July 14th

Today we had class on patient-centered care, and we started the morning by watching Patch Adams with Robin Williams. I've seen it a few times before, but it's one that I don't get tired of watching. Watching this movie makes me stop and think about what kind of doctor I want to be and what sort of relationships I want to have with my patients. It really is a great movie and I'm glad we got the chance to watch it. It's actually funny because yesterday during this class I was sitting there thinking to myself "I wish we could watch Patch Adams..." and it's as if the professor read my mind. Tomorrow in class I'll probably wish that money would rain from the sky, so we'll see how that one goes. We then had a class on radiology. We covered the basic types of radiation, where it comes from, and what it does, most of which I learned in physics. For lunch we went to the festival, which was essentially the same as the fairs we have back home. There were food stalls, shopping stalls, carnival rides, live music, and cheap drinks. I tried an ostrich burger for the first time, and it was quite delicious. It tasted pretty much like a beef burger, but better. It's my goal to try as much South African food as I can before I go back to the States. After lunch, we went back to lecture for a couple hours. This afternoon's lectures were about pediatrics and obstetrics. We talked about breast-feeding and the mother-baby bond and the effects it has on the immediate development of the baby. On a less exciting note, we also learned about the causes and treatments of pediatric constipation. Tomorrow I plan on exploring the festival a bit more and try some more new foods and maybe pick up some souvenirs to bring back home if people are nice to me...

P.S. I feel a little bit like a celebrity with this blog. People keep asking when I'm going to post next, which makes me feel good. I've received a few compliments on my writing as well, which is nice to hear because I've never felt like I've been that good at writing. Also I've been getting shout-out requests from my cool new friends (here's looking at you Josh). But overall I've enjoyed writing this blog and I hope you guys are enjoying it too!