Week 2

Sorry it's been so long. Med school turns out to be busy from day 1. Our first week was "just" an orientation week, but still full of events and lectures and seminars and socials, which added to the effort by most of us, the 104 memebers of the UR class of 2013, to mingle with each other and get to make new friends and identify who we might have something in common with, who is cute, who speaks our language, who wants to go for this or that...left us tired at the least, exhausted for the elders like myself.

Perdon por la tardanza, Medicina me trae muy liada desde el primer dia. La primera semana fue "solo" de orientacion, pero asi y todo llena de clases y reuniones y seminarios y cenas, que anyadidas al esfuerzo por todos nosotros, los 104 miembros de la clase de UR del 2013 (asi lo llaman aqui), en conocernos los unos a los otros, ver quen tiene cosas en comun, quen es mono/a, quien habla nuestro idioma, quien quiere apuntarse a esto o a lo otro...lo cual nos dejo cansados a los que menos, muertos a los viejos como yo.

Ahora, en la segunda semana, nos estamos acostumbrando al horario superocupado que, a diferencia del del doctorado, es el mismo para todo el mundo y llena las horas de casi todos los dias. Tb a diferencia del doctorado, la mayoria del tiempo la pasamos en practicas o en grupos pequenyos, y no en clases aburridas. Hemos estado dando Estadistica (que si, q es facil matematica, pero los detalles son endemoniados!), la cual es aburrida y no la preferida por ninguno de mis companyeros. Pero tb hemos aprendido sobre el aspecto Psicosocial de la medicina, aprendiendo a empatizar con los pacientes, a escuchar, a tratar de percibir mensajes no hablados, a escuchar, a crear una union con el paciente, y si, a escuchar. Leemos articulos sobre todo esto, atendemos seminarios cortos, y luego un profesor q es medico general simula una situacion con un paciente simulado. Los pacientes son actores entrenados xa esto que se parecen mucho a ti y a mi cuando vamos al medico y que curiosamente tb parecen incomodos cdo tienen q hablar de, por ejemplo, un caso extremo de diarrea.

Hasta ahora, lo unico q hacemos es hablar con los pacientes. No se yo, cdo este haciendo la residencia, cto me voy a acordar de la empatia y la simpatia si estoy trabajando 80 horas a la semana...Quiza me salga natural, quizas no...

Now, on week 2, we are starting to get a hold of our busy schedule which, unlike that in grad school, is the same for everyone and fills up most days. Also unlike in grad school, most of the time is spent hands-on or in small groups, and not in a lecture. We have been learning about Statistics (yes, easy math for me, but the devil remains in the details), which is boring and not really anybody's favorite subject, but we have also been learning about the Psychosocial aspect of Medicine (did any of you listen to the interview to Lisa Sanders in Fresh Air?). We are learning to empathise (as important for doctors as for Supreme Court Justices), to listen, to try to key in non-verbal messages, to listen, to not talk too much, to listen, to create a partnership with our patients, and yes, to listen. We read papers that describe what to do, then we get a minilecture, and then one of the family practice faculty does a 20-min simulated interview with a patient. The simulated patients are trained actors that look just like you and I when we go to the doctor, and curiously might have similar responses to what you and I might do when, say, we are uncomfortable talking about our diarrhea. Right after that, we are divided into small groups and we practice with our very own simulated patient. So far, we have just been talking with our patients a lot. I just wonder how much of what we are learning now I'll remember when I am working 80 hours in residency. Think I'll remember to empasize when somebody comes with chest pain? Tough call. Maybe it will come all natural. Or maybe not...

So that's why I am loving it, I love the interviews. I love learning about the art of Medicine. The stats...I guess they are a necessary evil. Por eso me encanta la facultad, me encantan las entrevistas con pacientes. Me encanta aprender sbre el arte de la medicina. La Estadistica...supongo q es un mal menor y necesario.

Rochester...lemme just say that I miss OR, but that I am adapting. I am now not wearing shorts, but a frigging skirt. It's frigging because I am in a cafe literally 2 minutes from my house. But I feel self-concious wearing my Oregon attire (which doesn't even include Birkenstocks!). I once wore a headband, shorts, and my Teva's to school and was told that I looked very Oregonian (most women wear dresses and high heels even on days that we don't have to dress professionally, is that a NY thing or what?). I will keep wearing shorts to school, but maybe not to the hip cafe near my house, not in the evenings...Rochester...pues la verdad es q echo de menos Oregon, pero me estoy adaptando. Por ejemplo, ahora llevo puesta una falda en vez de pantalones cortos (q es el uniforme oregones), xq es q aqui se arregla mucho la gente. Tb tengo ya amigos xa correr, ir en bici, nadar, y el paisaje es bonito. La vida es facil aki, como en Eugene. Pero como cdo estaba en Italia, todavia creo q Oregon es el sitio perfecto. Seguido por Montana, puesto q en ella esta el Parque Nacional de Montana...

I have done a close-to century ride that was prettyish, there are several parks to run and even do hills at, and apparently I am going to go open-water swimming soon. I have a range of workout buddies for my different addictions, and some friends to cook for from time to time. So not bad. Life is easy here, like in Eugene. But like when I was in IT, I still think of Oregon as the perfect place in earth. Closely followed by Montana, home of Glacier National Park. I just have a lot more friends in ORegon :) (and yes, in many many other places).

Time for Twilight...(YES, again!)

~e

Med School, Week 1

So here I am, day 2 of orientation. Aqui estoy, segundo dia de la orientacion.

Every hour or so I seem to meet 4 or 5 people. There are about 100 students in my class, most of them about the age of my students last year (or slightly older). THAT feels weird. But everyone is very nice, and the faculty seems really committed to help us succeed. Cada hora o asi conozco a 4 o 5 personas nuevas. Hay unos 100 alumnos en mi clase, la mayoria son de la edad de mis alumnos el anyo pasado (o un pelin mayores). Lo cual es un poco raro. Pero todo el mundo es muy simpatico, y los profesores parece que quieren realmente ayudarnos a q nos vaya bien (en lugar de jodernos...)

I get overwhelmed at times, when I hear about how much work we have to do, how much memorization is required (there is a reason I chose PHYSICAL chemistry, where equations are derived), and when I think of how long I have to wait to actually be a doctor in a place I want, practicing at my own pace. Hay veces q me agobio, cuando hablan de la cantidad de trabajo q tenemos q hacer, y toda esa memorizacion! (yo que eleji Quimica FISICA xa poder DERIVAR ecuaciones), y cuando pienso en todo lo q tengo q esperar para convertirme en medico en el sitio que yo quiera, con una consulta a mi manera...pues eso, agobia.Pero vamos. Lo importante es disfrutar del del camino a ser medico, no?


I think that the key is to enjoy the trip to be that doctor, right?

Gotta go. I am proud to say that I have organized the first run for our class, which starts in 15 mins...

~e

http://picasaweb.google.com/ecaballe07/ArchesAndCannyonland#5363691629250848770

Arches and Cannyonland

Well, the sight seeing is over, at least as far as National Parks go.

I went to Arches, as I had been instructed to. I liked it, it was spectacular. Crazy how those rocks can stand the way they do. They reminded me of the Roman Forum in how small I felt next to them, and how some things will crumble with time and still leave a beautiful and majestic structure. And some of them reminded me of the balconies in the Alhambra of Granada, where a beautiful window frames a yet more beautiful landscape.

It's all about associations...

Bueno, este viaje ha terminado, por lo menos por lo que se refiere a parques nacionales.

Fui al parque de "Arches", como me habian dicho. Me gusto mucho, espectacular. Hay unas rocas muy chulas como suspendidas en el aire. Me recordaban al Foro Romano en como me senti tan pequenya a su lado, y como algunas cosas se derrumban con el tiempo y aun dejan una estructura preciosa. Y algunas de estas estructuras, al ser una ventana preciosa rodeando un paisaje aun mas precioso, me recordaban a la Alhambra.

A balcony (like in la Alhambra) Balcon (como en la Alhambra)

Cool evening sky, the La Sale Mountains (sp?) in the back

Atardecer chulisimo en las montanyas de la Sal.

Indiana Jones. Seriously! No?

Cool rocks. Rocas chulisimas

Balconies. Balcones.

On the other side of things, I did get lost in my silly 7-mile hike. They put these pile of rocks on the trail and I lost them a couple of times (I think I am just spoiled from all the other trails I have followed in this trip, which are impossible to miss). The first time I got lost, the wind started picking up and I got sand stuck to my skin thanks to the sunscreen. I was looking for tracks for maybe 15 minutes, and got just a little bit nervous. I thought of taking one of those survival classes...The second time, I just didn't believe that they would have me walk on top of a rock fin. A "rock fin." I tried it for a bit, and the wind almost blew me over. Well, I thought it did. I am sure it was not that bad and that my fear of heights has more to do with it. So I just couldn't believe that this was really the trail. But I teamed up with another hiker, and we figured out, slowly and steadly, the way back. And we circumvented the stupid rock fin.

Por otra parte, me perdi en my caminata de 11 km. Marcan el sendero con unas montanyitas de rocas, y las perdi un par de veces (probablemente porque estoy acostumbrada a todos los otros senderos por los que he ido andando, en los q es casi imposible perderse). La primera vez que me perdi, se empezo a levantar una ventolera combinada con arena q se me pego bien con tanta proteccion solar. Me pase un cuarto de hora buscando el sendero, y me puse un pelin nerviosa. Creo q voy a apuntarme a una clase de esas de supervivencia...La segunda vez, es que no me creia q quisieran q andara por encima de una "aleta de roca." Ua aleta de roca! Lo intente, pero el viento casi me tira. Bueno, esto seguro q es una exageracion, y mas q todo fue el vertigo. Al final, me acople a un hombre q se ve q tenia mas idea q yo y entre los dos, lentos y seguros, encontramos el camino de vuelta. Y dandole un rodeo a la puta aleta de roca.

So Arches was cool, but Cannyonlands, another national park just north of it, was even cooler. I went there in the morning, and there was NOBODY there, it was absolutely fantastic. Me, the cannyons, and the green river. Quite an experience. Not that I hate people, but there is solace and serenity in solitude...

El parque de Arches fue chulo, pero otro parque, Cannyonlands fue incluso mas chulo. Fui muy temprano por la manyana, y no habia NADIE. Fantastico. Yo, los canyones, y el Rio Verde (no es conya, asi se llama). Una experiencia extraordinaria. No es q odie a la gente, pero hay paz y serenidad en la solitud...

The only car in the park. AWESOME.

El unico coche en el parque. GUAY.

Tetons

Here, I did do a little bit of homework. But I also stopped at the visitors' center, where two men in their 70's fought for my attention telling me where I had to go. On one side, they were appalled (and yet impressed?) that I was going ALL BY MYSELF to the "backcountry" (backpacking, that is). On the other, they wanted to send me in this 20-mile loop, 5,000 ft elevation gain. And it was already 4 pm. And there was a wall of ice to climb, and I was gonna have to use an ice ax (which obviously I don't own). I ended up deciding, with the help of the park ranger, on doing just a 5-mile hike into the Cascade Cannyon fork. The ranger particularly liked this hike bc it was in the back of the Tetons. And OMG did I find out what she was talking about. I might be in love again. Not as deeply as with Glacier NP, but at least infatuated for sure.

yellowstone and the tetons

Sooo not so impressed with Yellowstone. For wildlife, all I saw was a moose, lots of crazy trout, and two swans. Oh. And a million tourists, about 8 out of 10 in either an SUV, minivan, or RV.

I made the mistake to ask a cranky park ranger for a good place to backpack, and he sent me to mosquito-lake, to which I had to hike through a few miles of burnt forest. That will teach me to do my homework...
Yet, I have to admit that the swans and the ducks were kinda cool. And the lake was nice and warm to swim in...

The day after this, I did go and check out the geisers, nicely placed in an amusement-park style with kazillions of tourists with no walking etiquette (yes, I was cranky!). So after navigating through them all, I followed a friend's advice and went south to the Tetons...oh the Tetons. Wish I were still there...see the next post.

Glacier

I am speechless. This is probably one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life. Literally breathtaking.

I have to say that having my tent sniffed by a grizzly has scarred me a bit. And hiking by myself after seeing ginormous bear tracks (see below). But I did practice with my pepper gun today. Turns out the pepper is red. Who knew?

I am on day 6 of sleeping on my Thermalite, last nite under the stars. Day 3 w/out a shower. You'd think I crave a bed. But I am so stoked about checking out what Yellowstone and Arches have to offer!