The Hippo says Hello

There he is. Yup, he's looking right at you.

The view of some houses from the river trip. We took a boat down (up?) the Ogooué river, into a giant lake, picnicked on the shore, saw hippos (see above), played soccer, took pictures, and celebrated the end of our roommates' (see below) stage (internship) at Schweitzer.

These are the triplets of the hospital. Not actually triplets, but they're all the same age, two have nearly identical names, they all lived (pretty much) on the same surgery ward, and they all have Buruli ulcers. I loved these girls so much, I will try to write a longer post about them. In this picture they are watching a video I took of them dancing on my bed. (No, they were dancing on the porch, but watching the video sitting on the bed. Goodness English is confusing.)

Two pictures I love of my roommates. L-R: me, the impossibly adorable Larry (girls get boys' names here), Narcisse, and Elizabeth A Point Sack.

New Pictures

Welcome, indeed. :) 

This is the hospital, outside the Polyclinique, where I spend most of the day.  This was taken on a particularly muggy morning, normally it's brilliantly sunny.  The yellow building is one of the surgical wards, but they all kind of look like that.  Those giant trucks are from the military hospital.  A large brigade of soldiers descended last week with ophthalmologists and otolaryngologists and their mobile exam rooms and ORs (the above trucks) and saw patients from 7:30 am until midnight.  People were sleeping overnight outside to have a place in line.  

Typical hairstyle.  Women are crazy about their hair here.  Everyone has an elaborate weave or a wig.  It's pretty awesome.  

We went to a culture festival in Libreville this past weekend, and this is a picture from outside the Senate building, where there were a bunch of different dance groups from all over the country.  It was pretty cool.  :)  (Gosh, I'm so eloquent this evening, eh?) 

Weekend pictures

We spent the day yesterday going to see a old mission in Sindara, about a 1.5-hour drive from here, picnicked at a "waterfall," (really, rapids), then stopped at a swimming hole on the way home (N.B. ASF Boston: I didn't swim).

Good thing we were in a 4x4.

View from inside the chapel at the Mission at Sindara.

Yes! Just like the real ones.

The swimming hole where we got attacked by the fouroux, tiny insects (so tiny you can barely tell they're not specs of dirt on your arm) that are not, to my great distress, deterred by any amount of DEET.

More pictures...

In Zarzal, near a clinic we went to

Local wildlife (just kidding...we went to the zoo)

Lake Atitlan

Dinner

Weekend pictures

Cows on the farm (the one on the left was scratching his neck on some cement)

Sunset from the hotel Casa de Santa Dominga, Antigua

A marimba and its players, Antigua

picture

Pics from the weekend

Lake AtitlanSantiago de Atitlan

Lake Atitlan

Pictures

Pictures of the beautiful Antigua, Guatemala, a city about 30 min from here.

I just...love this picture

I love how Republicans are talking about how they're going to be a "change" in Washington. Give me a break. I guess they think voters are actually dumb enough to forget that they have been the ones tanking this country for the last eight years. Well, a picture is worth a thousand words. It beautifully and clearly displays how the current Republican candidate feels about W and his s*****y policies.

Some pictures from last weekend

View from the 38th floor of East 42nd Street.

Sunflowers on the farm, Tarrytown, NY

Brooklyn Bridge, the waterfall, Manhattan Bridge

Lerner Hall, Columbia University

Sheep's Meadow, Central Park

Waiting for the train at Bleecker Street

Pittsfield happenings

This is getting blogged about, per request...
There was one hell of a fire the other day at an apartment building across the street from the hospital. Of course being voyeuristic like we are we rushed out to watch (and take pictures). And mingle with Pittsfield's Finest. I'm not sure what time the fire actually got put out, but it was after 11pm (and it started around 8). From what I read in the newspaper, no one got hurt, and the fire started on someone's stove. It was pretty impressive. And HOT (I know, I know, you think that'd be obvious, but it still surprised me). Plus I was watching the firefighter on top of the giant ladder hanging over the burning building, thinking, we must be made of different stuff, or have different neural connections (see?? I'm tying this into my neuro exam tomorrow, so it's totally like I'm studying) than me, cause WHAT would possess someone to do something like that?? I mean, this was a giant ladder and a big fire (see above image). Now, alas, the building is very sad and burnt-out looking. But it's still there, and at least the fire didn't jump onto the house next door (it was close - you can kind of see the roof next to the bottom of the ladder in that pic).

Picture time

Some pictures from when I was home over Memorial Day weekend, cause this blog needs some color:

Spring has Sprung

The grass has riz. I wonder where the birdies is?

So, it's officially spring. I think it took a little longer to arrive in the Berkshires than other places near here (like Tarrytown, NY, where that pic of flowers was taken a couple weeks ago). The trees here have pretty much blossomed, and although the temperature has taken a nose-dive over the past week, the flora have still managed to explode. We (Berkshire friends and I) are spending the day in Lenox, and it's so beautiful here. Some of the houses are crazy huge mansions. And we saw the "house" where Cider House Rules was filmed (well, the outside of it). I am trying to pack in non-medical stuff before I start inpatient medicine tomorrow. When I think about it starting I picture a large black sheet being lowered over my life. I may be fatalistic and pessimistic, but maybe this way there's no way I can be disappointed by the experience. If you expect to stay til 9 every night, when you get home by 7 you're happy, right? Well, I hope everyone is enjoying spring. Go outside and smell the flowers, like this crazy kid. :)

Picture(s) of the day

Wow, this page needs a picture. Words can get boring. These are pics from the Berkshires, where I am currently doing my medicine rotation (fyi: 'medicine' means general adult medicine, as opposed to pediatrics or surgery). Living in the Berkshires for free during spring and summer is quite a sweet deal. Our school likes to call it "required third year clerkship at Berkshire Medical Center." We like to call it "summer camp" (but with sick people during the weekdays, alas). There is lots of fun to be had out here. I'd recommend either taking a trip out here (tanglewood! and hiking!) and/or doing a rotation out here (if you're at UMass). We all live in a giant med student frat house. Tis quite the experience. :) I feel vaguely guilty for not even knowing the Berkshires existed for nearly my entire life up until now (hey, what can you do, I'm from the total opposite end of the state, and my dad calls everything west of route 128 "the midwest"), so now I sort of feel like it's my duty to extoll its virtues to people who remain oblivious to the fact that it even exists. So please enjoy the pics!