Day 3

Blog Entry 3: 9/22/08

Today was Day 3, and the novelty of Oaxaca hit a plateau. I'm still getting used to the local way of life, which is very different from life in the U.S.. What makes it harder is that everything is different, ranging from the language down to the style of buildings and roads. Stylistically, Oaxacan buildings are made of cement and brick and are colored brightly. It's really nice, but after a while you end up missing the buildings, streets, and stores that you're used to at home. Also, it was a harder to socialize and connect with the other students today. I think I'm realizing the full effects of culture shock. I hypothesize that the cure for culture shock is just waiting it out, finding spots such as cafes that you can call your own, and getting close with your host family. But, I'll let you know when I figure it out for sure.
At about 9 A.M. we all met up with Nick Penco at Santo Domingo, our regular meeting point, only to find a very animated, old woman. We later found out that she was our city tour guide. She was carrying a basket of fruit, and lead us to a corner outside of Santo Domingo. At first, I thought she was trying to sell us the fruit, but it turned out she was just introducing us to the local produce. I've never seen these fruits before, and I'm sure they're unique only to Oaxaca; they were full of flavor, and tasted like candy. It was Amazing! She also took us to a church. You realize after walking around Oaxaca even for 10 min, that Catholic churches are central to the culture here, evidenced by the fact that there's one every 4-5 blocks in the city.
After the tour we headed to Hotel Anturios to continue the orientation. Dr. Tenorio, the medical director for the city of Oaxaca, came to talk about what we should expect from the clinics and the type of conduct we should have while rotating. There seems to be a greater emphasis of respect here in Mexico between teachers and students, than we have in the U.S.. One thing I noticed about Dr. Tenorio is that he's very dignified, and I found myself looking up and admiring him, even though I didn't know him that well. As soon as he entered the room, everyone gave him a level of respect I haven't seen for other professors, both in Davis and in this program; he had everyone's undivided attention throughout his entire lecture. I think he gives off that vibe because he has essential qualities you see in a real doctor, such as a genuine interest in serving his community and passion in medicine. Dr. Tenorio is definitely someone I hope to develop strong relationship with this quarter because I know he can teach me a lot about service to my community and the field of medicine.
At 5:30 P.M. Nick lead us to Dr. Tenorio's hospital, Hospital Carmen. After that, we went to Becari Language school to receive our class schedules. Of course, my amazing Spanish skills placed me in the entry level language group... lol, but I don't really mind because all the people in my group are pretty cool.
At 8 P.M., we went to the "Guaelguatza" dance show. The show showcased regional dances from different parts of Oaxaca, it was interesting. In fact, it took over an hour to showcase all the dances, a proof of the many cultures within the state of Oaxaca. What's really interesting is that this one state in Mexico probably has more languages and cultures than an entire country in other parts of the world. That was pretty much my day, I'll keep on posting. Please comment, I love to read comments Gracias. Salamz.