Incroyable

Please pardon my French. Incroyable just has a more astonished sound to it than increíble or incredible (in my head, of course).

Anyway, the incroyable moments have been happening a lot for me. Sometimes it's a good incredible, sometimes it's just pure surprise, and other times it's like a scene from a bad movie. [Note: the picture to the right isn't amazing, except for my hair maybe... I just thought it was decent evidence of my continued good health and actual participation here.]

The most memorable bad movie scene happened on Tuesday morning. As I think I've said before, Hospital del Niño is a teaching hospital, so there are residents and interns and medical students floating around all over the place. Then there are the bosses, and one in particular for this story. His name is Doctor Jefe (ok, so it's not his real name), and he is a striking figure on any day. He is taller than most Bolivians, probably in his 50s, with a very masculin, latino face. His hair is always combed and parted just right, and his black shoes are always spotless (which is hard to do in dusty La Paz). Dr. Jefe also leads rounds every morning. He may ask questions of his senior resident, he may look you in the eye, but you always have the distinct feeling that he is in charge. Often times he doesn't seem to acknowledge the patient's or their parent's presence. I am not sure if he could get away with some of this in the United States.
That said, I happened upon his dictations this Tuesday morning. He was pacing around the nurses' station (looking very distinguished), dictating to a senior resident. All this probably wouldn't have been so funny to me, except for the fact that the poor senior resident was on a type writer. Oh, and he looks like Dr. Jefe's sidekick - like a smaller version of him, possibly just as smart but destined to be only second in command due to his height and sidekick-ish appearance. I wish I could have videotaped the scene, but instead I got the photo to the right. At least we know that if sidekick doctor needs some extra income, he can set up a table in the street. (There's just one in the picture, but there were many more desks with typewriters and their owners lined up along the street. So logical, so surprising.)


On the other hand, I got to go to the neonatology ward (photo to the left) this morning. And Dr. Jefe of that department was almost the opposite. Still very well dressed and with an air of knowledge... but so nice! compassionate! human! It was a good thing to see.

Another unbelievable moment happened today in the clinic. A kid came in with a fever, cough, and a rash... and the Dr's tentative (waiting for lab results, but 99% sure) diagnosis was scarlet fever. I kind of felt like I was in Little House on the Prairie. I put a lot of antibacterial stuff on my hands after that.


And finally, to the right is one of many baffling signs I have seen in La Paz. Maybe I am missing something in translation. Isn't using a naked woman in an advertisement for unlocking cell phones a bit misleading??