Don't Touch Anything

This is Nicole again. On day one of observing surgeries, I was able to see a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, or removal of the gallbladder because of painful stones, and an open small bowel resection to remove a tumor. On the second day I saw two open hernia treatments, a fistula removal near the anus, surgery on a foot ulcer, and an emergency appendectomy.

My first surgery I’ve ever seen in real life was mostly seen by my eyes glued to a screen. In a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, everyone hovered over the patient and knew exactly where to place the two holes for the instrument entrances and the one hole where the camera went in. It was like I was watching two doctors play a video game. I’m not comparing surgery to a game, as if a patient’s life is ever a game, but it was like watching, for instance, someone playing League of Legends in a help video on the internet. I’m excited with every single intricate detail of the game, but I at the same time I just imagine myself doing everything the gamer is doing and I want to play it with my own hands so badly. My only job was to never touch anything and back up as fast as I can when I sense the doctors want to switch places so they don’t accidentally bump into my non-sterile self. Carbon dioxide was pumped into the visceral cavity to make it easier to access and see the gallbladder to be removed.

The second surgery of my first day was even better. A doctor told me they were removing half the intestine, but I think that was supposed to be translated to part of because there was still plenty of intestine left after the tumor was removed. First, an incision was made right down the middle of his body and everything was exposed. The tumor was bigger than I expected. For some reason I was really intrigued this tool that looks like it electrifies tissue to seal it, and was also used to cut with some sparks and smoke escaping. I first thought it was heat but then I noticed that the surgeon touched it against another metal tool sometimes and it transferred the electricity to the end of the tool without hurting the surgeon’s hands. I will research this more. For the hernias, a synthetic mesh material was put around the muscle. The doctor pointed to a vein and asked me to identify. I didn’t know quite how to say it in Portuguese but I think he was trying to joke because he said it would be very bad to cut that because it connects to the testes. He was so hilarious between surgeries as well and loves North Carolina already! He told me during one of the surgeries “Maybe next year you do this”. I’m not sure if he knows how many years it will be before I can do what he does every day. All in all, everything went smoothly for both patients who each received the treatment on different sides.

I enjoyed the fistula surgery a lot more than any normal, respectful person should. There is nothing uncomfortable about it because the giant blue sterile sheets with holes cut out cover up everything except the area to be worked on. I like especially that the patient is under general anesthesia so they won’t feel something that otherwise would be extremely painful! Another doctor is also there to cut and sometimes someone else there to blot the area. Once, the doctor inserted a metal blue marker right through it to see if it ended up in the anus, signified by blue mark on the finger after inserted inside. It looked like it was never there after the surgeon did the final suture.

The emergency appendectomy was a little chaotic. One nurse found it necessary to regularly physically position me where she wanted me to stand so I could get a good view but also not be in the way. I preferred this because I could tell she really wanted me to see but didn’t want me to be in the way of the work. What was more chaotic was that a small hole to remove the appendix was getting bigger and bigger. I was a little confused. Since when did they have to feel all of the intestines after removing the appendix? And why did they suck up some yellowish liquid into a syringe and put it on the table? Pretty soon they were using the huge metal plates to hold the membranes back and look inside. When another doctor was called in and talked to the others, the nurse finally told me that they found a sign of infection and what they thought was the problem, wasn’t the problem. I saw another piece of an organ placed on the table. In my dissections of pigs in class, this is normal. This was a human though, you can’t just pull things out like that, can you? Then the new doctor told me they found a tumor in the fallopian tubes. It did not look like a fallopian tube, so something might have been lost in translation, but I kept watching anyway. Most of the nurses start to leave when the last sutures are being completed, but I love that part because then I am able to see the scar the patient will have to live with, but now amazing that in one moment they are so exposed to the outside world, but in the next few hours they are going to be perfectly fine and in a few days can digest food again. Surgery is intense and exhausting, but I’m so grateful that I could watch such brilliant surgeons in action.

Week Two Down...

Hey, All, Christopher here…

Another week has ended with a delicious Sunday night meal shared with four others from our group (Aisha, Laura H., Ranjan, & Singer). To me, sharing a meal among friends (and family) is not just a way to gain sustenance, but a great opportunity to develop rapport and strengthen bonds. The last two weeks were filled with meals we either cooked, or experienced at the most basic to the slightly above average establishments. Since only five of us had not eaten, we planned to dine at a local café for the typical standard meal, but since they were closed, we visited a restaurant a few blocks away from where we are staying. And, boy, it was a terrific dining experience.

I order filet mignon accompanied by various side orders and a full bodied, fruity red wine. Although the sides were generally common for a meal (salad and batatas), the filet was more than amazing. Cooked to a medium rare, the filet was everything I expected and more. It was tender and cooked to perfection, covered in a butter and bold sauce. Better yet, it was clear the cut was not your typical beef found in the states, it was locally raised Azorean beef (which tasted much like Wagyu beef, a very expensive type of meat cut I have only indulged a few times in the past, without the marbling). Finally, I had a taste of the meat that I was craving for so long. And fortunately, it was better than expected. Frankly, it’s much better to eat it than run from it (referencing the touradas we ran in during the past weeks).

Speaking of touradas, we witnessed a perfect example of why one must take the street “bullfights” seriously. Yes, after witnessing several bullfights, a good number of us did run around on the street while the bull was running. It was an adrenaline rush, but a very serious matter and not to be taken lightly. I say this because on the last run, a bull that look quite sedate and mostly walked around the street rather than run was known to be a sneaky bull that actually had a tremendous sprint when charging. So much so that as we were running in one direction, the bull took a turn and hit another participant injuring him terribly. These bulls look big and clunky, but they are incredibly powerful and hit a person like a freight train. Quite unpredictable. However, the experience was an incredible rush and I had a blast (even though the first time, I skinned my knee and the second time, cramped up my hamstring)!

As for the hospital experience, it was less than I had hoped for this week. I will be graduating this December with my nursing degree, and do have a scope of skills I would like to practice. However, I’ve been working primarily with doctors and I need the opportunity to work and practice with some tough nurses. I need IV experience and well as practicing other nursing skills. So, I’m gonna talk to my medical preceptor this week to lay out game plan for me so when I leave the island in four weeks, I’ll feel like I had a fruitful experience. That said, I am learning much about procedures and medical management here in a foreign land, and contrasting it with our own. Thus far, I have seen some major differences, but mostly the time each nurse and medical doctor spends with their patients. They probably spend three times more time with their patients than the doctors and nurses do in the states. With no “baby talk” that I find incredibly irritating when I hear a nurse talk to their patients. It doesn’t happen all the time, but I like the way the Azoreans speak to their patients with enthusiasm, support, and warmth and in a “normal” tone of voice.

In addition, we visited a church led by Art Nilsen, the local pastor in Angra and retired nurse that Erin referenced in an earlier post. We attended a service followed by a lovely picnic with the local congregation. It was a pleasant experience, relaxed and revitalizing. I appreciate how generous they were in allowing us to participate and embracing our group. We even played with the instruments they used during the service. Erin and Ranjan played the violin (also Fei Fei), and Fei Fei played the piano. I played with the drums. At one point, we actually played together, but it was the duet between Erin and Fei Fei that floored me. They played wonderfully and I am fortunate to have captured a bit of video on it.

To finalize this post, Vanessa and I took a walk tonight to seek out the local culture and interact with anyone that we encountered. We hear the ‘pop’ of a rocket exploding overhead that indicated that a celebration was commencing (they also use fireworks for the tourados). We met some great people who were celebrating the marching band and procession that moved down the local streets. They invited us into the church where the procession ended, and we enjoyed several hours of conversation, local wine, and pastries. During our education about local customs and traditions, the head of the church showered Vanessa and I with gifts from the church including an embroidered scarf from the locally sponsored women’s basketball league. It was an honor to be there in the presence of such wonderful people. I asked if we could prepare something for the next celebration, but they clearly told us that they would have more than enough food to provide everyone and that our presence was all that was wanted. However, I know they will have a voluntary donation tray at the next celebration to help offset costs… I will most certainly making a donation.

I was concerned mid-week that we were becoming too introverted as a group by staying within the confines of our circle and not interacting with the locals enough. Tonight changed all that and I look forward to more interactions with the locals. I hope to make plans with some of the hospital staff during their free time away from work, and I’m sure the remaining four weeks will be packed with wonderful new experiences.

Boa Noite!

Christopher Rogers Costa

American Food

Today we went to Art Nilsen's church. Art is a retired US Air Force member, who now lives with his family in on Terceira Island. He took over the Baptist Church here when the old minister left. He has also started building a campground for children in the area. He and is family are really nice people, I'm really glad we met them.

In the morning, we went to his church service. This was my first service I would be attending, so I was interested to see how it would go. The congregation is pretty small; mostly Americans who live here, a few Air Force personnel from the base, along with one or two Azoreans...overall about 20 people, if that. The service was pretty good; Art is a great speaker.

Afterwards, we went to a cookout at campground that Art was building. The food was REALLY good...I didn't realize how much I missed AMURICUN food after only two weeks. There was green bean casserole, potatoes, pasta, MAC AND CHEESE. Basically, I was in heaven. After lunch, Art gave us a tour of the campsite.

When Art first purchased the land, it was an overgrown, untended vineyard that was over 200 years old. With the help of volunteers, mission trips, and donations, he leveled the area, planted new grass, built walls, an amphitheater, concrete structures (including bathrooms, laundry rooms, etc), and completely renovated a dilapidated house. Oh, and he did all this in three years. no big deal. He seemed very committed to what he was doing; it was pretty admirable.

We also met other Americans from around the area. It was funny how that little area where we ate felt so much like home, even though we were in a completely different country, with the Atlantic Ocean less than half a mile away. I'm not necessarily ready to go back home yet, but my experiences today made me miss it just a tad.

Ranjan

Now I know why they put the "Bull" in "Red Bull"

(Answer: they both give you an adrenaline rush.)

So last night we walked a short distance from the Residencia up to the tourada du jour. Unlike our last experience where we were clueless tourists, I at least felt a little more in the know at this point. So we confidently weaved our way through the crowd out to the street, where we were planning on finding a perch. Unfortunately, we had confidently maneuvered ourselves onto a street that the bull was running around on, so we cleared out of the way. We then set about trying to scale the outside of various buildings until some kids came along and showed Chris and I the stairs so we could perch on the roof. Go figure.

I’ve been trying to figure out the logic behind touradas. They’re obviously a great community event—kids, grandmothers, young adults, parents all gather in their friends’, neighbors’, and total strangers’ yards to eat and drink and make merry. It gives the local government something to do, and they seem to bring in some amount of tourism and money from outside. There’s both a shared element of danger and a shared sense of festivities—a feeling of “you never know when the bull’s going to bust down a gate so why not have a beer?”. Yesterday there was a brass band was playing Portuguese marches and vendors were hawking ice cream and fried chicken, and young boys were playing jump rope in between bull runs with the men who ran from the bulls. Touradas are a fun, family-friendly event. But when it comes down to it, you’re also running around in the street (or watching people run around in the street) taunting dangerous animals that weigh as much as a car and try to slam people into walls. Who does that? It reminds me a little of gladiator events in ancient Rome, with fewer injuries and less certainty of death.

And it’s not really ideal for the bulls either—they’re not bloodthirsty animals that naturally enjoy hurting people. They have to be antagonized up to that point. Kept in tiny little crates and transported over windy, bumpy roads, the bulls are rather unhappy by the time they’re released. And then there are people yelling at them, taunting them with flapping jackets and umbrellas and occasionally hitting them with chairs or grabbing their horns – if I were a bull, I’d be ready to take some people out too. We met a guy here from California who told us that, as someone with interests in animal rights, he just roots for the bulls. I’m not quite sure that’s really a solution, but it’s as good as anything I suppose.

However, it's not all bad for the bulls. Farmers actually pay the tourada organizers to take their bulls because it's a good way for them to develop their muscles and get a workout. That way they're more useful on the farm in plowing and such. (remember, cityfolk -- bulls actually do work on farms.)

So after the first two bulls, we got bored (as we young people tend to do). So for toiro numero tres, Aisha, Ranjan, and I ventured down into the street to get our own hit of adrenaline. So with Chris leaning his camera arm over the balcony to get shots of us, we followed the crowd up to the bulls. I felt like Aisha and I were breaking some gender roles by going in the street. The touradas are a traditional part of a fairly machismo-centered culture, a way for the men to show off for the women (or get sympathy, depending on the outcome). Males as young as 10 and as old as 60 were out in full force, but except two thirty-something women at the beginning, we didn’t really see any females in the street. But I climbed walls with the best of them, and Aisha could definitely out-sprint the older pot-bellied men (not to mention a good number of the younger ones), so I felt like we represented our gender well.

We ran into our Jersey friend from last week, and he gave us some words of warning regarding the last (and most dangerous) bull, telling us to hang back more. I was glad he warned us – one of the younger men ended up getting trapped in between the bull and the wall, and the bull and the wall won. That was what sobered up the tourada for me—this guy got his back broken. He could have been paralyzed for life. And yet week after week, year after year, the touradas happen and people keep running. Illogical, but fun. It’s a philosophy of life, I suppose. Touradas very much reflect the society of the island, lets you see how people interact and have fun, and all the generations are out there at once. Going to touradas gives you a candid glimpse into the lives of Azoreans, and to follow the pulse of the island in the summer, I plan to just follow the touradas.

Laura (H)

Identity Abroad--Who am I?

It takes time to introduce myself because I have to explain that I was born and raised in Colombia but now live in the US. It is a huge ordeal for me because I am always debating over speaking English or Spanish and telling people that I come from the US or telling them the whole story. Azorean people are really good at listening to your entire life story and asking deep questions--and expecting real answers--but today I had to stop and think about the whole identity concept once again.

Since we are staying in university housing, there are more students from all over the place. I have met people from South Africa, Mozambique, and cities in mainland Portugal that I happened to visit when I backpacked there. I had always seen the same guy coming in and out of the common kitchen but never talked to him. The other day, we spent a good deal of time speaking in Portuguese and Spanish and he invited me to his day trip the next day with a guy from South Africa who was really from Porto. Anyway, I invited Erin and Nicole and off we went.

Essentially we went all over the island and climbed volcanoes just for the sake of the beautiful view.

Then we went around the US military base to which Azorean people are not allowed to enter unless they have a card that costs about 50euros (if I understood correctly). I started seeing houses in the same neighborhood that looked the same (like in the US) and bigger cars (these were not bigger European cars, they were American!). I felt a strong connection to all of these views as Paul, the South African guy, explained to us that in this area of the city, there were more American than Portuguese cops and the roads were significantly better engineered (as in they didn't have any holes).

The point of this post is to highlight the emotions those "American" views evoked. I don't have anything else to say about that but I do have questions: What does this mean for my identity? Does this say that I have a different identity abroad that is slightly more American than the one I have in the US? Or perhaps I haven't seen anything Colombian here to feel slightly more Colombian....

More importantly, does this even matter? Should I be worrying about this?

As I think about all these questions, I look forward to visiting the US base soon.

Laura

Hi its Erin again!

So I just finished week two of my internship and while its not everything I expected I've experienced quite a bit both inside and outside of the hospital. Since this week was a bit slow at the hospital, or at least the in the departments I worked in this week, I was able to explore a bit of Angra with Aisha and spend time reflecting on the past year and plans for the coming year. Claudio was able to get some time off work to have coffee with us and just chat about our desires to become doctors. Obviously he warned us of the pressures that come along with pursuing a medical degree, the stress, the competition etc. While it was a bit overwhelming to hear him talk with Ranjan, Fei Fei, and Vanessa (the applying seniors of the group) it was neat to hear how he put the competitive and often stressful process into perspective. I think its really easy for me to get caught up in the school work and necessary prerequisites to prepare myself for med school instead of focusing on the type of character I need to develop to become a physician. While all the doctors speak in Portuguese and its difficult to understand what they are doing medically and how they are treating the patients based on their diagnoses, the nurses' and doctors' body language and compassion is readily understandable. Since I've been here, I've seen good and bad examples of how to treat a patient such as having good beside manners, not being rough with the patient if they are slow, and repeatedly asking each patient if they are alright/comfortable. I initially was eager to come participate in this internship to learn about every bodily process, which is undoubtedly impossible. However, I am certain to take away experiences that will help me develop a stronger character to connect and bond with my future patients.

Last night, we met Art Nilsen, a local pastor in Angra who is a retired nurse from the Air Force Base. In a few weeks we will be heading over to his church to help build a summer camp for Azorean children. After speaking with his wife over dinner, I learned that this summer camp is backed with the support of CEF, Child Evangelism Fellowship. I am eager to get to know Art and his family as we help them provide opportunities for children that are hard to come by on this island. Art has been very helpful and has offered to take us to his church this Sunday- a real treat to meet more Americans! He has made us feel quite at home and is such a nice contact to have here for us. Signing out till next time!

Which Came First - The Chicken or the Egg?

Not sure if anyone can really answer that question, but what I can tell you for sure is that the egg reached Terceira before the chicken. After ending a 3 year stint with vegetarianism this past January, I have only recently come to the definitive conclusion that chicken is delicious. My relapse into a carnivorous lifestyle has only proven to torment me, however, as chicken appears to be part of a posh lifestyle in Terceira - difficult to find, and more expensive than beef on all the menus. Well, you might say, there are more cows than people on Terceira and maybe they just don't raise chickens there; hence its near-delicacy status. But what baffles me is that there are eggs everywhere. There are a plethora of omelets to choose from on any menu. Instead of topping a burger with cheese, it gets topped with a fried egg. The pork chop on the menu? You bet - topped with egg. So where are the chickens? The menus even go so far as to offer chicken gizzards, but good luck scoping out the wonderful, juicy meat for those of us with less adventurous taste buds. I am still reeling in shock over finding an actual chicken sandwich for dinner tonight. I relished it as long as I could!
Not to say that there haven't been other foods to compensate for the lack of chicken around the island. Yesterday night a few of us went to dinner and got pizza cones which is quite creative of the Azoreans. Basically, the "cone" is made of pizza dough and the inside is stuffed with all the normal pizza toppings. A cheese lover, I got my cone jam-packed with cheese; i.e. I essentially ordered a heart attack in a cone. To make matters worse, I then ordered a "sweet cone" that was brimming with queijo fresco, a type of sweet dessert cheese resembling cheesecake filling before it is baked. It was DELICIOUS, especially with the pastry crust and raspberries that I got on top. I've been missing cream cheese a lot since coming to the island, so this dessert definitely hit the spot. Franklin Street doesn't know the type of business it could be getting if only it had a cone shop like this!

xoxo Vanessa

Hospital Experience

Hi everyone,

It's Fei Fei again. I'd like to take a moment and explain the overall gist of the hospital internship, much like Singer did with the government one.

Dra. Marta is the one who is officially in charge of coordinating the Atlantis Project at the hospital. However, she has been out since we've been here, and she will not be back until May 30th. Instead, Dr. Claudio, a resident in internal medicine (but who really wants to become a surgeon) is the one who has helped us get organized and set up. He's amazing and has done so much for us.

Essentially, we each shadow a doctor, resident, or intern in a department for a few days. The ones that we have had to pick between so far are Cardiology, Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Emergency. Schedules are variable and very flexible; we usually switch amongst ourselves every few days. For example, this week we have had 2 people in Gastroenterology, 2 people in Internal Medicine or Emergency, 2 people in Pediatrics or Cardiology, and 1 person in Surgery. We usually begin the day at 9 or 9:30. Sometimes the doctors finish all the procedures in their department by 11 AM or noon, and we have the afternoon off. Other times, like when we follow people in Surgery or Emergency, we are given the option to stay as late 8:30 PM. Usually, we're done by 2 or 4 PM.

Now I get to talk about my personal experiences so far. This has been my first experience shadowing in a hospital, so everything has been new for me.

I followed Dr. Claudio for 4 days: 2 days in the ER and 2 days in Internal Medicine. One of the days in the ER was more relaxed, and Dr. Claudio had more time to talk to each patient. We saw a great range of patients, from tonsillitis to an attempted suicide to coughing and trouble breathing. Dr. Claudio took the time to explain to us in English what was going on and why he was prescribing what he did, or ordering the tests that he did.

The second time I followed him in the ER, there were many more patients. Sometimes he would have 5 files in front of him at once, and he would be juggling 2 or 3 patients in different rooms. Therefore, he had less time to explain what was going on. It's interesting how doctors are held in such high esteem here that the patients were ok with him interrupting consults to talk to me, talk to other doctors, see other patients, or answer his phone. Yet I can still tell how much he cares about his patients and really wants to help them. Even so, sometimes he argues with patients and tells them to find a family doctor, especially when they come in with issues like "sore throat for 2 months" or similar non-emergency conditions. They have a big problem

In the Internal Medicine department, some days were more boring. Again, Dr. Claudio tried to explain things to me in English, but there were long periods of time where I would just be standing and listening to a conversation between doctors or between a doctor and a patient. It was still great seeing the interactions though, and seeing what doctors actually do in terms of paperwork and work as a team to decide how to treat their patients.

I also spent a day in Cardiology. Here, I witnessed a cardiac infarction and a death, for the first time in my life. That scene, with all the doctors and nurses rushing about doing CPR and injecting drugs and doing everything they could, is now burned into my mind. I felt helpless standing at the edge of the room, watching them putting in IVs, pumping on his chest, putting a line into his femoral artery... everybody was working together as a coordinated team, and I could do nothing. I have felt amazingly at-home in the hospital, and for the first time in my life, I have realized that I want to work in medicine, where I can interact with patients. I also want to have skills in the hospital. I do not want to stand there helpless again; even if I can't save people I want to have the training to do something.

Finally, I spent today in Gastroenterology and watched 5 endoscopies. We'll get to see a colonoscopy tomorrow, and a brachioscopy (is that the proper term in English? Sometimes we're told the Portuguese and we try to figure out the English). It's amazing that all of these are done under local anesthesia here, unless there's a special case with a particularly anxious patient or something. The nurses in this department are amazing at explaining things to the patients, joking with them, and generally making them feel comfortable for the procedure.

Boa noite!

Babies!

These first almost-two weeks have been eye opening and incredibly enjoyable. On my first day in the hospital I got to watch a C-section on a HIV positive mother. It was my first time in the operating room, and like one of the fellows said last year, I took an unnecessary amount of time figuring out how to get scrubbed up and ready for the OR without any help from the doctors. This is a really rare procedure, as Bruno, the doctor who I have been working with, explained. It’s rare because the hospital only does about 600 deliveries a year, 30% of them being C-sections, but not on HIV positive mothers. The mothers usually choose not to be public about their pregnancies if they have HIV, and many even get their children aborted because it is a small town and they don’t want everyone knowing. I commemorate this mother for going through with the procedure and having her child. Bruno said that if the right precautions were taken, the child would only have a 1% chance of having HIV. Doctor Bruno is a pediatrician with a special interest in neonatal care. In the beginning of this week, Erin and I shadowed him as he saw patients in a clinical setting as well as in the Obstetrics ward of the hospital.

On the day that we were supposed to meet Bruno to examine the babies in the Obstetrics ward, I woke up feeling energized and excited. Sometimes I have that blah feeling when I wake up- you know, when you just want to go back to sleep because you’re dreading the day ahead? Not that day. I jumped out of bed, and am pretty sure I was smiling as I brushed my teeth. That’s how I want to wake up every day of my life. Although I said that I was coming on this trip with an open mind, and that I was going to try out different specialties, I’m pretty sure that pediatrics is for me. Erin and I were talking about how amazing it is that all the organs we have as adults are squeezed into these tiny little beings. I don’t necessarily want to work with small babies, but I enjoy working with children and being in a hospital setting. We saw four different newborns that day, one who was eight hours old when we went for her check-up. One of the mothers was ready to be discharged from the hospital, so we spent the most time talking to her. Or rather, Bruno talked to her in Portuguese and then translated for us. The mother had the blood type A-, and her baby had the Rh+ factor. Bruno explained the possible complications in further pregnancies because of the mixing of the baby and mother’s blood, and the formation of antibodies, but I understood it already because it was drilled into my head in Hogan’s Bio 101 class. I was so excited to put the knowledge that I learned in class to use in the hospital!

Outside of my internship, I’ve been exploring the island and bonding with the other APers over food and random excursions. It seems like whenever we have our minds set on going somewhere, we get sidetracked and find some incredible view or part of the island that we’ve never seen before. I’m enjoying the culture here as well. Well, I’m enjoying most parts of it. Ranjan and Chris ran in the streets at the last tourada, and I was completely jealous. I said that during the next tourada, I was going to be out there with them. Then I realized that only men run in the streets. In fact, we were told that women did not even watch the touradas until a few years ago! I was so disappointed! I know it is not the cultural norm for women to be running after bulls, but maybe I’ll put my hair up under a baseball cap and sneak in. We’ll see how adventurous I decide to be…

Aisha

P.S. Vanessa found Glee online today so Singer, Nicole, and I will be glued to our laptops for the next few hours. There are some things you just can't live without.

Time is going by so fast!

Hello again! It's Singer, your diligent blogger for the evening. I wanted to take some time to explain the details of the government internship for those coming to the island next session or even next year. Laura and I arrived in Terceira not completely sure of our duties in the government. So to make sure future interns aren't as clueless in the coming years, here's a brief rundown of what we've been up to during the past week.

Every morning we diligently show up to work at 10 AM, on the clock. We're still getting used to island time, in which punctuality is considered being five minutes late. Once our boss, Juban -- the director of legal issues -- arrives, we either discuss Portuguese politics, watch a livefeed of their once-weekly town hall meetings, or migrate to another part of the office where the inspectors work. A large part of our job entails shadowing, per se, the inspectors, who perform a wide range of activities. For example, earlier this week I went with the "scales inspector" around town to measure the scales of various supermarkets. While this may not seem glamorous, it's a great way to see the city in ways the rest of our group can't. Just today Laura and I traveled all the way out to Praia da Vitoria with the town's veterinarian in search of sick dogs. And later this afternoon we had the opportunity to visit the north side of the island when the vet took us to measure streets for the running of the bulls.

Along with traveling and working on regulations, I really feel like we're getting a good understanding of how the town hall works here on the island. Some days we work with the underlings (the inspectors and the vet) while others are spent with the director of legal issues. We were promised a visit with the US consulate, a UNC grad, -- shoutout to our Tarheels! -- and the mayor, a female economist from the Socialist party. And on the topic of parties, we're fortunate enough to be working in the city government during an election year...actually, an election month! On June 5th, Portugal holds its elections, which should be so exciting (we're political science nerds) considering the host of economic and political problems facing Portugal right now.

As you can see, working in the city hall definitely has its advantages. We don't start work until 10 AM; lunch is usually a leisurely two hour long break; we get a lot of afternoons off; and we get to explore the island. Though I love learning about the political side of things, working in La Camara de Municipal would be a great opportunity for a veterinarian studies major, or even an environmental studies major like Laura Hamrick, as Laura R. and I discovered this afternoon. We're interested in starting a project within the government, and so we asked the vet for a few suggestions. The few he gave us entailed collecting and documenting samples of plant and nature life around the city (so you're thing if you have an interest in the environment).

We want future applicants to the Atlantis Project to know how much variety is situated in the local government. Literally anyone could work here. It really proves just how much this trip is what you make it. Laura and I are still working on the intricate details of our project, but until we figure that out, boa noite!

Escolas e Inglês e Português, oh my!

Olá! I’m Laura Hamrick, the one (and only!) education intern for the first session of the Atlantis Project. Everyone else has done a pretty good job of talking about the things we’ve been up to as a group, so I’m going to talk more about my experiences so far at the Escola Tomás do Borba, the K-12 school that I’ll be working at for six weeks. So far I’ve met the English teachers, met some of the kids, and started to understand how the school works. My role is twofold – I’ll be assisting the teachers in their lessons by working with the students individually and presenting to their classes, and I’ll also be serving as the recruitment point person for the second session’s English camp.

On Tuesday (after our ritual pastry and a café com leite at the Cafe Alianca) Singer and I met up with a woman at the regional board of education who took us out to the school. The school is awesome. It’s only three years old, and is apparently one of the best schools in Portugal. One whole wing is a conservatory devoted to music and dance, so I’m hoping to get a chance to go play cello with the kids. They also have a sick recreational building that I would also not mind trying out. So far I’ve just sat in on 10^th and 12^th grade classes and started getting to know the teachers, so I can figure out how to best work with them and their students. I’m hoping to work with all grades, since they start teaching English in elementary school. Since I’m the only education intern, I can pretty much determine my own schedule and activities, given my interests.

I’ve enjoyed getting to know the teachers especially. Elsa, the woman I’m mainly working with, grew up in Zimbabwe and is really, really great. Then there’s a biology teacher from Brazil who I’ve talked to about everything from evolution to the international politics of oil prices.

Tomorrow should be fun, since I’m going to be talking to Ana’s fifth grade class. She just wants me to show up and have them practice asking questions and holding a conversation with me, which is probably one of the more useful things that I will be able to help the students with. Unfortunately, that’s already something I know how to do, so I’m hoping to also work with Ana and the other teachers to learn how teachers go about planning lessons, managing classrooms, etc.

One of my other main goals for this trip is to learn Português. So far, I’ve learned how to add accents in Mìcrosöft Wõrd, so I think I'm well on my way to fluency. And with that, I think I will use one of the few phrases I do know...

Boa noite!

Laura