With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Ok. Bear with me on this title and the connection to follow:

I have recently been receiving little gifts from the nighttime critters in my dorm room. Specifically, spider bites. Just yesterday I discovered two more raised itchy dots on my finger. One of the host moms thinks it might be vampires, but that they are not on my neck because Mexican vampires are more polite. Anyways, I am not feeling any lack of love from those cute little eight-legged creatures. I woke up this morning, half-thinking that I might have bulged massive muscles, be able to squirt webs out of my wrist, and have the ability to climb up walls. Alas, no. But what did come of this thought was a quote from Spiderman that now graces us as the title of this blog.

Here's the catch - it also fits (sort of) with what I've been meaning to blog about! So win-win there. Though, warning, this entry has more to do with the "musings" part of the blog.

This semester, in conjunction with our medical internship, we are attending different conferences and presentations to supplement our experiences in the hospitals. Some will be hands-on and some in a lecture format. This past Friday we started off with a one-hour "conferencia"  on medical ethics. The head doctor from one of the hospitals we will be working at came to speak to us. He talked about the difference between ethics and morals and how they fit into the field of medicine. It is very important for a doctor to respect their patient's own set of morals and what they think it means to be human. "Ser humano" was a frequent phrase. At one point I tried to ask him a question about moral relativism but I don't think I'm versed enough in spanish yet to make much of a point or inquiry on that topic. He talked about the rights of patients and the rights of doctors. One thing he made clear is that having a certain point of view doesn't make one intolerant.

Steering away from the point for a second, there was one part he was talking about infidelity (how it's not against the law but is immoral) and apparently I had a confused look on my face, which is probably there anytime I am trying to listen to a lecture in Spanish.  So he looked at me and said, "Cuando tengas novio vas a saber que es infidelidad." Optimistic guy...

Anyways, I won't bore you with too much of a summary of the lecture, but will proceed with a personal reflection that this conference brought up. First of all, I found this lecture very fascinating and very pertinent. And then, after further reflection, I remembered that the whole concept of medical ethics is what initially got me excited about medicine! It's kind of funny how easy it is to lose sight of initial motivations after so many other factors enter the equation.

I remember one weekend during freshman year I went to a medical ethics conference at Notre Dame and listened to a doctor talk about the physician's role in teaching and implementing ethical medical practices. I left that talk feeling juiced, totally pumped, and alive(thank you Mike Patin). He talked about how much power a physician has to influence ethical medical decisions to actually be made, inside the hospital room. He said that you can tell people, protest, or teach in a classroom all you want, but to actually be in the room with the patient changes everything. A doctor is able to say "no, I will not perform that abortion" or "no, I will not prescribe birth control" or "no, I will not assist you in suicide" and if the patient is willing to listen, he or she can explain why. It's like being on the front-line of a war, and I wanted to be there. So that is where the title ties in...

Now, I still don't know where that leaves me profession-wise, but it got me excited to spend some time in the hospitals and explore the medical profession more. After all, vocation encompasses more than just profession right? It includes family life, love life, creative interests and pursuits, etc. So many things to think and pray about, as wonderful as they all are...Being in a new and uncomfortable place, it's sometimes difficult to settle down and listen, but God speaks through all of this restlessness and confusion, as well as our passions and inclinations. So, live the question, eh?

Well, again, this blog entry has been more on the "musings" side than about Mexico. Though it is a good beginning to the medical adventures to come this semester. However, I hope I can make up the lack of Mexican related material with this weeks edition of....


Mexpandable Waistlines!

Ladies and Gents, I found....(drumroll please)...the Panaderia! Well, there are several of them everywhere, but last week Libby, a friend of mine, and I stumbled upon one very close to UDLAP. It's a gold mine. A typical experience at the Panaderia:

1. Walk in to the sweet smell of fresh baked goodies
2. Pick up a tray and some tongs
3. Use the tongs to fill the tray with selections from the plethora of breads, pastries, and you-name-its from baskets that line the walls
4. Pay a ridiculously low amount of pesos for the treats on your tray
5. Nom nom nom

This picture is technically from Wikipedia...but you get the idea...

Yes, as you've probably thought to yourself already, this could be dangerous. But really, it's just a fun time. They have everything from herbed loaves, to sugar cookies, to muffin-like things. Here, they are called pan dulces. There is a grand variety of types of pan dulces, but they all share one thing: they are beautiful. As in, the presentation is always top notch. You have probably seen things called conches before, a typical type of pan dulce. One that I got is called an oreja, which means, ear. I guess it sort of looks like an ear, but I tend to see it as a heart.