A typical morning here consists of: waking up at 7 AM, getting breakfast on our own, observing rounds at 8 AM at the hospital, listening to a devotional from a doctor, shadowing a doctor with a certain specialty (on a rotating basis) until 12 PM, and then lunch. The afternoons vary in what we do. Some days we go to one of many orphanages in the city, learn a certain skill (like drawing blood or bandaging), explore interesting sites in the area, or go into the city to shop. The other night we helped with a conversation circle for Bolivians learning English by Cristo para la Ciudad (the missions organization we went with to the jungle). Also, some days part of the group will go to Clinica Boliviana-Americana (a hospital in the city started by an American) to shadow doctors there. I've been able to watch 3 surgeries since I've been here, which are SO cool!! The first was a young woman getting a long screw removed that traversed both tibia and fibula. Then there was a young woman who had been in a car accident and had severe bruising and swelling in her leg and knee. The surgeons removed a solid mass of fatty tissue the size of my palm from her knee. Then I got to see a C-section two days ago -- soo awesome! It was just unreal to see the surgeon grab the baby's head, then the whole baby girl out of the incision in the mother's womb. A beautiful sight.
In our "recreation" times, we've climbed a mountain to see Incan ruins at the top, saw the Cristo de la Concordia statue (the tallest Christ statue in the world), walked on the edge of mountains to see a waterfall in a park 10 min away, and visited the mansion of the richest man in Bolivia (a robberbaron, but with tin) in the early-mid-1900s. You will see all of those activities in my pictures, so now you'll know what you're seeing. :)
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