Short update:
I've been relaxing and recovering since Taiwan, enjoying the few days of summer vacation I have before I start my elective class on Monday, "The Clinical Management of Obesity". I had a really great time in Taiwan and it's strange to be back in the U.S., a little. When I landed in Texas, it was remarkable how much bigger everything was than in Taiwan (the bathroom stalls have to be at least 2 times as large).
Anyway, thanks again to all my Taiwanese friends!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Last Days in Taiwan
Hello folks,
I've reached my last day in Taiwan.
Here are some of my "goodbye" photos from Changhua.
This is my bellydancing class: they gave me a belt and a set of bellydancing clothes to encourage me to continue when I return to the US. Very sweet. Our teacher (center) looks like she's 20 but has a child that old! I couldn't believe it.
I randomly decided to perm my hair:
I went to Neurosurgery again. This is me with a piece of skull we're about to put back in:
My last night in Changhua. We went to sing karaoke.
I busted out "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin," my one Chinese song.
The send off crew at the train station:
After arriving in Kaoshiung, my family took me to Kanting, the most southern tip of Taiwan. It was really beautiful, with brilliant colors and a vacation atmosphere.
My aunt and uncle had fun pretending to carry me on a traditional wedding palanquin.
We came back and the next day, we went to Mei Shan (Plum Mountain). The weather was MUCH cooler (we were above 1000 m from sea level). Taiwan really has diverse geography.
This is a swinging bridge over a gorge. It was far enough down that you probably could bungee jump off of it. It lead to a traditional village for Taiwanese aborigines (Austronesian people).
I've reached my last day in Taiwan.
Here are some of my "goodbye" photos from Changhua.
This is my bellydancing class: they gave me a belt and a set of bellydancing clothes to encourage me to continue when I return to the US. Very sweet. Our teacher (center) looks like she's 20 but has a child that old! I couldn't believe it.
I randomly decided to perm my hair:
I went to Neurosurgery again. This is me with a piece of skull we're about to put back in:
My last night in Changhua. We went to sing karaoke.
I busted out "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin," my one Chinese song.
The send off crew at the train station:
After arriving in Kaoshiung, my family took me to Kanting, the most southern tip of Taiwan. It was really beautiful, with brilliant colors and a vacation atmosphere.
My aunt and uncle had fun pretending to carry me on a traditional wedding palanquin.
We came back and the next day, we went to Mei Shan (Plum Mountain). The weather was MUCH cooler (we were above 1000 m from sea level). Taiwan really has diverse geography.
This is a swinging bridge over a gorge. It was far enough down that you probably could bungee jump off of it. It lead to a traditional village for Taiwanese aborigines (Austronesian people).
We just arrived from Mei Shan and I'm getting my bags ready for the plane tomorrow morning. I hope my luggage is not going to be overweight!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
In Kaoshiung
I have arrived in my family's home in Kaoshiung, having finished up in Changhua. I will be back in the US in a few days!! It has been a really great experience and I will fill in more later.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Funny Things About Taiwan, Part II
1. The toilet paper is in packs, like Kleenex, instead of in rolls.
2. No toilet paper or anything other than what comes out of your body may be flushed down a toilet.
3. Even in the hosptial and in hotels, there are mostly squat-style toilets.
4. Apparently, it's not rude to answer your cell phone at any time: in meetings, patient appointments, etc (this goes for patients, docs and students alike).
5. They click their tounges at small children to get their attention (kind of like baby talk).
6. When speaking of death (or to represent it?), they curl and uncurl the first finger of their hands in a little bobbing motion. This is how the bus driver explained to me that Michael Jackson had died.
7. Taiwanese love beverages: you can find several drink shops on every street. They claim the origin of bubble tea and serve everything from kumquat or sour plum tea to coffee with gelatin and other unusual combinations. Surprisingly tasty (most of them)!
Some funny medical things:
8. A young doctor explained to me that they discard the idea that a BMI of <18.5 is underweight (esp. for women) and the ideal is about 17 (I wonder if there osteoporosis levels are higher). The medical guidelines for being overweight/obese are also not the same (though this is more official and not as cosmetically oriented): 24-27 is considered overweight in Taiwan, whereas in the U.S., 25-30 qualifies as overweight.
9. The social history includes checking for tobacco, alcohol and betelnut use.
10. Cancer is referred to as "C.A." ("shee-ay"), metastases are referred to as "meta," MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is referred to as "mersa," and so on.
11. Mensturating women are not supposed to eat/drink anything cold; the belief is that the cold will cause your insides to contract and make any cramps or pain worse.
2. No toilet paper or anything other than what comes out of your body may be flushed down a toilet.
3. Even in the hosptial and in hotels, there are mostly squat-style toilets.
4. Apparently, it's not rude to answer your cell phone at any time: in meetings, patient appointments, etc (this goes for patients, docs and students alike).
5. They click their tounges at small children to get their attention (kind of like baby talk).
6. When speaking of death (or to represent it?), they curl and uncurl the first finger of their hands in a little bobbing motion. This is how the bus driver explained to me that Michael Jackson had died.
7. Taiwanese love beverages: you can find several drink shops on every street. They claim the origin of bubble tea and serve everything from kumquat or sour plum tea to coffee with gelatin and other unusual combinations. Surprisingly tasty (most of them)!
Some funny medical things:
8. A young doctor explained to me that they discard the idea that a BMI of <18.5 is underweight (esp. for women) and the ideal is about 17 (I wonder if there osteoporosis levels are higher). The medical guidelines for being overweight/obese are also not the same (though this is more official and not as cosmetically oriented): 24-27 is considered overweight in Taiwan, whereas in the U.S., 25-30 qualifies as overweight.
9. The social history includes checking for tobacco, alcohol and betelnut use.
10. Cancer is referred to as "C.A." ("shee-ay"), metastases are referred to as "meta," MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is referred to as "mersa," and so on.
11. Mensturating women are not supposed to eat/drink anything cold; the belief is that the cold will cause your insides to contract and make any cramps or pain worse.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Another long weekend
I had a busy, fun weekend. Friday night, the ladies from my bellydancing class took me out to a nightclub and dressed me for the occasion. We had a great time!
After minimal sleep, I got up the next morning and went to Si Tou, a mountain top park and forest, with a family I met (the twins). We saw a 2,800 year old tree and looked at the clouds touching the green mountain tops. I taught the kids how to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and how to play "Sumo." They really liked it, but I'm not sure if their parents will enjoy all the noise later.... :)
This is the view from the skywalk, which was 7 stories up....
Today (Sunday), I woke up early and went to the hot springs with the family medicine doctors. We hiked a little, had a lecture and lunch, then soaked in the hot springs. There was one funny pool with little fishes that came to nibble the dead skin off of your feet. It tickled SO much!
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!
After minimal sleep, I got up the next morning and went to Si Tou, a mountain top park and forest, with a family I met (the twins). We saw a 2,800 year old tree and looked at the clouds touching the green mountain tops. I taught the kids how to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and how to play "Sumo." They really liked it, but I'm not sure if their parents will enjoy all the noise later.... :)
This is the view from the skywalk, which was 7 stories up....
Today (Sunday), I woke up early and went to the hot springs with the family medicine doctors. We hiked a little, had a lecture and lunch, then soaked in the hot springs. There was one funny pool with little fishes that came to nibble the dead skin off of your feet. It tickled SO much!
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!Friday, July 3, 2009
Neurosurgery!
SUPER busy week! I went with Philip's old friend, Dr. C in Neurosurgery this week. He's very busy and runs through the hospital on rounds, and then down into surgery. I scrubbed in on 7 surgeries so far and have learned to staple wounds, use a scalpel, suction, remove bone, etc. I am only allowed to do non-dangerous things, so it doesn't make me nervous and I'm really glad I've been able to learn so much. So far, it's been much busier and much more hands on than previous weeks.
Today, I woke up at 6am for a pituitary tumor removal surgery scheduled at 7 am and kept going (with no break) until 2:30pm, then an hour break and onwards for a few more hours. Whew!
I'm definitely enjoying myself; I can't believe I only have one week left at Changhua.
Today, I woke up at 6am for a pituitary tumor removal surgery scheduled at 7 am and kept going (with no break) until 2:30pm, then an hour break and onwards for a few more hours. Whew!I'm definitely enjoying myself; I can't believe I only have one week left at Changhua.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Busy Weekend and Chinese Medicine
This was a busy weekend for me. On Friday night, I went to the night market in Tai-Zhong. On Saturday, I ate dinner with Dr. W and Dr. K (a pediatric oncologist/hematologist and a pediatric geneticist/endocrinologist, respectively). They knew my brother when he was here 2 years ago. We ate traditional Hakka food (one of the ethnic groups in Taiwan) and drank pearl tea from the place where it was originally invented (in Tai-Zhong).
Sunday morning, my friend "Jenny" took me to eat sao bing you tiao, which is basically a flat sesame seed bread with a piece of fried dough inside, delicious! We then went around and visited the famous temples in Changhua that I had not seen yet. One is a 300 year old Confuscian temple, the other a 100 year old Japanese temple.
On Sunday, some friends took me to Sun Moon Lake (Re Yue Tang), which is one of the most famous spots in Taiwan. It's a beautiful mountain lake with a famous temple on an island in its center. It is the largest lake in Taiwan. I think I remember some photos my parents took of this many years ago; the traditional fishing boats are gone but it's still beautiful.
This is a famous old train station my friends said that my father would recognize.
Today, I went to the Chinese medicine clinic and learned a little about what they do. They ran several tests on me and it was a lot of fun.
Testing my voice:
Testing my heart rate variation:
Testing my pulse:
Testing my tounge:
This is the chief resident (with a nurse) explaining to me that I have too much fire in my body. Thus, I get thirsty more easily, among other things.
Sunday morning, my friend "Jenny" took me to eat sao bing you tiao, which is basically a flat sesame seed bread with a piece of fried dough inside, delicious! We then went around and visited the famous temples in Changhua that I had not seen yet. One is a 300 year old Confuscian temple, the other a 100 year old Japanese temple.
On Sunday, some friends took me to Sun Moon Lake (Re Yue Tang), which is one of the most famous spots in Taiwan. It's a beautiful mountain lake with a famous temple on an island in its center. It is the largest lake in Taiwan. I think I remember some photos my parents took of this many years ago; the traditional fishing boats are gone but it's still beautiful.
This is a famous old train station my friends said that my father would recognize.
Today, I went to the Chinese medicine clinic and learned a little about what they do. They ran several tests on me and it was a lot of fun.
Testing my voice:
Testing my heart rate variation:
Testing my pulse:
Testing my tounge:
Testing my energy meridians:
This is the chief resident (with a nurse) explaining to me that I have too much fire in my body. Thus, I get thirsty more easily, among other things.
Afterwards, I sat in on the Chinese medicine outpatient clinic and watched the doctor take pulses, perscribe medication, do acupuncture (alone or with flames or electricity, depending), bone/joint manipulation, the application of herbal plasters and the like. It was really interesting and I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow.
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