These entries always end up longer than I planned

Some pictures to capture the way I see Santiago...


For those still convinced that I live in a shack, here's a picture of my neighborhood:


The signs below translate: "Alcoholics Anonymous. If your problem is alcohol, call us."
I've actually seen fewer homeless here than in Boston, but I just thought this was ironic product placement.


Inside Hospital Clinica de U. Catolica (Pabellon)


And of course, there's the graffiti. I have an undeniable affection for graffiti, as long as it's for a cause I support, or it amuses me. I suppose a picture of the student protests would be more relevant to current events, but I thought this might amuse/shock a few people. The animal activists are pretty busy here -- they protest outside the research building I'm shadowing at on a near-daily basis.



Anyway, I wimped out and didn't try to bring a camara into the operating room on monday. I did, however, get to observe a nifty colon surgery. They removed a huuge part of the colon and the appendix, all covered in nasty tumor-y stuff. It was pretty sweet. My favorite part was the late 90's "soft rock" music they were listening to, and the fact that one of the doctors was constantly bobbing his head in time while the nurse was fully dancing as she passed along the . Once we were in full scrub gear they pretty much let us wander wherever we wanted in the unit, since we looked identical to the medical students they have floating around everywhere, except a bit more foreign. When someone looks like they aren't in the process of saving someone's life, I really like talking to the doctors and nurses and students and patients (ok, maybe I just like talking), and they are almost always receptive to my questions. Unfortunately people tend to talk to me as if I'm at least a 3rd-year medical student so I probably wouldn't understand them even if they were speaking English.

Today we ran into some students from Texas who just got here two days ago. I can't believe I've already been here a month, it feels like I just got here yesterday...but seeing how bewildered they are by things that now seem completely common place to me made me realize how much I've adapted to the city. I wish I could spend more time here...

Anyway, it's getting super late (no, seriously, why we in the same time zone??). More tomorrow about the public hospital, etc.




Chilenismo of the day: ALTIRO. It means "right now" or "really soon". It's a relatively flexible term for most of the Chileans I've met, though. I fit in well here.