Later that evening, all of us newcomers went out for an evening "hangout session" before dinner. (Dinner here is normally served between 9pm and 11pm.) I was so excited because I got to try the national drink, mate. It is a bitter tea, however, I was one of the few who loved it. The Argentinian culture places a significant importance on mate; it's not solely a drink but also a means of connecting with friends and family. After returning home, my family enjoyed a bowl of soup and some cheese, ham, and tomato pizza. (All of the food has been delicious.)
The following morning, 18/07, we drink coffee and tea and ate bread with several different toppings, such as dulce de leche, peach jam, pumpkin jam, and butter. I was surprised and at first dismayed to learn that in breakfast is not a significant meal to the Argentinian culture. We have the same breakfast every morning, however, I enjoy and appreciate this time each morning, because I continue to learn a lot from the conversations with my host mom and the Argentinian news that is on the tv each morning. Following our breakfast on the first morning, our group had orientation and a city tour. The views of the city were beautiful. I am continually fascinated by this city; very sheek, modern shops and restaurants are very frequently neighbored by rundown, dilapidated buildings.
On the morning of 19/07, my roommates and I ventured to the Hospital de Niños, a children's hospital. At this public hospital, I was plagued with culture shock. I have a newfound, immense appreciation for the facilities and doctors in the USA and for the high caliber of medical care that is given to patients in the USA after visiting this hospital. Medicine in Argentina is a completely different affair than in the USA. After getting dressed in my scrubs, I was escorted by a doctor in to an operating room to observe the end of an operation. The doors were wide open, the floor had rust-like stains, a line of ants was on the floor, and the equipment was severely outdated. Several doctors / nurses were not wearing masks and a couple not wearing gloves. The ones not wearing gloves did not touch the patient directly but did touch the equipment being used in the procedure. The operating table had one loose gauze-like cloth covering half of it, and the other half was left uncovered. I was never instructed to wash my hands. All of this was shocking to me, however, one thing remained constant between the healthcare in the USA and Argentina; all of the doctors seem to genuinely care for their patients. Towards the end of my day at this hospital, I noted that the environment seemed to be less male dominated than in the USA and rather a more even ratio of male-to-female presence and power. That day I was present for four surgeries, all of which were very different. In one operating room, a growth was extracted from a child's intestine endoscopically, and in another, a child with a broken hip had a metal plate put in place. I left around late morning to go eat at home with my family and later go to my daily afternoon Spanish lesson. Later that evening we had Salsa lessons.
The following day, 20/07 we attended a Diabetes workshop where we learned how to screen people for the disease. At some point, we will be testing patients for the disease at a local clinic.
On 21/07, we went to a veterinary clinic to help spay a dog. This was an interesting, hands-on ordeal. The vet leading the procedure happened to also be the daughter of my host mother. Following my afternoon Spanish lessons, we played a game of "fútbol" (my team won) and ate empanadas for dinner.
On 22/07, we went to the Vicente Agüero Hospital, which was in another city nearly one hour away by taxi. We got a tour of the hospital then resided in the x-ray area. I quickly became extremely uncomfortable when I realized that I would be standing so close to the radiation without any protection. Nobody was wearing protection. Although it was super awkward, I left the room and tried to hid behind a wall that seemed x-ray proof. In Spanish, all the medics began to chide me for not being present. I attempted to explain that in the USA it's a big deal and that everyone wears protection when near x-rays. They all insisted that they were fine, and they work with X-rays everyday and that I needed to stop being scared. It was an extremely uncomfortable and awkward situation. The medics then said I could sit in a room to chat with doctors, so I did. Nearly five minutes after sitting down, everyone in the room began to smoke cigarettes. I proceeded to leave the room and wait for my time to head home to lunch.
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