Tuesday:
Today
was our first day to take the Metrobus with Reyna so that we would
understand how the city transportation works in case we ever needed to
use it. Tuesday brought another day of classes where we learned more
about the Mexican culture and the biggest illnesses in Mexico, along
with a special topics seminar that was focused on the gastrointestinal
diseases and infections.
After classes I went home to enjoy one of
Reyna's meals and then that night we went out to explore the night life a
little bit. We went to El Centro in Puebla and enjoyed some of the
restaurants and bars they have near there. We also saw one of the
biggest cathedrals that Puebla has. Even though it rained most of the
night we still enjoyed ourselves and the beauty of Puebla.
Wednesday:
Other
than starting my day with a run in the park and going to classes, not
much happened today. Our special topics seminar covered the health care
system in detail and I learned that there are many different types of
hospitals in Mexico. One of them is open to the public and is free for
those that need it and another hospital they have is a private one,
where you are treated as if you are living in a 5 star hotel. After our
classes, I went to Walmart (yes there is a Walmart in Mexico) to look
for clothes for our hospital rotations and then I went home to enjoy a
night in. I tried to watch some shows on Netflix, only to realize that
when you come to Mexico Netflix changes to the Mexican version, which
has different shows and most are in Spanish.
Thursday:
Thursday
was the first day that we visited the hospital where we would have our
rotations, and man that was exciting. My group of six will be working in
the new hospital in Cholula, which is a public hospital and only has 90
beds. Most of the hospitals here in Mexico are small, but there are
plenty of them. We didn't get to tour much of the hospital today because
we didn't have our "credentials" yet, but we did have a beautiful view
of the two volcanos here in Puebla, one active and one inactive, La
Malinche.
Fun fact: Puebla is home to the smallest volcano in the world.
For our special topics class we visited the physical therapy center
here in Puebla and it was beautiful! It seemed like it was very new to
the city.
After our classes, we went out to go dancing at some of the
dance clubs in Puebla. The first club we visited was Assucar, and it
turned out that they were having a comedy show that night instead of
dancing. I'll tell you one thing, some of the humor here is a bit
different than the humor in the United States. After Assucar we went to
Tumbao Lation, a salsa and buchata dance club, where we put our dance
skills from the fiesta to the test! Needless to say, we weren't the best
and made a dance circle in the club instead, in a typical American
fashion.
Friday:
Friday
began with classes as usual, but instead of having a regular guest
lecturer we went to visit the cadaver labs at UPAEP. It was one of the
coolest things that I have ever experienced. In the cadaver lab I got to
palpate one of the cadavers and on a dissected cadaver we were able to
see a person's heart, a smoker's lungs, an alcoholic's liver and the
guys stomach, which is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. We also
were able to see a person's head cut in half to examine the different
parts of the brain and the different cavities that the brain has. After
we looked at that, we got to hold and see fetuses that didn't make it to
full term. It was a very sobering experience to have.
We viewed many
more parts of the body, like the central nervous system, different human
bones that had been preserved and part of a human arm that had all of
the muscles separated. After we finished with the cadaver lab we saw the
different simulation labs that they have at UPAEP for the Med students
and we even participated in one where we needed to use CPR, and a
defibrillator to try and keep a dummy alive. I'd be lying if I said we
did well during that simulation.
After we finished with our guest
lecturer we went on a tour of Puebla in a double decker bus. The city of
Puebla is very beautiful and the buildings have a bunch of Spanish
(Spain) influence in the way that they are built. We visited a place
that makes and sells pottery by hand, and learned the process that it
takes to make each pot. About half way through the tour, Puebla's rainy
season took effect and rain poured down on us, as well as hail.
Fortunately for us we had put the top cover on so we all stayed semi
dry. The hail did not last too long, but the rain continued for the
entire tour, where we saw historical statues and learned more about the
history of the city. Friday was a very eventful day and I could not be
more excited for the other opportunities that I will have here in
Puebla.
***Graphic pictures to come scroll if you don't want to see***
Saturday:
The
last day of our first week here and we spent it touring Cholula, which
is another beautiful city in Mexico. We toured two of the 365 churches
in Cholula, (one for every day of the year/one for every pre-hispanic
temple built in Cholula). The churches were very pretty and had very
ornate detail to them. Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures
inside the churches but here are links to look at pictures yourselves:
La
Iglesia de Santa Maria
Tonantzintla: http://www.amigosmap.org.mx/2013/10/30/tonantzintla-maxima-expresion-del-barroco-indigena/
Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iglesia_de_Nuestra_Se%C3%B1ora_de_los_Remedios_(Mexico)
http://www.hostaldesanpedro.com/iglesia-nuestra-senora-de-los-remedios-y-piramide-de-cholula/
We
also visited the pyramids of Cholula which you can see pictures of with
the Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios. While we were touring parts
of the pyramids, we were also able to travel under the pyramids through
the tunnels and see different parts of the pyramids that were built on
the pyramids before them. In total there were 4 pyramids that were built
on top of each other over time. We finished our tour of Cholula by
walking around downtown and looking at all the different shops and
booths that they had. Everything here is so colorful and beautiful and I
can't wait to go explore other parts of Mexico!
Tips for the week:
- Start of slow with all of the spicy Mexican food
- bring prepared for ANYTHING!
- Remember that Mexico is closer to the sun, so apply sunscreen more than you think
- Always have your rain jacket
- Drink plenty of water (duh)
- Don't be afraid to ask for help
- Have fun!
Join me next week for more Cuando en Puebla!
-Natalie is a graduate of the University of Arkansas where she majored in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. In the fall she will be attending UAMS's College of Pharmacy. She is an adventurer and is always ready to try something new! This summer she will be embarking on the first of hopefully many adventures abroad. Follow along with Natalie as she explores health care in Puebla at https://namdi0.wixsite.com/nirvinabroad
The U of A Faculty Led: Spanish Immersion & Service Learning in
Puebla offers Spanish Language Immersion plus Internships
in Health Care, Business, Community Service or Education. Learn more at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/puebla.
