Mexico Trip, August 2008

In August, a week before school started, we took off for a 17 hour excursion to Guaymas, Mexico with a small group of SUU pre-medical students. Yuck, I know. To make matters worse, we were traveling in two Shakespearean Festival vans from SUU. The vans were plastered in theatrical scenes of men in leather pants with swords, or a "make-out" scene with Romeo and Juliette. If that didn't scream "please arrest me" to all the corrupt cops in Mexico, I didn't know what else would. Anyway, our whole purpose in going to Mexico for a week was to gain medical experience and knowledge of third-world practices. Each day we spent many hours side-by-side doctors and surgeons. Aaron and I witnessed three live births, seven screws taken out from a leg, tonsils being removed, and surgery on a hiatus hernia. I also saw stitches being sewn into a large gash of a drunken man in the E.R. During the first surgery we saw, the hiatus hernia victim, the doctor was able to show us inside the body cavity. She pointed out the diaphragm, the heart beating against the chest cavity, the stomach, the liver, and the esophagus. Before the first cut even began, Aaron was found passed-out on the floor! He had to step into the other room to get control of himself again. He was really embarrassed. Aaron got very sick from the water or the food, and I found myself sick the whole week as well. However, when I got home I took a pregnancy test and found out that it was because I was about six weeks pregnant! No wonder why I was so sick! Other than spending time in the hospital, we ate, and ate, and ate, hot and spicy (and usually questionable) Mexican food for every meal. I still have yet to eat any thing Mexican in over a month. However, some of the meals were very good. At one outdoor restaurant, overlooking the ocean, we were sung to by an old man with his guitar. He, of course, asked for a very ridiculous tip afterwords. Everyone just assumed because we were Americans we were super rich. We often found store and restaurant keepers trying, and usually succeeding, to rip us off. During our free time, Aaron and I went swimming and snorkeling in the warmest ocean on the Earth. Hawaii's water would feel cold comparatively! Also we were able to perform service for two of the orphanages in Guaymas by bringing them clothing, hygiene products, and a few hours of our time to play with them. At the second orphanage we brought a Pinata for the children. After they had beat the Pinata and gathered their candy, they shared the candy with all of us. That was a very humbling and fun experience. The final pictures shown here are of our hotel that sat only a few feet from the ocean's edge.