I'm Going to Brazil!!!

Typhoid, yellow fever, and malaria Oh My! I don't think I've blogged about going to Brazil. Well I'm going August 3-14th for an international medicine rotation with an organization that goes into the Amazon www.cbm.org.br/amazonboatministry.html . One of the doctors I work with asked me to go with her (at her cost). I pretty much fell over myself saying yes. Turns out, we are doing a surgery mission. I went over to her house on Sunday to discuss some details since I'm leaving for Colorado a week from Friday and won't be back until two weeks before we leave. So the itinerary is: fly to Miami where we will meet up with the rest of the group (there are 18 of us I think), fly to Manaus, get on the boat and take a 12 hour ride to either Sao Sebastiao or Urucura. Once we are there, Dr. P, myself, a nurse, and a translator will get off the boat and stay at the preacher's house (Wesley). For 3-4 days we will be doing surgeries from sun up to sun down, go home to eat and rest and go to sleep to do it all again. We will then get on the boat and head to the other village and the four of us will disembark but this time stay at a hotel. For 3-4 more days we will do surgeries, then head back to Manaus on the boat.

I am obviously very excited about this trip. It's an opportunity of a lifetime and I'm hoping to be a rockstar at these surgeries by the end of the trip! I still can't believe she asked me to go with her. I promise that I will use this opportunity to learn everything I can!!! And let's be real, there will be three of us in that OR with the patient, in the middle of the jungle...In the US there is usually 6-7. I am hoping to do a lot more.

So back to my first sentence: I've been getting immunized and I'm all done with my shots. On Friday I received the hepatitis A and yesterday was yellow fever and typhoid. I will start my antimalarial medicine on the first day of the trip. My left arm is killing me. That typhoid shot just sucked big time. Oh well sore arm vs typhoid...I'll take the sore arm.

I'm going to be there for my 25th birthday. It will be strange considering I won't be surrounded with any loved ones. Unfortunately, I will also be gone for Jake's and my first anniversary. I am aware that I suck and will be making this up forever.

It will be weird to be without my computer for two weeks considering it's pretty much attached to my hip, but I'll be paper journaling (back to ancient times) and taking tons of photos so you'll all be bombarded with reading and photo looking when I get back.