Insight(s)

Aka things I have learned while on the "psych" portion of my trip, which began last week upon the arrival of my fab psych colleagues and travel buddies Sarah and Amy.

1. Food allergies are a first world problem apparently, which may or may not be due to rampant parasitosis in the developing world?? This insight arose out of a lively discussion about whether or not gluten allergies were code for an Axis II diagnosis with the owner of the surf/yoga eco-resort where we crashed over the weekend. He has to deal with many anxious gluten-sensitive women who come for yoga retreats in particular, and had surveyed the locals who reported no food allergies whatsoever. He ended up explaining the gluten/lactose/non-hypoallergenic soap "intolerances" to the confused local staff as "illnesses of the mind".

2. Being American has its perks. We three young American women, dressed in casual travelling-style, marched into clinics, pharmacies and even deans' offices at the local medical school, declared ourselves to be American doctors and miraculously people listened to us! We mused about how differently things might have gone if the situation had been reversed... if 3 young Nicaraguan women speaking broken English demanded an audience with, say, Dean Pomeroy at UC Davis. Yup, good to be from the US of A sometimes.

3. Carsickness becomes exponentially worse when packed like a sardine in the aisles of a humid bus, and nearly unbearable when it starts to rain thereby forcing everyone to roll up their windows and creating a nightmarish sauna-like environment. It does improve when your travel partners notice your pale, diaphoretic, swaying state and swiftly switch you to a spot by an open window. Getting pelted by rain is a bonus, though the mom of 3 adorable little girls who were sitting in the seat by aforementioned window was very sweet and provided one of the girls' jackets to shield me. Very kind, despite my gross invasion of the girls' space in my blind desperation to catch the breeze and avoid vomiting. Can't imagine what they must have thought as they stared up into my foreign misery-stricken face, looming above them from behind the chair with eyes tightly clenched.

4. Air conditioning is one of the top 10 best inventions ever.

5. Antimalarials really do cause vivid dreams! Though sharing those vivid dreams may just lead to merciless teasing for the duration of the trip...

6. Describing cock fights in English is a filthy, filthy endeavor. Also, saying the words in English (after being informed about the double entendre) can be a source of endless amusement for straight-laced, middle-aged, very educated Nicaraguans.

7. Managuan traffic is worse than LA traffic. Impressively so. And all the harder to navigate because of the lack of street names.

8. Frolicking in the ocean can be fun and not terrifying! I have Sarah to thank for that insight (thanks Sarah!)

9. Thunderstorms and lightning are no joke. Now I understand why Julie Andrews and the Von Trapps came up with the "Favorite Things" song. Also, the saying "when it rains, it pours" finally makes sense to me after many nights listening to torrential assaults on the roof.

10. The themes in The Hunger Games can be applied to nearly anything in life. Also, appreciating the 2nd and 3rd books requires "intellectual integrity".

11. Stuffed churros rock.

12. I have had enough gallo pinto (rice and beans) to last me multiple lifetimes.

13. We are lucky to have whatever regulation the FDA provides... Nicaragua has no Haldol in the country, after the last few batches from India or China caused people to have more hallucinations.

14. I am a city/suburban girl, full stop.

15. I am pretty much done with residency.