A Reflection for Mammy

Yesterday, at my grandma's memorial service, I had to opportunity share a few  words about my sweet Mammy. For those of you who didn't know her, this is just a brief glimpse of the incredible woman that she was...

I wanted to first thank you all for coming today to share in our sorrow, but also to share in our joy as we celebrate the life of my grandma. There are many ways that those of you gathered here this morning may have known her, but I am among the lucky 10 who had the privilege of knowing her as a grandma. Our sweet Mammy, whose name was coined by my cousin Kevin, loved each of us so well. It is no small thing to be a grandchild of Kay Billman. We learned a lot from our Mammy.

I am among the lucky 10 who had the privilege of knowing her as a grandma. Our sweet Mammy, whose name was coined by my cousin Kevin, loved each of us so well. It is no small thing to be a grandchild of Kay Billman. We learned a lot from our Mammy.

She taught us to “Stay committed”

Mammy was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother for all of her life. She shaped and molded the character of three incredible adults and then went on to help do the same for her 10 grandchildren. I learned so much from watching the way that she cared for all of us. She made each visit with her special whether it was at her “Powell Rd” house, in Boca Grande, or at our beloved Quarry Island. She always made sure that Jack got his special heath bar birthday cake, that Ryan had his “chewies,” and that Patrick had lemon drops waiting for him at Quarry. I will always remember the way that she would let Betsy, Katie, and I sneak into her room early in the morning to have breakfast-in-bed with her and Papa, 3 tiny bodies tucked in between the covers munching on biscotti. Because of mammy, we each know what it looks like to truly care for a family.  

She taught us to “Never stop learning”

Mammy had a thirst for knowledge that I deeply admire and aspire to. Even after retirement, she just couldn’t sit still. She always had her mind or hands involved in a project like gardening an entire island’s worth of flowers at Quarry, sometimes enlisting the help of Molly and Emily. The image of her with a cup of coffee in one hand and a crossword puzzle in the other will forever be etched in my brain. Mam was always encouraging us to talk about what we were learning at school. Owen reminded us about how she would stay up late with him trying to figure out math problems. Even when he said he knew the answer, she always pressed him to do it one more time. That was Mammy, always encouraging us to work harder and learn more.

She taught us to “Be courageous”

In 1 Timothy 6:12, we are told to “fight the good fight,” and fight she did. Through her illness, Mammy surely demonstrated to us that she was a tenacious fighter. She went through such pain, and yet, each time one of us walked through the door, she would smile that sweet smile we will all remember so well. We are so honored to have witnessed such strength. Mammy can now say along with the author of 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

Maya Angelou described Mammy’s life well saying, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” We are thankful to have been loved by a woman who lived her life this way. Thank you, Mammy; you’ve taught us well.

Los Días Finales en Querétaro

Just a few weeks ago, we were meeting our families for the first time and it's already time to say goodbye! As I say on almost every post, but this has been the greatest experience. The amount of knowledge I've gained and the fun I've had was well worth the expense of making the trip. 

Our last two days have been pretty busy as always. On Monday, we had traditional medicine day during which we were able to learn about the use of traditional medicine in Mexico as well as make some of our very own remedies! Nancy, who has been with us during our whole time in Querétaro, is an expert and explained all of the various forms of alternative remedies that Mexican people use. After her presentation, Nancy brought us into UAQ's special kitchen that is used to prepare the remedies. With our "recetas" recipes in hand, we prepared cough syrup using honey, eucalyptus, a flower called bugambelia, cinnamon, garlic, and purple onion. Afterward, we each chose to prepare one more thing from a list of tincture for nerves, tincture for weight loss, and magic cream. Nicole and I decided to make tincture for nerves because as nursing students we are bound to need a few doses for our exams in the coming semesters. 

After cleaning up our giant mess in the kitchen, a few of us from the group headed into town to shop. I made a few purchases, and then Sarah and I came back to do a little homework and get ready for our dinner with the group/families. The group dinner was a blast! It has been so fun to see our host sisters, Pili and Carol, interact with the other girls in our group. They love all of the attention (especially little Carol). The food was yummy, but the company was even better. It was so fun to see everyone interacting with their families. 

Today has been good so far. Our morning began with a meeting about the Cultural Heritage class Katie, Hannah, and I have been taking during our time in Querétaro. We met Jonathan at Express Arte, officially our favorite spot to do homework in el centro, and talked about the things we have learned and our opinions about some of the readings. Any conversation over a cafe americano is a good one in my book. After the meeting, we gave Jonathan a "recorrido" (tour) of the city, mostly just some important aspects we have learned about during the time here. I shopped around afterwards for a couple of last minute things and am preparing to pack up my stuff in a little bit. Leaving feels bittersweet; I am definitely ready to see my family and boyfriend, but will miss our Mexican family. Pili keeps saying that she is going to come home to Michigan with us, but will come home in the winter because it's too cold. What a smart girl ;) 

My next post will likely be from the good 'ole US of A! Hasta luego! 

A recap of the weekend!

Here I am, just two short days away from leaving! It's hard to believe that we've been here for so long; time really flew by. We really lived up our last weekend in Mexico, first by visiting San Joaquín, a city about 3 hours away from downtown Querétaro. Mary had secured us a GIANT coach bus to enjoy the trip complete with TVs, so we definitely had a comfortable trip. Naturally, we made a pit stop along the way for Italian Coffee Company, which certainly brightened up my morning! When we arrived to San Joaquín, our first stop was at Grutas Los Herreras. At first it looked like we were just at a campground, but as we ventured further, we were able to see the entrance to the caves! 

Once we had spent awhile in the caves, learning about the different images in the stalagmites and stalagtites that visitors have found over the years, we made our way to a restaurant for lunch. I enjoyed some yummy enchiladas verdes con pollo. After lunch, we had planned to go to see a waterfall about 30 minutes away. Unfortunately, there was a downside to the giant, comfortable bus; it couldn't make all of the twists and turns in the mountains. So we had to resort to plan B...riding in the back of trucks!! It was a beautiful drive through the mountains!

Once we got there, we quickly learned that the waterfall was a bit of a hike away. We were thankful to have filled up our bellies before making the trek. I really enjoy hiking, as I mentioned before, so I had a great time! The waterfall wasn't huge, but it was definitely pretty and the water was refreshing. Nicole, Heather, Hannah, and I made the trip back up together, enjoying that "good workout" feeling once we finally got to the top. Let's just say that the bus ride back was very quiet, as we all slept after a long, fun-filled day. 

We continued our fun-filled weekend on Sunday with a trip with our family to a waterpark in Tequis, about an hour away. There were a few waterslides, a kiddie pool, a wave pool, and a couple of other normal pools. Sarah and I were able to catch some rays (which we are kinda feeling today) and enjoy playing with the girls! After our fun at the waterpark, Sarah and I were dropped off in the centro to work on some homework at a coffee shop for awhile. 

El Hospital General

Hola! So sorry for my silence the past few days, we've been busy bees over here between clinicals, homework, and life with the families. It's hard to believe that our time here in Querétaro is already drawing to a close. I just came back from my very last day in a Mexican hospital, which was definitely bittersweet. The experiences we have had at the facilities here have been phenomenal, and I feel so thankful for all of the patients I've seen and all of the skills I've been able to practice.

We spent both Thursday and Friday at El Hospital General, a public facility that is used for patients without insurance. It is a busy, busy place in many of the units. When we arrived, the head of nursing at the hospital split us up and directed us to different floors. On Thursday, I spent my time on the Internal Medicine floor with a nurse named Conchita, who was an excellent teacher. We had two patients, one that was recovering from brain surgery and another with dementia. Throughout the shift, I was able to pass TONS of meds (mostly IV push) and also take a lot of vital signs. Conchita also let me do quite a bit of the documentation, which was great since that is what I am doing my final presentation on. What I enjoyed most about my time on the floor with Conchita was talking to the patients and their families. In most of the hospitals in Mexico, the family plays a significant role in patient care. For example, they are often responsible for repositioning and bathing the patient because the nurse has so many patients he or she does not have time to do it. For this reason, there is almost always a family member in a patient's room, leaving plenty of opportunities to talk with them. I had a long conversation with the father of the patient who had brain surgery, telling him about where I was from and how my experience in Mexico had been. For a short while that I was on the unit, our patient with dementia was lucid and I was able to talk to her a bit as well. All in all, I enjoyed my first day at El Hospital General.

Today I switched to a different unit, this time Trauma, which was basically a floor for people who had injured their limbs. I administered TONS of pain medicine and was able to spend some time talking to the families/patients. This floor was a bit slower, since the patients were less critical, but it was interesting to see how another unit operates. About an hour before we had to leave, Conchita, my nurse from yesterday, came to get me to take a few photos for a project she was working on related to patient care. As a way of saying thanks, she gave me a jar of all natural lotion that can be used for many different ailments. I was so touched by this gesture of kindness and am so thankful to have met this sweet lady during our time at El Hospital General.

I'm not quite sure what the rest of the day has in store, but I'll have an update after our journey to another "pueblo" San Joaquín!

Casually Witnessing the Miracle of Life on a Tuesday

Today I got to witness the miracle of life...SEVEN times! 

We awoke this morning and headed to UAQ per the usual bus route (Sarah and I have now become pros). After a much needed cup of coffee, we hopped on the bus and drove to Hospital Especialidades del Niño y la Mujer for our second day of clinical experience. Since we switched from the areas we were in yesterday, I was able to spend my time today in Labor & Delivery, which was quite an experience for someone who has never witnessed birth before! The unit is set up such that you can witness basically every stage of the birthing process--from the beginning of labor all the way to postpartum. The women in active labor are concentrated in three major areas with the beds lined up one next to the other. When I woman is about ready to deliver, she will be moved to a different room without any other patients inside. However, if the baby comes too quickly or there is not enough of these single rooms available, she will deliver in the room amongst the other women. Although I clearly have never personally experienced birth in a Mexican hospital, I would imagine there is a sense of silent camaraderie amongst the women giving birth in this unit at a given time. None of the women really spoke to one another (and who could blame them while experiencing the pains of labor), yet I imagine that they could sympathize very deeply with one another as they brought life into the world together. 

Throughout the course of our five hours on the unit, I witnessed 3 C-sections and 4 vaginal births. At first, I was not sure how I would react. Would I feel a little queasy or dizzy, or handle it just fine? Thankfully, as a I watched the first birth, an uncomplicated C-section, no sudden urge to faint hit me, or my fellow students :) In fact on the contrary, I was in awe of the well-choreographed performance of the doctors and nurses, as they cut open the woman's belly and within minutes brought a beautiful baby up to his or her mom to receive a "besito" (little kiss). In addition to the actual C-section, we were able to watch as the medical student checked the baby's vitals, reflexes, and measurements. Later in the day, I watched two more C-sections, one of which was emergent. I had been with the mother roughly 15 minutes before the C-section, listening to the baby's heart with something called a trumpet, when it became clear to the doctors that something was not right. As it turned out, there was meconium inside the uterus and a C-section was necessary. Although it was a less than ideal circumstance, it was interesting for us to be able to see how this problem is handled. When the baby was delivered, we watched as the doctor suctioned to the baby to make sure any of the meconium she may have ingested was removed. 

The ease with which the doctors on the unit delivered the babies was also characteristic of the vaginal births we saw. One minute a woman was laboring beside the other women and the next she was wheeled to the other room where she pushed until the baby came. While the woman pushed, we repeatedly heard "mi hija," a term of endearment in Spanish to help encourage the mothers that their perfect miracle was coming after just a bit more pain. Of the 4 vaginal births we saw, two had time to be wheeled into the separate room while two women delivered in the shared room.

I would like to tell you all that today was all a joyful celebration of new life, but unfortunately the world we live in is flawed and the good mixes in with the bad every day. After seeing about 4 births, we also watched a spontaneous abortion, which is another way to describe a miscarriage. I was reminded today that those working in a Labor & Delivery unit will not only witness the miracle of new life, but also the sorrow of a lost life. 

Part of our purpose for being in Mexico, as I'm sure you've seen before on our blog, is to identify differences and similarities in the healthcare system/hospitals in the US and in Mexico. For me, today was a lot more about similarities than it was about differences. Yes, the unit is set up differently with women next to women during active labor rather than women with their families in separate rooms. Yes, the doctors and nurses may document differently or use different kinds of sterilization equipment. However, the experiences of labor I witnessed today were the same experiences of labor I would have witnessed in the US. I would have seen the same sights of fetal monitors and a flurry of activity; the same smells of different bodily fluids, and the same sounds of women crying out in pain and of doctors/nurses spurring her on to continue pushing. Granted the amount of patients in Labor & Delivery today afforded me the opportunity to witness many more births than most 19 year old have seen, the things I witnessed were similar to the things I would have witnessed in the US.

The universality of labor was a reminder for me today that people of different backgrounds and cultures are more alike than we often stop to consider. My very first post on this site two weeks ago focused on how I was feeling like the "other," but with my experiences today I saw how the "other" doesn't really exist in a lot of ways. We all experience much of the same joy and pain, love and loss. And the most important thing? We are all the treasured children of a great, great God, which is truly the only thing that matters. 

Sittin' in a cafe

I'm sitting in a cafe, reflecting on my time here thus far, and am struck by how blessed I am to be here--to be experiencing another culture, to be growing in knowledge both of nursing and of Spanish, and to be strengthening bonds with my fellow nursing students, as well as my host family. A lot has been crammed into the last two weeks, and I only hope that my brain is processing quickly enough to remember all of the experiences I've had here in Querétaro. Like today for example....

Today we enjoyed a relaxed morning--a good workout, breakfast, and plenty of laughter. We then headed out in our Sunday best to mass, where sweet Pili sang in the choir and our host parents actively took part in the service. I think it's so fun to see how people worship in different countries, and today was no exception. From mass, we drove to a "pueblito" (small town) called San Vicente. Here they sell things like purses, belts, and shoes made from the skins of cows in the area. We had a great time shopping around with the family and successfully purchased a couple of things :) After San Vicente, we stopped at our host family's grandma's house for a delicious lunch. It was fun to meet more of the family and to enjoy more authentic Mexican cuisine. Sarah and I got dropped off after lunch at the cafe in which I know sit, enjoying more of life in Mexico :)

Hasta mañana!

Medíca Tec 100 and San Miguel de Allende

Another day at Tec 100 

The last two days in Querétaro have been great! On Friday, we spent our second day at the private hospital Medíca Tec that I spoke about in my last post. In order to allow us to see different aspects of the hospital, we rotated to different units than we had been in on Thursday. I was in hemodynamics (which is basically a cath lab) as well as the emergency room. Although there weren't any patients having procedures done in the cath lab, the x-ray tech was kind enough to take the time to explain things to me. He showed me all of the equipment, how it was operated, and explained all of the steps of particular procedures. After his explanations, I was even able to view video footage from previous procedures. Since there was nothing to do in hemodynamics after his explanations, I floated on over to the emergency room to observe, as well as help the nurses if need be. Unfortunately, there weren't many patients in the ER and not much left for the nurses to do, so I was not able to perform any skills other than put some compression socks on a patient and administer some meds via IV. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to practice much; however, it was a bit of a blessing in disguise because I was able to talk extensively with the nurses about things specific to my project (more on that in another post). 

All in all, I enjoyed my experience both days at Medíca Tec 100. Because our class is focused on comparing health care in the US with health care in Mexico, it was very important for us to see a broad spectrum of hospitals in the area. Our visit to Medíca Tec 100 allowed us to see an example of a private hospital in Mexico, such that we can now compare it to the public hospitals here too. 

San Miguel de Allende 

We just returned from a fantastic visit to another Mexican city, San Miguel de Allende, another place full of rich history, beautiful architecture, and fascinating culture. As we walked up to our first stop in the city, my heart about skipped a beat from pure joy...we found a STARBUCKS, a satisfying taste of home! Any trip that starts with Starbucks is a good one in my book! After coffee, we walked through the city a bit until we found the place for trolley tours of the city. Since not everyone in our group understands Spanish well, we tried to find a tour in English and were successful! The guide gave a bilingual tour throughout the city, pointing out things like the homes of Spanish nobility and famous singers, old churches and monasteries, and a beautiful park that had been recently restored. I think the whole group really enjoyed the tour and learning about another piece of Mexico's rich history. After the tour, we grabbed some lunch at a delicious restaurant called Borgenvillia and then did a bit of shopping before heading home to be with our families.