Bye-Bye, Puerto

That's right...I knew the time would eventually come when I would have to say good-bye & return to the freezing-cold, land-locked Cincinnati, Ohio.  

So, you're probably thinking, "Alvin, What did you do in your last fews days in Mexico?"  Answer: see below...

I made a new friend in my bedroom in my last few days...in some ways, I'm glad it was there because it made me a bit home-sick!!!  :-)

Sara & I went to Bahias (Bays) of Huatulco about 2 hours south of Puerto Escondido for some great snorkeling.  It was a lot better to snorkel here because there weren't any jellyfish!  We also ate some great food, went kayaking, sun-bathed, and walked the town center.  

Here are some photos from our underwater, disposable camera...

We also saw the movie "Inception" in the "Movie Theater" in Puerto...really, it was a projector with a 15-foot-wide screen, 6 chairs, and a bench.  But we got to pick our own movie, and it cost under $4, so it was really a lot of fun.  

I also did some hammock-lying on my last day after spending a few hours at the hospital in Labor & Delivery (lots of labor, no deliver, unfortunately).  

Words can't express the enjoyment of napping in a hammock on the beach as the sun sets! 

Watching some surfers at the last sunset.  

And there it is...my last sunset in Puerto.  :-( 

This was my Host-Mom (Rosy) and Host-Dad (Armando) who took wonderful care of me during my stay. 

And in the middle is Sol, the Language & Host-Stay Coordinator who dealt with our  innumerable stupid questions and requests for help.  :-) 

I flew out of Puerto to Mexico City where I spent the night in a wonderful hotel inside the airport.  Then, left at 6:30 this morning, had a layover in Dallas, and then I return to the snow-covered Cincinnati.  

Cincinnati Skyline

All-in-all, it was a WONDERFUL trip!  I really have no complaints (other than the scorpion & the sunburns).  I learned so much...not only about Spanish & Medicine, but also about culture and international dynamics.  I met people from Mexico, Switzerland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Italy, and several other countries.  It was an amazing experience.  

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts, prayers, and Facebook comments while I was abroad.  

And thank-you to everyone in Mexico that made my trip so unforgettable!  

Last Week in Puerto

On my last week in Puerto, I tried to get a bunch of things done that we have been wanting to do...

Like breakfast at a new restaurant in Zicatela!

And like every Sunday, working on my homework for clinicals :-( 

We visited a Partera Tradicional, a traditional midwife who has been in the business for like 50 years...a child has never died under her care!!!

We also went looking for Chinches, a tick-like insect (see below) that carries a parasite which causes a deadly illness known as Chagas

Pizza de Oaxaca

A live chinche!

Sara & I also checked out a new beach...la Playa Bacocho...

A random, non-fuctioning water park in the middle of nowhere!

Playa Bacocho

La Puesta del Sol (Sunset) en Bacocho

We just walked along the beach, and we found this restaurant, so we decided to sit in the chairs & order drinks.  Not many people were there, so we decided to also swim in the pool since it was less salty than the ocean.  We swam there & hung out for like 4 hours.  As we were leaving, we found out it was a Private Club and that we were supposed to pay a cover.  Oooops!  We worked our way out of it by pretending we didn't speak Spanish.  :-) 

The next day, we went snorkeling close to Puerto, but the water was kinda dirty, and there were thousands and thousands of small jellyfish that stung you all over your body.  It was pretty to see the fish, but it was quite uncomfortable...when hundreds of them are stinging you all at the same time, it kinda feels like when your arm falls asleep & then it starts to wake up & kinda feels like pins...except it happens ALL over your body with jellyfish, lol.  

We spotted a turtle from the boat

Sara & I in our borrowed wet suits in an attempt to prevent the jellyfish from stinging us

A "Taste of Oaxaca"...a little bit of everything that's typical for the area

My Mexican Thanksgiving

Happy Belated Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!  I wish I could've spend the holiday with you all!  

Of course, Thanksgiving is a U.S. holiday, so there was no "typical" way to celebrate it here.  So, Sara & I devised our own special celebration.  We took surfing lessons in the afternoon, and then we bought stuff to make smores!  It was delicious!

Ingredients: "Pan Crema" crackers (since Graham crackers can't be found in Southern Mexico...they're actually more salty than sweet, but it still worked), Vanilla & Strawberry marshmallows, and Swiss chocolate!

P.S. Since trying Swiss chocolate, I don't think I can ever go back to Hershey's...Sara has ruined me. 

We had to get creative with heating them up...the microwave worked wonderfully.

The Final Product!

Last Friday was our last official day of Spanish classes.  Our professor decided that our final exam would be going for beers, chips, & salsa at a local restaurant where we weren't allowed to speak any English.  

Left-to-Right: Rodney (Australia), Sara (Switzerland), Amerika (Mexico), Monica (Switzerland), Me (United States)

What better way to start off the weekend in Mexico than with Chinese food?
There are 6 people in this picture representing 6 different countries.
(Canada, Switzerland, U.S., Mexico, Ukraine, and China).

Chilling at the Zicatela Beach

Last Saturday was the Pez Vela contest.  Adoquin was quite crowded.

I don't know who the guy is in the picture, but I thought it helped to provide a reference to see how big the fish were!

Another Week Coming to an End

Week 3 is finishing up now.  To start, here's a bit of a re-cap from last weekend...the 17th Annual Costal Festival was going on last weekend, and it was a great cultural experience!

People came from all over the region to show their typical dances

 Sara & I also went back to the Finals of the Surf Tournament on Sunday morning.

The beach was CROWDED!

After the surf tournament, Sara, Rodney, and I went on a bird-watching boat trip in a nearby lagoon.  

It was one of the most peaceful things I've done in a long time. 

We met a little friend along the way! 

The bird-watching trip concluded with a beautiful sunset on the ocean.  Click on the link below to see a one-minute version of the ten minutes of video I condensed.  

One Minute Sunset on YouTube

And what Mexican vacation wouldn't be complete without a wonderful Greek meal?  Sara & I decided to make it a tradition to eat Greek food each Sunday evening since this restaurant is SOOOO good!

This week, I was in a clinic close to the airport, and we saw a great variety of pediatric & adult patients.  Sara spent most of her time in the Operating Room, so we were able to contrast & compare very different experiences this week.  The health care system in Mexico has so many good things going for it. Of course, any health care system could use its improvements, but Mexico's focus on prevention is definitely something I want to bring back to the U.S. with me.