Pictures!

We just got back from meeting up with Maritza's second cousin, Juan Carlos, who is currently a fourth-year (out of seven years total) medical student at UNAN-Leon (the university affiliated with the hospital in which Amy and I have been working). He is a sweet 22-year old guy who rises at 5:45 am and studies until 1 am every night. We spent a few hours chatting and listening to a live Nicaraguan band at a local bar, El Divino Castigo. He's the only soon-to-be doctor in a large extended family and so has started fielding health-related questions from many relatives already.

It was hard to say goodbye to the OB residents, medical students, and nurses today. The best part of every internation rotation has always been meeting people and creating new friendships; the worst part saying goodbye and wondering when the next time we see each other will be.

Cindy

Here are some pictures as promised:

1. The beautiful home of Maritza's beautiful family in Matagalpa

2. 10-year old Jason (Maritza's nephew) with the three 1-month old puppies

3. Amy with 3-year old Kenneth (Jason's brother), who brought out each of his toys one by one to show us

4. Maritza's mom with grandchild #37, 6-week old baby Joseph!


5. Lorena, Maritza's youngest sister and proud mother of the three boys


6. The best place in Matagalpa to find hand-made guirilas (corn tortillas) -- que rico!


7. Amy and I at Selva Negra feeling happy after a belated breakfast and cup of fresh organic coffee


8. The swans line up for a photoshoot


9. Amy enjoying her new digital camera at Selva Negra, where there are also many hiking trails


10. The chapel at Selva Negra that looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale


11. Our taxi driver, named either Wilmer or Wilber, stops to let us take a picture of Matagalpa


12. The view atop of a hilly street in Matagalpa on our way to the bus terminal


13. When was the last time you rode a school bus -- for 4 hours?


14. Hospital Escuela Oscar Danilo Rosales, the UNAN-Leon affilliated teaching hospital where Amy and I are working


15. The OB residents, Dr. Danilo, and me


16. Their version of the Friedman curve (based on a huge Latin American study), filled out *hourly* by residents and med students and required for every patient!


17. The lone external fetal heart monitor in L&D, more often than not it seems that the tracing is "non-reassuring" and the patient is off to a c-section. :( Evil.