A Different Kind of Culture Shock
Sitting in the closet of a local cathedral I opened my computer and connected to our makeshift Internet, and waited for my first patient of the day. I felt at home in these surrounds; dirt floors and dust that made clean floors impossible, concrete buildings with tin roofs, and meals that always had rice as a base. This was my fourth medical brigade and though the culture and people were all too familiar this one was totally different. For starters, this was my first brigade as Doctora Janie instead of estudente de medicina. Being one of the providers brought much more responsibility and fatigue, but also great reward. The most striking difference this trip, however, was the stark contrast between my world view and that of the other 54 people on this brigade. I was very much an outsider. I did get to see some interesting cases this trip. And seeing them on my own was very empowering but also terrifying. I saw chikungunya, epidermolysis bullosa, club feet, pyelonephritis, and...