Landing in Tamarindo

I enjoy flying so when I found a bargain price (still 4 times that of the bus) I couldn't resist. Here we are landing at Tamarindo, apparently a farm converted to airstrip. After five minutes we were up again on our way to Liberia just 12 minutes away.

The Setup

This is really hard to believe. Nine nursing students living in seminary dorms, two professors within 5 km who come and teach about 6 hours per day during lecture weeks. Then five weeks of clinicals intermixed with a couple of intense classes. A typical day: 5:30AM run or walk with the sunrise; breakfast is served around 7AM, usually rice and beans with eggs, and some local fruit - bananas, papaya, pineapple, and mango are typical. An hour or so to study, then class begins at 9AM...ends around 4:00. Clinical days begin at 5:30AM with cornflakes and bananas, at 6AM we depart for San Jose where we have clinical in one of four locations (alternating each week): EBAIS (community health clinics), Hospital Mexico (public), Guardaria Manantial (a private daycare subsidized by the government), and "Hotel" Clinica Biblica...okay it's actually Hospital Clinica Biblica, but it's like a hotel, a privately run Hospital with a "fee-for-services"basis. It is one of the top destinations for Health Tourism and has recently received International accreditation from JCAHO. I haven't been yet but one of the students observed the meticulous closing of a cesarean with 27 suture kits, carefully approximating each layer of tissue. Clinical days end around 3PM and we return with our driver (we have a driver) to the seminary. We usually return by 4PM at which point it's too hot to run, but it's not too hot to swim. There is a pool at ENCAI, the Harvard of Business schools in Latin America. ENCAI is just 2.5 miles from the seminary, and we have privileges their thanks to Cathy's (one of our professors) brother having been a founder and her husband one of the first professors there in the early 70's. We share dinner around a table at 6PM, prepared by the gracious seminary staff. Then we're off to our respective corners to study some Labor and Delivery, or Spanish.

We're incredibly lucky. Our days are busy, and I've never learned so much in such a short period, but we have a lot to be thankful for. For me of course a spouse who's willing to handle the bills and responsibility that become so routine. That has allowed me to escape the banalities of life that occupy much of our days so that I can focus on my goals here. I only hope Laura will feel some of the same freedom when she comes to visit in March.

Anyway back to the Setup. A few bonuses (first year BSN's take note and apply to this program): 1. it rained once in January 2. We have internet and Skype 3. Fruit, fruit, fruit 4. Two four day weekends 5. We finished our Finals during week 4 for the quarter 6. Laundry is done for us every Tuesday 7. We end our quarter a week early so we'll be lying on beaches when the rest of our brave BSN comrades are cramming 8. This is an opportunity of a lifetime (Have I mentioned how cool my wife is?)