the perils of

To address the elephant in the room: I recently got transferred out of Gigaquit.  I'm sure you're thinking: what, why, what happened, omg so soon, huhu. But trust me, while the news is extremely heartbreaking, I believe this was the right choice for me.  During my brief time there I truly believed that I was the luckiest Doctor to the Barrio (DTTB). I had a great and dependable set of staff. A super supportive boss who eventually became my mentor (and grandfather to my newly adopted puppy). An LGU that was so easy to work with. I even found a second family there in the form of my landlady/foster mom.  Twice I'd run into problems on the road and needed to be rescued. Each time, random people offered their help, without me even asking. They even refused when I insisted on paying them. The people of Gigaquit are truly something else. I don't know if I'll ever be so lucky to be assigned somewhere with their same energy. They set the bar pretty high.  And I can't eve...

There's a few things about me that I want/ need the people in my community to understand: I have boundaries. I'm putting this item at the top of my list so we can get it over with quickly : Y'all need to stop asking for checkups  outside office hours.  (And while we're on the topic of boundaries: STOP COMMENTING ON MY WEIGHT!) o I enjoy spending time by myself . I am, quite obviously, an introvert. When I'm alone I get to do all sorts of fun things. I read books, write blogs, listen to music, water my plants, play the ukelele, exercise. There's so much going on inside my head at any given moment that I am hardly ever bored or lonely. So please stop feeling sorry for me LOL! This is just who I am. o I have friends. Yes, really. The other week, my friend Kith (a fellow Doctor to the Barrios) came to visit me in my health center. The midwife on duty that day, Ma'am Alice, told me later on, "Dok na happy ako dok na meron ka nang friends! Mag invi...

It's been a crazy 4 weeks here in Gigaquit, the first two of which I spent quarantined in my office here at the Rural Health Unit. I won't get into the details behind that  but suffice to say: I was gone for a while, and now I'm back. During my quarantine, I settled into such a comfortable routine that I am now considering permanently living here in my RHU. I mean, just look at it. Isn't it so cute? I love the sunshine and the pops of color!  Not bad for an office bedroom. Living in one's office can make one a little claustrophobic. So, as a way to sort of break up my day (or as Paulo put it: create a boundary between personal and work life), I've rekindled my love of biking. At the end of each office day I like to just go out and ride wherever my legs may take me. The newly-cemented Canlagsik Road. With my trusty rusty Shimano folding b ike that I got as a hand-me-down from my aunt. I never thought I could enjoy any physical activity as...

In case we homo sapiens don't survive this pandemic, I hope the future master species (dogs) discovers my blog. I hope their linguists eventually decipher this English I'm using from the ancient days of 2020 BC (Before Covid). I hope they study my blog as carefully as we humans have studied our history books and sacred texts.  And if there's one thing I want my Future Masters to know, it would be this: I tried my best. Even before this pandemic, it was never easy being the community doctor. But now that the sh*t has hit the fan, the difficulty level has increased 100x. On top of my regular consults at the clinic, I'm struggling to keep up with the latest research, studying the patterns of disease, looking out for any clusters of flu-like illnesses in the community that could be the end of us. And in between all of that, I'm endlessly firefighting. (A more exciting way to say problem-solving.) But not all fires were created equal. The smaller, ...

I know you've been worried sick about me. Masks and alcohol are in short supply, and more and more people are getting infected across the country each day.  It may be a futile request, but please don't worry too much. Here in my little barrio (if you can even call it that), things are so much more peaceful than what you see on TV.  The police and fire patrol are doing their job well. We at the health center have been monitoring the situation daily.  The groceries are well-stocked and there are anti-panic buying rules in place. Farming continues. My foster fam recently adopted this puppy named Skrrrt and I love it with all my heart. I'm safe for now but I won't be letting my guard down. I miss you all and I can't wait to go home. Stay healthy folks! 

I'm almost four weeks into my first ever job as a Doctor to the Barrio, and it's been an amazing ride so far. When I first found out about my assignment sometime in January, I was apprehensive. When you google Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte, there's not much information you can find. It's mostly just news articles about their recent spate of NPA attacks. As a baseline anxious person, I had a never-ending list of worries: What if I'm kidnapped? What if I'm killed? Or worse, what if there's no Internet??? I had no idea what I was getting into, and I would soon find out. 1. I'm a town celebrity - whether I like it or not. "Doctora, what's your complete name?" read the text from Gigaquit Municipal Health Officer, Dr. Roland Mira. Yup, I thought to myself, he's definitely making me a welcome tarp.  We'd never met in person before, but I'd heard much about him from mutual colleagues. A veteran doctor who'd spent most ...

My unemployment is almost at an end. I've been accepted into Doctors to the Barrios. Deployment is two or three weeks away (DOH has been keeping us in the dark about our schedule). The days of Netflix binges, unlimited snacking, and random video games are coming to a close. I haven't been this relaxed in years, and I will sorely miss bumming around the house. Change terrifies me, but I'm ready to put my best foot forward for my future barrio this 2020. Anyway, I'm excited to write about my December favorites. I've seen so many good films and played so many good games lately and I'm raring to share them with you. So, without further ado: Movies Marriage Story. Despite its title, Marriage Story is a movie about separation, specifically the divorce of Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson). What's refreshing about this movie is how its central characters still treat each other with so much love, despite going through the breakup. (In fac...