty much just went through how to nurse and get good 'contact/suction' and how to properly burp the baby to get the air out. Not overly exciting, but it just shows the variety of problems the Doctors address at the clinic.
Unas fotos:
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Good News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok so i was feeling a tad bit lonely for the first time in Oaxaca... mainly cause it's Sunday, and it's just slower on Sundays. Most shops are closed, not as many people are out... most are with their families. So yeah I was starting to feel lonesome for my family and friends then BAM! My mom calls me and tells me I'm getting 2k back from my Taxes.
HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!! usually i have to PAY more... so HOLY BALLS I AM HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In celebration, I bring you a short clip from one of the best 80's movies ever made, "Hard Ticket to Hawaii" Enjoy. Don't question it.
HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!! usually i have to PAY more... so HOLY BALLS I AM HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In celebration, I bring you a short clip from one of the best 80's movies ever made, "Hard Ticket to Hawaii" Enjoy. Don't question it.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
El Zócalo
So Oaxaca is pretty bomb. The center of all the museums, music, art, food etc. is in the Zócalo (or The Plaza de la Constitución) and the surrounding area. It's where I usually get dinner and it's just fun to walk around and listen to music, watch street performers, etc. Here's a short video i took with my little camera to give ya'll an idea. CHECK IT OUT
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Day 4 with some recent pics.
Ok so the last couple day's I've been working in the clinic from about 930-1pm. It's a primary care facility and it's supported by the government. People can get free healthcare, but I guess some pay 5-20 dollars. The clinic is called Xochimilco clinica central.
They've been having me hang around the pediatric nurses who basically just give vaccines or 'vacunas.' It's interesting, but I'm ready to move on to other parts of the clinic. Every week we will be in a different clinic. Next week I'll be in a hospital, then a private clinic, etc. They're trying to give us a good range of different types of heath care facilities. I'll meet next Thursday with Dr. Tenorio and the other CFHI students and discuss the health care system here and talk about our experiences.
I usually return from clinic around 1pm like I said. So far I've kind of used this time to take a nice little 'siesta'. Almuerzo is at 3pm every day. This is the most important mean of the day in Mexico. My host mom is an AMAZING cook. She always starts us off with some fresh fruit--today it was watermelon. Then we'll have a soup, or something like that. Today it was onion soup, yesterday was carrot soup... SOOO GOOOD. I'll start taking pics of the meals, because holy crap they are amazing. The onion soup had avocado, quesillo (a nummy cheese that oaxaca is known for), bacon, and squeezed lemon. After the soup we usually have tostadas con queso, frijoles, salsa, papas, or something like that. Then there's some sweets after. Today it was this meringue pastry with coconut on top. YUMMY! She's also just really friendly, wears the most colorful clothing, and is very helpful with my ever-improving spanish. She's basically awesome.
Anyways, after almuerzo, I have Spanish classes from 5-7pm. We spend an hour reviewing grammar and an hour on medical terminology in Spanish. The teacher is buenisimo! He does a great job and makes it fun.
That's all for now. Here are some pics from the last few days. I need to take more! especially at the clinic.
They've been having me hang around the pediatric nurses who basically just give vaccines or 'vacunas.' It's interesting, but I'm ready to move on to other parts of the clinic. Every week we will be in a different clinic. Next week I'll be in a hospital, then a private clinic, etc. They're trying to give us a good range of different types of heath care facilities. I'll meet next Thursday with Dr. Tenorio and the other CFHI students and discuss the health care system here and talk about our experiences.
I usually return from clinic around 1pm like I said. So far I've kind of used this time to take a nice little 'siesta'. Almuerzo is at 3pm every day. This is the most important mean of the day in Mexico. My host mom is an AMAZING cook. She always starts us off with some fresh fruit--today it was watermelon. Then we'll have a soup, or something like that. Today it was onion soup, yesterday was carrot soup... SOOO GOOOD. I'll start taking pics of the meals, because holy crap they are amazing. The onion soup had avocado, quesillo (a nummy cheese that oaxaca is known for), bacon, and squeezed lemon. After the soup we usually have tostadas con queso, frijoles, salsa, papas, or something like that. Then there's some sweets after. Today it was this meringue pastry with coconut on top. YUMMY! She's also just really friendly, wears the most colorful clothing, and is very helpful with my ever-improving spanish. She's basically awesome.
Anyways, after almuerzo, I have Spanish classes from 5-7pm. We spend an hour reviewing grammar and an hour on medical terminology in Spanish. The teacher is buenisimo! He does a great job and makes it fun.
That's all for now. Here are some pics from the last few days. I need to take more! especially at the clinic.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
1st Night in Oaxaca
This was on like 3hrs of sleep in 24 hours so I'm a little out of it, buuuuuut yeaaaah check it out.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
PDX
Got through check in and security in like 20 min... impressive. Also just remembered that I have a 5 hour layover in George Bush Airport in Houston. I get there around noon and fly out to Oaxaca at 6:15pm for a 7:38pm arrival. I'll prob hit up an airport bar and watch the final four, so won't be too bad!
Duke over WV
MSU over Butler
Maybe MSU will lose and we can get to work on wooing Tom Izzo to Oregon...? I can dream.
Oh and then my brother Alex is startin for UCF against UAB at 3:30 pacific time, so I guess ill watch that :) Show em whats up Al!
Duke over WV
MSU over Butler
Maybe MSU will lose and we can get to work on wooing Tom Izzo to Oregon...? I can dream.
Oh and then my brother Alex is startin for UCF against UAB at 3:30 pacific time, so I guess ill watch that :) Show em whats up Al!
Fly out in T-6 Hours!!!
Bye Peoples... here are some last thoughts before I peace it from the US of A.
- Talked to Liz, Meghan's aunt and she gave me lots of helpful info and contacts for when I'm in Oaxaca. She has an entire mexican 'family' down there and I'm looking forward to meeting some of them! It'll be nice to have some people that I can call and hopefully make some connections with.
- Went and bought a new digital camera... so I can keep you all updated with awesome pics and videos.
- Ryan, Kevin, and Stephanie -- you best come visit. Anyone else is welcome to visit me while I'm down there!
- Packing sucks
- I'm nervous, but getting more excited as the trip approaches.
- Email me if you want the address for where I'll be staying :)
- I'm gonna need to be Skyping people from time to time, so be reaaaaaaady
Monday, March 29, 2010
So Where EXACTLY Will You be Mr. Kyle?
Great question!
I'll spend the entire 9 weeks in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The first 4 weeks will be in Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca--"the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name (Oaxaca). It is located in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín extending to the banks of the Atoyac River. This city relies heavily on tourism, which is based on its large number of colonial-era structures as well as the native Zapotec and Mixtec cultures and archeological sites. It, along with the archeological site of Monte Alban were named a World Heritage Site in 1987. It is also the home of the month-long cultural festival called the “Guelaguetza,” which features Oaxacan dance, music and an beauty pageant for indigenous women."
Thanks Wikipedia!
P.S. Oaxaca de Juarez has about 260k people... so it's a little larger than Eugene
Oaxaca de Juarez's Wikipedia
The 2nd 4 weeks will be spent in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. It's only a 7 hour bus ride away!!! I'm pretty amped for that :/
"Today Puerto Escondido is one of the most important tourist attractions on the Oaxaca coast. It caters to a more downscale and eclectic clientele than neighboring Huatulco, mostly surfers, backpackers and Mexican families. The main attraction is the beaches, from Zicatela Beach, which hosts major surfing competitions to beaches with gentle waves. Just south of the town is a large lagoon area popular for fishing and birdwatching."
Puerto Escondido's Wikipedia
If you're good at math, you've noticed that I said I'm down there for 9 weeks, but so far, this only covers 8! Well, I'll be staying a week after my Puerto program ends so I can have some serious free time to relax and just explore.
p.s. anyone that wants to visit is totally welcome to!!! :)
I'll spend the entire 9 weeks in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The first 4 weeks will be in Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca--"the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name (Oaxaca). It is located in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín extending to the banks of the Atoyac River. This city relies heavily on tourism, which is based on its large number of colonial-era structures as well as the native Zapotec and Mixtec cultures and archeological sites. It, along with the archeological site of Monte Alban were named a World Heritage Site in 1987. It is also the home of the month-long cultural festival called the “Guelaguetza,” which features Oaxacan dance, music and an beauty pageant for indigenous women."
P.S. Oaxaca de Juarez has about 260k people... so it's a little larger than Eugene
Oaxaca de Juarez's Wikipedia
"Today Puerto Escondido is one of the most important tourist attractions on the Oaxaca coast. It caters to a more downscale and eclectic clientele than neighboring Huatulco, mostly surfers, backpackers and Mexican families. The main attraction is the beaches, from Zicatela Beach, which hosts major surfing competitions to beaches with gentle waves. Just south of the town is a large lagoon area popular for fishing and birdwatching." Puerto Escondido's Wikipedia
If you're good at math, you've noticed that I said I'm down there for 9 weeks, but so far, this only covers 8! Well, I'll be staying a week after my Puerto program ends so I can have some serious free time to relax and just explore.
p.s. anyone that wants to visit is totally welcome to!!! :)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
FUNdraising went well!
I'd just like to start off my new bloggy bloggerton by thanking everyone that supported my trip by donating to my fundraiser! I ended up raising about $2,100. Just enough to spend about a week in a Cancun resort drinking margaritas and laying on the beach!! Juuust playin!
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