Studying anatomy
Touring the slums of La Carpio
Geriatric exercise charla
Food poisoning charla
Studying super hard
Bugs
Tastes of home
Visited by Oakley and Caylin. We went to a museum in San Jose
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Picture Story
Making tortillas
Studying anatomy
Touring the slums of La Carpio
Geriatric exercise charla
Food poisoning charla
Studying super hard
Bugs
Tastes of home
Visited by Oakley and Caylin. We went to a museum in San Jose
Studying anatomy
Touring the slums of La Carpio
Geriatric exercise charla
Food poisoning charla
Studying super hard
Bugs
Tastes of home
Visited by Oakley and Caylin. We went to a museum in San Jose
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Manuel Antonio
Our first charlas were a great success! The first group was 12-15 people and the second was about 8 older folks. On day 1, the subjects consisted of antibiotic use/abuse and food poisoning prevention (my group). Day 2 consisted of the importance of a proper diet/exercise and examples of physical activity that can be done at home (my group). This is the poster my team used
They had some good questions and me and my teammate answered as much as we could. It was a little difficult but very exciting when we could actually fill our usual role of healthcare informant. I plan on making the best of these next two weeks so I can come home with sufficient spanish speaking skills. This is "crucigrama," basically scrabble.
I got my butt kicked but it was fun. It's good that they have different methods of learning. I feel like the key to success in any venture is diversification. This picture is the document we handed out and all the exercises we showed. I was the lucky performer, haha.
Over the weekend, we went to Manuel Antonio, it is a city with a national park and some nice beaches. Before we set out, I found something I had been looking for but thought didn't exist here (maybe because of the different packaging).
The ride was about 3.5 hours, mostly because we stopped a couple times to hit up some tourist traps. Here is one that is near a sunbathing spot popular to an interesting population.
Here is a video of them in action.
Our next stop (much shorter) was within view of Jaco. This is a resort town that I will actually be spending my last week in (I'm pretty excited since I will be joined by Jenna and my mom).
We checked into our hotel in Quepos (10 min from Manuel Antonio) and got some lunch. We got our check and were clearly identified as the "gringos" of the joint.
We spent some time on the beach just outside of the national park and got dinner at a restaurant there. On many occasions, we have found ourselves in the middle of what you would call "lost in translation" moments. So when we decided to go for the happy hour 2-for-1 specials, we didn't realize that meant getting both drinks immediately. Here is my crew with their beverages.
On Sunday we actually went into Manuel Antonio National Park ($10 entry) which is supposed to have a nice trail, a bunch of animals, and beautiful beaches. I was a little disappointed that the trails were so short (apparently some are being adapted for handicap access), but it was totally worth the money. Here are some of the sights.
It was a pretty fun weekend, but we were all ready to get back. On Monday we had spanish class followed by dance class (I have a few new moves haha). Today, we were in the pharmacy and the rest of the week is dedicated to our next round of charlas (along with daily spanish class). That is all I have for now, thanks for reading.
Pura Vida
Corey
They had some good questions and me and my teammate answered as much as we could. It was a little difficult but very exciting when we could actually fill our usual role of healthcare informant. I plan on making the best of these next two weeks so I can come home with sufficient spanish speaking skills. This is "crucigrama," basically scrabble.
I got my butt kicked but it was fun. It's good that they have different methods of learning. I feel like the key to success in any venture is diversification. This picture is the document we handed out and all the exercises we showed. I was the lucky performer, haha.
Over the weekend, we went to Manuel Antonio, it is a city with a national park and some nice beaches. Before we set out, I found something I had been looking for but thought didn't exist here (maybe because of the different packaging).
The ride was about 3.5 hours, mostly because we stopped a couple times to hit up some tourist traps. Here is one that is near a sunbathing spot popular to an interesting population.
Here is a video of them in action.
Our next stop (much shorter) was within view of Jaco. This is a resort town that I will actually be spending my last week in (I'm pretty excited since I will be joined by Jenna and my mom).
We checked into our hotel in Quepos (10 min from Manuel Antonio) and got some lunch. We got our check and were clearly identified as the "gringos" of the joint.
We spent some time on the beach just outside of the national park and got dinner at a restaurant there. On many occasions, we have found ourselves in the middle of what you would call "lost in translation" moments. So when we decided to go for the happy hour 2-for-1 specials, we didn't realize that meant getting both drinks immediately. Here is my crew with their beverages.
On Sunday we actually went into Manuel Antonio National Park ($10 entry) which is supposed to have a nice trail, a bunch of animals, and beautiful beaches. I was a little disappointed that the trails were so short (apparently some are being adapted for handicap access), but it was totally worth the money. Here are some of the sights.
It was a pretty fun weekend, but we were all ready to get back. On Monday we had spanish class followed by dance class (I have a few new moves haha). Today, we were in the pharmacy and the rest of the week is dedicated to our next round of charlas (along with daily spanish class). That is all I have for now, thanks for reading.
Pura Vida
Corey
Monday, March 3, 2014
Bulls and Bars
Woah, the longer I wait between posts, the more pictures I have to sort through. I've been meaning to put up a picture of the pharmacy I've been at.
Not a shabby joint. Nice 30 min bus ride beforehand gives me a chance to see the pueblo, since it takes me through the hills and windy roads. This is a flyer from the rodeo I went to last Friday. It is put on by my tico parents. It was pretty interesting. Walking up there are bumper cars, a bunch of foosball tables, and other games. I got inside the arena around 730, where they were doing some games for the younger dudes. After an old fashioned tug-of-war they sent a greased up piggie to run around. Poor little dude was outnumbered so it was a short chase.
Mom, I know you're not a fan of this sort of thing, but if it makes you feel better the animals got a chance to fight back, and they did.
Saturday was a day spent in Heredia and later San Jose. We went on a coffee tour at Cafe Brit. On the way from the bus to the taxi, I saw a bit of American influence. You can see burger king, quiznos, and pizza hut.
This is the back wall in the gift shop of Cafe Brit. Each section is a different flavor (with samples). I had way to many chocolate covered beans and cups of coffee. After checking that out, we went on our 1.5 hour tour.
History lesson
Walking through part of the farm.
After that, we took an hour cab ride (ugh traffic) to San Jose where we checked into a hostel. I don't have pictures of it unfortunately but it was pretty sweet, and for $14 I expected a lot less! I did capture what struck me as a similar sight until I realized it wasn't Cold Stone and 85 degrees, jaja.
Later, we went to an "Artesian Market" and since I had no idea what that meant, I didn't know what to expect. It was a row of small shops with (mostly) hand made stuff for pretty good prices. I bought a couple of things but might have to go back before my trip is over.
This brings us to today. On Wednesday and Thursday we will be doing a community outreach in La Carpio. Today my team prepared for prevention and treatment of food borne illness.
I can do a presentation or group chat pretty easily but this is in spanish, so wish me luck. That is all I have for now. Thanks for reading!
Pura Vida
Corey
Not a shabby joint. Nice 30 min bus ride beforehand gives me a chance to see the pueblo, since it takes me through the hills and windy roads. This is a flyer from the rodeo I went to last Friday. It is put on by my tico parents. It was pretty interesting. Walking up there are bumper cars, a bunch of foosball tables, and other games. I got inside the arena around 730, where they were doing some games for the younger dudes. After an old fashioned tug-of-war they sent a greased up piggie to run around. Poor little dude was outnumbered so it was a short chase.
Mom, I know you're not a fan of this sort of thing, but if it makes you feel better the animals got a chance to fight back, and they did.
Saturday was a day spent in Heredia and later San Jose. We went on a coffee tour at Cafe Brit. On the way from the bus to the taxi, I saw a bit of American influence. You can see burger king, quiznos, and pizza hut.
This is the back wall in the gift shop of Cafe Brit. Each section is a different flavor (with samples). I had way to many chocolate covered beans and cups of coffee. After checking that out, we went on our 1.5 hour tour.
History lesson
Walking through part of the farm.
After that, we took an hour cab ride (ugh traffic) to San Jose where we checked into a hostel. I don't have pictures of it unfortunately but it was pretty sweet, and for $14 I expected a lot less! I did capture what struck me as a similar sight until I realized it wasn't Cold Stone and 85 degrees, jaja.
Later, we went to an "Artesian Market" and since I had no idea what that meant, I didn't know what to expect. It was a row of small shops with (mostly) hand made stuff for pretty good prices. I bought a couple of things but might have to go back before my trip is over.
This brings us to today. On Wednesday and Thursday we will be doing a community outreach in La Carpio. Today my team prepared for prevention and treatment of food borne illness.
I can do a presentation or group chat pretty easily but this is in spanish, so wish me luck. That is all I have for now. Thanks for reading!
Pura Vida
Corey
Friday, February 28, 2014
Mi farmaceutica had me read the inserts on a couple of meds the other day. Both of the medications pictured are lyophilates of different bacterial strains.
"Uro-Vaxom" contains e. coli and "Broncho-Vaxom" contains h. flu, d. pneumoniae, k. pneumonia, k. ozaenae, s. areus, s. pyogenes, s. viridans, and n. catarrhalis. At first, I was just happy to recognize the majority of these bugs. I was then more interested in the fact that I don't know of any medications like these in the US. Not quite a probiotic, not quite a vaccine, these are used for recurrent UTI and bronchitis, respectively. For $14 and $40 per cycle (they don't have medication insurance here but the prices are much cheaper), these regimens are purportedly effective at stimulating the immune system so these problems do not recur. Luckily the package inserts were in spanish and english.
Some other things to note from this week's visit to the farmacia:
Yesterday we went to "La Carpio" which is a Nicaraguan slum. It also happens to be the waste site for all of Costa Rica. We will be most of our charlas (health talks) in this area. I didn't take many pictures, but it is pretty much what you would picture when you think of the third world. The only difference is that I did see satellites and a few flat screens in the shanties.
On the way back, we drove by this cookie factory. It smelled sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!!
Pura Vida
Corey
"Uro-Vaxom" contains e. coli and "Broncho-Vaxom" contains h. flu, d. pneumoniae, k. pneumonia, k. ozaenae, s. areus, s. pyogenes, s. viridans, and n. catarrhalis. At first, I was just happy to recognize the majority of these bugs. I was then more interested in the fact that I don't know of any medications like these in the US. Not quite a probiotic, not quite a vaccine, these are used for recurrent UTI and bronchitis, respectively. For $14 and $40 per cycle (they don't have medication insurance here but the prices are much cheaper), these regimens are purportedly effective at stimulating the immune system so these problems do not recur. Luckily the package inserts were in spanish and english.
Some other things to note from this week's visit to the farmacia:
- While the US is reducing the available forms of acetaminophen (due to liver concerns for opiate addicts), CR has a 750mg tablet
- This location does not have ANY opiates (they are mostly in the govt. pharmacies)
- Erectile dysfunction meds are controlled and require a prescription
Yesterday we went to "La Carpio" which is a Nicaraguan slum. It also happens to be the waste site for all of Costa Rica. We will be most of our charlas (health talks) in this area. I didn't take many pictures, but it is pretty much what you would picture when you think of the third world. The only difference is that I did see satellites and a few flat screens in the shanties.
On the way back, we drove by this cookie factory. It smelled sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!!
Pura Vida
Corey
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