And I was so hungry

A mostly uneventful weekend. I went to a picnic at Mallasa Park, which is in south La Paz near Valle de la Luna. I wish I had been able to take pictures of the rock formations that make up "Valley of the Moon" and of the view into central La Paz (Mallasa is higher up), but the minibus we took didn't really allow for that. Or shall we say that my tummy didn't allow for it (being carsick and scared you are going to fall off of a cliff at the same time is not conducive to taking pictures).

But I did get the shot to the left once we were at the park. It was quite beautiful, and it was nice to breath some fresh air. Also, I saw a bird other than a pigeon! I took pictures (I know this is sounding sad) because I didn't know what kind of bird it was. I'll have to show someone once I get home... Mom, do you still have that bird book?

Anyway, today was much more exciting. My final rotation is at Hospital de los Andes. It's located in El Alto about a 20 minute bus ride up the mountains to the north and 2º C cooler. I had been told that I might get to see a birth, but that it really only happened on Friday (not sure why exactly, but the supervising doctors are not the ones delivering babies, so they must have to ask a favor of the other doctors to allow us to see the deliveries). But... a half-hour into the morning, Dra. Gutierrez popped into the clinic and asked if anyone wanted to see a delivery! I was pretty enthusiastic in my "sí, yo quiero mucho!" response.

And then I waited. I was first told that the birth was happening right away, and I had to get my scrubs (pijamas) on. So I changed, and then I was led to another building (the hospital, as far as I can tell, consists of two one-story buildings), where I was told that it was going to be a C-section and it would be another 15 minutes. And then the doctor ditched me and another hour went by, during which time I tried not to wander too far or ask the nurses too many questions (ummm... so, like, can I see the surgery now??).

It was definitely worth the wait. I ended up seeing two césareas, both with the same team of doctors and nurses. The first one seemed a little more brutal than the second; the doctor did a lateral incision near the base of the woman's tummy and there was some serious tugging and pushing to get the baby through the hole. Also, the sight of a baby being pulled out from someone's belly is strange; it kind of looks like an alien emerging from a cocoon. Probably destined to be a cute alien, but still... an alien baby.

I know I didn't really do much today, but it was still one of the most rewarding mornings. I got to wear scrubs! I saw a real surgery! The doctor said my Spanish was good! (although I'm not sure if I believe him...). And the only part that I thought I might not make it through was when we were waiting for the anesthesia to kick in and the ob-gyn doctors to show up for the first patient. I got really really hungry, and thirsty, and I really wanted to sit down and have lunch. But then they made the incision and I was still hungry, but I didn't feel faint anymore. I just felt excited and a little teary-eyed.