Is anyone out there looking to get into the Christmas and holiday spirits? I recently visited Santa Clause’s Home on the French Side. Having stumbled upon it with my boyfriend, Christmas was all of a sudden here. It was such a treat. I was excited, amazed, and felt like a kid again.

Santa Clause’s Home has been open to the public for 25 years now. It started when the owner’s children were young. She soon opened the house to the public.  Currently, you can visit Santa’s home for free from 6pm to 10 pm. As soon as you enter, you will realize it is not just Santa’s house, but also a part of the North Pole.  This wonderland took three months to prepare.  Santa’s wonderland is a collaboration put together amongst a few who dedicate their homes and time to bring this spectacular attraction to the public.

As you walk off the main road and towards the house, the path to the house is decorated and lit with Christmas decorations.  You will pass and can choose to enter Snow White’s house.  There are another two rooms full of decorations on the ground floor. Then, travel upstairs to the nativity scene. Enjoy the beauty of the lights from upstairs. But, travel up the other set of stairs and you will find the main attraction. I can’t explain the house, it does no justice, so the pictures will suffice as I pass on the invitation. You will see the diligence and intricate attention to detail.

Inside the house, you will be greeted by two of the owners. Aside from the incredulous scene, they offer homemade Guavaberry. Note: a limited number of bottled Guavaberry are available for purchase.  Delicious. Then, you are also treated with muffins, chips, and chestnuts.

Magical. That summed up my experience. I am happy to pass along this gem, and hope you too will have a chance to enjoy Santa’s house. Happiest holidays, Prospero Año Nuevo, and the best of wishes today and always. Please see below for general directions (i tried..).

Short:

• Head towards Marigot, driving past AUC (opposite Maho)
• Drive towards Friar’s bay (follow signs for the GoKart place, same general direction)
• BEFORE you turn left onto the street for Friar’s bay (as you go down the hill), you will see the lights from the house on the left.  Across from the house there is parking

Long:

• Drive towards the French side, away from Maho
• You will pass Sandy Ground, cross the bridge, pass US Market on your left
• Continue to the round about. At the round about, take the second exit and follow into Marigot along the waterfront. Sarafina’s will be on your right.
• Drive straight until you have reached the end of the road where you must turn left or right.  Turn left, continue along the water front.
• You will continue until you get to the round about.
• At the round about take the 3^rd exit. Make sure you are going  UP the hill.
• Go up the hill. As you start to go down the hill,  slow down. The house will be on your LEFT, it will be lit.  You will find parking on your right hand side, across from the house, at the bottom of the hill.
• If you pass the sign for Friar’s bay you have gone too far. The house is immediately before the turn and at the end of the hill.
• If you go to the GoKart place you have gone WAY too far. If you have passed signs for Pic Paradise, you have gone too far.

The music was bumping as I approached BB’s Bar & Grill. Thanks to our friend, BB, and LMSA, Latin nights had officially been launched.

A night of all Spanish flavors, from merengue to bachata to salsa and rancheros. Dancing was never NOT an option. That is what family parties were all about – dancing and music. As soon as I hear that merengue, cumbia, or bachata beat, my bones, hips and feet start moving. Music livens me up from the inside, it genuinely makes me happy. Music is how I was raised, and an aspect that brings our family and communities together.

The beat of any spanish song has so many elements. Every instrument speaks a different emotion: the drums, the trumpets, the saxophones, the piano…so much to it! As for the singer, well I always thought he added to the melody the instruments conveyed. Most of the songs I grew up with listening to were about toothbrushes, shampoos, trees, funny jokes. On the other hand, the melody helped to instill the passion behind the words and songs of love. I never separated words from melody. It was much after I embodied the sound that the lyrics made any sense.

For a while, all this was void at AUC. It was quite  discomforting. My feet had been itching for so long. Our good friend BB helped by bringing this important cultural aspect to AUC. BB understands the power of music and used this as a means of uniting and reaching out to those in our communities. It is important to note that Latinos are not the only ones to claim this passion and unity with music. Caribbean islanders, South Americans, Africans share similar sensibilities. Heck, we all do!  Musically, we are one.

With the help of BB and David Hernandez through LMSA, our first Latin Night was implemented!  BB brought to the stage DJ Perez providing some reggaeton, bachata, merengue, and of course some salsa. He brought all the musical flavors of latin music. We heard some favorites, some great remixes, some oldies. Thanks to his music, the dance floor busy.

We also enjoyed St. Maarten – Dominican flavor. On the microphone, were friends and rappers, Don Monje and Don Yonki. These two dropped some spanish rhymes. They knew how to work the crowd. They had BB dancing and others meneando. There was an even special performance by the Andrade crew. My youngest brother was visiting and went on stage. To my dismay, he kept up and spit over the beat. Don Monje even pushed me hard enough that I got on the microphone to rhyme myself. I never thought I’d publically do it. We hope that we can have Don Monje, DJ Perez, and  Don Yonki perform for us in the future. We appreciate and hope for input from those in our own community. We also would like to invite any other friends in the St. Maarten community to join us during our future events.

SALSA!! Our salsa dance professors, Yanet and Moises, along with friends were there as well. They showed us how Salsa is REALLY done. Normally, on Wednesday nights they show us the ruedas in class and teach us how to move. To see it on the dance floor, our jaws were dropping. As they danced we heard “azucar,” and una bullita, “eeeeeeey!” The soul of salsa moved across the dance floor as the four moved in unison and in style. This was a sneak preview to hopefully inspire friends to join Yanet & Moises in future salsa classes! Their skills are incredible, truly aspiring us to learn more.

With that said, I can not be more thankful to BB and David Hernandez for helping to implement a little taste and soul into our lives. For some of us who feel empty without the music and the dancing, this was a great success with more to look forward to. BB and David offered a mode of expression, whether physically, emotionally, or lyrically. We hope to open the mic and dance floor to our friends during Saturday’s Latin Night as we honor National Hispanic Heritage month. Join us October 15, 2011 to celebrate the last night of this special month.

~ Su atencion se respeta, always obliged
Andrea E Andrade, LMSA Member

National Hispanic Heritage Month: It is Here!

I’m Ecuadorian and I’m proud!  My father is from the providence of Manabi, city of Chone. My mother is from the providence of Los Rios, city of Vinces.  Ecuador is my home. It is time to celebrate Hispanics in our community as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month. To be exact, National Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized yearly from September 15 until October 15.  I would like to explore what it means to associate and be proud of your roots, to voice this, rather than shame or hide from them.

Rejections

I have found that for some, associating with your roots can be discerning. I have heard some reject their roots upfront, rejecting their own country and it’s people. I suppose this stems from the fact that some don’t want to be too biased, don’t want to show preference or pride for one culture because it can mean they are shunning themselves from the mainstream culture.   Being too proud may leave you with the notion that you are picking your friends for the wrong reasons.  Should you befriend others because you share the same language?  same country of origin?

Hispanics are associated with immigration, illegality, subservient jobs, eccentric beliefs. Some may want to avoid any association with these stereotypes. Others may have grown from the stereotypes and wish to never be associated with them again, thereby rejecting “their people” or knowledge of.

Other times, we break each other down. We allow other’s opinion to shame us.  I may not have been born in Ecuador, but this tends to be a point for discussion. Some tend to become competitive, denouncing my roots because they were born there. I still went to Ecuador when I could, I am still 100% Ecuadorian no matter how you look at it. We should not shame one another based on technicality, on where our mothers gave birth.  Small words cannot erase or break the long and deep embedding roots that exist.

Calle 13 – Latinoámerica

Soy lo que me enseñó mi padre.

El que no quiere a su patria no quiere a su madre.

Soy Ámerica Latina:

un pueblo sin piernas pero que camina

Tu no puedes comprar al viento.

Tu no puedes comprar al sol.

Tu no puedes comprar la lluvia.

Tu no puedes comprar el calor.

Tu no puedes comprar las nubes.

Tu no puedes comprar los colores.

Tu no puedes comprar mi alegría.

Tu no puedes comprar mis dolores

Pride

And why should you be proud? As a physician you gain a lot of respect and responsibilities.  It is through your own hard work that you earn the title. But, it is through your parents and those that came before you that you came to be.  Regardless of one’s immigration status, surely our parents or grandparents, etc, risked a lot by coming to America. They worked hard in these developing nations to save and build for another life in a strange land. They did all this for their children and their children’s children.

So, what may a Hispanic patients think when they find a Hispanic doctor?  For one, they are unlikely to encounter a Hispanic physician. There are less than 3% Hispanic doctors in all of the US. This implies they may not have found a physician to trust or feel comfortable with. This patient may not know you; they may not know your story, but share your heritage and what they see expands. They find a link, they find inspiration, they see hope. They are proud because in a way you both grew from the same seed.  Their love for their country is so strong it transfers unto you.

Alas, to accept and embrace where you are from can really give courage to the patients you may one day encounter.  By bolstering who you are, you support and give hope to others who relate to you, even if it is “just” based on culture, language, or country of origin.  Of course, this translates amongst people of any culture.  In general, across cultures, if you show respect, confidence, and concern for others, your patient shall respond.

Knowledge

I would like to continue this post another day by following up with a recap of a presentation that my friend, Claudia, and I did during the Student National Medical Association’s  (SNMA) Cultural Awareness panel.  In essence, I would like discuss certain cultural beliefs amongst Hispanics, specifically those of Ecuadorian and Mexican culture. By understanding beliefs and issues faced, you too will some day understand and nurture medical care for your own patients.

Su atencion se respeta, always obliged
Andrea E Andrade, LMSA Member

Hey Everybody,

Are you looking for something different to do on a Friday night?  Are you a big fan of Video Games?  Come out this Friday May 27 at 9pm after the movies to play video games inLH1.

We will have at least 2 X-box 360s and a PS3 and have a ton of games for both consoles.  Also, if you have a console you wouldn’t mind bringing it, please do so and we can have even more people playing.

The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) will also be selling drinks, chips, and candy before and during the movies from 6:30 – 8:00 and will set up shop at the video game session from 9-12 am.  So please come out and support the LMSA and have some fun playing video games at school.

Thank you,

The Movie Guy and LMSA

When I was 17, I was rushed to the hospital after suffering from a mild heart attack.  As I was being treated, the team of physicians responsible for my recovery told me the words no person wants to hear: you will not live past 21.  They followed up by saying that I should not bother going to college as it would be a waste of time and money.  This wasn’t the first time I’ve been told that I would die, but it was the first time it had to do with my health.

In our community and in many underserved communities around the states, our youth will often hear that they will either end up dead or in jail.  In my experience, these comments were from teachers, city officials, lawyers, law enforcement and doctors; people who are expected to display professionalism.  It was the failure of these professionals that helped lead to my gang involvement.  The area I grew up in was filled with a variety of gangs and constant harassment from the Gang Prevention Unit.  With all the negativity, I found comfort amongst friends who were going through the same and soon enough I was jumped into a gang.

A pivotal moment in my life happened as a result of a series of chaotic events.  A race war had broken out throughout the Los Angeles area, a bomb had gone off in our school, and stabbings and shootings were becoming frequent.  Throughout this time, I found myself staring down the barrel of many guns, from police officers to gang members, and I had had enough.  To make matters worse, my best friend had been expelled from school for carrying a gun. When I came over to his house later, he told me that they gave him a chance to return provided he finished some work at a local continuation school.  His house had been fired bombed the night before by a local gang, but hearing this opportunity made me think that it was a chance for both of us to get out.  At that moment, our friends rolled up in a van ready retaliate against the gang.

I turned to my friend and said I’d had enough, and it was time we made a change.  I told him to go back in his house and finish that work so that we both could make it to graduation day, a path that was not death or jail.  The van drove off and I began to walk home, refusing to throw away my life.  It wasn’t until later that I found out why I made the right choice.  One friend in that van, Tiny, was a kid whose father was an alcoholic, abusive and recently locked up in jail.  Tiny and his mom had fled from their old home to start a new life in our town.  Tiny was a great kid, always smiling, laughing and making others laugh too.  He never was into drugs nor did he attempt to shoot or stab anyone, he was just part of the family.  Like many of us, Tiny chose to be in the gang because of how he was treated by society.

As I was on my way home, I heard screeching tires and guns shots ring out just a couple of blocks away.  Later, I received a phone call from my best friend.  The gang had been expecting them, and fired on the van as they pulled up.  The driver had tried to get them out of trouble, but immediately crashed nearby.  Everyone began jumping out of the van to run for their lives, but as Tiny jumped out, he took a bullet to the back of his head and died at the scene.

At the funeral, it was only Tiny’s mom and us.  In tears, she told us she was not mad, but that she wanted us to change our lives, and to work to do what Tiny will no longer be able to do.  At the time, I was doing well in school, so everyone turned to me and said that I had to make that effort to follow through with her wishes.  Had I made the decision to join the van ride, I could have been the one being buried that day.  Here was an opportunity to fulfill Tiny’s mom’s wish, to change my life and help others.  I applied to the University of California, Irvine soon after and gained admittance into the biological sciences program.

We often go throughout the day interacting with people, but we don’t stop to think about the backgrounds and influences people have in their endeavors.  Sometimes we are quick to pass judgment on someone simply because they look, act or handle situations differently.  I myself have often found myself out casted for being Mexican, not being Mexican enough and sometimes for just being “too” nice.  But my experiences growing up and throughout life have taught me that to live life closed minded, or tunneled, can lead to complications, including death.

So there I was, age 17 being told I would not live long and that I should quit.  Despite the recommendation of the physicians, I made a decision to follow through with the promise I made, I went on to study at UCI and have given back to underserved communities since then.  People told me I would never make a difference, but rather than quit, I decided to try anyways.  I hope my experience has inspired you to make a difference as well, and for all those that tend to believe that we cannot make a difference, I leave you with this quote from the movie, Coach Carter:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine as children do.  It’s not just in some us; it is in everyone.  And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

David C. Hernandez
President of LMSA at AUC

Executive Board:

President: David Hernandez
Vice-President: Bobby Jacob
Secretary: Francesca Farinacci
Treasurer: Stephen Daniel
Membership Director: Rajinder Chahal
Fundraiser Director: Nick Reifsteck
Diversity Director: Rajinder Chahal

Hispanics and Medicine

When LMSA first introduced itself as a group, their fliers promoted: you will most likely encounter a Hispanic patient at some point in your career. Well, not only in your career, but on—your colleagues, your professors— and off campus too.  If you step out of your home in SXM, there are numerous Hispanics – most who come from the Dominican Republic.

Of the millions of people living in the United States, 15.1% are of Hispanic descent; most of who reside in underserved communities.  Going back to the likelihood of encountering a Hispanic patient, yes this is certainly true.  But to put this in perspective, only 3.1% of US doctors are Hispanic. Yes, you are more likely to encounter a Hispanic patient rather than a Hispanic doctor. Do a bit of math, and it turns out that there are about 2,293 Latino patients to each Latino physician.  That’s a lot of work!

I once had an enraging conversation with a friend’s father who was a dentist, specializing in implants. “I don’t understand why your dad works at two offices in the Bronx. If he’s been working there for over twenty years now, why does he still need to work six days a week? I mean he should either stick to one job, or find another office that would pay as much.” For a split second, I wondered if my father had somehow offended or wronged the medical community; or if he has done a disservice to himself by continuing to care about the patients and community that he helped.

This was an excerpt from my personal statement.  Speaking from personal experience, the problem our communities seem to face are going back to the above – limited doctors who understand them, and neighborhoods that make it hard to lead a healthy, fruitful life. Language becomes a barrier, compassion is a barrier, and living in “poor” communities is a barrier. Such barriers lead to more barriers, and most importantly the one that prevents access to GREAT health care.  Regardless of our advances as a whole, Hispanics are marginalized.

Many Latino patients don’t have a regular primary care physician. Keep this as a point of entry to help patients come back and help them properly manage their care. Otherwise most wait until they must seek ambulatory care in impersonal emergency rooms and clinics. That means the country as a whole pays. As a physician, attempt to provide access to these important resources. Reach out and remember that we are all the same, but the experiences of your patients may be unfathomable.

As of 2009, 7.3% of medical school applicants were Hispanic with 46% of them matriculating into a school. To make numbers jump out: of all applicants in 2009, 3,061 were Hispanics versus 26,320 white counterparts. Hispanics comprised 7.7% of matriculated students. Comparatively, in 1999 Hispanics comprised 6.9% of matriculated students. The numbers are rising! Let’s keep in mind where we come from, who our patients are. Let’s have some compassion, let’s help each other and bolster one another. Let’s remember what they are coming out of, and let’s remember to care for one another as we would our mothers. Let’s aim to make a difference and be open. Fellow Hispanic doctors, doctors in training, don’t forget your roots – our communities need you!

Su atencion se respeta, always obliged ~ dRe
Andrea E Andrade, LMSA Member

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the second Spanish workshop hosted by the Latino Medical Student Association this semester. I must say, I was impressed with the first workshop last month and I was even more impressed with the one yesterday.

The workshop was very interactive and suited those of different levels of Spanish knowledge. LMSA president David Hernandez began the workshop by discussing the concept of “ganas” in Latino culture, a word which means “desire” but embodies a greater sense of empowerment, especially during difficult times or situations. Understanding the culture and the people is equally, if not more important, than learning the language for us as future doctors to help and communicate with Latino patients, and LMSA really emphasizes this in their workshops. We then divided into a beginner’s group for those who want to learn the language and an advanced group for those who have learned Spanish in the past and wanted to brush up on their skills. For yesterday’s workshop, LMSA brought in two special guests, Carla and Jesus, to be simulated patients.

Both beginner and advanced workshops are set up to teach the language skills most necessary for a doctor. As I’ve learned Spanish in the past, I decided to go to the advanced group. I paired up with Carla, one of the simulated patient guests, and together we went through the entire patient interview process, from introduction, to past medical history, to social history, to review of systems (pretty much everything we learned in ICM)… all in Spanish! In the past, I’ve always enjoyed using Spanish when I traveled and had no trouble asking for directions or booking hotels, but interviewing patients in Spanish seemed like another art to master. Naturally, I was a little nervous and didn’t know if I could finish the whole interview process all in a language I wasn’t fluent in, even with the nice handout of the interview objectives and interview phrase translations we were given in front of me. However, Carla, being so patient, got me through my fears. She gave me tips on words to use to sound more tactful as a doctor, especially in more sensitive topics, and gave me a run-down on the different standards of proper and improper language use in different Spanish countries. I learned a lot of new medical terms in Spanish, and the best of all, I learned what it was like to interview a patient entirely in Spanish. Meanwhile her husband, Steve, a second semester student and also an LMSA officer, led the beginner’s group.

Afterwards, we had pizza, nachos, and other snacks. Then to finish off both the beginner’s and advanced workshops, David and Jesus, both fluent Spanish-speakers, gave a live doctor-patient demonstration of the interview process in Spanish. After just experiencing an interview with Carla myself, this demonstration gave me an insight of the competency I hope to achieve one day.

All in all, I had a great time coming in with a group of people who shared the same interest as me and walking out with a newly-gained cultural and medical experience. As an aspiring physician who will be working in a community with an ever-changing demographics, I found the workshop to be really helpful in preparing me for my future patients. I highly recommend the LMSA Spanish workshop.

LMSA usually hold the Spanish workshops Tuesdays after blocks. The workshops are free. LMSA membership is $20 for your entire time at AUC and includes a LMSA T-shirt, invitations to special LMSA events, as well as to ensure the wonderful workshops and food will continue in the future. Check out LMSA’s concession stand during Movie Nights held by the AUC Movie Club on Friday and Saturdays at 7pm.

AUC’s chapter of LMSA, a national organization, was founded last year. The current newly-elected executive board is the second set of officers for the organization on campus and they are striving in bringing working knowledge and understanding of Spanish language and Latino culture to the AUC community. A volunteer medical mission to a Central or South American country is on their list of ideas in the works. This organization has a lot of potential, and so far I feel they are doing a fine job.

Executive Board

President: Gloria Felix
Vice-President:
Secretary: Jeffrey Song
Treasurer: Sagar Patel
Membership Director: Gundi Reed
Fundraiser Director: Ada Rodriguez
Diversity Director: Joshua Patrick Jalad

Events

Movie snacks every Friday and Saturday
First Informational Meeting: September 13
Latin Mixer at BB’s: October 15
Spanish Workshops: September 21, October 12, November 9
General Member Meeting: November 16