Busy busy day

So many new things happened today!

1) Last night I dreamt I made out with Tom Brady, and he was totally into me. This is, shockingly, without Malarone (the malaria prophylaxis that can cause strange dreams). Look out, Gisele.

2) First day in clinic. This week I am in a family medicine clinic.  Yay family medicine! The precepting doctora met myself and another student at our school, and we took a 30 minute taxi south to the clinic. The taxi was $1 per person, because of a set up like a ride share. Everyday taxis wait in this pre-determined location near our school and all with the same destination (the neighborhood of the clinic), and leave once full with 4 people (we were 3, one stranger joined us). Finding a taxi on the street without this arrangement would have been at least $10 for such a distance.

The clinic was fun, we saw great variety, but only in observation. We saw two patients with thyroid nodules, obesity/diabetes, bacterial tonsillitis (18y/o), upper respiratory infection (8mo), and a vaginal lesion. [For my medically inclined readers, the vaginal lesion was a 1-1.5cm painful ulcer outside/on the labia majora in a 72 year old, pain x15d, ulcer may have previously been a vesicle. The doctor suspected HSV2 and ordered IgM, which I think we never do, we would do tzanck smear or HSV PCR instead. Maybe they don't have these tests or maybe it was the 15d history (long enough for antibodies to form). Other interesting notes: they didn't have monofilaments to test diabetic feet, though I had assumed this was a cheap supply. The bacterial tonsillitis ("faringoamigdalitis") was unilateral tonsillitis (erythema and exudate), with unilateral lymphadenopathy and referred ear pain; treated with penicillin injection].

2) Class field trip to "La Mitad del Mundo" - the center of the world, aka equator. This was a fun, one hour guided tour of re-creations of the lifestyle of the indigenous people who lived at the equator and about unique properties of the equator line. This included a basin of water with a drain at the bottom, when north of the line the water drains by spinning in one direction, when south of the line, it spins in the other, and when directly on the line, it drained straight down without spinning at all. They were able to balance an egg on the head of a nail. They demonstrated the weakening of muscles directly on the equator. Finally, supposedly, we weigh 1lb less at the equator, que suerte (what good luck).

3) Dance class! I rallied a group of 7 to go to a dance class this afternoon. We started to learn Salsa and Merengue. We're hoping to go weekly and use our new skills in the "discotecas." So fun, not easy, and great exercise; I definitely need to practice!

4) We are starting to plan for the weekend. Stay tuned!