The picture above is from the Physicians for Human Rights clinic in Tel Aviv. The clinic sees mainly illegal workers and refugees. I was lucky to volunteer before the clinic closed its doors in protest of the government doing nothing to help with the growing refugee problem and their assumption that PHR would take care of things. There are now thousands of refugees from Africa, many fleeing from Darfur by way of Egypt.

Anyhow PHR also runs a free clinic in the West Bank so I decided to go today and see what it was all about.



Gas station in Taibe where me met and had really good coffee.



Even tractors need to fill up.


This morning 4 of us left Beer Sheva and drove up to Taibe, an Israeli-Arab town, where we met the Israeli doctors and translators that were also volunteering. We went through the checkpoint without even stopping (entering the West Bank isn't a problem) It was about a 30 minute drive to Beit Furiq, a smallish town in the Nablus(Shechem) area. The clinic takes place in areas where there is less access to health care. The team consisted of a family doctor, an internist, a neurologist, a pediatrician and a chiropracter, plus translators and students.



Local ambulance.



Kids following us into the clinic.

When we arrived patients, and mothers were already lined up waiting for us. There were alot more people than I expected. The students divided up amongst the doctors, so I started out with the neurologist who saw mainly people complaining of generalized pain, but a few interesting cases, like a young man that had been in jail in Israel for 2 years, had suffered some head trauma and now was having vision and hearing problems. Another man had a bullet wound in the back of his neck and half his face was paralyzed. Some of the men couldn't be given much help and were refered to hospitals which hopefully they could find some way to afford. The chiropracter was set up on the other side of the room, and was busy with lots of men complaining of back pain. For each patient, there were at least 4 other men observing (while smoking cigarettes) and giving advice.
After a while, I went up to join the family doctor, who seeing all kinds of patients, mainly women and older men. One boy came in with jaw and tooth pain, his teeth were totally rotten, he needed a dentist. It was hard to see so many people who needed more specialized care that they probably wouldn't get.
We worked until about 3, ate some pita and lamb kebabs, hopped on the bus and headed back to Israel.

Lots of posters on the outside of the cement buildings of the town, which had apparently seen lots of action during the second intifada. The posters mainly depicted Saddam Hussein(think that needs to be updated) and gun wielding young men in front of the Temple Mount.

Here are 2 of my favorite songs by Idan Reichel.

">

FROM THE DEPTHS
THE DEPTHS

From deep depths I called to you to come to me
with your return the light in my eyes will come back
it's not finished,
I am not leaving the touch of your hands
that it may come and light up/wake upon
hearing the sound of your laugh.

From deep depths I called to you to come to me
the moonlight I will again light your way to me
they're spread out and melted again
the touch of your hands
I whisper, ask in your ears:
Who is it that calls to you tonight - listen
who sings loudly to you - to your window
who put his soul so you'd be happy
who will put his hand and build you your home
who will give his life, put it underneath you
who will be like dust living at your feet
who will love you of all your lovers
who will save you from all evil spirits
from the deep depths.

From deep depths I called to you to come to me
the moonlight I will again light your way to me
they're spread out and melted
against the touch of your hands
I whisper, ask in your ears:
Who is it that calls to you at tonight ...

Who is it that calls to you at tonight ...
(x2)

">

Here is my mountain bike getting ready to go out for her first ride in a very long time! She has been through alot of abuse...Mountain Men, 3 Xterra Maui's, 1 Battle of the Saddle (at 6000ft!) and numerous rides across sand, lava (Pahoehoe and A'a), through Kaloko rainforest which actually just hides the sharp lava. You can see her scars..and I have plenty as well. Actually I'm a little sad that the K-shaped scar on my shin from Kaloko is starting to fade.
Anyhow...I got the shock redone, refilled (whatever it's called) as it was totally mushy and dangerous. I don't think I'll be mountain biking enough to justify getting major, expensive new parts. So..this morning I went on my first ride outside of Be'er Sheva! It wasn't the most scenic..but it was fun!! And it felt very good to be mountain biking..I haven't forgotten all my skills though I am pretty weak. I went with some friends from the BGU bike club for a very mellow 2 hours. We followed the train tracks for a while...turned east for a bit, were chased by a few dogs, cut across into a eucalyptus grove and just meandered around. Especially nice as I've been sick and haven't done much for the past 10 days! Oh!! and I saw some camels which still makes me excited though it's like seeing a cow to people that have lived here for a while. :-)

I'm not actually in any of the following pictures, but you can pretend I am.


See the gamalim?

I have been dreaming about getting a pair of Crocs for almost 2 years. Why haven't I gotten a pair yet? Because I am horribly indecisive and would never be able to choose between all the juicy colors and to make matters worse there are now even more styles. I rememeber when I first saw someone wearing them, I think around 2003, I laughed at them, but secretly wanted to steal the shoes and chew on them. They are so soft and squishy and colorful.
They are so past trendy now, I see babies wearing them, taxi drivers, families of stressed out parents yelling at their kids..all wearing matching crocs (or knock-offs). There are even websites about why people hate crocs.(they probably secretly wish they had every color)
BUT..I still want some of my own!!!!!!!! Maybe this is the year to give in.

Just got back from the north where I participated in the Emek ha Yarden Triathlon. It is a triathlon festival with kids races, sprint, olympic and half-ironman distances. I did the olympic distance tri which was the longest triathlon I've done in quite a few years. (the reston triathlon is just short of an official olympic). Anyhow, the race started at 7am and I needed to get my bike into the transition and everything set up by 6.30 am. As we hadn't arranged a place to stay(which I will do next year for sure!) we woke up at 3am, started driving at 4am and got to the race site at around 6. I hadn't slept too well the night before, but the excitement kept me awake for the drive.
The triathlon takes place on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee or the Kinneret as it is called in Hebrew. The shoreline is at an elevation of 200 meters below sea level...which means more oxygen in the air to make me super speedy!! Anyhow, I got my bike into the transition, numbered up, sunscreened (though supposedly it is harder to burn at such low elevations)arranged my run shoes (with socks...i always wimp out and put on the socks for fear of blisters)and headed down to the shore.

In this picture you can see how we had to start pretty far out in knee deep water...the means of course having to run back in over the rocky ground. The water was cool but not too cold, completely flat and just perfect for swimming. It wasn't very clear but I don't think there is much to look at underwater anyhow. Not like Hawaii!! The start was good, a few kicks and people randomly switching to breast stroke, but pretty soon I got into a good rhythm and found someone to draft. When I got closer to shore I swam as far as I could rather than having to walk over the rocky bottom, but eventually stood up and hopped up to the shore where there was a 5 minute run up to the transition. I was happy with my time of 35 minutes, especially considering the fastest women was only about 25 minutes once the run and transition time were added.


If you look close, you can see me in the bright pink top and black shorts making my way to the shore.

On to the bike which was great! I didn't get any pictures of it, but it was more hilly than I had thought has the road didn't stay close to the shore.

here's a pic to give you an idea of the scenery.

It was an out and back 40k on the eastern shore of the Kinneret which I guess is considered part of the Golan heights even though it's below sea level. It wasn't too hot, fun downhills after the climbs, and wonderful views..I was flying along happily...BUT..not drinking!! When I looked at my water bottles after the race I realized I'd only drunk about a quarter of a bottle. oops! Not good for the run. I really wanted to get under 1.20 for the bike so I was pushing the whole time and not thinking about drinking. I need to get a handlebar bottle with straw which make drinking effortless.
Anyhow...Back to the transition area in 1.18. I got a bit lost..went to the wrong rack, but eventually found my running shoes, which mysteriouly looked blue and not their usual green! I put on my socks, despite my resolve to try running without them and headed out for the run.

here I am trudging towards the finish line


The run was not as pleasant as the swim or bike. Most of it was on a concrete walkway, except for a short off-road loop into some fields at the turn around. The sun had come out and it was hotter. Anyhow, when I tried to move faster I couldn't so I kept trudging along looking out for every kilometer mark, hoping they would go by quickly. Unfortunatley the did not go by fast enough. Run time: 1.03. Running after biking, and running in general has never been my strong point but I know I could do better!! NEXT TIME!! Anyhow my time was good enough for 3rd in my age group (triathlon is still a young sport here so it's easy enough to place!)


Here I am getting my 3rd place trophy. Of course as soon as I got home, I checked the results to see the times of the girls who beat me...plotting my climb to the top!

And of course, thanks to faithful sherpas! I can't wait till Alon learns to swim better so I can do the same for him.
alon taking a quick nap while we wait to pick up my bike

The problem with making energy bars that are so good is that we eat them all in a few days. A few while biking...the rest with coffee, for breakfast, for a midnight snack. There is so much cheap and delicious dried fruit available in Israel that it's easy to pack the bars full of figs, dates, raisins, apricots and cranberries.



Here's the basic recipe:

2 cups of dried fruit: chop, not too finely, but to a size that's easy to eat
1.25 cups of nuts: roughly chopped
2 cups of crushed oatmeal.

In a bowl, mix 2eggs, 3 ripe bananas, a dash of vanilla, a pinch of salt if desired.

MIX above ingredients.

Melt over low flame: 1 ounce of butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar

ADD to first mixture and stir it all togther

Put in a buttered/floured medium size baking dish and bake for about 30 min at 350F. (note..this is not so precise, so keep checking the bars to make sure they are done and not burning)

There are many ways to modify the recipe: use honey for part of all of the brown sugar, use sweet potatoes(cooked) for some of the banana, add chocolate chips and cut back on the sugar, oil instead of butter...whatever you can think of should work!

Two weeks into the second semester and already I like it much better than the first. It's alot to ask someone to move to a new country, find an apartment, meet new people and start studying medicine at the same time! So..this semester I only have one of those things to focus on. All the extra time, with less worrying...that means time to get back into shape for some short triathlons! Today I went swimming for the first time in several months. I was so happy to be in the water, it was warm, the pool wasn't too crowded and I swam an mile no problem. Tonight I'm going to spinning class for the first time with the BGU bike club.

Milly--Millyfafon--(melefafon is cucumber in hebrew)--fafonski--milita

There is no death. Only a change of worlds.
- Chief Seattle







http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fip.html

My excuse for not updating this recently is that my camera (as well as wallet) was stolen about a month ago. But that's not really a good excuse as we still have Alon's camera, and I guess I don't need to add pictures to every entry. I'm just enjoying feeling settled, having our house organized (will add pictures soon), realizing that not going to every class in OK, and finally getting back on my bike for a 40k ride!! I've become a bit of a weekend warrior, I do a short run or two in the week, but on the weekends I need to get work out. Last saturday, we ran for 10k in the desert. Passed a few camels, who looked at me oddly. Yesterday we put the bikes on the car and drove to a beautiful road, with hardly any traffic...biking pass fields and cows and Ariel Sharon's 'ranch. It was soo much fun, and the weather is reasonable now..not sweltering.
Next week we have our third microbiology quiz..and then in December finals start. Each one is seperated from the next by 3-4 days. Just enough time to cram in everything I should know. Can't believe that after that I will be a 1/8 doctor!!!

As a first year med student, there is not really alot you can do to help people. So you do what you can do, which was going to a nursing home to sing one afternnon. We had a quick crash course in a few simple Hebrew songs (of which I knew one) and one Yiddish song (Bei mir bist du schon)..which I actually knew (don't ask me how..i don't even know!) The nursing home was not overly depressing as far as nursing homes go, bright with pictures on the wall, but most of the residents were pretty out of it. They did perk up a bit when we started singing. One man I was standing next to, grabbed my hand and asked if we would sing any songs in Russian or Yiddish, when I said yes, he kissed my hand. Well, it turned out time was running short and we had to move on to the next area of the home before we got to "Bei mir bist du schon"...I felt bad so grabbed a few other students and we sang for him. He even seemed to enjoy my dreadful voice.
On to the next common area, where we repeated our repertoire.

Well with school, moving, and general craziness, some of these managed to enter my body...

or maybe these?...


i think it's the first, flu; not the second which is the rabies virus...unless I was attacked by rabid desert foxes and didn't notice. I love my virology class, but it's never too early to get medical student syndrome!
Just remember no antibiotics for virus. Though flu can make you more susceptible to bacterial infections.

Some of us are obsessed with cats and animals. Hopefully this will appease those who keep demanding photos and news. We moved into our new house the night after the physicians oath ceremony. Carrying boxes and furniture at 4am wasn't so bad...it was a bit cooler and some wine and vodka made it fun! Of course waking up at 8am the next day was not as enjoyable. It's been 2 weeks since then and the house (or cottage i should say) is looking much better. The cats like it too, as the can wander in and out. Milly is still as petite and sleepy as ever, but she is adorable and though I don't think she is the healthiest cat, she seems to enjoy herself.



Kona is still wild, knocking over chairs at night and running madly about chasing feathers.

The last few weeks have been busy but I feel like I'm finally settling in. Our class had our physicians oath ceremony on September 7th. We take the oath at the start of our studies to show that even as students we have an obligation to the people we will be learning from, they are not simply bodies for us to study. We also read our Ethics Code which was put together over the course of the last month by our whole class.



Afterwards we went to Be'er Sheva's only hotel, the Golden Tulip, for a dinner and lots of drinks. Each class put on a skit and I have to say that ours was amazing!

A few weeks ago we had a lecture entitled 'Doctors in the Negev' Very fascinating and inspirational. The first man that spoke was one of the first Bedouin doctors in Israel. He related his life story..the village he came from only had a primary school, but he was selected to go to a catholic high school in Nazareth. He studied there and then applied to study medicine at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Because his high school wasn't very high caliber, he started studying biology instead and was accepted into medical school later on. He was working in the hospital in Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, when many Arab doctors chose to leave, fearing for their own safety. He later moved back south to Soroka hospital in Be'er Sheva, where his family was worried about him during the Yom Kippur War. They weren't so much afraid of him working in the hospital but rather of what might happen to him on the street, so they accompanied him everyday to the hospital entrance to make sure he got in safely. He said he has rarely experienced any rascism in the hospital setting, though when patients ask what his background is, thinking he is a Yemenite or Persian Jew, he tells them he will tell them after the check-up. He also was one of the first Bedouin doctors to work in his own community where there were strict taboos on men interacting with women. They still exist today of course, though maybe not quite as strongly as when he was first practicing. He related how when he would go to a clinic in a Bedouin village, women would come to see him, but would not let him near them. A breakthrough was made when one elderly woman finally let him take her blood pressure. It was great to meet a doctor like this who helps to break the stereotypes of Bedouins that still exist today.

The second doctor who spoke was a young Ethiopian man who had come to Israel when he was 18 years old. During high school he was selected to study medicine in Addis Ababa on the basis of a national exam. He studied there for several years, but when civil broke out in Ethiopia, he chose to leave for Israel where most of his family already was. As he spoke English, he worked as a translator in Jerusalem for Ethiopian patients and their doctors. During this time he studied towards the university entrance exams. He was accepted to medical school in Be'er Sheva (the Israeli program..not the one I'm in!) and after his studies did 5 years of military service as a doctor. Now he is the head of all the military medical service in the south of Israel.

After these two, the typical Israeli doctor who grew up on a kibbutz and fought in the Yom Kippur war didn't seem so exciting! But it is great to see how all these people from such different backgrounds work together towards a common goal of coexistence and community health.

So much has happened in the last month, I don't know where to begin! Emergency medicine course completed, fainted once already, wonderful people, and now 2 days into the real semester which is full of microbiology, immunology, biochem, genetics, Hebrew, biostatistics and an intro to Clinical and global medicine. Lots of science, but it is broken up by ethics lectures, guest speakers, and of course lunch at the local falafel stand.



(view from the 6th floor of the internal medicine building, where most of my classes are held. You can see the helicopter landing area as well as other hospital buildings surrounding the courtyard)


On the second day of orientation, I offered to have blood drawn for a study a 4th year student was doing. I wanted to jump right in and do whatever it is that medical students do. So I sat down in the chair, in the crowded hallway, not the best place and allowed a 3rd year student to begin poking my veins. I'm not sure if I was dehydrated from the Be'er Sheva summer, hadn't eated enough, or just nervous, but I started to feel dizzy, sick, and light-headed (classic signs of simple vasovagal syncope, I was later to learn)...and out I went. Fortunately, I was caught by my wonderful classmate Jamie and was only out for a few seconds. I lay on the ground for a bit, drank a coke, and felt better pretty quickly. Still, it is a little embarassing to faint on your second day of med school. Oh well, I heard that one student passed out the first time he witnessed an IV being inserted and broke his nose. Now they make all the students sit down the first time watch an IV. Well, hopefully it won't happen again!

We found the cutest apartment though we can't move into it until September and we haven't signed the lease yet. Right now I'm staying in a sublet arranged through the school, which is very nice and convenient...2 minutes from a good falafel place and near a bakery full of far too many delicious baked goods.
The place is furnished, with full kitchen supplies. A few pictures of the house above. We're moving out of here this week into another temporary apartment until Sept 1...then I hope no more moving for a while!

Well...I have now officially been in Beer-Sheva for 10 days. Though I've been through this city before this is my first time spending any time here and arriving in the middle of heat wave really drained any energy I had to explore. Temperatures were regularly above 100F. When I go out in the middle of the day, I notice which side of the street is in the shade and where there are trees (which are not that abundant given that Beer-Sheva is in the Negev desert). So I make my way from shady spot to shady spot in order to get to the gym or the store, or the multitude of inept government offices I need to go to in order to deal with signing up for health insurance and so on.
Fortunately, the apartment I'm staying in for now is air-conditioned and there are tons of delicious fresh fruit and veggies in the stores. Alon also wisely froze tons of strawberries when they were in season so we can make smoothies.
I'm so excited to start school in 3.5 weeks. I went to the hospital where MSIH-BGUCU (long name...Medical School for International Health at Ben-Gurion University in collaboration with Columbia University)...MSIH is good enough from now on. I browsed through the books we are using next year and bought some of them. There are no absolutely required texts, you can choose which ones you prefer, which makes it hard...I fear I might end up buying them all. A few pics of the city above.