First couple days in La Paz

Hello!!!!!!!! I made it to Bolivia safely, thank God. But I must say that I had one of the most interesting flights every from Dallas to Miami. First, we flew right by the BP oil spill and the location where they are burning off the oil. Secondly, there was an in-flight medical emergency, which was quite scary.Thankfully, there were doctors on board so we didn't have to do an emergency landing.

Now, onto Bolivia! When I first arrived we flew into El Alto, which is situated above La Paz. La Paz is about 11,000 ft above sea level and El Alto is about 13,000 ft above sea level. This makes these two cities one of the highest elevated cities on earth. If you think of a bowl, the very outer edges are El Alto. El Alto is a poor area. As you reach the center of the bowl, some wealth starts to appear. But it is not until you are at the bottom of the bowl, in La Paz, that most of the wealth is concentrated.

At the airport my program director picked me up and as we drove from the airport down into La Paz, the taxi was able to stop and I took one of the most beautiful pictures that I have ever taken.La Paz is an incredibly beautiful city surrounded by mountains.


When I arrived at my host family's house, I was greeted by Senora Elizabeth (my host mom). She is a sweet lady who has (I think) 5 kids. Only her youngest is still at home. She told me that there were 3 other girls (who were part of the June program) also staying with her but they would be leaving this week (but they weren't home b/c they had taken a weekend trip to Peru), and she would get another 3 girls that we're going to be part of my program. The house is really nice. If you can picture a Macy's home furniture catalogue then you'll see her house. The house has all the modern day appliances and has constant electricity and running water. Luckily for me, I have my own room.

I've been able to venture out into La Paz with other participants that will be leaving soon but my group will be coming on Saturday. However, its very difficult for me to walk and I am often short of breath b/c of the high altitude. I'm currently on high altitude medicine which is helping me to adjust quicker to the high altitude.

On my second day in Bolivia, I walked alone through La Paz looking for the language school so I could take my Spanish placement exam. Finding the place was quite difficult, and inevitably I got lost. Eventually, I asked a couple strangers for directions, and they pointed me in the right direction.

Yesterday, unfortunately, one of the girls in my homestay was pick-pocketed in La Plaza del Estudiante as she was walking back from the language school with some other people. That event just made is that much more surreal that things like this do happen here and that I have to always have my guard up.

Yesterday, I also attend a medical lecture with the medical director of my program and the other program participants. The lecture was over Leishmaniasis. Thankfully, I already knew a lot about the disease via the Diseases of Africa course I took this past spring @ UO.

Well, I'm at an internet cafe and my time is almost up so I have to go. Hasta luego

I'm headed to Bolivia!

¡Hola mis amigos y mi familia! As some of you may know, in the next couple of days, I will embark on one of the most incredible journeys of my life. For the next three months, I will be in Bolivia, South America. Some of you may ask, “What exactly will you be doing there?” While in Bolivia, I will be taking Spanish language courses and completing a pediatric health internship through IE3 and Child Family Health International (CFHI). For the internship portion, I will spend approximately half of my time in La Paz doing various pediatric rotations in public and private clinics and the remainder of my time will be spent in Tarija, specifically working with those affected by chagas (an infectious disease).

Looking at medicine from a global health perspective has been something that has captivated my attention since sophomore year @ Madison High School. I am specifically interested in the interplay between socioeconomic conditions and the delivery of healthcare to the world’s poorest individuals. By going to Bolivia, I will be able to see and experience this interface in South America’s poorest country. In addition, I hope to learn more medical procedures and improve my Spanish.

I am extremely grateful for this opportunity that God has given me. Through this experience, I hope to learn more about myself and to take away knowledge and memories that will serve me better as a future doctor. In addition, I hope that I can share my experience with others through this blog and pictures that I post upon my return. I am currently unsure of how often I will update this blog but my goal is at least once a week so please check this blog out once a week. Also, if you want to skype with me while I’m abroad my skype name is simply ann.oluloro

Please keep me in your prayers.

With the deepest love,

Ann Oluloro