Pandora's Box

June 28, 2007

Today I went to ortho again and checked out a quick surgical procedure. It was a 3 year old girl with developmental dysplasia of the hip, meaning her hip joints were too loose and that needs to be fixed or it can cause severe problems in the future. It’s a simple procedure where they make a small incision in the groin to cut the adductor longus muscle, make the joint looser so they can place the ball and socket joint where they want it. It took me forever to figure out what muscle the Chief was telling me he was going to cut. Then, they simply put a cast on the kid from waist to ankle for 3 months in a “shooting arrow” position. So the normal leg is straight and the loose joint leg has the knee up and out. After the 3 months, there are two more phases of 3 months with different positions so the joint can grow closer together with all the stretching and molding. They gave me scrubs to wear, and my goodness, they were the ugliest things ever. First the top was too big and was a wrap around so every once in awhile I’d discover how low cut it had become. Then the pants looked like Aladdin pants, I wish I had a picture of myself, cause that would be the one I would send around for future interviews. “See how I sacrificed my summer working in a developing country hospital, yea that’s right, wearing ugly scrubs!!”

I went shopping again in the afternoon and I walked into a nice big store where they take foreign tourists for “authentic” goods. One sales guy started following me around and immediately asked me if I was Taiwanese, Korean? Singaporean? And finally Chinese, but asked if I went to school in the States. Following, he tried to charge me 900rmb for a bracelet that I just saw in another store for 300rmb. I laughed and said yea right and left.

My new goal is to try one of everything at the bakery I walk by everyday. I actually walk by it at least 4 times a day coming to and from the hospital. It is certainly my Pandora’s box. Every night I tell myself, no tomorrow is going to be a break day from the bakery, but every day I get something new. So thus the new goal, probably easier to accomplish! I just can’t seem to resist such perfect looking little cakes.

Song of the season: Do you remember by Jack Johnson…go ahead and indulge.