Colonia and el fin (the end)

Hola!
Well, I´ve gotten a few more stamps in my passport! Wednesday I took the boat to Uraguay to hang out in the town of Colonia. My friend from Colorado who is also living down here for awhile was supposed to meet me on the boat and.... never showed up. There was some kind of problem with a bus or something so she wasn´t able to make it to the boat in time. Yes, I was very bummed that I was going to be traveling by myself, again, but I of course didn´t let that stop me from enjoying my time there. The boat was actually like a little cruise ship - there was a restaurant, a few bars, pinball machines, and even a duty free shop where they sold things like goldfish crackers and twix candy bars! Felt like home! (almost) Although the trip was 3 hours long, it was a very nice little ride. This was my first time on a ship like this and I smiled to myself because I was thinking, ¨well, I´m off to the air on the boat deck¨ as I climbed the stairs to go outside. Oh Titanic :) Ive gotten very good at being able to ask other tourist to take my photo, proof that I was actually in the palces I said Ive been! We arrived in Colonia and I set out exploring the historical part of town. There were a lot of really old buildings, lighthouses, and even part of a town wall and old stone bridge. This part of town was very much catered to tourists so it was full of little shops, cafes, and muesems. I went to the artesian fair and couldnt help but smile when I saw how much junk there was! Some fairs are amazing, but this one seemed like a garage sale of people´s random stuff! Small town feeling for sure here. I did however have several conversations with random locals who were very interested in the fact that I was there and that I was from Colorado where it was snowing. I felt that the people here were much more friendly and laid back. I could actually make eye contact and not feel like I was circus act. I´m still not quite sure why feel like I stand out so much, but I know for a fact that I will not miss all the staring.
On the way back home I took the fast one hour ferry because I had to get back in time for my ¨despedida¨dinner with some of my friends! (going away dinner) We went to a restaurant that was set back off the street a ways and were able to sit outside without the constant noise of the traffic. It has been very nice to be part of a group here in BA and yes, it will be very hard to say bye to everyone!
Thursday was my last tango lesson :( My time spent dancing tango with these teachers for the past 5 weeks has probably been some of my most favorite times here in Buenos Aires. I LOVE tango, nothing is more sensual, romantic, and beautiful to watch/dance. I have now had 5 lessons and my teachers said that I danced beautifully :) (.... I only know a few steps so I dont know how ¨beautiful¨that can be...!) After the 2 hour lesson there is always a ¨milonga¨were locals who really really know what they are doing come to wrap their legs around each other and do all these fancy moves. It is SO beautiful to watch and I want SO badly to be able to dance like that some day. I´ll be on a mission to find a tango dance studio when I get back. Get your dancing shoes on Jon! :) you might or might not be dragged if you decline this invitation....
Friday was my last day at the hospital. I have really loved spending the past 5 weeks there. I have learned a ton and have got to witness a lot of really cool stuff. I am so happy that everything worked out because being a part of the intensive therapy group was exactly what I had hoped for. On Friday I brought treats for everyone to sort of say thanks for your patience, friendship, and guidence. Yes... the treat were good and I realized that although I bought a big box, I should have bought another one! No one seems afraid of indulging in a bonbon, tart cup, or dulce de leche filled cake bite down here! :) It was sad leaving everyone, and especially sad leaving my old friend Ricardo, who was actually doing so well on Friday. I told him I was leaving and that I would be thinking of him and I was pretty close to tears when he wouldn´t stop squeezing my hand. I hope he gets what he is wanting.... His wife and daughter again kissed me and wished me luck and thanked me for everything. ( I didn´t do hardly anything except be there physically, but once again, I guess it is the small things that have the greatest impact). After work on Friday I went out to lunch with 5 of the nurses. We had such a great time, ate a lot, and took a ton of photos. They made me promise that I would stay in touch with them and let them know what was going on in my life and with my studies. Needless to say I have about 15 places I can stay the next time I come back. Saying the last goodbyes were hard because not only had they taught me so much and showed a ton of patience with me, but now they were my friends. If you are wondering.... yes, emotional Megan did cry - but I was not the only one this time. In the end, my time spent down here in the hospital was darn near perfect :)
Friday night we went out one more time to a boliche (night club). I got to wear my new tango-ish dancing dress :) The night was SO much fun - mainly because they played 80´s music! It was so funny because with each new song that came on people would get so excited and scream and then start singing along... myself included :) We left ¨early¨, around 4:30 or so because it was SO crowded that you could hardly move, they changed the music to riggatone, and it was way too hot. Actually, although they have fans in these night clubs, they do not turn them on until about 5 or 6 AM because they want people to keep buying drinks. Also, they have obviously never heard about ¨fire hazards¨because there is no limit to how many people are let into a club. Yeah... but other than those things, it really is a great time - unlike anything I´ve experienced in the states. People here LIVE for the night!

In case you are wondering, it takes a full 7 days for a bad sunburn to become bearable. Walking, sitting, and sleeping were all very miserable until the 5 day or so. I´ve gone through 2 bottles of aloe vera, and I am now on my 3rd bottle of lotion. And my poor poor roommate... I´ve asked her to put lotion on my back so many times! I feel so bad and I have apologized a hundred times because for the past week I have always been in our room wearing almost nothing as I was covered in lotion! I´m sure she is also glad that I am better now because now she won´t walk in our room and see me laying on my stomach on my bednwith my red and white bum in the air :) AH! never again! This is really gross I know, but the other night I spent an hour in the shower and all my dead skin fell off in like 6 inch sections! Gross. I´m still a peeling mess but at least I´m not in pain anymore!

This is my last day in Buenos Aires, I´m taking a 9 hour bus to Cordoba tonight at 11 pm. I´m sad to be leaving because I´m comfortable here and have friends here, but at the same time i´m ready for a change and to be out of the big city. In Cordoba (northwest of BA) I am meeting my Italian friend and we will be traveling together for a little over two weeks in the north. I´m excited! but this means that I only have 17 days left here! I´m also anxious to get to Chile.
Part two of the adventure in Argentina starts tonight I guess! Here I go!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON! Sorry I am a bad girlfriend and am going to be missing your birthday!!!!!!!! We will have to celebrate when I get back! See you soon!

I'm OK

I just wanted to write a quick note after the earthquake in Chile to let everyone know that I am OK, they evacuated several buildings in Buenos Aires, but none of us felt anything. However I have not heard from any of my Chilean family or friends so please add them all to your prayers. It's a scary thought that if this quake were to have happened 2 weeks later instead of this week I would have been in the middle of it. Then my dad would have really booked a flight to come down here!

Fun in the SUN followed by loads of regret :(

This past weekend I decided to take a bus 4 1/2 hours to the beach, south of Buenos Aires. And since I could not find ANYONE to go with (lame, I know) I went alllllll allllone :( It may sound bad, but it was actually SO much fun. Saturday morning as early as I could muster after going out the night before I wandered around the GIANT bus terminal until I found the booth that was selling tickets to Villa Gesell. The bus was super nice with big seats, foot rests, movies, and even a snack pack - so the trip there actually went pretty fast. We got dropped off in Villa Gesell in what looked like an abandoned parking lot so I said well, here I go, and then went to ask for directions into the center (I love the fact that as a women I am not afraid of doing this). I arrived after a 10 block walk and started to search for a hotel. I unfortuatly didnt have a guide book with me so I was basically wandering in the dark. After 4 failed attempts - either bc they did not have rooms for one, or they were too expensive, I found a two star ¨Hotel Splendid.¨I got a room with actually 3 beds in it - in case I made friends? and then went directly to the beach. The beach there was so great, as far as you could see in either direction there was beach, and yes, people. Although there were a ton of people on the sand you hardly noticed it because there was always space. Everyother minute someone would come buy selling churros, corn on the cob, jewelry, and I even had one man come up to me with his arms full of metal pots! quite random. I spent maybe 3 hours on the beach on sat. because it was actually quite chilly, however that didnt keep me from walking a mile up and down the beach in the water, SO great! Especially because it was Feb. and I knew that it was snowing back home.... :)
That night the streets exploded into a big carnavel. The main street was shut down and the street became full of preformers, dances, and popcorn. There were a ton of little shops that were so fun to explore - if I only had an unlimited amount of suitcase room! Everything was so cheap that it was very hard to just say no. There was plenty to see and do but around 9pm i really wanted to eat dinner but NOBODY was eating yet! I didnt want to sit in an empty restaurant by myself so I waited until 9:45-10 to where people began to trickle in to eat. I had the very popular Milonesa which is like a big flat chicken finger expect with steak that had cheese and tomatoes on it. mmm... The food is very good here but I´m really ready for some hot sauce and not having to buy water! Later in the night a concert began that ended up being so fun. This rocking band was playing a mix of country and rock! They even played songs by Bruce Springstein, the eagles, the beatles and even a red white and blue country song. Before I knew it I was one-steppin away in my pink balloon pants! (I´m guessing one-stepping is like two-stepping but without the other person...) So yes.... a WONDERFUL first day on the beach even if I was alone. You know, there were so many odd ducks about this weekend that I never got bored watching them or felt lonely!
The second day is where the regrets come into play. For some unknown reason I decided that I didnt need to put suncreen on my legs. With that said, I am thanking my lucky stars that I at least had the brains to put suncreen on my shoulders, chest, arms, and face. I know it was so stupid but throughout the day I never got hot and there was a strong wind blowing all the time so I didnt realize how strong the sun was. Before I realized that I was as red as a lobster I had a wonderful time. I even made friends with an elderly couple when I asked them to watch my bag while I went swimming - we all shared mate together and talked for about an hour! (they also said my spanish was good :) The water temp was perfect, just cold enough to suck your breath away when you got hit by that first wave. It was actually pretty exciting because without counting the golf of mexico, it was my first time in the ¨big blue Atlantic.¨ Let´s see.... I bought a bracelet from a beach seller, a got a piece of pizza from a traveling pizza oven cart, helped some kids dig a hole, and finished my book. It wasnt until I was sitting in my seat on the bus ride back home that I realized how bad the next few days were going to be....
So now, 48 hours later, I stand a lot - bc it hurts too bad to sit on my burned bum, I waddle as I walk, and I sleep on my stomach (or try to sleep that is...) So so so stupid. I mean, I even put suncreen on before I went to school back home and I always gave grief to those who chose not to wear sunscreen..... I put my words in my mouth and I´m going back to being a sunscreen spokeswomen! just do it!!! Lucky for me the nurses snuck me out a goody bad filled with creams and lotions today, hopefully they will work fast!

On a different note, the nurses said that my old friend is dying. It was very sad to hear and even sadder when his wife and daughter came and his wife kept kissing my hand and holding it up to her cheek. I hope this will be a false alarm but at the same time I know he is suffering a lot. This couple have been married for 65 years, how do you live without someone that has been by your side for that long........

The good, the bad, and the random

So to start with bad I got pretty sick on Wednesday. I´m not sure what it was, but my stomach never stopped turning and rumbling till this morning and I might have been allergic to something because I had all these little red bumps on my side. I was planning on not going into to the hospital because I could barely stand up straight - but I figured since I was lucky enough to be surrounded by nurses and doctors everyday I might as well take advantage of it. It was actually kind of funny because as soon as I said that I was not feeling well I had literally 10 people crowd around me to take my temp, ask me questions, get me water, and look at my side. It was very sweet how concerned everyone was. I got the full check-up and people kept peeking around the corner to see what was going on with me. Needless to say, I am in good hands. I soon after left the hospital with medicine and 2 people´s cell phone numbers that I was supposed to call if I needed anything. :) I´m 90% better now which is a good thing because I only have one more week in Buenos Aires and I don´t want to miss out on anything!
The good list could go on and on! First of all I found a sweet tango dancing dress and some of the ever popular balloon looking pants. I know I am going to get some funny looks when I go out in these pants back home because they are basically louge pants that are tight at the ankles and have a crotch that goes to your knees. Sound sweet huh? Well... you may think not, but I actually want to get another pair.... :)
Twice since I have been here have my calves been mentioned. It´s an inside joke in a way because I have huge calves and can never find tall boots that will fit neither can I wear those ´skinny jeans´(a part from the fact that my voluptuous rear wouldn´t fit in them either...) :) The first comment was from an Argentine guy in my residence that basically just said, wow! you have big calves, and the other time actually happened today from a new doctor that I hadn´t met who said, Do you bike? even before introducing himself! Yes, hello, my name is Megan - yes like Megan Fox, I live in Colorado - no, not where the Grand Canyon is, and yes, I have big calves. Nice to meet you too.
This morning I had breakfast with some of the nurses in their breakroom. I brought the ¨fracturas¨ which are delicious crossant things with cheese, dulce de leche, or jam in them. And we of course shared ¨mate¨(stress on the e) which EVERYONE drinks down here ALL the time. mate is a herb that they fill this gourd with, add sugar, and a fancy straw too and drink - and then add more water, and drink. They basically walk down the street with their cup in one hand and their hot water thermos in the other. Yes, I am jealous of this great pastime - and yes, I´m bringing the mate back home with me!
We had two people die at the hospital yesterday. One man who had a a brain problem and the other was a young girl of 29 who was born with lungs that didnt work well - and then they just gave in. It´s pretty sad at times, especially when the families come. Today I spent some time with my 87 year old friend and told him about the weather outside, the olympics, the snow in Texas, how I have one more week left, and just some random stuff. I was thinking that if I was there for 4 weeks without any contact to the outside world or person to person contact I would want someone to talk to me too. I´m not sure if he understood me but he made all the right facial expressions and seemed to enjoy my company. oh I hope something doesn´t happen to him soon. and yes, I gave him a gauze soaked in water many times today. I may be loosing my head because yesterday I managed to throw away my watch when I took a pair of gloves off quickly. I can´t think of any other possiblity than that to what happened to it because I had it one minute and the next I didn´t! and... I lost my rain jacket. I think it is somewhere in between my residence and the hospital :( so yes... hopefully I do not loose my head next.
Wednesday I went to Spanglish with some of the girls I live with. Spanglish is a company that has get togethers once a week for native english and spanish speakers to come together and talk. It was actually really fun - we did 5 min in English and then 5 min in Spanish and then we switched partners... exactly like speed dating! I am very excited because I have been told on numerous occasions that my Spanish is very good and that I have an excelent accent. Whoop whoop! All the Spanish classes since 6th grade are paying off! :)
It is POURING outside now - I can´t understand how it can rain so hard for so long without running out of water!!! Another amazing thing of this wonderful world!

Tigre - the city of islands

This past saturday me and my two non-American friends (of which i realized i have made NO American friends for some reason...) took the subway, a train, and then another tourist train to get to a town north of Buenos Aires (1 1/2 hour trip) - Tigre. People from here say that Tigre is the Venice of Argentina.... and since I was lucky enough to visit Venice last September with my sweet sister, I can say that Tigre is actually not anything like Venice except the existance of water taxis. The two have no resembulance what so ever actually. It was however very fun and so wonderful to get away from the noise and crowds of the city for the day. We stumbled around the terminal until we decided to take a water taxi to the island of 3 bocas ( 3 mouths) where we would eat lunch. The water ride was so great and it actually lasted for a relaxing 30 mintues. Every house on the river had it´s own dock with a clever name - if i ever have my own dock this is something i will need to think really hard about... its got to be a good one. My truck back home for example is named ¨Big Red¨and i sweet talk it everytime we go up into the mountains while its trying to climb that first big hill. Works everytime.... so far. We get to 3 bocas and we take this cute rural little trail through a tropical looking forest until we get to our restaurant. We decided to go all out and get ice cold beer, grilled veggies, and a wonderful asado (grilled meat). It was so nice to sit in the shade, eat wonderful food and watch boats pass by. I have to mention what is one of the most exciting things I have ever seen... an ice cream boat! Yea! it just cruises the waters and makes deliveries or stops when you flag it down! Sweet. (Did I mention also that the majority of the ice cream parlors in Buenos Aires have delivery.... but i don´t use it... i just walk there, it makes me feel better about what I am about to do) :) After lunch we decided to explore the island a bit - but not before the 65 year old waiter (male) told my Finnish friend (also male) that he was beautiful and gave him his number. Awkward situation but really really funny. After we got back to the main land we caught the train back home and then all made dinner together. Good day :)
This past week went very well at the hospital. I thought I should mention that this hospital, which holds about500 beds, is considered to be one of the best hospitals in BA. There is just about everything you could possible think of relating to medicine here. Although I am now acustomed to the procedures done in the critical care unit I am still shocked when I hear that we can´t bathe the patient right now because there are no clean sheets left or when i see nurses or docs using the type of gloves that are used to serve food - the thin plastic ones, when the good latex type are available. The thing that I just can´t get over is how bad the bed sores are here on the people who have been there for awhile. The skin is black it is so dead and it is constantly oozing puss and blood. I can´t even imagine how bad it hurts. Although the nurses do clean the sores and put fresh gauze on them I can´t understand why they don´t keep the person off of their back as much as possible. I have often hinted at a nurse that my friend patient Ricardo looks uncomfortable and if we could change his position. It´s a loose loose situation because even if he gets well enough to leave the hospital there is no way that his weak body is going to be able to heal his horrible sore on his coccyx. His wife still gives me a kiss on the check and strokes my hand everyday so I will keep trying at least :)
Some of the things I have seen here are pretty cool. Sometimes I feel like I am watching my favorite show, Discovery Health Channel. There is a guy there now that had a brain tumor removed and now there is a huge indentation in his skull and the amount of black stitches he has is actually kind of scary. Another has pancreatic cancer and his skin is as yellow as a banana. I really wish that I had more of a background in medicine before I came down here so I had more of an idea of what was going on. For example when they kept jabbing this gaint needle into this guys spine to try and extract spinal fluid so they could check for an infection - i feel like i have a good grasp on anatomy so I don´t understand why there were so many failed attempts. This was all taking place without pain medication too. I was scwirming more than the poor guy. I was very surprised when i was asked if I wanted to help prepare the IV bags - because touching medicine without the proper liscense is what i feel one of the biggest no no´s in the US. I said yes of course, and then pretty soon i was breaking the tops off these little glass tubes and injecting the medicine into the IV solution. It was actually pretty fun :) however I´m going to take the advice of my wise boyfriend and not mention that on my resume when applying for jobs. (Of which I applyed for a job at Poudre Valley Hospital last night! cross your fingers!)
I really like having somewhat of a routine down here. Its nice when the security guard at the hospital recognizes me and says ¨see you tomorrow¨or when I get the same bus driver in the morning and he already knows where I am going so I don´t have to tell him. And if you are wondering, No, the ice cream scooper does not recognizes me.... (it might be because i go to various ones to try them all :)
I´ve actually been running a lot around this park a block away from my building in the afternoons. The park has giant beautiful fountains, little kids feeding the birds, people playing soccer, hot dog venders, dog walkers, and even a merry-go-round. It actually quite entertaining. However, now after taking a microbiology class and am slightly parnoid about catching one of the hundreds of diseases that pigions carry as they scatter away from me when i run by. And also with all the dogs around that are scratching themselves like crazy I always run the extra steps away from them so the flees won´t get me. E! (but flee free as of now! Whoop!)
Everything else... I am still missing the bus by seconds EVERY day no matter what time i leave at, I am getting pretty smooth and graceful and tango dancing, I eat a ton of fruit, I´m still getting lost in the city at times, I bought the first pair of shoes that i will be taken home with me (1 of 2 I think), we finally got light back in our room as it was broken for a whole week, and I am still liking how you can buy flavored milk in little juice boxes (milk boxes i guess). It´s the little things that count sometimes :) Hope everyone is surving the snow! (Should I mention that I am planning a weekend trip to the beach.... :)

Weekend in San Miguel

Hola :)
I just realized how long it has been since i last wrote one of these - it´s one of those things where you really have nothing to do however you are busy? Busy doing just stuff... ?
Last weekend was a good one (haven´t had a bad one yet). On Friday 4 of us went to listen to jazz music all night in the ritzy part of town, Palermo. It was great - there were these 3 older men just jamming for hours - all without looking at any music sheets. We managed to get a front row spot on a couple of couches and just spent the night drinking wine and eating cheese and olives. Somethings (a lot of times) it is so much more fun to go spend the night at a small relaxed place with a good atmosphere then going dancing where there are a bunch of sweaty bodies touching you. Tempting... i know.
Saturday i took the train (another first) to the town where my friend from Colorado is volunteering for a year. It was so great to see her and we babbled and babbled in English because she kept saying how good it was to speak English for a change. San Miguel, which is an hour by bus, is just one of the hundreds towns stemming off of BA. My friend, Christina, is living in a little ¨casita¨ which was actually built for her the previous year - and she is brave - i don´t think i could live there for a year! It´s a cute little house but is lacking all the comforts of American standards completly. She has to heat water up to take a shower, no stove only a hot plate, and inch thick mattress, and a constant mildew smell because of hot humid it is there. Not to mention the dance club that is a block away from her house (the walls were literally shaking that night and they didnt stop until 5 am) Brave girl!!! :) We met her host family and ate empanadas and talked about the poverty in Buenos Aires. I was so shocked by some of the stories that i heard! They are both non profit lawyers that work in the very poor parts of the city, and they were telling me about babies getting stolen so they could be ´sold´to foregin families looking to adopt, the lack of health care, the list goes on and on! They also mentioned the fact that light colored eyes babies are ´sold´for
almost twice as much... all the stories were so sad to hear. It made me want to be superwomen and fix everything. Later that day Christina took me to the community center where she volunteers witht he kids that live in the ´veesias´or slums. She kind of freaked me out by telling me how dangerous it was there and how taxis wont even go into the veesias.... and here she is walking here everyday by herself! I´ve needless to say have added her to my prayers! but no... we didnt actually go into the veesias - we kind of just looked in and called it good. Christina´s stories were also very sad to hear - about how when it rains the kids cant come to the center because they only have one pair of shoes and it is too muddy, and also about how tough all the kids are - bascially because you have to survive. This weekend has repeatedly made me count my blessings. and.... i love America (i´m not saying we dont have our own problems...) Before i left San Miguel the next day i bought 8 movies.... they are pirated but very legal here :) good quality too...!
This week at the hospital has been really good. I´m still learning a ton and ive seen more surguries and procedures lately. Today actually i got to watch the doctors repeativly stick this 5 inch, thick needle into this poor guys neck because then were looking for a particular place where they would be able to get a direct reading of the venous pressure coming into the heart (from what i understood!) The missed a bunch of times and i kept having to hand them more and more gauze! I guess it is really hard to find. Believe it or not i am actually helping prepare the medication for the patients... no big deal - i have no license or anything....
I think it was tuesday - but a man that was in a coma for weeks woke up! It was so cool, and now he is slowly getting better. I´ve taken it upon myself to be his ´water girl.´He had tubes coming out of him every which way but he is able to suck on guaze that soaked with water. All he ever wants is water... and the nurses say that i can give him as much as i want. I give him a lot... almost every 20 minutes. He is this 87 year old man that is in bad shape and i love the way he looks at me when i give him water and ask if he wants more water and if he is comfortable. When his wife comes she always hugs and kisses me... its hard not to get attached to these people! i cant help it! This couple has been together for 65 years and everyday she comes and just holds his hand and strokes his head... ah! it is so sad but really sweet.

Today marks my 3 week in Argentina... where has the time gone! sometimes it passes SO slowly and other times i realize that oh! its already wednesday!

Side note: I went out to eat with my Argentine friend last night and had a cazuela pot with pumpkin, corn, cheese, and honey... all cooked in a cast iron bowl. Yes... it was good.

i'm a tango dancer now :)

Thursday night was one of the most fun nights yet here in Argentina. I went out with two guys from France and Finland to go take tango lessons. THe French guy goes every week and after last night i am going to become a regular too! The place was behind a kind of 'dirty spoon' bar and although the big ballroom behind it smelled a bit it, was one of those places that the locals go to wrap their legs around each other. (yes... literally!) There were about 10 of us in the beginner class and the teachers were SO amazing! they danced so beautifully together. We learned the walk, a cool 8 step move, a figure 8 twirly thing, and then my favorite move was one where the girl does this cool swish and hook thing with her leg (just try to imagine - :) BY the end of the 2 hours we were doing pretty good actually! The teachers made us switch partners constantly so you feel how different people move. After our two hours we bravely went out to the real dance floor for a bit. It was definitely intimidating dancing next to these amazing dancers. Everyone actually dances with their eyes closed to "feel" the movement - however when i was out on the big dance floor i was alomst too busy watching other people dance than concentrating on what i was doing! I'm already looking forward to next week where i can work on my "flare" and the swish kick thing with the leg :)

On a completly different and random note - i have what i am sure is a very attractive story. The gym that i belong to down here, which is called "megantlon" (suiting for me), has no air conditioning. The other day i decided to go to a spinning class and by the time i got to the gym, which is only 2 blocks away, i was already dripping sweat! I wondering if you start sweating before you work out if it counts?? Anyways, during that 45 min class i dont think i have ever sweated that much in my life! I seriously had a puddle under my bike when i was done because sweat was dripping off my face every 3 - 5 seconds (yes, i timed it). yeah - it was pretty gross. Other people were sweaty too but i think i may have won if there was a contest - maybe it was because i worked the hardest :)
Another day at the gym i decided to go to a yoga class. It was a joke! i couldnt decide if i wanted to laugh or just walk out. I felt like i was in one of those "sit and be fit" shows on PBS! With no exageration at all - the class consisted of rolling your head and wrists and tapping your toe in front and then behind you. Plus we laid down on our mats for the first 15 min and the last 15 min - i almost fell asleep! (yes... the room was hot) So needless to say i will not be taking anymore "yoga" classes at that gym anymore!

Let's see... what else? I take the bus to and from the hospital everyday, and i dont know what it is but it doesnt matter if i walk really fast to the bus stop or if i saunter - the bus always pulls up and leaves 2 seconds before i get to the stop. I used to run and try and catch the driver's attention - but it never works. The next bus #50 usually come within the next 10 minutes - but i just cant believe how often i miss the bus by seconds! Bad luck? i don't know. THe hospital is still going well. It has been more quite the last few days because there are fewer patients and therefore not that much work to do. But regardless if i am doing hospital work or not i still get 5 hours of spanish practice with all the talking to the docs and nurses i'm doing! I don't understand everything that is said but at least i get the jist and am able to follow the conversation. Next Tuesday i am going out to lunch with a a bunch of the nurses - i'm already excited! I'm not sure if i mentioned this or not, but the other day i got to get scrubbed out and watch a surgury! They decided to do a tracheoscopy on a man that is in a coma. They docs even brought over a box for me to stand on so i could see better :) I think i have decided that surgury is just not for me... i LOVE all of the getting to see inside the body stuff, but i just always get too hot and start to feel woozy and i really really hate the smell of the burning tube they use (burning flesh smells makes me feel woozy too). well shall see!
It has been a rainy past few days here. And when it rains... it really rains! all day too! not like the glorious Colorado weather where it changes every 30 minutes. At least there is not a death heat wave anymore - i actually saw on the news the other day that Buenos Aired was in an "ola de calor" - a heat wave, and the nurses said that they could never remember so many hot days in a row.... figures, right!? just when i come! That's ok... because i will just eat a helado (popsicle/ice cream) I reached my 2 week mark! 3 weeks to go and then about 3 to travel - my homecoming is still a ways out - even though it feels like i have been here for much longer!
Chao!

E!

someone died at the hospital 20 mintutes before i got there and i helped the nurse put him in a body bag..... woah. Besides cadaver lab, this was a first for me - plus unlike cadaver lab the body still warm. Ya.....