A loud rhythmic banging woke me up from a nap this afternoon. In my lifting dream state I was convinced that it was the Argentinean girl down the hall practicing her traditional stoic boot-clad foot-stomping dance. It turned out to be the Dominican girl with a meat cleaver and a chicken. Didn’t my last entry start out like this? Well, food is essential. The cafeteria has been serving you guessed it, beans and rice! It has been yellow “chicharros” for a month and a half. They are pretty good, especially when accompanied by the pink jello. And, I have found my sustenance. Popcorn! It gets me through the late night study munchies. I bought both the oil and the corn to pop here in Cuba. It is renewable as long as it can be found on the grocery store shelves, intermittently at best. Sometimes when you walk in the store, one whole aisle on both sides will be stocked with one thing. The last time I went it was Nestle Quick strawberry flavored powdered drink mix…and no popcorn. Knowing the likelihood, I bought 10 bags the time before. I’m figuring it out as I go along. I just traded my government soap for sugar from the tia who cleans the bathroom. Tomorrow, if all goes according to plan, I will get some powdered milk. Good days are punctuated by small victories as such. A good night means studying for 6 or more hours and then falling asleep easily. Right now, midnight Saturday, I can see the Brazilian boys in their dorm having a good time throwing knives at a wood block. It has all together been much quieter around here since the School of Sports kids left. The School of Sports is another scholarship program in Cuba where kids from all over the world come to play. They moved in to the medical school in late November because their school broke. If you could just imagine for a moment a typical mid morning here…medical students in freshly pressed white and navy blue uniforms walking from histology class to gastrointestinal physiology class having to weave between School of Sports kids practicing throwing each other on the ground. It was oil and water here for a couple of months!

The 2011 US pre-meds got here a couple of weeks ago. They are here for the next 6 ½ years. It makes me feel good about only having the rest of this year and 4 more to go. They moved into the room next to me after being let out of quarantine. It was funny hearing them talk before going to the city for the first time. “I’monna get some black pens and a bottom sheet.” “I need a light bulb and a fork.” They really thought they were going shopping! They came back 7 hours later with some onions and a better idea of where in the world they were.
Of school…January was final exam month. One exam a week left plenty of time to start some self guided (in other words, tangential) study. We had an MD from Brooklyn come down last week and present us with some information that will be on the boards but is not included in the curriculum here. I really appreciated her anecdotal teaching and wisdom from years in the field. It was the first class I’ve had in English in a couple of years! I also had the opportunity to take an elective course. By that I mean that I hunted the professor down for 4 days to get into his class. He had to ask the permission of director of the laboratory where the class was to be held. She happened to be his wife and so that part at least went smoothly. The class, Histocompatibility in the Transplant Patient, entailed 5 days at the National Institute of Nephrology. We learned about the monumental collaborative national effort involved in organ transplant medicine. I saw the refrigerator where the serum of every person in Cuba with end-stage renal disease is sent on a monthly basis. We had a brief overview of organ transplant genetics and immunology and then went into the laboratory to view the process of determining tissue compatibility with a microscope. Most other countries have access to an international pool of organ donors, making finding a match more likely. Cuba’s pool is confined to its own population, making finding a match far more difficult. This is one of the far reaching and sinister effects of the US embargo on Cuba.

Last week we started the spring semester. The school gave out brand new books to 2000 students. It is my final semester at ELAM before moving to the big city to study in the hospital setting. I have medical microbiology, genetics, pathology, epidemiology, psychology and of course PE to look forward to doing for the next 4 and a half months

Life is good here. I study a lot. I also find a little time to enjoy the small beach town life. My buddy has a bicycle with a rack on the back. That’s where I sit. I’m the bumper sticker that says “Candela!” We cruise up and down the drag on Friday nights drinking cold Buccaneros and trying to stay on the bike through the potholes…

Once again, This blog is my work, my income. This is how I intend to support myself through the next 4 years. I need your support. I don't have the same access to loans and grants that other medical school students have. While Cuba has given me this full scholarship to study medicine there, it does not cover the cost of books and supplementary materials, nor does it cover the cost of traveling back and forth from the island once or twice a year to be with friends and family.

Donations large and small are very appreciated. I would also be interested in a personal loan. Life in Cuba is really fascinating. No doubt there will be some great tales to come! Please feel free to leave comments and ask questions. Also, share this blog with anyone you know who is interested in medicine or mischief! Thank you so much for your support! Heather*