Feeling the Pulse

My name is Erin Chew and I am one of the hospital interns!

Its the end of the first week and its been quite the adventure. If you’ve seen facebook pictures, it’s quite obvious that this place is absolutely gorgeous. Last Wednesday we decided to climb Monte Brazil. It only took us a few minutes to detour to a castle ruin that we found. It’s a monstrous fort-like castle that dominates a large part of Monte Brazil. After climbing past the barbed wire that limited our exploration, we finally reached this breath-taking view. Standing on what seemed like the top of the world, we saw the entire city of Angra do Heroismo overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing the tile roofs and white houses scattered amongst the hills and cobble stone streets intertwined with trees and beautiful wild flowers was beyond gorgeous. Now I probably sound extremely cheesy trying to explain this view to you but you’ll have to come to check it out for yourself.

Our resident is Dr. Claudio, one of the best examples of any physician I've probably ever met. One of my biggest goals in life is not only to become a doctor but to become a doctor with a compassionate, eager spirit who treats patients as friends with the utmost bedside manners. Over the years I've learned that being a doctor is far more than infinite knowledge on various medications and medical disorders. Dr. Claudio exemplifies the medical spirit that I would one day like to use to treat my own patients. The first day Dr. Claudio forgot to eat and even pee. His best line was, "Oh my God, its 8:30 (PM) and I haven't peed all day." He rushes around the hospital between floors, from the ER to the internal medicine area checking on patients and conducting more tests all with such powerful energy and optimism. The hospital here is not like that at UNC in regards to its appearance and ambiance. To be honest, It looks quite frightening from the outside and reminds me of a mental institution. However, when Dr. Claudio walks into any room you can see the patient light up as he patiently asks how he or she is doing. I am so eager to find more examples of superior physicians so that in a few years I can rush around to visit my own patients...and even forget to pee!