The Last Two Days....

As promised here is the blog post about the extra special event, and the day after. So what was the event you wonder? Let me tell you....I was asked by the cultural office at the US Embassy to be part of a panel to explain the American Healthcare system and compare it with that of Argentina. I know this, in and of itself actually sounds boring and not important at all. I mean that is what I thought when I first agreed to do it and then I kept getting more information.

For one I was on a panel that included other Americans. I'm thinking probably other students and we are all going to give our perspectives. I was wrong. I was so very very wrong. The panel was actually composed of other people from the US and I think there was only one person, besides myself, who did not have a PhD. Who was my fellow non-doctoral prepared presenter, the Secretary of Political and Military Affairs for the US Embassy in Argentina. Basically even though he didn't have a doctorate he outranked everyone sitting at the panel anyways. I have NO idea how I ended up in such company. I can only assume that it is some higher being's way of laughing at me in really ridiculous situations.

Actually let me post a copy of the program so you can see exactly who else I was presenting with:

At this point I was sort of a little anxious. I really hate looking stupid. I really don't think that there is anything I dislike more than feeling completely under qualified to do something. And when I saw the list of other panelists that is exactly how I started to feel.

Then the next fun part. I was told my part of the presentation would be about 20 minutes. Not bad right? And then I was told it should be in Spanish. Okay so now I was freaking out. A 20 minute presentation, with really important panelists in Spanish??? What had I gotten myself into. For those of you who know me or have been in class with me you know just how out of character this fear of presentations is. Honestly, if every exam I had was an oral presentation I would probably have a 4.0 because I like giving them and I feel really comfortable standing in front of a group of people and talking. But this was different. I couldn't make jokes or side comments, simply because I don't know Spanish well enough to do those things.

I'm sure you are all thinking that the above is not that bad. Well it gets a little bit more ridiculous when you find out who I am presenting to. A group of Argentine doctors. Upon hearing this I get a little more anxious because I know doctors are not always the most forgiving crowd. Then I got told that its not just any doctors its the doctors who are in charge of other doctors. The leaders of the obras sociales major hospitals in Argentina and maybe one or two professors. That is right. So not only am I now giving a 20 minute presentation with other people who are way smarter than me but I was also going to have to do it in Spanish for a group of distinguished Argentine doctors. I am now in full on panic attack, what-in-the-hell-have-I-gotten-myself-into-mode.

I would love to know how I get myself into these kinds of situations. I don't ever really ask to be thrown into these things and yet somehow I keep ending up in the middle of them.

When I was done freaking out I sat down called my Connect-123 program advisor and asked her to be my Justin to Spanish translator. She was more than happy to and spent hours going over my presentation and my talking points with me. That's right I actually PREPARED for a presentation.....I seriously think that might be a first. In my preparations I attempted to make a typical presentation with a few jokes and stuff but I was very unsure of how they would go over and thought it was best to wait until the day of and get a feel for the room before I did anything.

On the big day, November 30th, I showed up at the American Club a little early and was per usual the first person there. I met the other presenters and was thrilled to find out that their Spanish was good, but was not Castellano and was not perfect. THANK GOD!! I know that sounds mean but I was really concerned about looking like a complete moron trying to speak Spanish. All of the other presenters were extremely nice before the presentation and actually we began talking about our experiences in healthcare. By our experiences I mean MY experiences. Turns out I was the only one on the panel who had ever worked in an American hospital never mind an Argentine one. It was at this point that I really calmed down. I really had been brought in to simply give the realistic sort of in the trenches version of what American healthcare was and how it differed from Argentina's version. Suddenly my job seemed infinitesimally simpler. Even if I made a mistake, who was going to call me out?

The presentation began but the set up was something I wasn't quite use to. I am going to link the website here. I have some pictures coming, but they're coming from a photographer who was at the event so until then I will just have to describe it for you. Basically it was sort of dining room table set up with the panel at the head of the table and the PowerPoint opposite us. It made me feel both more comfortable like I was at some weird Thanksgiving dinner and more uncomfortable like I was at some weird Thanksgiving dinner.

When it was finally my turn I began very slowly at first petrified that I would make a mistake. Then I made my first mistake and I stopped caring so much about that. I spent the rest of my 20 minutes trying to make sure that I got the main points home. Throughout my presentation I got several nods from people and some shocked looks at some of the things I said, but the best moment of the entire presentation came about 10 minutes into it. It was my joke. I wasn't sure how it would go over, but I decided I might as well go for broke right? I mean how many times do you get to present on behalf of your country. The joke involved one of the words from a previous post, a chanta. I was talking about the use of computers in the hospital systems and how it is practically impossible to practice medicine in the US without using a computer. I then said, "No soy un chanta es la realidad." or roughly translate, "I'm not a bullshitter its the truth."

The best part of this joke is all of the important Argentines thought it was hilarious. I don't know if it was simply because a gringo had used one of their words, and properly at that, or if it was they actually thought the joke was funny. Either way I don't really care because they laughed. When they were laughing the rest of the panel I was presenting with was simply confused. Chanta is definitely not a word used outside of Argentina and its definitely not a word you get taught in Spanish class so they didn't get the joke, which was fine because everyone else did. When my portion of the presentation was over I only got asked one or two questions that I was actually able to answer so that was good.

Then it was over. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. This big moment had come to an end and I was more than relieved. Several of the attendees came up to shake my hand and thank me for the presentation which I thought was very nice. Then as the Americans, myself included, were leaving one of them, I can't remember who said, "Oh and the ministry of health was there." I was confused, but apparently someone like the minister of health or the equivalent, was at the event and had been sitting directly to the right of me the entire time. He actually was one of the people who told me good job and thanked me. Looking back I'm stupid not to have known that seeing as he knew approximately how many nurses were in Argentina, but I am also very glad I didn't. Had I known I probably would have vomited at some point during my presentation, either vomited or cried, maybe both, who knows?

So yes now I can say that I have presented on behalf of the United States Embassy on comparative healthcare issues, sounds fancy doesn't it? Truthfully, I am thrilled to have been given an opportunity like this, not only to come to Buenos Aires, but to present for the US Embassy, talk about a cool co-op right?

Now the title of this blog post was the last two days. That all happened on Wednesday. What happened on Thursday you ask? Keep reading.....


Basically my trip here to Argentina has been one dichotomous situation after another. I go from working in an oncologists office to working at an NGO. I go from living in Buenos Aires to visiting Mar del Plata. I go from trying to write a women's health curriculum to a meeting with the embassy, so I really don't know why I didn't expect this kind of dichotomous situation after my presentation at the embassy but I didn't and it did happen.

 Thursday, December 1st was international HIV/AIDS awareness day aka World AIDS day. The NGO I work for and wrote the women's health curriculum for got a large supply of condoms for the day. So what did I do the day after my big embassy presentation? What I love most....public health. I went to some of the areas in Buenos Aires known for the prostitutes that gather there and passed out little baggies of condoms, lube, health information, and immigration information to the prostitutes. I quite literally went from presenting to some of the most important doctors in Argentina to the people who Argentina has clearly forgotten about in less than 24 hours. Talk about a difference.

It was like the cherry on the sundae for me. I loved presenting for the embassy and feeling important and special, but I loved more going into the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and passing out condoms. I realize that sounds ridiculous but its true. I did not go alone, and I do have pictures which will be what I end with today. The people I went with were all Porteños so they knew the areas well and knew exactly what to say and how to approach people. What was really great is that I really felt uncomfortable sort of approaching people with my clearly foreigner Spanish, but if anyone had any questions I was there and had the answers. Some people for instance were asking about an injection to prevent fertility and I was able to explain that that type of contraception exists but it doesn't protect against STIs and that condom was really the best choice. It just felt right working that way on World AIDS Day.

Its one thing to be in the US for some international health and awareness day that was created by people in the US. You sort of assume there must be other people in the world doing stuff, but you are never positive. Now I am 100% positive that on World AIDS day, the same day my fellow Northeastern nursing students were providing free HIV screenings I was working to prevent HIV and other STI transmissions in Buenos Aires, Argentina. How cool is that??

Here are the pictures as promised, ENJOY:

The baggies we passed out. Now with more lube thanks to me
 and knowing that if you don't want people to use the wrong kind of lube
and destroy the condom you have to give them the right kind!

Two giant bags filled with all of those packets of condoms, lube, immigration information and of course health information!

The team that went out to pass out all of the baggies. Starting with me,
and going right, Juan, Manuel, I don't remember her name, she actually
is the woman who wrote the Chinese curriculum, then Veronica, Luciana, and Susy!

T