AHH!! CHLOE!!!

Look at this gorgeous picture I received just last week! It's Dr. Romero and his newborn baby girl, Chloe!!!

Aren't they just absolutely adorable! OMG I literally "fangirled" over this for the past few days lol

Daydreaming

A post-AP trip entry

Call me lame, but I can't help but daydream about these Tenerife days D:
Especially with this recent snow here at Goucher. It makes me wish even more that I was back in Tenerife. I'm obviously going through barraquito-withdrawal, if you must know.
And I actually had a dream last night about one of the fun trips we took lol ahh I miss those days!

Te Quiero..

In a couple of hours, I'll be on the plane leaving Tenerife...
It's hard to believe that my time here is actually over... Three weeks seem so short, but within this short period of time, so many things happened...
I became friends with all these wonderful people around me... I learned their culture... I fell in love with this place.

Pedro, whom I've only met recently for the video and interview

Gara, a kind and cheerful friend from the hospital's cafeteria with the most sincere smile...

The doctors and nurses in gastro. Especially Dr. Romero whom I've mentioned often in my blog and his nurse, Ana. 

And of course, David and the fellows...

It's my last day here, so I took a stroll around the Residencia and stopped for lunch. I munched on my last tortilla espanola and sipped on my last barraquito, spending the last few euros I had left. For once, I had no appetite. Today looks and feels gloomy. I feel gloomy. The fellows are gone.. and pretty soon, I'll be gone too. 

I hate goodbyes. Especially to people I've grown to like and love. These past couple days have been pretty sad. Thursday night, we had our last dinner as a group. We chatted and watched The Lion King on my tiny little bed. And that same night, I said my goodbyes to Alyia and Allen, as they leave Friday morning. Even Allen, whom I've grown to hate and love because of his annoying personality, I miss. I guess it's because we teach Base5 and go to the hospital together that I feel closer to Allen than Alyia and Bess. But I grew to love all of them over this short journey. I overheard Alyia - my bathroom-mate - from outside my door as they were leaving the dorm Friday morning, "Should we knock on Julia's door?" intending to say goodbye one last time. I probably should have gone out to say bye, but I know myself enough not to because I would have cried, knowing that I'll never see either of them again.. Bess left this morning, so we at least had last night to bond one last time over pastries that David brought us. 

Friday was just as sad because I had to say goodbye to those amazing people at the hospital. The doctors and nurses were sad to see me leave so soon. Dr. Romero said the endoscopy unit will always welcome me back. He said, "This is your home," and you can't imagine how that touched my heart.. They're practically like family to me. I've gotten way too comfortable here in Tenerife that it actually feels like home.. and people don't really want to leave home.. do they..?

That's what happens when you become too attached to people. When you fall too in love with a certain place. Certain people. They become a part of who you are. It becomes difficult to leave and move on. How bittersweet.

But thanks for the terrific ride, Atlantis Project. Thank you for the experience, the knowledge, the love, and the wonderful memories, Tenerife. I hope to see you once again...

Taj Tenerife

We went to an Indian restaurant for dinner today, and I thought it was a pretty good decision. The food was good and reasonably-priced (except for that 17-euro appetizer...)

Indian mango ice cream, carrot cake.. and this other thing.

Our Base5 students treated us to lunch at Los Pinos today... they are so sweet <3 You're probably tired of reading this over and over and over again.. but I adore them so much!!! I'm gonna miss them so much, not just as my students, but also as friends, as I've learned a lot from them and about them within these two weeks. These people put a smile on my face every single day, and without a doubt, my experience here would have been less fun without them...

Left to right: Allen, Rocio, me, Javi, Cristina, and Hugo. Each of them has a distinct personality. Rocio is thoughtful and caring. Javi is really sweet and quiet. Cristina is super adorable and cheerful. Hugo is just very funny, and he makes me laugh.

After lunch, David picked us up to film the "interview" video around Santa Cruz. Bess and I didn't have time to be interviewed, but we got a chance to go shopping! :D

I still need to get souvenirs and gifts for Dr. Romero and David. It's extremely difficult to pick out gifts because I don't want them to be too impersonal, you know? I want the gifts to come from the heart because they truly made my experience here in Tenerife worthwhile. I wish there was also some way of showing the same affection to my fellows because throughout this journey, they were the ones who provided me the support and joy that I needed. I learned a lot from them, and I definitely found out so much about each of them as we dined and hung out together. I don't think we would have became friends at all if it wasn't for Atlantis Program because we're just so different... but I'm glad we did become friends, even just for a little while. So whether I like it or not, I'm gonna have to admit that Allen's right- "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone"

Sorry this is turning into a sappy blog again (agh, I thought I wasn't going to do this..!). But all these feels have nowhere else to go!

Anyway. Onto the bad news. It looks like I'll be with Esmeralda tomorrow again.. Ahhh Federico, why!? Why must you leave me with Esmeralda!?! :( 

No worries. I think I'll "sneak" back into Gastro. Shhhhhh! I hope that won't be a problem. Dr. Romero will be there tomorrow.. maybe he'll pardon me.  It's just I cannot stand Esmeralda. I just can't. 

Rheumatology

So as you know, I switched from Gastroenterology to Rheumatology this week. To be honest, I kinda didn't want to make the switch, as I've grown so attached to the doctors and nurses in Gastro even though it has only been a week. I'm still debating on what I should get for my favorite (Dr. Romero) since his wife is giving birth in like a week or two. I so wish I could see the baby!!! But anyway.

Rheumatology wasn't bad, actually. I came in expecting the worst because come on.. rheumatic diseases =.= joints and tissues... wow. But honestly, I think it's all about how you choose the see the experience. You can see it as sitting there in an office, listening to the doctor talking and diagnosing the patients. Or you can see it as a chance to see how the doctor interacts with the patient, a chance to ask the doctors anything and everything about the diseases, to see how the system here works. In just a day, I've suddenly learned all these new terms and diseases, and it's not like I can retain all of them in a single day, but my doctor certainly tries lol. Dr. Diaz (Federico) literally quizzes me on what he has just told me. Like after he told me about a diagnosis or a procedure, he would ask me to diagnose the next patient that shows those symptoms. This man!

Obviously, there are also some downtime that I'm just sitting there because he's talking to the patients and stuff... in Spanish. This is probably one of those times when I desperately wish I understood Spanish. I swear, I probably looked like a lost puppy sitting there, staring back and forth from the doctor to the patient... trying to grasp what they were saying and ended up depending solely on hand gestures. It's probably a pretty hilarious picture. For the patients and doctor.

So yesterday, Federico promoted me from simply "American student" to "American nurse." Which didn't really mean much since I wasn't actually doing anything haha. But I helped him with like opening syringe packages and preparing them and stuff. I mean I didn't get to do hands-on activities with the patients (and I'm not sure I wanted to anyway because that is too much responsibility for an untrained "American student" lol), but I like being helpful!

Today though, Federico had to attend to some patients at his own clinic, which means I had to be switched off to someone else in the department. If you really know me, you'd know that I'm the type of person who always tries to find the positive in everything? It just makes me feel better and happier as a person.. but today? I tried and tried, and I unfortunately failed.

I was with Esmeralda today. She's a doctor in another part of Rheumatology that works on the second step of treatment (after the first line of treatment shows to be ineffective). She's much younger than Federico. And from the way we interacted, she's also much less friendly than Federico. She literally took me in and dropped me in a chair for a couple of hours while she attends to her patients in her office. Closed door. I just thought it was a little rude that she didn't even offer an invitation to you know, follow her and observe. I mean she WAS supposed to take me in, after all. But no. After sitting there for half an hour and realizing that Esmeralda wasn't about to offer me any chance to see her "in action," I decided to ask one of the nurses, Ana, if I could follow her. So I got to see her put the different kinds of treatment into patients' IV tubes and asking patients questionnaires... that kind of thing. Ana also spoke a lot of English, so she was able to explain to me the questionnaires and also the different types of treatment. But still, I was just really upset because of Esmeralda. She often passed by and basically ignored me the whole entire time. And then to later find out from Allen that she was actually nice to him last week. What. In. The. World...?! Why did she not like me? :(

For some odd reason....

.. we were all really giggly today.. Maybe it's because we're getting more and more comfortable with one another.. maybe it's the start of the last week.. maybe we're just happy that it's almost time to go back home... me, personally? I think it's because the sun came out today! These past few days have been rainy, and literally everywhere I went, I had to carry an umbrella just in case it rains. But today, the weather was perfect. It's probably the nicest since I've been here. It wasn't cold or wet.. it was just nice.

Nice enough to walk around Santa Cruz after our hospital experience.

Bess, Alyia, and I took the tranvia to Santa Cruz after I finished at the hospital and they with Base5. The weather was amazing that I didn't even need a jacket (which I only brought ONE on this whole trip =.= oh silly me, thinking it'd be 80 degrees everyday. Tip #5- Bring at least one heavy jacket and one light one for the Winter program, even if the predicted weather is 70 degrees and above).

We walked around for what felt like hours (actually, 4 hours), looking for souvenirs and gifts to bring back to the states. I am definitely picky when it comes to gifting, which is why I still haven't gotten anything so far. I absolutely dislike the cheap-looking, made-in-china type of souvenirs. I think I'd rather get something completely random, non-Tenerife related that is pretty nice in quality than those. That's just me. So I didn't see anything interesting.. This is going to be harder than I had expected. I'm gonna have to make a trip to the mall and La Laguna and possibly Santa Cruz again some time this week to look around once more. Although the one thing I am still hesitant about is that I'd have to make the trip by myself because... most of the fellows are running out of euros to shop D: I'm fine with shopping by myself but not when every one else speaks Spanish, and I know so very little.. We'll see how it goes.. But you know, something I didn't quite expect is that I really didn't spend a lot during this trip! I was so surprised that over the last two weeks, I've only spent like 100 euros.. But of course, that's because I haven't gone shopping or done anything extravagant to spend more than that... only some food and transportation... and of course, I didn't have to buy expensive Adidas sportswear *cough*Allen*cough*

Only a couple more days... to get all the shopping done.. to write thank you cards... to have fun with my fellows for the last time... to chat with my doctors and students... to enjoy the last of Tenerife.

I know the fellows don't mean to do this, but they've been counting down the days, and though it is a bittersweet feeling for most, it's definitely much more bitter than sweet for me. Alyia mentioned that after this, we'll NEVER see each other again. Obviously, we'll never see David again. And it makes me really really really sad. I don't think anyone actually understands this about me, but for some odd reason, I do not want to think about it (the end, that is). I've always been too much of a relational type of person, if that even makes any sense. It always takes me awhile to develop a personal connection with someone and to really connect in a way that I feel comfortable being myself around him/her. And I feel like this trip has done just that for me. This past week, I've finally let myself out of my shell when I'm with the fellows and David. I no longer hold back my views, opinions, and really- personality. So it makes me sad that there are only 3 days left with the fellows... I've never liked goodbyes, and quite frankly, I'm not good at it.. But. That's all I'll say about goodbyes. No more. The rest of my blog entries will be filled with sunshine, butterflies, rainbows, and unicorns, I promise. I'll try to make the rest of my experience that way. No more sadness!

So this week, I switched over to Rheumatology, which I thought was just as interesting as Gastroenterology (despite what Allen has been telling me!)

But it's too late to extend my blog entry further about my experience at this new department, so I'll save that for next time! No pictures :(

Tourism

I'll try to keep my entry short today, since it has been such a long and tiring day. I'm about to take a long nap! 

Today's the last Sunday here! The last chance to actually explore during a long excursion. So why not hit THE spot for tourism, right!? We drove to the South of Tenerife today for a boat ride (at noon) and then lunch and tour the area after that. 

Below is pretty much a picture-blog of my day :P

Of course, I had a barraquito for breakfast (along with a fruit salad). This is from a bakery in front of the church that Bess, Alyia, and I went to this morning. In La Laguna. The weather was horrible. And that's pretty much throughout these past two weeks. It's been raining on and off, and I've heard from my doctors that it wasn't that bad other years. I guess we just picked a bad year to go haha.. but that's okay. The weather does NOT stop me from enjoying myself! I've fought against the snow to hang out, so the rain is no problemo. But also because I've been using Allen's umbrella, which is humongous!

Fortunately, it didn't rain in the south, so the boat ride was okay. For the most part. Actually, just initially. Because of the rough weather, the water was so choppy and rough... So Alyia and I got a little seasick. "A little" is probably an underestimation. I was lying down half way through the ride.. couldn't eat my lunch.. felt like throwing up, but couldn't and didn't... The ride was terrible, and I felt so so SO bad afterward.. 

This is the "before" picture... which is why we all look so happy. Aren't we just so adorable!!!

The view was amazing. I think the scenery here is one of the many things that I will miss the most.. Can't find stuff like this when I return to White Oak.

I finally got to see a very short dolphin "show." We drove out pretty far to be able to see these pretty dolphins. It only lasted for like 2 seconds.. but I managed to snap a shot with my phone. The one time when my camera would be useful to capture the quick dolphins... I actually forget to put the memory card back into the camera. My heart dropped this morning in the bakery when I found out that I didn't put the memory card back last night after blogging...!

So after the boat ride, we had lunch at this restaurant (that David said has the best chicken on the island) which I think is pretty famous for its chicken because we had to wait like 30 minutes to get a table. I thought it was worth it though because the flavoring of the chicken is very different from those I've had before. I'm personally not a chicken-person, but I have to admit - those were some pretty good wings. 

Here's a pretty group picture where we actually look like we love each other. We really do love each other, I promise (.. or at least I think we do). But if you watch The Big Bang Theory, you'd probably know us sciencie-people rarely express our emotions lol you know, sometimes, I start to think the fellows don't even like each other because we seem so distant toward each other (myself, especially).. but then I stop and believe that perhaps it's because we're just an awkward group of people who don't know how to properly express our appreciation and love for each other. Or maybe that's just me.. I don't know. I personally love these fellows, but I don't think it comes through in the way I act ... 

Anyway. After lunch, we had ice cream at a place nearby (maybe 5min away?) that David said is the best ice cream on the island ... I'm starting to have doubts about these "best" places David says :P But the ice cream was actually really good. Not that I have much to compare to, since I've only had maybe two different ones on the island so far, but this - coffee and lemon - was a good combination. Tangy lemon (tasted so so fresh!) and sweet coffee. It was also really soft. Just full of YUMMMS! I swear to you it will be a miracle if I don't gain a couple of pounds after this trip... 

We got to see the sunset .... <3 Time to cross that off my list! It was absolutely beautiful... I am still beating myself up for not having the memory card for the camera today. This scene would have been picture-perfect!

*All these photos are taken from my phone, which is probably why they aren't as clear as they should be :(

Drago and Loro Parque

It feels like I haven't blogged in forever!!! Time is passing by way too quickly... and before I can even register the thought into my head, it's the weekend already. I just can't believe it's been two weeks here already... To me, it doesn't even feel real anymore. Other fellows can disagree with me on this, but honestly, I've had such wonderful times so far that I'm pretty sure I will go through some serious withdrawal when I get back to the states.. barraquito-withdrawal... bocadilla-withdrawal... all kinds of withdrawals from not having to have my daily chat with my favorite doctor about his wife's pregnancy.. not having David to "babysit" us fellows.. not having Alyia's "Sprite-only-none-of-that-7Up-crap" attitude.. not having Allen's annoying comments.. not having Bess coordinating social events.. You bet it's been different within these three weeks in Tenerife, but one thing for sure - I'll cherish every moment of my last week here!

So what has happened since my previous blog entry? Uhm. A LOT.

Last night, Bess, Alyia, and I had a girls-night-out (Allen was too much of a party-pooper to join us on our GNO +1) in La Laguna. David was not kidding when he said the night-life starts after 11pm. Despite that it was raining pretty hard later during the night, we managed to listen to live rock music at Buho Club and went for drinks at Copas. Buho was pretty amazing. I didn't quite imagine a club to be like so, but it was definitely a new and fun experience. Jamming to Spanish rock surrounded by middle age men and women ... who would have thought :P I then had a Tequila Sunrise before heading back to the Residencia to rest for the full day ahead. I didn't really notice until Bess pointed out, "He didn't even card us," to which I should have been more surprised, but for some reason, I wasn't.

Can you spot anyone from the left side...? Here's a hint.. three young and short girls who look like they don't quite belong in the scene... haha

Today, we went to the "North" side of the island to explore this nice town, see the beautiful water, have a light breakfast, and tour Cueva de Viento - one of the many caves on the island made by volcanoes. I think the tour guide mentioned that this cave was made from the volcanic eruption of Pico Viejo (next to Teide). Pico Viejo, ironically, is younger than Teide... 

You know me, I am all for new experiences, though I often am frightful of them. Stepping into a cave is probably one of those frightful experiences for me... It's not too much of a hike, compared to the first excursion we had, but I did struggle with walking on the rough volcanic ground.. in the dark.. It's probably one of those things which I would never forget. The tour was actually informative! And to top it off, I ate a wild plant.. Granted that the acidity in the plant burned the tip of my tongue, it was certainly something worth trying :D 

This is Drago, the natural symbol of Tenerife. It's the oldest and largest of its species.

 The tour guide said there would be barraquito served in the cave. And you cannot imagine how disappointed I was when I found out he was joking. There was no barraquito inside OR outside the cave. Good thing the place we stopped for lunch had it. I think I will have to declare this barraquito my new favorite drink here (sorry, cafe con leche...)

After lunch, we headed straight to Loro Parque, which was probably 20-30 minutes away. Of course, we fell asleep (talk about a typical siesta after a full lunch!) in the backseat as David drove. 

We were able to see a parrot show, a sea lion show, and an orca show.. and they were all amazing. I was that one kid who sat on the edge of her chair, waiting for magic to happen as the trainer starts the show. And to me, it was pretty magical... I don't recall having been to a show with trained animals, so it was close to magic seeing how they respond... I can't describe it, but the shows are pretty much a MUST-GO.

With some time left over before the park closed, we went through the rest of the park to see parrots, birds, fishies, sharks, weird animals that I've never seen or heard of... I took SO many pictures, but I will leave you with this upside-down jellyfish!!! It's my way of saying, "Do something different. Unexpected. Be unusual. Abnormal. YOLO!!!"

Las Rosas

Yesterday, we had dinner in Las Rosas at one of the best places to get meat (or so David said) on a rainy day, too. We ordered three different pieces of meat... and trust me when I say they are HUGE! They were really good and fresh and tender... Ahhh.. Allen attacked them like there's no tomorrow... Even so, I was definitely stuffed after dinner, especially with flan for dessert. (Tip #4- wear loose clothing to dinner. Buttoned tops may pop as a result of stuffing your face with really good food.)

Today, one of our Base5 students brought treats for the class (oh, God bless their souls...)...

I fell in love with the sweets.. so on the way back to the Residencia, Allen and I stopped by Altesa, a Giant-like market here, and I got a box for myself. Hehe... I'll be munching on these for the next few days. And to think, only 1.79 euro for the whole box!!! No need to even ask me. I will definitely come back for more of these delicious cookies :D

But oh my gosh, how much I adore these students. They're so cool, and I didn't think they would like Allen and me. Until one of them asked us to go hiking with her and her friends this weekend. And the students also said they would take us out next week to Los Pinos. Ahh, I've literally been way overexcited about this, but I can't help it! Did I mention how much I absolutely ADORE these students?! I honestly didn't think they would like Allen and me (okay.. mainly me) beyond the "teacher-student" level of tolerance. But it makes me so happy that they ACTUALLY want to hang out with us outside of class too :3 Ahh... I can't help but be swooned over this!

Okay... moving on from my random and weird fan-girlish moment.. I also found this in the market!
It's a combination of cookie and coffee-flavored cream.. I. LOVE. IT.

Batido de aguacate

We went out to dinner today as a group without David. And I ordered my own dish. By. Myself. In. Spanish. I'd totally consider that a feat worth bragging about, don't you?
Granted that my order was fairly easy - croissant con pollo and batido de aguacate - but still!

PS. That batido de aguacate (avocado smoothie) was NOT made with real avocado as I had expected... sad. It didn't even taste like avocado >:O Eh. You live and you learn, I guess.

Base5

"The Base5 English Academy was created in 2011 as an intensive language experience, named 'Base5' because in its early years classes were held 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 5 weeks."

This Winter Program has adapted Base5 to be only one hour per day, 5 days per week, for 2 weeks. Initially, I though, "Wow. That's a lot of work, since we still have 5 hours at the hospital each day..." But after these 1st and 2nd days of teaching, I look forward to our next class! It's true that we have to put in some more effort to prepare the lesson plans, read the articles, look for extra materials... but I feel that the class is totally worth the effort (at least my class is). The class that Allen and I lead at the Hospital Universitario has only 4 "students" (they are all older than us... and are working on different PhD's.. talk about intimidation, right!?).

The lesson plan for the 1st day was the most hectic because we didn't know what to expect. We didn't know how many students we would have, who they are, what level of English they are at, what they're interests are ... I was personally nervous when I heard that we will be teaching older, more professional people and possible doctors. Obviously, I have absolutely NO credential whatsoever to teach English, especially with English as my second language... but with only 4 students, I felt so much more comfortable.

On the 1st day, we did a short intro and an icebreaker. We read an article outloud (popcorn-style) and discussed the article. It was amazing! I felt like they were genuinely interested in learning, and because of that attitude, I was much less intimidated than I was the day before. They are such nice people.. so welcoming to us Americans.. so friendly and also easy to talk to. And this is somewhat random, but one of our students winked at me today, and I wasn't sure if that was a flirtatious or friendly gesture. I will assume the latter, since Tenerife has such a friendly atmosphere. Anyway, Cristina (one of our students) asked us a question about verb tenses, which we weren't too equipped to answer because honestly, verb tenses innately come to us when we speak. I barely know all the verb tenses by name.. I can correctly apply them to different situations, but I probably can't put a reason behind them. I did manage to find this Table of English Tenses that should help a lot, and I'm really excited to show it to the class some time this week.

Our 2nd day went even better than expected! Granted that no one read the assigned article except for Allen, we still managed to modify our lesson plan a little and went with the flow. Today, we had such a good discussion going on between the students that I didn't want to interrupt to go onto the next activity. I feel like the in-class reading and discussion really help with their speaking and listening (which were what they wanted to focus on). At least I hope the activities are somewhat helping them improve upon their English. At the end of the day, Base5 feels more like an extracurricular than a chore, you know? It's quite fun, actually.

Here are more pictures of sweets. I'm telling you, I am obsessed with sweets... 

This is from an Italian place we went to for dinner last night. The restaurant opens at 8pm (and if you've been following my blog, that's pretty darn late for my regular dinner time back in the states!) and we didn't get back until maybe 9:30pm or so. And then we had to plan Base5 .. in the end, I only got 7 hours of sleep last night! O.O I thought the dessert was so worth it though.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I switched to Gastro department this week. And quite frankly, I love the people in this department. There's this nurse - Paula who always greets me in the morning (and even though she speaks very little English, she always tries to help me understand the conversation with hand gestures. It's hilarious xD I love her though). Dr. Romero is the funny doctor who tells me so SO much about him and his wife and how they first met and how it's such a miracle because he only spoke Spanish and his wife only spoke French and how he's way too over-excited about his wife's 9-month pregnancy. Haha, this man. So much excitement in such a small person. 

I shadowed at least 4 different doctors already, in this department alone, and they are all so kind and loving. But I can now say that gastro is probably not the area for me, as I've lost my appetite after observing those endoscopic procedures... And this is also TMI, but I've never seen SO many hairy butts in my entire life... So. Many.

Teide National Park

Oh admit it. It's completely breathtaking. 

That's a picture taken from the top of Mount Teide - the highest point in Spain (~3,700 meters summit). We couldn't get all the way to the top because of the snow, and we had to take the cable car up to this point, but the view from here made it totally worth it. Look. At. It. Trust me when I say it's 100 times better in person.

The drive was pretty long, but the scenery was unbelievable. We drove through clouds and finally ended up above the clouds... Pfffttt.. what?!! Is that even possible....!

I'm partially glad that this excursion didn't include hiking, but at the same time, I would have liked it better if it was a hiking trip because look at this amazing sight! To see it from different viewpoints would have been awesome. 

It wasn't such a tiring trip, but for some reason, us fellows took a short nap on the drive to lunch (with the exception of Allen, who kept David company during the drive). We first stopped at this family restaurant, which was closed and ended up eating at the restaurant near there. It was such a good choice. Possibly because we were all hungry. But the food tasted amazing. That's another thing I love here in Tenerife! There are family restaurants literally everywhere. EVERYWHERE. You know how hard it is to find that where I live!??! Back in White Oak or in Towson, there are chained restaurants at every corner. It's so difficult to find local restaurants. But here, it's so prevalent, and because they're local, the food doesn't actually have the same generic taste. We had conejo again yesterday and also today, and of course, they didn't have the same flavor as the one we first had. I love that!

This cool place we went for lunch today. I absolutely adore this type of setting- outside under these vines with the view of the sky and the mountains.. just. perfect. It was at this restaurant that Alyia had her first taste of conejo! I had blood sausage. It didn't taste quite as I had imagined it, but I liked it! And the desserts here (sorry, but I was too hasty in attacking them to take a photo) are to die for. 

I find it really odd that some of these restaurants don't even have menus. They don't need to, I guess, because the locals usually have similar dishes, like meat, rabbits, potatoes, salad... but they're prepared so differently and that's probably the reason why there are many local ones. I promise you that if this was the case in White Oak, I'd give up chained restaurants for good!

I also love that we can order a couple of dishes and share them as a group because we get to try different things but also pick and choose whichever we like. Of course, I do this back home too, but usually with family or bestfriends. And even then, it's rarely done because it's odd to share things when you go to like The Cheesecake Factory or TGI Fridays... It just isn't the norm to share food with people whom you don't particular know well, but here, this tapas-sharing thing blends perfectly with the warm and friendly culture of the islanders. The places I've been to feel like home. I think that's just me though because I was raised in Viet Nam and the culture there isn't too different from here. 

After lunch, we wandered the streets of Tegueste for an afterlunch-coffee. I'm not too much of a coffee person unless it's drowned in milk and sugar, so what else did I get but a hot chocolate - literally a bar of chocolate stirred and dissolved in hot milk... It was so good and creeeeeamy and rich! And to top that off, we got some dessert to take back to the Residencia.

Anyway, that was our weekend! Next weekend will be our final one :(

PS. Here are some more photos of pastries. Just can't get enough of them! That one on the right, by the way, is amazing. Not too sweet and just the right amount of nuts.

Cataract surgery

Today was my second day observing at the Hospital Universitario. And let me just get it off my chest how awesome it is before I go into further details!!!

I was so anxious Tuesday and Wednesday because Allen and I didn't get start the shadowing. So of course, by Thursday morning, I was BEYOND excited to be at the hospital. Waking up at 7 is an extreme stretch when I'm at school or home, but I sat on my butt for the previous two mornings, so yesterday (Thursday) morning, I was so ready to take a walk down to the hospital. I find it so awesome that the hospital that I'm going to is like down the street. Well, not literally, but it's a 15-20 minute walk from the Residencia, which doesn't even feel like that long because of the nice weather here.

So yesterday, I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Tinguado (sp?) in the Ophthalmology department. He was so kind and friendly. And it's a good thing he spoke English pretty well because before the patient's visit, he would flip out the file and explained to me the patient's conditions and his thoughts. Then during the visit, he would let me look through the instrument and point out certain features of an eye disease or problem. And after every patient, he would ask if I had any questions. He explained to me glaucoma, cataract, high ocular pressure... And he was extremely patient when I asked him to repeat or elaborate on things (because let's be honest, I have never learned about the anatomy of the eye with such depth to know what glaucoma or cataract means...) It was just really amazing learning all the things directly from Dr. Tinguado instead of having to read about them in textbooks or something. This nice nurse also drew me a picture of the eyes and the optic nerves!

As we were preparing to finish for the day, Dr. Tinguado (I swear to you I am spelling his name wrong, but it is so difficult to hear what the names of these doctors, as some of the names are somewhat irregular from what I am used to!) showed me where I would be for today (Friday) since he said he won't be here today. He has a clinic somewhere else on the island, so he said I could go observe some surgical procedures on Friday. No need to ask me twice. I was more than excited to see surgery!

Today, I met Dr. Perero (sp? I am butchering all these names, aren't I?) who, by the way, is just as awesome! He explained to me the procedures that would take place today, and then took me to the place to get scrubs. Another doctor (who I couldn't make out her name either...) took me on and explained to me each step. She didn't speak English as well as Dr. Perero, but I can tell that she tried really hard to help me understand. Two major procedures were canceled today, so there was maybe half an hour or an hour of downtime, chilling with the doctors- I was fine with that because they are such friendly people and I didn't mind chatting with them.

The surgeries were... I can't even. I was literally gawking and bulging my eyes out the whole entire time I was watching the surgery. Speechless. I mean the precision, the patience, the training, the drama.... it was surreal. I mean maybe other people won't find it quite as amazing, but it was my first hospital experience, and it was just... perfect. I thought it reinforced one of the many reasons why I want to be a doctor because after surgery (I saw 4 surgeries today!), the doctor came out to talk to the patient... obviously I didn't understand what they discussed, but the patients were just so happy and the doctor was so happy and they shook hands and exchange kisses... and it was just so touching and great. Ahhh, I love the doctor-patient dynamic... The ones that I've seen so far anyway.

Afterward, Dr. Perero offered to drive me back to the Residencia, which I thought was the kindest gesture. Back in the states, you don't get this kind of interaction. I mean sometimes my professors offer to drive me to places, within their convenience, but those are like my advisers and close professors, you know, not someone I've just met for a day. He also said he would take me to the Gastroenterology department on Monday (because I am transferring there next week since Ophthalmology is only a temporary stop for me this week) to see that I will actually settle in with another department. Honestly, the consideration on his part was just above and beyond. I can't even grasp it.

Talk about above and beyond, our AP coordinator is pretty much there. Not sure if David signed up for this 24/7 job, but he sure does a good job at it. His Spanish lessons are so helpful. We would come with questions that are pretty much relevant to our daily conversations, and then David would help us with the common ways of saying it and correct our ways if it seems rude or wrong somehow. I haven't had the chance to put my Spanish-speaking skills (what little set of skills I do possess) because I've been with doctors who spoke English pretty well, but fear not, I've created a cheat-sheet that I will gladly pull out of my purse if I ever get stuck in random situations.

Anyway, I think there is another hike coming tomorrow (depending on the weather here), but if it's sunny and good, we might go to the highest mountain in Spain - Mount Teide! Better rest up for what (hopefully) will be a long day tomorrow.

Enjoy some random photos!

This is a coffeeshop in La Laguna. So many different kinds of coffee!
The other picture is of the "garden" inside a library in La Laguna, which used to be a hospital.

Bakery shop

PS. I am officially obsessed with pastries. I mean I've always loved sweets, but here, bakery shops are at every corner, so I've developed an even greater obsession for sweets.

Conejo con salmorejo

Surprisingly, my body doesn't feel as sore as I'd expected. I mean everything is sore, but not nearly as bad. Allen said the 2nd day is worse, so we'll see how tomorrow will be!

This morning was pretty nerve-wracking. It's our very first day at the hospital. I didn't know exactly what to wear.. I didn't know if I would get an English-speaking doctor to shadow... I didn't know which hospital (of the two) I would end up at.. I didn't know what the schedule will be once I start... I was just really nervous since I didn't know what to expect, especially because this is my first hospital experience ever. And today, especially, is the first day back from the holidays for the Canarians!

As I was told afterward, things were pretty chaotic because it is the 1st day back, and so some communication was lost during the holiday break... and things like that. Which is why Allen and I didn't actually get to start the core experience today. I was disappointed that we didn't get to start today, as Alyia and Bess have started at the Hospital de Candelaria already in the Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation departments, relatively. The stories they were telling though were all funny, interesting, and somewhat unexpected. So I was a bit disappointed because that didn't happen for me today. But I did hear that we might be able to start tomorrow at the Hospital Universitario in the Gastroenterology department, so I'm looking forward to that. Crossing my fingers and hoping that we can start tomorrow!

But Allen and I got to go to the market and then exploring near the Residencia. The roads seem fairly easy, but honestly, if I were to wander the streets by myself, I would have gotten myself lost in a flash. But the weather was so beautiful! Sunny and warm, but the wind keeps you cool. Definitely a change from the states (which, in Michigan where my cousin lives, was near 0 degrees Fahrenheit).

After that, all of the fellows were taken to the park in Santa Cruz. We had lunch, went around to the little shops, Allen had an eye exam and got contact lenses (which were free, btw. How wicked is that!) and some sporting clothes (Tip #2- do NOT buy sporting clothes from Adidas in downtown Santa Cruz on the island. Talk about overpriced). We also went to this ice-cream shop that had so many interesting and cool flavors of gelato! I tried this Turron Jijona, which the employee said was specifically a Spanish flavor. It was a sweet cookie taste, but probably a bit too sweet for my taste at that moment, so I went with pistachio. It was SO delicious and pretty filling too.
I thought it was so cool how the transaction went. There was a machine that has different options for the size and other treats aside from gelato. Once you select, you just put in the money and a receipt prints out. The person behind the counter takes the receipt and asks for the flavor you want and tadahhh...! I think that's pretty cool since I've never encountered such.

After the stroll along downtown, we met up with David and Joao for a full historical tour around the landmarks. We saw the old farmacia, the Parliment building ... and heard some awesome stories about their history. It's amazing how David knows so SO much about this place. Personally, I know very little about the U.S. and Maryland (I was that person who dozed off in History class).

We had dinner at this family restaurant in the "countryside." It was outside the city, but nearby. Strange how the temperature went down about 15 degrees Fahrenheit just by driving up the mountain a bit. I wasn't actually prepared for the colder night temperature in my little sundress, as it was so sunny during the day (Tip #3- always carry a light sweater since the temperature may vary depending on where you are on the island). The restaurant has this feeling of home. I know I do this so much, but I can't help comparing it to my hometown in Viet Nam because the feel of it is so similar! Judging from the title of the post, you can probably guess what we (or most of us) had for dinner. Conejo con mojo. Rabbit with a special sauce. Rabbit. RABBIT.
It's probably seems unacceptable for certain cultures, but I had no problem with it. Afterall, we eat dogs in Viet Nam. Dinner, overall, was so good that I was literally stuffing my face with food. I'm pretty sure I gained a tons of weight already in the past few days, even with all the hiking and walking. Unbelievable. I really should have done a "Before" and "After" photo just to see how big of a difference it would be.