Therese Without Borders

Hi hi!! I've been having so much fun that I have been putting off writing my blog.  Hmm where do I start.  So I did my week in the clinic with an alternative physician.  She was really great to work with.  She has studied Chinese medicine and acupuncture in China and herbalism in Spain.  I am definitely going to remember the tender way that she talked to her patients and the tenderness that she touched them  with.  Some of my duties at that clinic included taking the needles out after an acupuncture session and also taking blood pressure and applying herbs on to the body.

The last week of my Child Family Health International program was at CRIT, (Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil Teletón) a center  for handicapped children in Oaxaca. They have several CRITs in major cities around Mexico and try to build a new one every year from funds that they raise in a major telethon every December.  But they are still pretty far in between if you don't live in a major city.  One mom that I saw had traveled 8 hours with her daughter to come to CRIT for appointments for the day. Anyway the Crit facilities are amazing.  Beautiful, clean, latest technology, the staff where I worked with were all really good with the kids and really compassionate.  They have all types of physical therapy including a huge pool for therapy, occupational therapy, dentists, art therapy, psychiatrists, sports therapy, mechanical therapy with machines that I don't understand , electrotherapy, all types of physicians etc etc...  all specialized to work with handicapped children.  I have really been noticing based on the clinics that I have been to, the technology and standards of sanitation are a lot lower I think mostly because they don't have the resources, but CRIT was right up there with the best centers Ive seen in the US!  I spent my time there working in the nursing station.  I took a lot of vitals signs on patients which was really good for practicing my numbers in Spanish.  Im really glad I got to do this program, I have learned so much about the health care system here and got a chance to know Oaxaca which I love more and more each day!

This last week I moved out of my host family's house and into an apartment to stay here for another month or so, I am renting from a friend of my host moms, who is cutting me a deal.  I am continuing with Spanish lessons twice a week with my amazing teacher and have been volunteering at an organization called Oaxaca Street Children.  They are an organization that provides kindergarten for the kids that would otherwise probably be working on the street .  They serve lunch to up to 80 children per day, provide medical care when they have a nurse or doctor available and a center for support.  They also set up sponsorships for people to financial support children though high school.  I have been doing anything from going through the clinic to check for expired medications, helping kids with their homework, translating thank you  letter from Spanish to English from the child to their sponsors  or helping in the office.

I also had a really cool experience this last week.  One of the guys I worked with in the nursing station at CRIT is also a paramedic for the Mexican Red Cross in the nights.  So he took me to work the other night.  I got to follow the doctors for a while in the urgency area, then got to go to part of a paramedic's student class and got to ride around Oaxaca in the ambulance with the paramedics all night when they got a call.  It was really interesting and exciting!

 I am still dancing away, have made a couple new friends. My Spanish is improving, but not without several embarrassing mistakes and miscommunications per day haha.  My aunt Lili and her husband came to visit me last weekend, so that was fun!  Ive been taking pictures, just haven't been to a computer that will let me download them onto the internet yet!  I will go to an internet café soon.  Hope all is well with everyone!

Until next time.....

THERESE

 

This week was another great one in Oaxaca! I got to go to a new clinic.  I have been going to Dr Margarita´s private clinic. She is a general doctor who sees everyone from babies to the elderly from all over Oaxaca and surrounding places.  Her clinic is about a 40 mintue walk from my house, so I've been able to see a different part of town. It is very small and it´s just her, she doesnt even have a nurse that helps her out.  As Ive say before, things are every different here healthcare wise.  For example, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that she doesnt even use a computer. She has a type writer that she writes out orders and perscriptions on. Its really amazing. I have enjoyed working with her this week because she is very nice and since its just the two of us, I felt like she was much more receptive to me and helpful with my questions and showed me a lot of cool things.  She is a very good doctor who is nice to her patients and always takes the time to listen to them, which can be rare in some doctors. Tomorrow I head to a new physicans clinic who also incorporates traditional and alterantive healing therapies.  My medical cordinator Dr Tenorio, described her as ¨an angel¨, so I'm excited for this week.

 

I have started going to a Latin dance studio.  It cost 30 dollors for all the classes you want all month, for up to 5 hours every evening Monday through Friday (talk about a good deal).  My teacher is a dancer that has won all sorts of dance competitions here. He along with several male assitants are there to dance with us every night.  So I went 4 nights this week and have been having a blast.  Friday night I went back to La Candela, the best salsa dance place in town with live music to try out my dancing in real life and had lots of fun.  Saturday some friends and I went to Mercado Abastos, one of the biggest markets around.  We walked around for a while getting lost often. Its an insanely large, busy market.  Anything you could need was there, all fruits and veggies, herbs, meat, live animals, honey, clothes, shoes, dairy; the list does on and on.  I tried a new fruit called a granada, its this greenish yellow fruit that you open up and it has crunchy gray seeds with greenish slimy flesh all around it. Sounds kind of gross, but its sooo delicious, I think it might be my new favorite, and its the season, so I will be buying a lot more of them in the next few weeks.  I also tried a very traditinal drink called Tejate, that is made out of chocolate, cornmeal and sugar.  Sunday we took a bus to Milta a neighboring town that has more Zapotec ruins.  As we were walking towards the ruins, our guide from Monte Alban drove up next to us in his van and offered for us to join him.  So we walked the ruins with him and a nice group of elderly people from the US and Canada. He also took us to a near by village called Teotitlan. It's famous for its hand woven carpets, which is how most of the people who live there make there living.   We visited a weaving family who showed us the process of getting the wool ready and dying it with all natural sources and then how they weave it.  Some of the carpets were absolutly gorgeous, if I had money and a house I would buy one.  Even though the carpets seemed expensive, each medium size one takes one person about 8 months to complete working eight hours a day.  I also read that their standing prices only equal out to a little less then a dollor per hour.  Yet this village is relatively wealthy in comparison to other villages around the area.

 

I am still humming along with my Spanish, I practice a lot, but Im still far from good! The weather has been a lot warmer and lots of hot sun this week, which I love.  I am starting to get a lovely farmers tan, from all my walking around town. I have a week of more learning and dancing ahead of me

Until next time.......

THERESE

 

Hello everyone! I made it here to Oaxaca for my Child Family Health International program.  I am just starting my 2nd week here.  My host family includes a retired Mother in her 50s named Mercedes and her elderly mother Coco (who couldnt be more cute).  They are both so nice and wonderful cooks! Mercedes´ daughter is also often there with her 1 year old twins. The house is clean and comfortable, so I am very lucky.  I live right in the central part of town so I am in walking distance of the Zocalo (main square), my school, and a lot of fun bars and restaurants.  I arrived last Sunday evening and got started on my program right away.  I go to a clinic from 8 to 1 everyday and then go home for Comida (main meal) and then have spanish classes from 4-6.  I get to change clinics ever week, so I can experience a variety of things.  This week I was in a clinic about 5 blocks away from my home. I spent a few days with the nurses who were giving vacinations. One day I went with the clinic Health Promotors out into the community. We went from house to house inquiring about their health and the health of everyone living in the home. We check on people that we know are sick to make sure they are okay and even those that arent just so they know we are good resource if they need anything. I also spent one day with a doctor seeing patients with general health complaints.  I have been learning a lot about the health care system here and a lot of Spanish. Its very different seeing healthcare practices here.  For one thing they dont have as many resources, or the same standards of sanitation, as least compared the hospital I worked at in Minnesota. 

I am the only student in my level of Spanish, so I get a teacher all to my self, its really great and I feel like I´m finally making progress.  I just started intercambio, where I meet with a Spanish speaker from here that is trying to learn English. We talk for a half hour in English and then a half hour in Spanish a few afternoons of the week.  So I am getting lots of practice and of course talking with my host family.  My frist weekend here was a lot of fun.  Friday night we checked out La Candela, a restaurant/bar that has live Latin music.  We got free dance lessons and then burned up the dance floor for the rest of the night dancing Salsa, Merenge and Bachata.  It was a blast!  Saturday I went ot Monte Alban, an ancient city ruin site just outside of the city.  Our guide told us that they have uncovered only about 3 percent of the city, leaving the other 97 percent underground.  There are amazing views of the whole valley of Oaxaca from there. It was a kinda rainy, cloudy day, but still very interesting.  Saturday night be tried out a disco that played modern and techno music. It was a fun young crowd and a good place to dance. I was supprised at how many Americans and travelers were at the bar.  Sunday I went with my host family to El Arbol del Tule.  If I was told correctly, It has the biggest trunk either in the world or North America.  It in the next town over from Oaxaca called Santa Maria.  We also ate at the market there and I tried my first Tlayuda.  Which is a famous oaxacan dish. Its a super large tortilla with toppping on it such as beans, cheese, avacado, tomato, meat if you want.  Its kinda like a tortilla pizza, and delicious.  They are also famous for their chocolate here, so I have been drinking  a lot of hot chocolate. It tastes darker and fuller here, even though they often make it with water instead of milk.  Tomorrow I get to go to a new hospital or clinic to learn some new things.  My main doctor here told me I get to spend a week at a natural clinic because I told him I have an interest in alternative medicine, so I am excited for that.  I met a salsa instructor this weekend that ofers really cheap group lessons and also a girl that is taking lessons from him right now, so I am going to go check that out tonight after Spanish class.  I have been keeping really busy here inbetween clinic, Spanish class, intercambio and studying my Spanish, but as you can tell I have been able to squeeze in time for fun too.  I like to walk up to the zocalo just to people watch and get a snack some nights.  There are always tons of people and families out and something going on at the zocalo, such as live music or dancing.  The streets around it are lined with white holiday lights and the trees are huge and beautiful.  The city feels very safe and charming with a lot of travelers passing through. Okay off to Spanish class. 

Until next time.....

THERESE 

I have done so much since my last blog entry that I feel it will be impossible to fit it into one blog.  Plus I´m in a big hurry on my way to Oaxaca, so I'm gonna sum up all the activates really briefly and a link to the pictures which speak for themselves.   First of all there were more parties! We celebrated my aunts bday at an Italian restaurant and celebrated my uncles birthday with a surprise party for him! There was lots of delicious food and we even broke into an impromptu dance party with the ladies from my dance class! (Every Tuesday and Thursday my aunt has a dance instructor come to her house to teach a dance class.  I have been joining in while I have been here; it has been a blast even though everyone beats me in age by at least a few decades!)

My brother and girlfriend were in town so us three when to go see Placido Domingo the famous opera singer, sing for free on the main street of the city.  Once again all the relatives shyed away from the crowds, but we had a great time.  There were hundreds of thousand of people there from babies, to teens, to very old people out that night to hear him sing class opera, maricachi and Christmas music all in between the angel of independence ( one of the most beautiful and significant monuments in Mexican History) and the worlds largest Christmas tree (yes officially; Mexico City is obsessed with breaking records, other records they have broken, most people kissing at once in one spot, largest naked people pictures, lasts crowd dancing thriller).

We celebrated Christmas at my aunts house.  The Mexican tradition is to celebrate Christmas eve (Noche Buena) and we enjoyed great company and a midnight turkey dinner!  Christmas day my brother and I skyped the family in Minnesota and pathetically watched them have Christmas from the computer screen : ).  Then we went to my cousins house and spent quality time with the cousins and eating left over's.  We celebrated Kent's birthday the next day with a lovely meal at my aunts house and then out for drink in our neighborhood with the cousins.

We also were able to squeeze in going to Chapultepec Castle, once where the preseidents lived, now a history museum, and the museum of modern art.  And we went to Xochimilco one sunday, which is a canal where people float in colorfully painted boats and there everything that you could want floats up to you, beer, food, vendors, mariachis, plants! Its very cool! 

Next I got to go on a fabulous vacation with my aunt and uncle, and some of my cousins.  We drove north to the region of Lourdes to stay the first night.  There the scenery was small town desert Mexico.  The region of Lourdes has a lot of fresh mineral water that they sell to drink and also use therapeutically for bathing.  Our hotel had filled Jacuzzis with it for us to enjoy!  The next day we drove to Ciudad Valles.  As we drove the landscape started to become more green.  Soon there were tons of sugar cane fields, banana trees, orange trees and amazing lush valleys.  I think that the scenery was in the top for most beautiful I have ever seen!  The first day we went to see Edward James´s garden in the jungle. He was a surrealist artist who made his painting come to life in this garden in the middle of the jungle. It was really amazing and crazy looking.  The next day we went again into the jungle to see La Hoya do Las Huahuas.  The Huahuas are a type of bird that lives fly into this giant cave hole that they discovered in the jungle in the sixties.   On the 31^st we went to this amazing places will lots of waterfalls.  We were able to jump off the waterfalls and swim from waterfall to waterfall in this beautiful river. Some of the waterfalls were really high up and scary to jump off, it was a pretty funny sight to see us at the edge of the waterfall for a half hour contemplating whether to jump or not with everyone yelling at us to jump! me and my cousin laughed that it was a good way to jump into the New Year.  Seriously what dreams are made of, it was soooo gorgeous.   We brought in the New Year that night in style at the hotel´s party that included a live band, dinner and champagne and grapes for midnight (12 grapes for 12 wishes for the new year, so gobble down at midnight is a Mexican tradition).  So in a nutshell I had a wonderful time! I leave for Oaxaca tomorrow morning to start my Child Family Health International program.  Wish me luck!!

Picture Link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2665492&id=8609614&l=10dced98da

Until next time....

THERESE

 

Hi! I have been having a very exciting time since I last wrote!  We went Lucha Libre which is the mexican masked wrestling.  It was very funny and entertaining.  The wrestlers wear these outrageous costumes and try and but on a really good show with lots of tricks and theater built in.  The show was also getting filmed for TV for later in the week.  SO once again I was on TV here in Mexico haha.  We had a blast cheering and getting into it, and I had a blast mortifying my aunt on TV who didnt want to be seen there haha : ).  We were also able to make it to a cuban salsa club called Mama Rumba.  Me and my posie (my brother and tutor and his friends) went to meet my uncle and dad who were already there ealier.  It had a live cuban band with about 10 members, and the dancing was absolutly phenomenol.  We are talking striaght out of a dance movie.  They were doing the partner dancing in a circle where they would switch partners and at one point I saw all the girls were up on the guys arms, it was crazy.  And then there were all the different individual partners that had the best moves and tricks ive ever seen.  It was fun just to watch in awe.  We were joking that we were for sure- by far- the table of the worst dancers. We know the basics of salsa, but not much more, so it was kind of intimidating even getting on the dance floor, but all the group that I came with danced at least one song with me, even my uncle (who is quite a good dancer)  except for my dad (party pooper :) 

The next exciting thing we did was go to the Villa for Las Manaitas for the las virgin de guadelupe.  December 12th is a very important holiday for Mexico becasue its when they celebrate the virgin marys birthday.  If you are not familiar with the story of Juan Diego, look it up, but for a very simplified version, he was a poor mexican peasant who the virgin of guadelupe appeared to in 1531 to ask him to built a church. In order for other people to believe him, she made her image appear on his tilma (peasant cloak)  That tilma is now hung up in a cathedral in Mexico City, called La Villa. In a defiance of science it has never deteriorated.  People come from all over Mexico year around to pray to here her, usually making the journey by foot and you can often see people that make there way up to her on their knees.  So the evening before Las Mananitas (her birthday) people begin to come to La Villa from all over, carrying their babies, carry pictures of the la virgin, huge statues, all sort of things to be blessed there on her birthday.  Some people come and pay their respects and then leave, but many people who arent close enough to go home sleep there on the ground that night.  So me and my dad had planned to go to this, but some of our relatives told us we were crazy and that we wouldnt even be able to get within miles of her etc.  But we decided to check it out anyway.  So we took the subway. They said there were about 5 million people there that night.  It was incredible!  The energy of the place and the crowd was really powerful. these millions of people gathered their in peace and in devotion.  And anyone who knows me knows I´m not exactly a fan of the catholic church as an organization, but I felt nothing but respect for what was going on that night.  There were many people already set up for sleeping by the time we got there around 10 pm, sleeping on the stone grounds around the church with just blankets.  We saw one huge statue of la virgin that was brought to be blessed that was about 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide and had to be carried by about 10 men.  It was really beautiful.  My dad made the comment that we were their with the real ´people of mexico´  we didnt see any tuorists. And it was the kind of thing that most middle and upper class people dont go to, because they could stay at home and watch it on TV.  At 11:30 everyone sings las mananitas to here (the birthday song) and then a bunch of famous people sing to her.  I´m so glad that we didnt get talked out of going! 

My dad is gone now and the relatives here are starting to be done with work for the holidays.  They say there is parties every day this time of year.  I think that is especailly true since my aunt and uncles birthdays are also this week.  We celebrated my aunt bday last night at an iIatian restaurant.  I am looking forward to the rest of the holidays : )

Here is a link to the most recent pictures  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2658545&id=8609614&l=37a06f47ef

 Until next time

THERESE

Hola everyboby,

Its been awhile, Ive been keeping busy here enjoying the green and sun and dong many things.  I went away for a weekend to Valle de Bravo with my cousins. It was lovely and here is a link to the picture from that weekend.  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2647071&id=8609614&l=b59a6e8b9b

My health has been pretty good.  No one I know here has had any problems with H1N1, not that I know that many people here though haha! I did find it interesting that when we went into the National Palace they took a thermal reading of every person that come in to make sure that they didnt have a fever before they could enter and gave us all hand sanitizer. And my aunt who works as a teacher said they also take a thermal reading of every child when they come to school each day and send them home if they have a fever.  I had some stomach ache issues for a little while, but I am over that now.  I figure I was just getting adjusted to the new bacteria that my stomach is being exposed to. 

I just turned in another grad school application this week, one more to go this month and I will be done applying for the year!  I have been to downtown to see the National Palace that has some of Diego Riveras most famous murals on the walls depicting Mexicos history.  I have been able to go to La Academia (Mexicos version of American Idol....my favorite!!) twice now.  Both times sitting front and center of the audience.  I might be embarassed to be on national television, but since I dont know many people here, Im not : ).  But they really put on a show, there are dancers and elaborate costumes, live animals on stage and fireworks, smoke, everything, they even made it rain for one number.  Its so much fun to be there cheering!  and I get to go again this weekend for the third time.  The contestants are going to start recognizng me and thinking Im a creepy super fan haha : ) I went with my uncles wifes aunt (who also happened to be my dads kindergarden teacher ....cute!) to volunteer with her at the childrens hospital here. It was very interesting to see what a hospital here is like. 'Most of the volunteers are older women who are all very sweet to me and give me great Spanish practice!  

I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family here at my aunts house and got to video skype my family in Minnesota. It was kind of hard for me because it was my first time ever to be away for from them for thanksgiving! so I was feeling homesick, but I have lots of family here to love me so its okay : ).   My dad and brother just got into town this week so its nice to have them around.   Peter, an old friend of my fathers, is also in town and we have been hanging out with him. We have been going to lots of museums and walking around the town.   At the Museum of Anthropology, there are many cool things like the stone aztec calender and one of the creepy sacrificial altars of the aztecs, that they had used to take out the hearts of millions of people. 

Below is a website to see more pictures I have added from Mexico City

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2644820&id=8609614&l=c2b932b521

Hope everyone is doing great too! Have a good week....

until next time

THERESE

 

Hello!

First off wanted to let you know this is the last chance to donate for anyone who hasnt and wants to, to my Child Family Health International fund, as my final payment is due in a couple weeks. Go to www.firstgiving.org/theresegenis to find out more about my public health service learning program in January in Oaxaca, Mexico and to donate. Thanks, anything helps!

So the end of my trip in New Mexico went out with a bang. I got to go to a great Flamenco dance show and went on the world's longest areil tram ride for an amazing view and some snow.

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I got to celebrate Halloween by dressing up with my couisn and then going to a party with my aunt that included live music and dancing! 

After an uneventful flight I arrived in Mexico City for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. My cousins took me to walk around downtown in the Zocalo (main plaza) where there were altars set up and people dressed up as death and skeletons.  We also went to see the alebrijes.  Alebrijes are monster like creatures that are made out of paper mache and then painted with brilliant colors. They are usually smaller figures, but for this exibit there were dozens of huge ones lining one of the main boulevards.

I Have already done so many things during my time here. My relatives have been amazingly kind and taken be around to do many fun things. I am staying at my uncles house, but frequent my other aunts houses regularly for comida (the main meal of the day around 3 pm) and just to hang out.  I have been to some markets and parks, my couisns and aunts have taken me out to eat at some fabulous places.  Oh my gosh....the food here is sooo delicious and fresh. I have been able to try many new things to eat, like tacos al pastor (a staple food here in mexico that you can get an almost every street corner, its seasoned meat is cut off a big skewer, it looks really scary, but I found out it is quite tasty).  When I go to the food market there are all these things that I dont recognized so I will buy a new fruit or something to try each time. 

As far as my spanish, I am making a valient effort, but most things are still over my head, especailly in social setting where people start to talk really fast and use slang, like at a party. I just take my cue from others when to laugh, haha.  There werent enough students to make a class at the local university that I had planned on attending, so I now have a private tutor.  He is a nephew of my uncle on the other side of the family and he comes over most mornings to tutor me, or take me on field trips.

Mexico City is a city of contrast.  Their is so much wealth yet devestating poverty.  Walking the streets I am bombarded at one moment by gross sewage smells, and then the next by the most delicious aromas of mexican food.  The streets are dirty but filled with brilliant colored buildings and houses and lushiously green parks.  This city is filled with so much culture and activity and I am really enjoying experiencing it all!

This weekend I am off to Valle de Bravo with some of my cousins, its a town a couple hours away that is beautiful, and I can´t wait!

Until next time.....

THERESE  

Well, Ive been a bit distracted lately, trying to squeeze in studying for the GRE's (exam I have to take for graduate school entry) in between enjoying myself here : ) Which apparently I didn't do enough of, because I didn't perform very well on the test.  My mom also just read me my first graduate nursing school rejection letter over the phone yesterday.  It was from Metro State, a college in Saint Paul.  But it's okay because I wasn't expecting to get into that one anyway and it was my last preference choice, but I thought it was worth a try.

Hi!  So I made it to my first stop, Albuquerque,New Mexico.  I am staying with my grandma, living in her sunny art studio/spare bedroom.  My Aunt and two cousins also live down the street, and my Uncle is in town for the weekend.  New Mexico is beautiful this time of year.  It's perfect fall weather, which is nice since we seemed to skip that part in Minnesota.  The air is cool and crisp but the sun is very strong with clear blue skies nearly everyday! The morning after I arrived, my aunt and I were volunteers on the recycling crew for the International Balloon Fiesta (the most photographed event on earth).  It was a great gig, that allowed for most of the time to enjoy the festivities. We had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to get there nice and early.  We were able to see the dawn patrol (the first balloons that go up in the morning when its still dark to test out the air).   After the sun came up, balloons started to inflate every where around me, I was in awe of the sheer number of balloons around me and all the great colors. It felt like being in a cartoon, which might have been partially because of the special shaped balloons that came in the likes of kissing bees, Darth Vador, and pink elephants!  

 We tried to make it back to see the balloons for the "night glow" and evening show, but the winds picked up and the balloons could stay up, but we got a great firework show at least!

 On Sunday, my aunt Nancy and I took a long walk down to the Frontier restaurant to get the famous breakfast burritos (kind of a signature for the balloon fiesta and Albuquerque in general).   We also went on a beautiful hike in forth of July Canyon (named that because its famous for all its radiant fall colors).

 I have been having a great time spending quality time with my family and enjoying this beautiful city.  I have been going on lots of walks and scoping out things to do around town.  Also enjoying the little joys in life, like reading on my grandmas hammock or waking up from a nap to the smell of fresh carrot cake (god bless my grandma), and winning a game of scrabble, (thats right folks, I BEAT my grandma in scrabble, this needs to go in the record books because my family back in MN with never believe it : ). Click here if you want to see my complete set of balloon pictures

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2631179&id=8609614&l=f5ac8c22b2

Until next time....

THERESE

Hi all!

I created this blog so that my family and freinds can follow my adventures while I'm off traveling for the next several months.  I leave October 9th for New Mexico and then I will fly into Mexico City on Nov 1st...just in time for Day of the Dead!  I will stay in Mexico City until January 2nd when I will be moving to Oaxaca, Mexico to participate in a Child Family Health International program for a month.  From there, my plans are open, but I would like to make it down to Central America.  Wish me luck : )