Weekend #1: Surf and Turf

Finally, a weekend has come and gone! It was nice to have a couple of days just to bask in the sun and enjoy the beauty of the Dominican Republic. Especially after the rather unexpected turn of events at Pequeno Pasitos yesterday, we were all feeling like it would be good to get away for a bit.

And what better place to do so than at the beach?

So Saturday, we spent at the beaches of Sosua. It was about a two-hour bus ride from Santiago, most of which was spent chatting with Ana about odd experiences we had had on the hospital wards. When we arrived, we took a taxi to a little village called Cabarete. Heather (the resident), who is Dominican, knew of a beach there right against the barrier reef that has wonderful surfing, and we ended up deciding to spend the entire day there.

We had lunch by the seaside, watching the powerful waves crashing intermittently on the shoreline. Heather, Linda, Michael, and his wife, Robin, all had grilled fish. Adam and I went with the Chicken Criollo (chicken marinated in a tomato-based, zesty sauce), and Ana went totally "American" and had herself a nice juicy burger. We then rented two surf boards and agreed to take turns surfing. I mainly stayed on shore, hoping to catch up on some work. But soon, the lure of the ocean was too much for me, and I ended up going for a run with Ana to a more tranquil portion of the beach that was some distance away. We stayed there for a long time, talking, doing yoga stretches to the rhythm of the waves, and collecting seashells. On the way back, we both decided to venture onto a shallow portion of the reef when I lost my footing and slipped. Ana did as well, and ended up being partway pulled to sea by the strong current. Luckily, she managed to survive, as did I--save for some nasty cuts to the foot and the knees!

We got home late that night and stopped at an empanada stand. It was really my first taste of Dominican food in the week that I have been here, and it was delicious. I had something called a "quipe," which is a savory pastry pouch made with bulgar wheat and filled with beef and cheese. My first bite yielded a mouthful of meaty, cheesy, greasy wonderfulness. I can't imagine how much cholesterol I'm clogging my arteries up with, but it was very much worth it!

I also decided to make Pao de Queijo for dinner that night, which was gobbled up almost instantaneously. It was pointed out how I have an almost obsessive tendency to track down recipes from countries I've visited in the past, whether it be pad thai sauce or, in this case, Brazilian cheeseballs. And yes, I will admit that I am very much preoccupied about food...:-)

And it was food that was on my mind the next day, when I thought of what I could do for my Sunday project. It was my birthday, and, having had my fill of the "surf," I decided to stay on land to relax and catch up on projects. Adam had bought a bunch of green bananas more than a week ago, hoping that they would ripen. In short, they never did. We were left with a bunch of bananas that no one knew what to do with, so I turned them into a green banana coconut curry.



Okay...so it doesn't look very appetizing in the pan, but I wasn't smart enough to take a picture when we had plated it with rice and a tomato/cucumber salad. Still--it was delicious. and a perfect end to a peaceful, relaxing birthday.

Day One: Arrival

Well, I'm finally here. After one cancelled flight, a frantic rebooking on another plane, an unexpected 24-hour stay back in Providence, and a red-eye flight to an alternate city...I am finally here in Santiago, DR. I traveled here with Adam*, a friend and fellow 4th year med student, and already, it's apparent that we're being tested by our abilities to "go with the flow." But to be honest, it hasn't at all been bad so far. As surreal as the past 48 hours seem, I was definitely impressed by how smoothly everything has gone. Even as we passed through airport customs--an experience frequently dreaded by many international travelers--everyone just seemed so amazingly relaxed.

Maybe this is the famous "island mentality" that everyone speaks of. If that's the case, I'm glad I'm here to partake of it in heaps.

So Adam and I arrived at our apartment a little before noon. We were early in fact, and had to await the arrival of the rest of our roommates to let us in. They arrived within a few minutes, and thankfully, we all became fast friends.

And after a fast lunch, we were off to do rounds in the hospital. We were all taken aback at the level of pathology: newly-diagnosed AIDS with Toxoplasmosis, Mesothelioma, a couple of pleural effusions with mysterious relapsing fevers...and the list goes on. What was most challenging about this experience was going back through all the charts to glean as much as possible about the patient's story in Spanish. This, as most people know, is a task that can be daunting in one's native language. But add to this the unfamiliarity of medical terminology, the odd quirks and idiosyncracies of a hospital's charting system, and of course, bad handwriting...and you've got what seems like an overwhelming task.

Hopefully things will get a little less overwhelming as the month goes on...

But all in all, I'm happy. I'm here with a group of awesome people (thus far) who are here to learn and appreciate the culture. Our attending, who was, incidentally, my first-year Doctoring teacher, is awesome. We also have a resident (Heather) staying with us who is Dominican and speaks fluent Spanish. And I'm gradually trying to transition back in to "Adult Medicine Mode" after 3 months of doing Pediatric-related rotations.

It's also our attending's birthday today, and we celebrated in full force with a Dominican-styled dinner: Mojo-marinated chicken, rice and beans, and plantains. And there were lots of "El Presidentes" (apparently the national beer) to go around.

But now...it's off to bed. Will try to post pictures of our apartment tomorrow. There are 6 of us now who live here, and it already feels a bit snug. When the full group arrives, we will be sharing only 1 bathroom between 8 of us. Fun times to come for sure...

* Note: All names have been changed to protect privacy