in the infinite wisdom of billy joel....

"Life is just a series of hellos and goodbyes. I'm afraid its time for goodbye again." (Say Goodbye to Hollywood)

This may be one of the last blogs I write before leaving Mexico, which is weird.

I’ve decided to compose a list of things I will and won’t miss about living in La Republica, so here goes.

Things I will miss:

1. Fresh lime served with everything. Everything.

2. Tortillas

3. How cheap everything is

4. Buying big tubs of fresh fruit on every street corner

5. Potato chips with lime and chili

6. My ghetto mexiphone

7. Mariachi music

8. Amazing popsicles

9. Learning British English

10. Fun taxi drivers

Things I won’t miss:

1. Being looked at like I am an alien

2. Not being able to flush my toilet paper (it is disgusting)

3. Nasty, gross Mexican men hitting on me

4. Bumpy bus rides

5. No wireless internet

6. Shop keepers yelling “¡A sus ordenes!”

7. Tempting pastry shops on every corner

8. Terrible drivers

9. Daily thunderstorms and hail

10. Walking 6 blocks to do my laundry

It is really funny… It took me about 1 minute to write the first list, and I could have gone on forever and ever. But it took me 10 minutes to write the second list. It was so hard to think of things that I won’t miss. I guess that is normal, though. This country has made such an impression on me. I know part of it is purely from experiencing a new culture and totally immersing myself in it. But, I also know that a lot of what I feel for this country is because it helped me to grow up and change into who (I think) I really am. I have changed so much, but to the outside world (aka, you) I doubt it is an obvious change. But I just feel like a new person, in the best way possible. I feel like the person that has always been inside me and has been peeking out over the years is finally out of her shell and I am me. It is so strange.

My mom asked me if this new discovery had led to any thoughts about my future. It really has. This summer has told me, definitively, that I need to do something where I can be speaking a foreign language every day. I have always had teaching in the back of my mind and I am going to explore that more in the coming semester with the LAC section that I am instructing on cultural and self identity. I am also so moved by the people of this country and seeing, first hand, the actual condition of those living under the poverty line in Mexico. Though most of my patients are not under the poverty line, daily life here brings it to my attention. The resource gap is HUGE, bigger than anything I could have ever imagined. And I am really considering looking into non-profits or corporations with a “foundations” sector (that means it sets aside money for pro bono work) dedicated to Latin American causes. Who knows? Big dreams for a 20 year old girl…

Another thing I left off the list of things I will miss is all of the incredible people I met while in Guadalajara. I’ll start out with my friends. Most of them have left Guadalajara at this point and I can feel the longing to talk to them already. Heather and Andy, especially. They were constant companions and I had so many amazing trips and fun afternoons with them. Then my roommate, Emily. She was also a constant (and I mean constant) companion. After nearly 9 weeks straight, we have only nearly killed each other once or twice. Every once in a while we have to take some time apart so we don’t drive each other up the wall, but all in all I will miss her a lot. We lived, worked, and hung out together for 9 weeks straight and a presence like that, good or bad, is sure to be missed in its absence. And my housemates, Henry and Raphael!! Henry is going to be a mate for life (I say “mate” because he is teaching me British English). He is planning a trip to America since he has never been and I am planning a trip to England to visit him and the other volunteers from the UK who I am close to now. He is a genuinely nice guy and there is not a bone of bad in him. He is also super entertaining and a good friend to talk to. Raphael is absolutely hilarious. His Spanish has improved SO MUCH! It is incredible. He is a great guy and fun to hang out with. He has a heart of gold and I’ll miss learning French curse words from him at the dinner table. Then there is Peter! He and I got very close right before my birthday and then at Turtle Camp we had some deep talks. I will definitely keep in touch with him as he is starting medical school in the fall! And Jen!!! She never fails to make me look even paler than I already am. Our trip to Guanajuato is one of my favorite memories from Mexico! Then there are all of the other volunteers… Mel, Vanessa, the Scottish girls, the bunch from Turtle Camp, Lisa… I could go on. They are wonderful people. And the staff at Projects Abroad is pretty amazing, too.

Now I need to get sappy and talk about the people at my work and how sorely I will miss them. Every day at work was an inspiration. After spending a summer in a pediatric cancer ward, one develops a bit of a thick skin but my thick skin still has some sensitive points. I was so inspired by the courage of these children and these parents. There was always a small child crying when he or she was getting stuck with the IV or a patient confessing that he or she was scared to die, but all in all these children absolutely amaze me. They smile so deeply and I can truly see the effect that I have on their mood, and that, in the end, makes their treatment more effective. Having someone to talk to, to laugh with, to play with, and to share their culture with is something that all children need, and especially these. I know they have their parents with them, which I will get to in a second, but sometimes a child needs someone other than a parent to believe in him or her. By being there and talking with the children, encouraging them and smiling with them, I know I made an incredible difference. Now that I am at the end and having to start saying goodbye to these adorable kids and teenagers, I am so incredibly sad. I know that most of them will get well and lead normal lives, but I also see the ones that are not doing very well and I feel like if I were still with them, they would be okay. My rationale is completely irrational, but I somehow feel that my presence and my support of these children will make them okay. It is part of it, for sure, but in the end it is medicine and fate. I just wish I could be here longer to stay with them and keep them from getting sad and giving up. These children mean so much to me that words cannot express. There is Toñio, the smiling teenage boy who is full of stories and a love for music. And baby Alan, the 15 month old who stole my heart (I am trying as hard as I can to bring him back with me in my suitcase!). And Marisol, who I discovered shares my initials and my love for sea turtles. And Alondra, the most adorable 3 year old I have ever met and who begs her mother to go to chemotherapy on days she isn’t supposed to so that she can see me. And Rosario, the “cool” girl of 11 who doesn’t let anything get in the way of her sense of humor. And Francisco Javier, age 4, who has the most attitude I have EVER encountered in my life. And then Joaquin Carlos, Sara Isabel, Henri, Karla, Diana, Denise, Raciela, Jacky, Ale, and countless others who I love equally and more than any other children I have ever met. Each one has made a different impact on me and who I am and I will never, ever forget their courage and their amazing personalities.

The parents of these children are equally, if not more, impressive. The fact that they too can, most of the time, keep a smiling face and encourage their children is something I cannot fathom. Being that I am not yet a parent, I cannot possibly understand what they are going through. I cannot imagine having a child with cancer and being able to get out of bed in the morning and keep a smile on my face while my child was in so much pain and was so sad. The parents are fantastic and inspired me every day. And the nurses, lest we forget them! What amazing women these nurses are. Not only are they some of the funniest, fun-loving women I have ever encountered, but they also are so dedicated to their work and so caring for the children. I think, like me, the nurses have become a part of the lives of these children and they too make a great impact. Some resent the nurses for putting IVs in their hands, but after a few minutes that is forgotten and they are begging for the nurses to play with them. I will really, really miss everyone at my placement. Even the janitor, Juan, has become close with us. And, maybe one day, I will forgive Hot Doctor (we also refer to him as “McCaliente”) for growing his disgusting facial hair and will think of him fondly as a wonderful doctor. The other doctors are great men and women and I cannot imagine having their job, ever.

This post is sappy enough as it is, so I think I will leave it. You can all stew over it, chew it up, and digest bits and pieces of my experiences, but I don’t think anyone but me will ever truly know the impact that this summer has had on me and on who I am. It has been a wonderful, amazing summer and, though I miss everyone back home, I am so sad to be leaving. I feel like it was just yesterday that I stepped off the plane, scared stiff and totally apprehensive of the entire experience.

August 1^st at 3pm I arrive at Regan Int’l in DC. I will see you all then and share even more of my experiences that I didn’t share on here. There are so many stories… if you thought I talked a lot before, just prepare yourself.

Paz y amor.

under the mexican moon

Turtle camp was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Before I get into that, quick shout out to my beautiful cousin Dawn who just got ENGAGED!! YAY!

Okay turtles.... Camp was incredible. If I had the time and money, I would still be there right now. I would have stayed for a month, easily. I didn't mind the horrendous bugs (over 300 mosquito bites on my body right now -- not kidding) and I didn't even see a scorpion. The tents were slightly uncomfortable, but definitely bearable for the 5 days I was there. And I did sleep in a hammock during the night a few times. I really enjoyed the lazy afternoons taking naps and reading in the hammocks literally in the surf of the beautiful Pacific.

I also got to play with lots of wildlife. I fed crabs and fish to the turtles, I moved the giant turtles from their regular tank to a temporary one while we cleaned them and the tank, and I even held a baby crocodile and collected crocodile eggs! But by far the coolest thing was patrol.

In México, it is super illegal and hugely punished to take turtle eggs. They are a protected species under Mexican law so from 12-6am every night the scientists and volunteers at the turtle camp do patrol. I went on the 12-3am shift with the marine biologist Oscar. It was just me, him, and the desserted beach. It was incredible. We had to row across a lagoon to get to the hidden 4-wheeler and then once we got on the 4-wheeler, it was 10 miles of beach to traverse and look for egg robbers, fresh nests, and even wild turtles. We made it all the way to the state line with Michocán (we were in the state of Colima) and then we turned around. I hadn't seen a turtle at that point and was kind of sad, but I was having an incredible time with Oscar. He was really happy that I could speak Spanish and enjoyed teaching me about the turtles in Spanish. Also, it was breathtakingly beautiful. It was just desserted beach and the full moon was SO bright that it was hardly dark at all. We drove the 4-wheeler through the surf and it was amazing. On our way back, we saw a turtle that was just walking around in the surf, but Oscar said it wasn't going to lay eggs. I was just happy to see one in the wild! Then a few minutes later we found one digging her nest! We cut off the 4-wheeler and sat in the wet sand literally 1 foot from the mother turtle and waited 45 minutes for her to dig her nest and lay her 100 (yes, 100) ping-pong ball eggs. Then we took them from the nest while she was resting. We had to take them because "poachers" would steal them if we didn't. When we find eggs, we take them back to the camp and bury them in a section of the beach that is gated off from the public and is specifically for the incubation of sea turtle eggs. After that incredible moment, my trip to turtle camp was totally fulfilled and all the sand and mosquitos didn't even matter anymore. Then we found 2 more fresh nests to take the eggs from. We did find 1 freshly robbed nest (sad!) but I was happy to have saved 3 nests. My friend Peter had the 3-6am shift after me and he said that he and Oscar saved 5 more nests worth of eggs. Yay for sea turtles!

I came back from all my beach time, Puerto Vallarta and the turtle camp at Boca de Apiza near Tecomán, completely refreshed and tan. The broken toe is still really bad, but I don't even care any more. I had forgotten how much I love the beach and how much I missed my childhood summers spent at the beach. It was such an incredible 5 days at turtle camp and I can't even express how amazing I feel for having gone. I feel like I made a huge difference in turtle conservation. I also felt like I was on the Discovery Channel (one day....). I am so refreshed.

I will be home in like 10 days! It is so hard to believe that. It is very bittersweet. I am ready to see my family and friends and go back to UR, but I will miss this country so much. I have done so much wandering of Pacific Mexico that I feel like its home to me. The streets of Guadalajara are more familiar to me than those of my new home in Stuarts Draft. I truly feel like I am part of the Mexican culture now, and it is heartbreaking to think of leaving it.

short and sweet

So Puerto Vallarta won. It beat us.

It was absolutely gorgeous, we met amazing people at our hostel, we met sketchy people at our hostel, and we took a great boat trip. However, we all came back a little (or a lot) battered and bruised.

Emily was feeling ill the whole weekend and on the bus ride home (6 hours) developed a very high grade fever. Henry has a really upset stomach from PV. Heather is so sick that she has left Mexico and moved back to Canada. We had to say our goodbyes last night :( Andy got thrown from a jet ski and got a concussion and ruptured an ear drum. I caught a cold and slipped coming out of the shower, resulting in a bruised knee and a broken toe. Fun.

I put pictures up on facebook, so please enjoy the pictures from PV. It was a beautiful place. I don't really have much to say though, other than that.

We are going to the Turtle Camp in Tecoman tomorrow for 5 days. I will most likely be completely out of touch, as I will be being eaten by scorpions, pulled in by the rip tides, and camping on a beach. I will update this on my time there on Sunday after we get back!!!!!!

super quick

This has to be super quick because I literally have 3 seconds left on the Internet. I arrived safely in Puerto Vallarta late last night and have already spent the day in the Pacific (FIRST TIME!). My hair is braided and my skin is BRIGHT RED.

I'll update more Sunday!

best. birthday. ever.

I had a great day for my birthday, including a trip to the... wait for it... wait for it... MEXICAN WALMART!



No, but I really did have a great day, despite Walmart.



At work the nurses found out it was my birthday and got the kids to sing to me (cute!!!!) and I passed out candy and refilled the depleted candy jar with some candy I had brought along. Then, one of the nurses asked me to follow her into the nurses' lounge. I went in and all of the nurses and 2 of the doctors (including the Mexican McSteamy) were in there with a cake for me!!! And it wasn't just any old cake, it was amazing cake. They made me cut the first slice, which I am SO bad at, and then we all hung out in the lounge for 20 minutes chatting. It was really unexpected and a lot of fun.



Later, Andy and Peter met up with the 4 of us from Concha's house (me, Emily, Henry, and Raphael) and we walked 20 minutes to Choco's house, which has 7 of our volunteer friends (Jen, Mel, Rachel, Suzie, Sarah, Vanessa, and Julia) and then the 13 of us went over to the very posh resturant, LA, that is near Choco's house. It was such a beautiful restaurant! Very trendy and very upscale. They gave us a table in the back of the restaurant so it would be more private and then we ordered wine and cocktails. Once they came, everyone sang happy birthday to me, which was really sweet! At this restaurant, LA, you order what is called a "plato fuerte" and that comes with a 1-person appetizer, salad bar, and entree, all for the bargain price of $145 MXN ($14.50 USD). After we ordered, a waiter came over and offered me a bottle of champagne. I said no, and then Andy said it was taken care of. Andy bought us a bottle of champagne to toast with!!! So we had a massive champagne toast before our food came. I got an amazing salad from the best salad bar I have ever seen and then for my appetizer I got the asparagus dish, which was asparagus, pesto, and goat cheese on top of pita bread. It was amazing. AMAZING. And the, when I thought my body couldn't hold any more food, we got our entrees. I had ordered the pepper filet, which was a filet mignon in a black pepper sauce and served with potatoes. Honestly, the best filet I have ever had. Cooked to perfection, medium rare, and with a great sauce. One of the best meals I have ever had. As we were all waiting for the check to come, I see the waiters parading over with Andy and Peter out of the corner of my eye, very suspiciously. They bring me a mini-cheesecake with a candle and sing the Mexican birthday song, Las Mañanitas. Then, as I am already embarassed enough and full of plenty of alcohol, the head waiter reaches around me, puts a napkin on my face, and forces a shot of tequila down my throat before I even realize what has happened. Thankfully it was tequila and cranberry juice, so it was cut a bit, but it was still foul and unexpected. Shocking to the nervous system, really.

After dinner, because we hadn't had enough fun already, we went to a bar down the street called Nude. It too was super posh. We got a couple bottles of wine and some people got other drinks but we all just sat around talking. It was a Tuesday night so it was virtually empty except for the big table next to us that was full of Americans (random) from Indiana. They heard it was my birthday and we all talked and it was funny because they were all at least 30, many of them 40s and there I was, young and 20. But Nude was a really neat place with a really awesome looking bar.

We dragged our tired selves home far too late and then had to get up for work early this morning, which was a chore. But work was great, so that made it bearable!

All in all, it was the best birthday I've had. I was in a foreign country, traveling with interesting people, and we all had a very mature, adult dinner with smart cocktails and wine. It was perfect, just they way I wanted it.

birthday!

Its my birthday, and what a great one it has been! The nurses at work bought me a cake and surprised me with it today! It was fantastic, too! And a lot of the little kids found out it was my birthday and came up to give me kisses and hugs... TOO CUTE!

This past week at work had been really slow because school just ended here and most families were on vacation. But it is picking up again and getting back to normal.

I also had a really full, busy weekend. On Saturday, 14 volunteers, Heather, and Heather's parents (in town to visit her and then go to the beach) went to the GDL Zoo, which is about 40 minutes from our house. We got there and met up with everyone and started the walking around boring part. There were some cool animals (pictures to follow one day) but the best part was the "African" safari we went on. I GOT TO FEED A GIRAFFE! That was one of the single coolest things I've done here. It licked me and I got to pet it and feed it a carrot! It was soooooo huge and so cool! After the giraffe excitement wore off, we finished up at the zoo and a few of us went to a movie.

Our mom, Concha, had told us that her son could get us cheap tours of Tequila because he is the concierge of a hotel and they provide tours. So he got us the tickets and we showed up at his hotel early on Sunday morning. We took a charter bus an hour to Tequila. At first we stopped at Tequila Tres Mujeres to get some authentic, can't be exported tequila that is good for shots (not like mixed drinks). Then we went to the Jose Cuervo fields to see how the blue agave plant is grown and harvested to make tequila. In the middle of the field, I passed out onto our friend Andy. Everyone thought it was because I had drank too much tequila (Tres Mujeres gave us free samples) but I don't even like Tequila so I didn't try any. I don't know what was wrong with me but I felt AWFUL. We got back on the bus and got to the town of Tequila where we toured the Jose Cuervo factory and all got free margaritas. I still wasn't feeling great, so I didn't drink and I just took it really easy walking around the factory. We stopped for lunch and I ate some of it and then slept on the bus on the way home. When we got home I felt marginally better.

Monday (yesterday) I wake up feeling normal and then by last night I felt TERRIBLE again. I had a horrible pain in my stomach. I started questioning whether or not my appendix had actually been removed during my appendectomy because I felt like I had it all over again. However, after 2 hours the pain mysteriously disappeared and I feel fine now. I think it was food I ate at the Zoo because of what happened in Tequila the day after, but who knows?

This is short because I am running out of time, and have no further interesting stories to tell. But, pictures will be up one of these days. Thanks to everyone who wished me happy birthday! Thanks Aunt Linda and family for sending me the card! And Mom, I have to go pick up your package way downtown. So that is on the intinerary for tomorrow.

viva la ñ

It has been a lovely week! Let's see.... what have I been up to?

Tuesday we went out to dinner with Heather and an ex-volunteer from England who was about to leave the country after traveling for a month. It was a cute dinner, except for the fact that there was another monsoon going on as we ate and we had to walk a lot through it. Then it took us about 20 minutes to find a taxi to take us home. Yesterday (Wed.) we got our new housemate, Raphael! He is from France and speaks hardly any English or Spanish. My improv sign language has improved a lot since yesterday. However, he is already picking up on a lot so I have faith that he will continue to improve. Sunday our other housemate from England arrives. We are hoping he speaks French. For now we have Heather who was a French major to help us get by! Wednesday nights are traditionally old movie night at the Ex-Convent of Carmen, which is about 10 minutes from our house. We met Heather and Lisa for drinks beforehand at a nearby restaurant and then walked down to the Ex-Convent. The movie was "Then Comes September" with Rock Hudson. I was expecting it to be good in a sad, weird way because all of the other movies we have seen have been Tennessee Williams based. However the July schedule for Wednesdays is full of Rock Hudson and Dorris Day happy movies! Yay! I recommend it, it was really a great, cute, romantic movie! Tonight we are skipping Salsa in an effort to save pesos and just meeting at a bar to hang out with Heather and some other volunteers. This weekend we are going to the GDL Zoo (Sat.) and to Tequila (Sun.) which is 1 hour from GDL.

We also got some amazing news that we are 95% sure to spend 5 days at the Turtle Camp in Tecoman. We have to pay $10 USD a night to stay and for food and then for our bus ticket. We also have to find sleeping bags, but we think we will be able to borrow them. We'd be there the 14th-20th approximately. There we would help with the wildlife conservation and live the life of the PA Turtle Camp. It is a whole new world down there... It is on the Pacific but we can't go in the water because the current is too strong. Heather visited a few weeks ago and went into her ankles and almost got pulled under. However, you sleep in a sleeping bag or in a hammock on the beach and get extremely tan. I think it will be an incredible experience, and is really worth the money. I will be so poor after this summer, but the experiences have all been worth it. We are also going to Puerto Vallarta for 3 days, so we need to save our money for that too! But I'd go with Emily (roommate), Andy (my new Scottish big brother - he went to Morelia with us) and Mel (British med. student). It will be amazing if we can go.

Work this week has been veryyyy slow, which is a good thing when you consider that children NOT being there means they are getting better. But it has given us time to get to know the nursing staff better and to meet new children. The days are really boring if they are slow and there are few children there. When the only kids there are asleep or are too sick to want to play, we usually leave early. But I continue to make friends with these children (which makes it all the harder to leave them). The nursing staff at the center is so amazing. They are some of the best nurses I have ever met (except you, Mom!) and have such compassion for the children. They are also really nice and help us out with any questions we have and give us great travel advice on where we should go. Next week a lot of our "usual" kids are coming back (they are on the same cycle) and it will be a lot better. Regardless, I am happy to go and to make any child's treatment a little easier and more enjoyable.