I've heard horror stories about driving in the pouring rain, but I never had the opportunity to personally experience this (as if it were an honor) until my drive to Athens on Friday. WOW it was literally hailing on my car. Luckily, Herb is not easily worn down, but I did pull out the Catholicism & hold the rosary hanging from my rearview mirror for a couple of seconds. Obviously, I lived to tell the tale, but it did scare the living daylights out of me. What's worse is that people were driving at normal speeds next to me! Crazies. I was going at max 25 mph, while the bozo next to me was going 55 in a hail storm with broken traffic lights.
Anyway, I got to Athens, and the storm subsided. And as I was pulling in...there was a rainbow! I took a pic on my camera phone. Haha. Luckily, I had my Chaco's in the backseat, so I made a shoe swap, and it looked as if I'd properly prepared for the weather. Luck.
We ate at the Grit, an Athens classic. Everything vegan, everything delicious. The waitors and waitresses are hipsters or hippies and the music is perfect. I think there was some Otis Redding, Neil Young, Talking Heads. You know, the greats.
I ordered a spinach quesadilla...that I left in Mal's fridge. Just remembered that. I hope she eats it! After eating, we spent an hour at AthFest with the rain and the crowds. Dave Dondero was fantastic - bluegrass/folk. Apparently, he's on the "greatest songwriters of our time" list with some little stars like Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan. No big deal. After Dave, we watched Modern Skirts, a local Athens band who've I've heard about, but knew nothing of their music. I personally am not a fan. Kind of cacophonous and incohesive. I felt like I was listening to a bunch of shwasted people playing their instruments. Come to think of it, I probably was.
Ah, but it was so nice to be back in Athens. I really missed it. Someone told me the perfect description for Athens was "fun" and nothing more. I couldn't disagree more. I think it's famous for its bars, the nightlife, those nights people can't remember, but Athens has such a big personality aside from that. It's the cool kid that doesn't try. It's organic, artsy, and quaint. It's this secret that only some people are clued into. Clearly, I'm kind of in love with it.
So, Athens was Friday night into Saturday morning. I left around 8:30 AM after hitting up the Five Points WaHo and getting a caramel capp at Jittery Joe's. Then, MICKEY MOUSE! The day was a blur, and the party was a big success. I have that picture I promised, but it's on my dad's camera, so I'll post it when he emails it to me. The aftermath was Christmas in June. I have never seen so many birthday presents. We had some very happy 4-year-old's.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
EC breezy.
We are finally to present time!! This is so exciting. I did a lot of summarizing and left a lot of things out, but this is a blog not a journal. Plus, I can go on and on about pretty much everything, so really I am selfless and sparing you gruesome details of every activity I partake in.
I am home in EC. Home in my (still messy) room. The great thing is my house smells of yellow cake because my stepmom just baked some for my brothers' birthday party on Saturday. They are turning 4, and the party is Mickey Mouse themed. The house is buzzing with Mickey energy. I wouldn't have it any other way. And if you're worried I won't post pictures of the clan clad in Mickey wear, think again. Totally will.
I just got back from Screen on the Green. I went with my amazing friends Angela, Elaine, and Rahul (who I call Garab. Note this for all future entries regarding him). The four of us crack me up, mainly because we all became such good friends after consistently failing at Physics lab senior year. Of course, we were all friends before. I met Angela sophomore year, when we went to Europe with Orchestra. I met Garab sophomore year, too, in AP European History. Elaine and I have been friends since we were 8 years old. Lots of ups and a few downs, you know, typical for a long lasting friendship. We've pretty much grown up together. Anyway, now we love to have Physics Group Reunions. So, today Angela recommended Screen on the Green, so we went!
They were playing Star Wars. The first one...and let's be real. I have never seen the first 3 Star Wars movies. I tried to once, years ago, when I was stuck in rural Connecticut with my cousins, but it was a failed attempt. I have only seen the last three aka the most recent, starring the beautiful Hayden Christiansen. And if you're thinking, the only reason I saw it was for eye candy...you are right on the money.
So, we didn't watch the movie. We did get lost on the way there. We also enjoyed the adventure of finding Piedmont Park, which proved to be kind of difficult sans GPS. We also met up with Ryan, another high school friend. He is hilarious, and I missed him. AND we also probably walked an estimated 2 miles because we parked far away. I try to see it positively though. We got some extra sightseeing in. But wow, how I love Atlanta. I really do. I seem to fall in love with it more each year. It is a little rough around the edges, but when you hit a beautiful part of Atlanta, it really does take your breath away. I mean, all of midtown and the Piedmont Park area -- what's not to love? I'd live here my whole life. I've been to so many places, and I guess I can't speak for where I'm going to be living 10 years from now, but man, Atlanta really and truly is home.
Tomorrow, ATHENS. It's been two months too long.
I am home in EC. Home in my (still messy) room. The great thing is my house smells of yellow cake because my stepmom just baked some for my brothers' birthday party on Saturday. They are turning 4, and the party is Mickey Mouse themed. The house is buzzing with Mickey energy. I wouldn't have it any other way. And if you're worried I won't post pictures of the clan clad in Mickey wear, think again. Totally will.
I just got back from Screen on the Green. I went with my amazing friends Angela, Elaine, and Rahul (who I call Garab. Note this for all future entries regarding him). The four of us crack me up, mainly because we all became such good friends after consistently failing at Physics lab senior year. Of course, we were all friends before. I met Angela sophomore year, when we went to Europe with Orchestra. I met Garab sophomore year, too, in AP European History. Elaine and I have been friends since we were 8 years old. Lots of ups and a few downs, you know, typical for a long lasting friendship. We've pretty much grown up together. Anyway, now we love to have Physics Group Reunions. So, today Angela recommended Screen on the Green, so we went!
They were playing Star Wars. The first one...and let's be real. I have never seen the first 3 Star Wars movies. I tried to once, years ago, when I was stuck in rural Connecticut with my cousins, but it was a failed attempt. I have only seen the last three aka the most recent, starring the beautiful Hayden Christiansen. And if you're thinking, the only reason I saw it was for eye candy...you are right on the money.
So, we didn't watch the movie. We did get lost on the way there. We also enjoyed the adventure of finding Piedmont Park, which proved to be kind of difficult sans GPS. We also met up with Ryan, another high school friend. He is hilarious, and I missed him. AND we also probably walked an estimated 2 miles because we parked far away. I try to see it positively though. We got some extra sightseeing in. But wow, how I love Atlanta. I really do. I seem to fall in love with it more each year. It is a little rough around the edges, but when you hit a beautiful part of Atlanta, it really does take your breath away. I mean, all of midtown and the Piedmont Park area -- what's not to love? I'd live here my whole life. I've been to so many places, and I guess I can't speak for where I'm going to be living 10 years from now, but man, Atlanta really and truly is home.
Tomorrow, ATHENS. It's been two months too long.
Fist pump like a Champ.
I spent June 13th to 20th in New Jersey. That's right folks, home of Jersey Shore. However, Jersey to me is more of my summer home because I've spent my summers there my whole life. When I was younger, I'd go for months at a time, but it gradually decreased as my cousins (who live there) and I got older. I'm the oldest cousin on both sides. The defacto role model (obvs). Haha, I probably shouldn't flatter myself. Anyway, I'm 19, Ayesha is 18, and Nisha is 15. We have always called ourselves the Krazy Kousins. With "K's" because it adds more character.
Ayesha graduated high school. Still can't believe it's been a year since I graduated highschool, and to make matters worse, we are now BOTH collegiate! This blows my mind, considering I remember making mush stew in the backyard.
I went to Jersey to see her graduate. She goes to a Health magnet school called Academy for Allied Health Sciences. Approximate size of graduating class: 60. Crazy! Multiply that by 11 and get the size of my graduating class at Walton. Shout out, Raiders Class of 09. Anyway, graduation was on Friday. And school was every day for Ayesh and Nish, so I spent my days with a friend of my aunt's, Dr.Monteiro.
I knocked on Dr.Monteiro's door every morning at 7:45 for four days. Then, we'd drive to Newark, where she worked at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She's an associate professor there and a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. Legit.
I shadowed her. Basically what this means is I was a student observer, and that's how she introduced me to her patients.
I got to see her perform an endoscopy and a biopsy of the esophagus. That was way cool. She told me to turn to the wall if I got squeamish. Surprisingly, I wasn't squeamish at all. I was just so excited and impressed, there was no room to be squeamish. The only time I felt slightly anxious was when she removed a feeding tube from a 5 year old. It really wasn't that complicated and kind of just pulled out without any discomfort to the patient, but there was all this mucous and stuff. I won't go into details. Haha. Anyway for the most part, I would sit in with her as she talked to patients who had been referred to her. Problems were usually constipation, acid reflux, Crohn's disease, metabolism issues, and things like this. I learned really interesting things and I loved being around the kids. Also, there was a huge spanish-speaking population in Newark, so it was great to be able to use my spanish skills. Dr.Monteiro spoke it pretty well. Shows how important it is to know Spanish as a physician.
My four days with her cemented my plans of going into Pediatrics. I most definitely will be a Pediatrician. Whether or not I want to specialize is another story, though. It's just hard to think that far ahead. The life of a Medical student, as most know, is not an easy one.
4 years undergrad + 4 years Medical school + 3 years residency = Family Practitioner/Pediatrician.
Specialist? Add another 3 years. Surgery? Lord, add some more.
It's overwhelming, yes, but I know I want to do it. I can't see my life spent any other way.
Ayesha's graduation was adorable. Small and sweet. The speeches were a little overdramatic and summoned a few eye-rolls, but it's tough to write a good speech that everyone loves. So, I'll cut them a little bit of slack. There were a lot of tears on her part and that of her sister. I didn't cry, of course, because it didn't make a difference to me. We've spent our whole lives apart, most of the time. Even though she's one of the closest people to me, I only see her once a year. Twice at most.
So, yeah. Her graduation wasn't too emotional for me, but it did call for reflection on my behalf. This past year and how quickly it's gone by. How much I loved high school and how much I love UGA. Sometimes, I think about what my life would be if I were at another school. But, UGA is such a good match for me. I'm proud to be a Georgia Bulldawg.
Glory, glory!
Blood pressure, llamas, and Pisco Sour.
Peru, te extraño.
Peru is such a wonderful country. It is beautiful, too, but I didn't plan an excursion of sorts to explore that aspect of it! I just had the ISL Lima trip, which allowed me the simple interactions with a fascinating culture with gentle people and, may I say, delicious food. Let it be known, I'm totes going back to see Macchu Picchu. It's officially on my to-do list.
It is still surreal to me that I have already been to Peru and back this summer! It's so weird how you can get on a plane in one world and land in an entirely different one. I apologize for the crazy posts that seem to be all over the place. I'm going to try to summarize the trip with some finality, so then I can move on until I reach present time.
We'd go into the villages every day around 8:30 AM and do clinic work in whatever space the village coordinator provided us with, which ended up being a Church for both the places we were in: San Lorenzo and Josué. Then for lunch we were fed by Sandra's (our Peruvian trip leader) mother. It was the cutest thing. Sometimes we'd go to her house, where we got to meet her family and her dad is the cutest peruvian man who wears glasses and sweater vests, or other times she'd bring the meal to us at the church. We wore scrubs, a stethoscope, and a nametag everyday. Clinic work was the following: there were 4 groups of 4 and 1 pharmacist. We'd sit in groups and patients would walk in and sit with whichever group was available, so we all usually had a patient. Then we'd go through a family history/symptoms/details sheet and diagnose the issue. Then, the working doctor with us for the day would come around and confirm or change our diagnosis and then prescribe treatment. The doctor with us for the first two days of clinic was really nice, but kind of incompetent. The schooling in Peru is really different. Basically, people enter medical school right out of high school and just continue with it for 7 years and graduate as M.D.'s unless they continue for specialization. So, he was just really fresh and pretty lacking in confidence about what he was doing. The doctor for the second part of the trip was Dr. Roxy Roa, but the guys called her Foxy Roxy because she was so pretty. And she was on top of it. I mean, you go girl. She knew exactly what she was doing and would teach us everything as she diagnosed. Also, she's a surgeon and she's 24. Talk about hardcore/impossible in the US. Well, unless you are one of those 12 year old prodigies.
We'd usually finish up with clinical work around 5 and head back to the hotel, where we'd relax for 30 minutes to an hour and then go out on the town. The signature Peruvian dish is Lomo Saltado. A delicious beef sauteé (like fajitas) with onions, potatoes, and tomatoes, served with white rice. The signature Peruvian drinks are the Pisco Sour and Algorrabina, among others. Everything was delicious. We were never hungry. Good thing, too, because the trail mix I bought at Wal-Mart had been expired for a month when I bought it. I didn't know because they were individually wrapped in a box. Thanks Wal-Mart.
The water situation was kind of a pain. We were in a nice hotel, but they were really wary about the water being contaminated or whatever, so we had to fill up water bottles everyday from 1 of 2 of the rooms that had huge jugs in there for us. And we had to use bottled water to brush our teeth. I ended up being like well to heck with it and using the tap water to brush my teeth because really, I'd been eating food all week that had been cooked and washed with Peruvian water, and I'm still alive to tell the tale.
So yeah. The shopping was great, we did that A LOT. I am now a proud owner of an Alpaca sweater, Alpaca legwarmers, and an Alpaca blanket. We also visited the super exclusive district of Lima, Miraflores. SO nice. It was weird going there because it was almost not Peru at all. Super touristy and rich and tons of American shopping stores. Also, it was on the shore, so I felt like it was a commercial version of Malibu beach.
There is so much more to tell but I think I've covered most of it. We traveled by bus everywhere and had a lot of bonding time. Haha. Oh man. And something else was that I ended up staying an extra day than everyone else because I was on the Delta direct flight which only leaves at midnight, and everyone else was on the American Airlines connecting flight that left at 7 AM, so I spent the day with the new group and got to know them. Such a big difference. We were 17, and they are 5. However, they were pretty amazing kids! We are facebook friends. Haha. Figures. The greatest thing about the trip is that we were all from UGA...
Can't wait for Perunions in ATH!
Peru is such a wonderful country. It is beautiful, too, but I didn't plan an excursion of sorts to explore that aspect of it! I just had the ISL Lima trip, which allowed me the simple interactions with a fascinating culture with gentle people and, may I say, delicious food. Let it be known, I'm totes going back to see Macchu Picchu. It's officially on my to-do list.
It is still surreal to me that I have already been to Peru and back this summer! It's so weird how you can get on a plane in one world and land in an entirely different one. I apologize for the crazy posts that seem to be all over the place. I'm going to try to summarize the trip with some finality, so then I can move on until I reach present time.
We'd go into the villages every day around 8:30 AM and do clinic work in whatever space the village coordinator provided us with, which ended up being a Church for both the places we were in: San Lorenzo and Josué. Then for lunch we were fed by Sandra's (our Peruvian trip leader) mother. It was the cutest thing. Sometimes we'd go to her house, where we got to meet her family and her dad is the cutest peruvian man who wears glasses and sweater vests, or other times she'd bring the meal to us at the church. We wore scrubs, a stethoscope, and a nametag everyday. Clinic work was the following: there were 4 groups of 4 and 1 pharmacist. We'd sit in groups and patients would walk in and sit with whichever group was available, so we all usually had a patient. Then we'd go through a family history/symptoms/details sheet and diagnose the issue. Then, the working doctor with us for the day would come around and confirm or change our diagnosis and then prescribe treatment. The doctor with us for the first two days of clinic was really nice, but kind of incompetent. The schooling in Peru is really different. Basically, people enter medical school right out of high school and just continue with it for 7 years and graduate as M.D.'s unless they continue for specialization. So, he was just really fresh and pretty lacking in confidence about what he was doing. The doctor for the second part of the trip was Dr. Roxy Roa, but the guys called her Foxy Roxy because she was so pretty. And she was on top of it. I mean, you go girl. She knew exactly what she was doing and would teach us everything as she diagnosed. Also, she's a surgeon and she's 24. Talk about hardcore/impossible in the US. Well, unless you are one of those 12 year old prodigies.
We'd usually finish up with clinical work around 5 and head back to the hotel, where we'd relax for 30 minutes to an hour and then go out on the town. The signature Peruvian dish is Lomo Saltado. A delicious beef sauteé (like fajitas) with onions, potatoes, and tomatoes, served with white rice. The signature Peruvian drinks are the Pisco Sour and Algorrabina, among others. Everything was delicious. We were never hungry. Good thing, too, because the trail mix I bought at Wal-Mart had been expired for a month when I bought it. I didn't know because they were individually wrapped in a box. Thanks Wal-Mart.
The water situation was kind of a pain. We were in a nice hotel, but they were really wary about the water being contaminated or whatever, so we had to fill up water bottles everyday from 1 of 2 of the rooms that had huge jugs in there for us. And we had to use bottled water to brush our teeth. I ended up being like well to heck with it and using the tap water to brush my teeth because really, I'd been eating food all week that had been cooked and washed with Peruvian water, and I'm still alive to tell the tale.
So yeah. The shopping was great, we did that A LOT. I am now a proud owner of an Alpaca sweater, Alpaca legwarmers, and an Alpaca blanket. We also visited the super exclusive district of Lima, Miraflores. SO nice. It was weird going there because it was almost not Peru at all. Super touristy and rich and tons of American shopping stores. Also, it was on the shore, so I felt like it was a commercial version of Malibu beach.
There is so much more to tell but I think I've covered most of it. We traveled by bus everywhere and had a lot of bonding time. Haha. Oh man. And something else was that I ended up staying an extra day than everyone else because I was on the Delta direct flight which only leaves at midnight, and everyone else was on the American Airlines connecting flight that left at 7 AM, so I spent the day with the new group and got to know them. Such a big difference. We were 17, and they are 5. However, they were pretty amazing kids! We are facebook friends. Haha. Figures. The greatest thing about the trip is that we were all from UGA...
Can't wait for Perunions in ATH!
Trust your instinct. Not "getting ready to go" guides.
Never leave home without jeans.
ISL told me not to bring jeans, and for some reason, I heeded their advice. Why? I have no earthly idea. All I know is that I ended up staying in a 4 star hotel in the historical district of Lima...and I didn't have jeans to wear, when we went out to eat every single night. Nor did I have at least 1 nice top or neutrals like tanks or v-necks. And you know how I get about clothes (or now you do). Haha, so I ended up wearing khakis every night. Khakis purchased at Goodwill after ISL's handbook told me that I shouldn't bring clothes I wanted to keep. I think I'm going to rewrite the "Getting Ready to Go" guide because it made me think I was going to a remote Peruvian village. Which, I'll add, some people do with ISL. Plenty stay in huts in Costa Rica or in the Amazon jungles. But we were in central Lima. Honestly, my only complaint of the trip- Begrudgingly looking terrible...constantly. Thank God for my charm.
Here is my second email from Lima:
Greetings again! Just wanted to drop in and tell you that the trip is going wonderfully.
We have successfully completed 2 days of clinical work and 2 days of house visits (we go from door to door in the communities to make clinic appointments). Today I did souvenier shopping. Too much fun. Peru is just in general a very cool place (I am loving that I can practice my spanish) and this trip is absolutely amazing. Hope everything back home is doing well. Give Alex, Hayden, Chevy, and Maggie a hug for me!!! Will be writing again soon. Heard about the Natalie Holloway Dutch man murdering someone in Lima this past weekend. Don´t worry though, we always travel in one big group with our advisors. Plus, he´s supposedly in Chile now and luckily none of us are retarded enough to go back with a rando person to their house. That is creepy. And he is psycho.
brazos y besos (hugs and kisses),
Katherine
ISL told me not to bring jeans, and for some reason, I heeded their advice. Why? I have no earthly idea. All I know is that I ended up staying in a 4 star hotel in the historical district of Lima...and I didn't have jeans to wear, when we went out to eat every single night. Nor did I have at least 1 nice top or neutrals like tanks or v-necks. And you know how I get about clothes (or now you do). Haha, so I ended up wearing khakis every night. Khakis purchased at Goodwill after ISL's handbook told me that I shouldn't bring clothes I wanted to keep. I think I'm going to rewrite the "Getting Ready to Go" guide because it made me think I was going to a remote Peruvian village. Which, I'll add, some people do with ISL. Plenty stay in huts in Costa Rica or in the Amazon jungles. But we were in central Lima. Honestly, my only complaint of the trip- Begrudgingly looking terrible...constantly. Thank God for my charm.
Here is my second email from Lima:
Greetings again! Just wanted to drop in and tell you that the trip is going wonderfully.
We have successfully completed 2 days of clinical work and 2 days of house visits (we go from door to door in the communities to make clinic appointments). Today I did souvenier shopping. Too much fun. Peru is just in general a very cool place (I am loving that I can practice my spanish) and this trip is absolutely amazing. Hope everything back home is doing well. Give Alex, Hayden, Chevy, and Maggie a hug for me!!! Will be writing again soon. Heard about the Natalie Holloway Dutch man murdering someone in Lima this past weekend. Don´t worry though, we always travel in one big group with our advisors. Plus, he´s supposedly in Chile now and luckily none of us are retarded enough to go back with a rando person to their house. That is creepy. And he is psycho.
brazos y besos (hugs and kisses),
Katherine
Peru, at last.
Oh my goodness, preparing for my trip to Peru consumed my entire being. I was definitely a Katherine-on-edge. Not to mention, my room was (and still is) a confused disaster, stuck somewhere between moving out and moving in (leaving the dorm and now getting ready for my first apartment). I first found out about the trip through UGA Without Borders, who sent me notifications on the listserv (email). It was advertised as a third-party organization, International Service Learning, that hosted trips in Latin America and Tanzania that ranged from 10 days to 2 weeks among other things. There are medical trips, those concerned with dentistry, education, construction. Plenty of things to satisfy any volunteer. Anyway, I chose Peru. I've heard nothing but praise for the country, especially since a fairly large group of kids from my high school went to Peru with their church in 2009. Apparently, I found out about the trip a little late. So, when I signed up, there was all this confusion about what dates I was going on and blah blah blah. The trip coordinator, Diane, was terrible. She was nothing but a name to us, signed at the bottom of forwarded emails. Pick up phone calls? Funny joke. Reply to emails? Don't make me laugh. Let's just say, she became our best friend very quickly.
I kept telling myself that she was misrepresenting the program & I was going to have a fantastic time. I clenched my fist and trudged through the motions of payment and total preparation because I knew it would be worth it. And it was.
I'm slacking, and I haven't uploaded pictures yet, but here is my first email to my parents from Lima. Note the irony of the opening sentence:
So as much as I wanted to have a blog, I've decided it takes way too
much effort so I'm going to write you emails instead! Today was
surreal. First off we are staying at the hotel continental in lima in
the middle of the city. Yesterday was a nice introduction to the trip.
We had a breakfast in the hotel and then an orientation on ISL and the
trip. Then, we walked around Lima and came back and ate lunch. After
that we had a medical orientation that was Way too cool. Doctor Pedro
taught us about basic common Peruvian diseases and how to check vitals
and take a glucose reading. Dinner ran late yesterday so we ended up
waking up at 8 today instead of the usual 730 which will be our wake
up time tomorrow. The hotel feeds us a cute continental bfast with
cafe and fresh juices and fruit. Then we were bussed to San Lorenzo,
which is a suburb of the city located in the mountains, where we went
from house to house making appointments for those who are sick in the
community because we will have a clinic in the local church for
Tuesday and wednesday. It was completely surreal. I spoke Spanish to
all the locals and stood there in my scrubs as they described their
symptoms to me and my group issued them a clinic appointment. ah I
still can't believe I an here! Then when we were done scheduling we
headed to our group leader's house and ate homemade Peruvian food
prepared by her mom. It was so delicious. You know, Peru reminds me so
much of India and Spain. It's like if the two had a baby. Anyway after
eating we went on a tour bus to the top of one if the mountains of the
city where there stands a big beautiful cross called the cruz de San
Cristobal or the cross of st. Christopher. ahh! Wonderful. And the
best part is that all of us get along so well. We are all constantly
laughing and having such a great time AND we are all pre med
bulldawgs! In peru! So far I have just bought some saint bracelets and
an awesome green alpaca sweater that you will see in pictures.
Tomorrow is the first day of clinical work so keep us in your
prayers!!
Love,
Katherine
I kept telling myself that she was misrepresenting the program & I was going to have a fantastic time. I clenched my fist and trudged through the motions of payment and total preparation because I knew it would be worth it. And it was.
I'm slacking, and I haven't uploaded pictures yet, but here is my first email to my parents from Lima. Note the irony of the opening sentence:
So as much as I wanted to have a blog, I've decided it takes way too
much effort so I'm going to write you emails instead! Today was
surreal. First off we are staying at the hotel continental in lima in
the middle of the city. Yesterday was a nice introduction to the trip.
We had a breakfast in the hotel and then an orientation on ISL and the
trip. Then, we walked around Lima and came back and ate lunch. After
that we had a medical orientation that was Way too cool. Doctor Pedro
taught us about basic common Peruvian diseases and how to check vitals
and take a glucose reading. Dinner ran late yesterday so we ended up
waking up at 8 today instead of the usual 730 which will be our wake
up time tomorrow. The hotel feeds us a cute continental bfast with
cafe and fresh juices and fruit. Then we were bussed to San Lorenzo,
which is a suburb of the city located in the mountains, where we went
from house to house making appointments for those who are sick in the
community because we will have a clinic in the local church for
Tuesday and wednesday. It was completely surreal. I spoke Spanish to
all the locals and stood there in my scrubs as they described their
symptoms to me and my group issued them a clinic appointment. ah I
still can't believe I an here! Then when we were done scheduling we
headed to our group leader's house and ate homemade Peruvian food
prepared by her mom. It was so delicious. You know, Peru reminds me so
much of India and Spain. It's like if the two had a baby. Anyway after
eating we went on a tour bus to the top of one if the mountains of the
city where there stands a big beautiful cross called the cruz de San
Cristobal or the cross of st. Christopher. ahh! Wonderful. And the
best part is that all of us get along so well. We are all constantly
laughing and having such a great time AND we are all pre med
bulldawgs! In peru! So far I have just bought some saint bracelets and
an awesome green alpaca sweater that you will see in pictures.
Tomorrow is the first day of clinical work so keep us in your
prayers!!
Love,
Katherine
How about that ride in? Must be why they call it Sin City. Ha ha ha.
I went to Vegas from May 9 to May 13. Yes, I missed Mother's Day to spend a week in Sin City...but my mom forgave me because she is amazing. Why did I go to Vegas, you ask? Well, one of the girls who lived on my hall this past year, Mckee, graciously invited me. Her dad works for an electronic distributing company (EDS), which was hosting a trade show at the Paris Hotel Casino in LV, baby! The deal included 4 nights in the Paris Hotel, 2 meals a day (sometimes 3), and $375. Holla!
We woke up around 6:45 every morning to arrive, polished and fed, at the Conference center at 7:45. Those of you who know me are probably amazed at those hours. I'm amazed, too. For those of you who don't know my sleeping habits, let's just say for 8 AM Calculus fall semester, I literally rolled out of bed at 7:45 and managed to get to class on time, looking like a complete disaster. Lucky for me, everyone in the class was constantly in a stupor they'd made it themselves and nobody really gave a hoot about what each other looked like.
Back to Vegas. Of course, you have to be 21 to gamble/party in Vegas because gambling involves free alcoholic beverages. So, sadly, Mckee and I couldn't really partake. BUT, we did see The Lion King at Mandalay Bay and did a heck of a lot of sightseeing. The great thing about Vegas is that it really is alive at night. You don't have to be under the influence of anything (though most are) to have a great time. We were usually back in the hotel room by 10 PM, though, since we had to report so early every morning. No complaints here, though. Definitely going to go back in a few years..Post - 21 years of age.
Me and the Strip!
View from our hotel room. Pretty bossy.
EDS trade show! Had some great conversations with men in business attire. My personal favorite? A German-Canadian who told me about his philosophy of life. Incredibly interesting. Of course, I can't remember his name because this happened a month and a half ago, but he was such a character. Charming and 69 years old. He told me he swam and ran everyday and took it upon himself to constantly want more out of life. Amen to that.
We woke up around 6:45 every morning to arrive, polished and fed, at the Conference center at 7:45. Those of you who know me are probably amazed at those hours. I'm amazed, too. For those of you who don't know my sleeping habits, let's just say for 8 AM Calculus fall semester, I literally rolled out of bed at 7:45 and managed to get to class on time, looking like a complete disaster. Lucky for me, everyone in the class was constantly in a stupor they'd made it themselves and nobody really gave a hoot about what each other looked like.
Back to Vegas. Of course, you have to be 21 to gamble/party in Vegas because gambling involves free alcoholic beverages. So, sadly, Mckee and I couldn't really partake. BUT, we did see The Lion King at Mandalay Bay and did a heck of a lot of sightseeing. The great thing about Vegas is that it really is alive at night. You don't have to be under the influence of anything (though most are) to have a great time. We were usually back in the hotel room by 10 PM, though, since we had to report so early every morning. No complaints here, though. Definitely going to go back in a few years..Post - 21 years of age.
Me and the Strip!
View from our hotel room. Pretty bossy.
EDS trade show! Had some great conversations with men in business attire. My personal favorite? A German-Canadian who told me about his philosophy of life. Incredibly interesting. Of course, I can't remember his name because this happened a month and a half ago, but he was such a character. Charming and 69 years old. He told me he swam and ran everyday and took it upon himself to constantly want more out of life. Amen to that.
This is quite overdue.
Ello lovelies!
The last time I kept a blog/journal/xanga was in 7th grade, so I might hit a few speedbumps as I try to reacquaint myself with this. Bear with me :)
Okay, so where do I begin? Today has been a lovely day. I woke up at 11 am, cursing myself for being a bum. This happens almost every other day, when my cell phone alarm fails to go off or happens to be set on silent. I wonder who does that...I then took Herb (my SUV) on a trip down Shallowford Rd. to eat lunch with my lovely friend Amanda, who I haven't seen in a month. We overstayed our welcome in Mellow Mushroom, but they thanked us for dining with them regardless. Haha.
So, I created this blog because I love to travel, and I have already done quite a bit of travelling in my 19 years. This summer, I went to Las Vegas, Peru, and New Jersey. I have a scheduled roadtrip to Savannah, GA (a bit more local) for the 4th of July, and I am spending a week and a half in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle/Vancouver). Then, August 13th, I move into my home for the year: an apartment in Athens with 3 of my favorite girls.
I suppose I'm going about this in kind of a backwards fashion because 3 of my 5 summer trips have already happened. But, I am going to briefly talk about them and their purpose and post some pictures, too!
The last time I kept a blog/journal/xanga was in 7th grade, so I might hit a few speedbumps as I try to reacquaint myself with this. Bear with me :)
Okay, so where do I begin? Today has been a lovely day. I woke up at 11 am, cursing myself for being a bum. This happens almost every other day, when my cell phone alarm fails to go off or happens to be set on silent. I wonder who does that...I then took Herb (my SUV) on a trip down Shallowford Rd. to eat lunch with my lovely friend Amanda, who I haven't seen in a month. We overstayed our welcome in Mellow Mushroom, but they thanked us for dining with them regardless. Haha.
So, I created this blog because I love to travel, and I have already done quite a bit of travelling in my 19 years. This summer, I went to Las Vegas, Peru, and New Jersey. I have a scheduled roadtrip to Savannah, GA (a bit more local) for the 4th of July, and I am spending a week and a half in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle/Vancouver). Then, August 13th, I move into my home for the year: an apartment in Athens with 3 of my favorite girls.
I suppose I'm going about this in kind of a backwards fashion because 3 of my 5 summer trips have already happened. But, I am going to briefly talk about them and their purpose and post some pictures, too!
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