It’s About The Journey, Not The Destination! 

Trailing Away

This week started off with a journey to Hacienda y Beneficio La Chimba, where Katy, Jhalak, Haruto, Vanessa, and I, embarked on a 5K hike on the Mantra Trail to get to La Mano Del Mantra. On the way to the hiking trail, I remember sitting in the Uber imagining sidewalks and smooth pathways leading to the hand-shaped platform that presented a bird’s-eye view of Costa Rica. However, upon starting the trail, I realized that my imagination was far from reality: this was an actual hike through the trees and fauna that consisted of steep trails, slippery and muddy rocks, and bridges over natural streams or rivers of water. Even before entering the trail, the staff recommended (although should have been required) walking sticks which were a complete lifesaver. As we started the trial, I remember feeling absolute bliss at the greenery that surrounded us: a Sunday, 8 am hike is just what I needed to debrief after a long week of work.

Throughout our 5K hike, we made jokes, laughed about our struggles along the way (slipper slopes, muddy terrain, etc.), applauded our achievement as we completed each kilometer, and admired the scenery by taking pictures that did not seem to do justice to what seemed like photoshopped views. Before this, I had never hiked before, but I would do it all over again after this trip! I love taking nature walks, and this trip really helped me relax and rejuvenate. Most importantly, I enjoyed bonding with my GMI team and going on an adventure with them! Hacienda y Beneficio La Chima was an experience definitely for the books! 

After our hike, we went to Automercado to get some groceries and then we decided to go to a small cafe, Cafe Otoya, for brunch. Having had breakfast at 6:45 am and then having gone on a hike, it seemed weird to think that it was only noon while we waited for our meals to arrive at the cafe: it had definitely been a very productive morning. I ordered a typical Costa Rican meal and I did not realize how hungry I was until I took my first bite. The two images below were taken just 7 minutes apart (pretty fast for me haha, I literally just skipped the chewing part)! But the meal, itself, was really delicious, and I would 10/10 recommend going to this place! 

It’s an Emergency

As we continued our pharmacy rotation, I had the opportunity to experience an interesting routine. Every last Monday of the month, the pharmacists go to each of the wards to reorganize and restock medication supplies in the Emergency Hospital Drug Cabinet which are cabinets that contain important medications needed in times of emergency. Each ward has two cabinets, one for adults and the other one for pediatrics, and the pharmacists simply ensure that the right amount of each medication type is available and that they are not expired or near expiration. If so, they replace it with a new batch of the medication. After this, they lock the cabinet and have the nurses sign a document for proof that the emergency cabinet was checked. To make things efficient, Laurel and I split with two different interns. I went ahead with Arianna who took me to the operating room and maternity departments to examine the cabinets. As we inspected the medications, I noticed that everything was done manually as my intern checked each medicine on the list with a pen and noted the expiration date of the bottles. This surprised me a little as this seemed to open a wide range of errors that could possibly lead to overstocking or even understocking of the medications as well as inefficient use of time for both the pharmacists and nurses. In this way, I identified a clinical need and later proposed to my doctor an efficient method that could be implemented to make the process more smoother and more reliable. 

Rotation Reflection and Presentation

On Wednesday, our doctor scheduled a meeting with us to discuss our findings and observations in the specialities we had shadowed so far. It was crazy to think that we were half way done with our internship, but Laurel and I were also excited to showcase my experience and ideas that could help improve the hospital work flow and enhance patient interaction. After our presentation, we discussed the next steps and prototyping materials (exciting part!!) that we would need to translate our ideas into simple, visual models or low-fidelity prototypes. Our doctor also recommended that we visit another branch of the hospital, Clinica Biblica in Santa Ana to conduct further clinical needs finding. Having the opportunity to observe the environment and mechanism of the same specialties in two different hospitals seemed quite interesting to me, and I can’t wait to start shadowing there. Stay tuned for hearing about my observations at Hospital Clinica Biblica in Santa Ana. 

On the Other Side of Things

Having a side interest in meteorology, I was really curious about the tropical storm that seemed to be headed towards northern Costa Rica late this week. Having lived in Texas all my life, tropical storms and hurricanes always seemed to be the most popular topic on the weather channels in the summer. Yet, I was surprised to learn from an article that cyclones rarely hit the Caribbean in June and are rather more common in autumn. While San Jose is a little further down from where the storm is forecast to hit, we received several messages from the embassy and from our GMI faculty about tropical storm warnings. For this reason, Jhalak, Katy, Laurel, and I are planning to go grocery shopping tomorrow just in case the weather conditions are not conducive to traveling on the weekend.

Besides the storm, this week has been amazing. My internship has provided me with a lot of experiences regarding the clinical work environment of the hospital, and I love that I now have a routine set in place for each day (I like having a plan or at least a general outline of my daily schedule). Having lived in Costa Rica for about a month now, I can confidently say that I have become comfortable in my Spanish speaking abilities. While I do get a little homesick from time to time, I am thankful for this humbling experience as it has helped expand my perspective in so many ways. This week alone, from going on the hike, to rotating through different specialties, to interacting with doctors and patients, and bonding with my GMI team has taught me that life is about living in the moment and making the most out of it. While standing on La Mano del Mantra at the end of our hike was gorgeous, I realized that the hike to get there was actually more fun and exciting than the destination itself. In this way, I am trying my best to make each day worthwhile and doing my best to leave a positive impact in any way that I can. Through this mindset, I have made so many tourist-friends in Selina while cooking or simply walking by the kitchen. I have had the chance to listen to other people’s stories, learn about their background and culture while also exchanging some of my own. It’s quite incredible to see how a small gesture like a smile or ‘Hola’ can spark conversations among people. This trip has definitely forced me to step outside my comfort zone each day, and I am thankful for the opportunity to experience such a unique international experience. Looking forward to seeing what the next month brings! 🙂