We’ve been living and working here for a little over two weeks now. Throughout this last week we have had many new experiences, been challenged, seen lots of new things in the hospital and town. We’ve deepened our new frienships and even created some new ones. We also took this week to try almost every restaurant around the hospital which has been fun. Along with the exciting new experinces of cultural immersion we have also faced adversities.
The Hospital
This week we worked on Monday and Wednesday-Friday (we were off tuesday so our preceptor could spend the day with his family). These four days were much different and more exciting than any other clinical experience I’ve had because we got to work in the ER. I could immediately tell that there was a vast difference in the personality, pace, and work balance in this area of the hospital. While we were there we treated lots of animal bites (with tetanus and rabies vaccines), observed the cleaning and dressing of one puncture wound to the hand as a result of a metal saw accident, triaged a woman who came into the ED in labor, observed sutures get put in and removed, took the vitals of many sick kids, and lots more! It was really cool to experience this area of nursing. We also got to be a part of the station 1 monthly meeting on Wednesday morning. I feel like I learned a lot about patient communication, medications, emergencies, triage, and procedures this week.
Our Activities
During our breaks from work our favorite thing to look forward to is getting coffee/tea at a nearby shop and finding new places to eat (mostly fast food that is dangerously enjoyable). One day our preceptor took us to a stand right outside of the hospital and I ate isaw (chicken intestine), lumpia (egg roll), fish balls, and kwekkwek (quail egg). I enjoyed all of these street foods more than I expected! It was fun to explore some new foods especially with our preceptor, Sir Jeff who showed us how to eat these goodies like a pro. On tuesday (our day off) our friend Kit drove us to SM Calamba and another mall to experience what it is like and do some shopping. We also stopped for pizza before heading home. Of course, I also enjoy our frequent trips to the local store, AllHomes. Thursday night was spent at Sir Jeff’s house where we got to eat, play basketball, and see his business (chickens, pigs, turkeys, etc!) On Friday night I hung out with Jake, Kit, and some of Kit’s friends and got to know them which was fun. On saturday we were picked up by a family of a classmate who drove all the way from Manila to bring us to Tagaytay, a cute and popular town for locals. While there we ate at a great Filipino restaurant with a view of Taal lake, saw the largest puzzle and puzzle collection in the world, explored the People’s Park in the Sky, and ate at Ruined Project while it downpoured. It was so kind of them to take such good care of us for the day.
