Jungle

This past weekend was amazing in large part because Emily`s host father runs a tour agency. We went into the rainforest with him on Saturday and visited an indigenous community. The adults in the community work on a minga (communal work projects or farms) so there were maybe 20 kids running around and we played with them for awhile. Later, we ended up at an incredible lagoon, but I managed to fall, scrape my back and tear my shirt...all of it worth it for the swim. On Sunday we went rafting on a beautiful stretch of river and stopped on an island for a picnic lunch in the rain which included pineapple cut on the spot. The work at the hospital has been incredible...we wear white coats and look official until we speak. Most of the time we observe - anything from stomach parasites to stitches to broken bones. Some of the doctors are amazing and even take time to explain different things to us; however others prove the point that compassion is not a prerequisite to be a doctor. This evening will be our first over-night shift and I am excited because the doctors told us that most of the interesting things happen at night. The internship so far has not had a lot to do with social work, but I need to pick a research topic and there are many options in that area. My host family is very loving, although my host mother is very pushy especially about food, which can make meals somewhat awkward. Allie lives next to the airport and around six at night it cools down enough to run. The town uses the runway as a track, so it is a perfect place to run.