The Coolest Physical Therapy Place Ever

7/24/23

I was thinking about maybe doing some yoga? Currently in the cutest cafe sipping on a matcha since we don't have rotation today due to another Guelaguetza event, and I'm sitting here reflecting on...my health status I guess you could say? Not sure if it's the crazy weather changes in Oaxaca (there's a lot of rain and REALLY LOUD thunder) or my heartburn that's getting to me, but I feel like my body has been in a state of fight or flight. But maybe that's just because I'm still in an adjustment phase. I am quite the overthinker. I find that you can imagine thousands of possibilities of things you might see, things you will need to say, etc. but real life is unpredictable. Maybe it's culture shock? If so, then it's proof that even if you consider yourself a traveler or someone interested in learning about other cultures, that doesn't mean you're actively putting yourself in the thick of it. But in the midst of these feelings, I am very thankful for the people that I have on this trip. What a wonderful group of people to laugh about stupid stuff with after a long day!

7/25/23

Today was the first day of our rotation at CRIT, which is a large physical therapy facility for children. It was super easy finding the people we needed to see, and they were all super nice! We helped with cleaning, playing with kids, and giving physical therapy sessions. I had a long chat with one of the therapists and I love that I've gotten to the point where I could crack jokes with him in Spanish. I have to say, this facility is so much nicer than the ones I've seen in the United States. There was pool therapy, a robot to help people start walking again, and so so so many therapists there to help the dozens of kids lined up outside the door. It really got me thinking about how they have the funds to open such a facility considering that CESSA was nowhere near as nice or technologically advanced. But then I was talking to a mom, who told me she was a biologist, and I think the people that have the time to take their kids to therapy are the ones that can also afford it, allowing the facility to grow the way it has. But what about people who don't have those means?

After clinic, I did absolutely nothing because I ONCE AGAIN got carsick on the ride back, even though I have so much I need to do. By 4:00, we were back at the language school and had a 2 hour workshop on alebrijes, which are wooden animal figurines that are really popular here. Some of them glow under UV light! Can you guess which one is mine?

7/26/23

Went back to CRIT today to help the staff and met the cutest little boy who was bored as his brother was receiving therapy. Playing rock, paper, scissors with him was honestly the highlight of my day. I'm not sure if this is common or if this little boy was just funny, but every time he put out rock he would "take a shot" and go "Salud!," which is like the equivalent of "cheers!"

Dropped off my laundry to a lavanderia today so it could get washed. I haven't mentioned this yet, but water is something we have to be very conscious about. We save water for our host family by doing our laundry elsewhere. You can't flush anything down the toilet, including toilet paper. We cannot drink tap water or brush our teeth with it. And we always make sure that any ice or smoothie we drink is safe! On the bright side, I think I have become a much more eco-friendly person in terms of water usage!

Last night, we went back to Mayordomo for dinner and the whole experience was so chaotic. I wanted something light and asked the waiter for what soup or crema he recommended. The soup was pretty good! It did take a long time for it to come out because the waiter forgot to tell the kitchen to make it....and then they kept bringing over food to our table that we didn't order because they forgot who ordered what...and they didn't have enough chocolate cake for everyone who ordered it so we had to wait 30 minutes for them to make a whole new cake...AND the server asked one of the girls in our group for her number...yeah, it was quite the experience. Only when in Oaxaca, right?

7/27/23

Went back to CRIT today and we asked to see another department, so we ended up in one that was called "early stimulation," but it really ended up being the same as the mechanotherapy that we saw the previous days.

In the afternoon, we had our Spanish class and reviewed a ton of reflexive verbs and grammar. I think it's so interesting to see how medicine, language, and culture are so intertwined. Embedded in language, we have different ways of saying things that can contribute to how medicine is perceived. For example, instead of saying "I'm late", placing the blame of being late on oneself, people here will say "Se me hizo tarde," or "something made me late". There are so many other examples, and I think this could contribute a lot to the alternative medicine we see here and the mindset that getting sick or feeling better may not be in one's control.

After class, we went out to eat and then got ice cream, and although I haven't really mentioned ice cream yet, tonight was like the 3rd time we've gone because we obviously can't get enough. I got a Oaxacan chocolate paleta, and it tasted like chocomio from Mayordomo, which I have no complaints about. Will probably buy a container of chocomio to bring home so let me know if you want some ;0.

Closing

Stay tuned for a super cool excursion and clinical rotation. Until then!