Bono and Siomara?

I dont think I´ve ever had this much fun pulling teeth (actually filling in cavities). Dra. Siomara Gonçalvez Morales Ribeiro, my dentist, is the sister of my spunky Itajubanian mother, Sonja. They are obviously related. I think I might Bono here.

Hospital Escola, Itajuba

Wondering what life is like inside the hospital here? To the left you can my classmates (in ALL white) listening to the venerable godfather of OBGyn Dr. Aurelio Rocha. To the right the baren but sterile obstetrics/gynecology operating room. Order of the day is: rounds, class, OR, if I´m lucky.

Minas Gerais

A few views of the southern state of Minas Gerais, north of Sao Paulo, third largest city in the world! It is a beautiful, though almost completely deforrested sub-tropical region. To the west of us is the pantanal, the marsh jungle.

The Ribeiro Family (another one!)

So with my new family I do a lot of laughing.... namely about language, literature and love. These are my sisters here: Marina (R) is a dedicated 23yo geography student and discipled runner who loves outdoor adventures and solitude, Cinthia (L) is a 19yo hippie-loving, Australia-headed, social-butterfly with a big smile and even bigger heart. My sense of humor is evolving here.

Dance Dance Revolution

Well ok not quite. In case you did know, I´ve moved from Ecuador to Brasil and am currently doing an OBGyn rotation in Itajuba, Minas Gerais. A friend of mine is a professional dancer here and I asked to come along to see what it was all about. I found myself chatting enthusiastically with Keila afterwards, near midnight, as we walked down dark winding streets in the center of town. Here are some images of her world. Music and dance is poetry here.