Back from a Whirl Wind Summer

blackhawks come bringing patients

My last summer off has ended, if you could even call it a summer off. I spent 6 weeks training with the military in the art of being a soldier as well as what it means to be a doctor in the military. Then I spent my final two weeks in Peru hiking the Inca trail t Machu Picchu, horseback riding in the sacred valley, and sleeping on the Uros Islands in Lake Titicacca.

There is too much to share in on blog post. The military was both exciting and exhausting with temperatures ranging from 80 to 85 in the morning and 90 to 110 degrees in the afternoon, I was out of my comfortable climate in the north, but I learned to cope. The first three weeks were fairly uneventful and dull, learning the ins and outs of army protocol for everything from "what do you do if you get arrested," to "this is how the hospital works."
The next three weeks were much more exciting. We practiced convoys, shooting M16s and M9s, land navigation, and finally the combat hospital system.

Peru was a welcome change of climate. to cool, dry, and high. Cusco is about 3300 meters above sea level and on the inca trail we reached 4,215 meters on the second day. There was no sensation of the wind getting sucked out of me or even a feeling of light headedness, just a being a little winded when I walked a few flights of stairs.

My brother and I sitting of Machu Picchu

Now I am back, a second year, and continuing the medical education with late nights and cold pots of coffee.