Week #2 in Bogota!

Time is really flying! I cant believe its already the end of my second week in Bogota! I feel like I just got here. This week was good. I am mastering the flow of the ED and learning the different quirks of the different docs/nurses (i.e. some like notes in a certain format, some don´t let me write notes, some want me to do everything, and some nurses get offended if I put a pulse ox on a kid without asking them to do it, very ridiculous, I know). Im also mastering the art of gaining weight! I´m not dieting while Im here but I have been trying, and failing miserably, to eat small portions and work out. Its not that I eat all the time (almost), but the food here is very heavy. Lunch always is some sort of meat with rice, potatoes, some other carbs, etc. I know its not the best, but I cant resist it!! ALso, if you dont clean your huge plate of food here, ive noticed tha tpeople look at you weird, like you are wasting good food. Im trying not to think about it and enjoy everything here, but I feel like a lard. I havent worked out in 2 weeks and that makes me feel more tired! Its sort of like the lady from the movie eat, pray, love, who has to buy herself some "big lady pants" after 4 months in italy. Im almost to the big lady pants point in only 2 weeks!! yikes!

In other news, walking home has been awesome this week! I figured out a faster, although initially more dangerous, route home. By more dangerous I mean I have to cross 2 really busy streets and a railroad track, and then its all sidewalks. Everyday to cross the initial 2 busy streets people (including me, but I let them go first so if anybody gets hit its them) have to sort of step right out in front of cars hoping they will stop. Nobody has gotten hit since ive been here, so Im assuming that tactic is pretty much the norm and cars are used to it by now. Nonetheless, i still get a little scared. After that though, the rest of the walk is side streets that take me through the mall and straight home. There are lots of cute stores on the walk home that Ive stopped in. Theres one, Inkata Design Store, that I really love. There are stores all over Bogota and theyre awesome! THey also have a really awesome outdoors store on the way home that I have yet to stop in because Im waiting until I have time to shop and buy things :) Ive also tried almost every coffee place (which is probably about 15) on the way home. The biggest coffee store here by far is Juan Valdez. Its the equivalent to our Starbucks, only better and they sell clothes! Its funny because at home, pretty much nobody would be caught dead wearing starbucks sweatshirts or jackets. But here, everyone wears clothes from juan valdez and its def in style!

THis weekend was super fun. I hung out with my cousins, went out one night, and explored the downtown area of Bogota. Some people say the "Centro" (downtown) is really dirty and ugly but I thought it was awesome! There are lots of homeless people around thats foro sure, but what downtown doesnt have those? The only difference between these homeless people is that they have no problems walking right up to you while youre sittin goutside having coffee, telling you a crazy story and asking you for money. THey will literally sit down with you until you give them money. After the 5th one, it gets really annoying. But the downtown is really artsy and down to earth, I loved it. Full of museums and really cultural places. I prefer that waaay more than ritzy parts of Bogota. I went with my cousin Mauricio, we were both sort of hung over from the night before lol. We called it the hangover trip!

I got a little sad today because I realized that there is soooo much more I want to do and see in Bogota and I only have 2 weeks left! I want to take a bike tour, go to more places with my cousins, go into the mountains. I know I wont be able to do it all while im here this time. :(  I wish I didnt have to work M-F and I could have more time to be on vacation! But I guess Im technically here for school. I have a feeling though that Im going to keep coming to Colombia for a looong time. Everytime I come here I want to come back more and more. Just have to make time for it somehow once I start working.

ANway, it was a great weekend. More posts to come...