Unfortunately, I have not written a blog in quite a while. Being sick and what not, I could not think of a better time to reignite it than when I was stuck inside the flat. Ironically, a lot has occurred within the past few months since I've written my last blog post. Trips to Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, Avila, and Toledo within Spain and a trip to Porto, Portugal were taken. Also, I went back to the US for a few weeks to undergo interviews for medical school. Along the way, my patience has skyrocketed after working with 3rd and 4th graders on a daily basis and I've been loving (primarily) my time in Madrid thus far.
But perhaps the greatest piece of news is that I was accepted to NYU MED! NYU was my #1 school coming back to Spain after my interviews, and I'm glad that everything worked out. Though my mind can certainly change, at the moment this is the best option on the table in my eyes that would best fit me and what I want for my medical education.
There are many things that I loved about NYU: the pragmatic and newly innovated curriculum (c21 curriculum as it's called) with 3D imaging to accompany traditional cadaver-based anatomy, a major respect for and plethora of opportunities in Global Health, the combined degree program with a Master's in Public Health (Global Health Leadership), rotations at Bellevue hospital (which has primarily an underserved and extremely diverse patient population, and is perhaps the most "global hospital" that exists in the US), the shortened pre-clinical period (1.5 years instead of 2 years) to allow for more electives and selectives in the 4th year (or a health policy research period, as an example), and the list goes on and on . . .
Here is a video of that 3D imaging I wrote about:
Demo of the 3D imaging:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=p23_QAqazXU
Accompanied TED Speech:
http://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=7314#6:04
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Saturday, October 27, 2012
US Election
Aside from the bickering and misleading ads, I actually enjoy election seasons. The funny SNL bloopers, political cartoons, post-debate reviews, polls, and constant reminder that I should be staying abreast of economic issues are all pretty interesting.
This is the first election where I am eligible to vote (sent in my ballot two weeks ago) despite being substantially more engaged in the political process in 2008 when I organized for Obama's Presidential campaign. If I had the opportunity to do the same for Obama this year, I certainly would repeat it. On issues such as healthcare reform, sensible and just taxation on millionaires and billionaires, the economy, civil rights (for women and the LGBTQ community), ending the Iraq war, and placing a pathway to the end of the war in Afghanistan, Obama has my critical support.
I am critical of Obama, but even on points of criticism, I know Romney's view would be more devastating to our country, and the world. As a reminder, however, elections in America are simply about choosing the better candidate (or, lesser of the two evils) of the two presented. For me, fighting for the better option is enough of an impetus to get up and be involved in the political process.
The thing is . . . I'm kind of not in the US this time around.
This is the first election where I am eligible to vote (sent in my ballot two weeks ago) despite being substantially more engaged in the political process in 2008 when I organized for Obama's Presidential campaign. If I had the opportunity to do the same for Obama this year, I certainly would repeat it. On issues such as healthcare reform, sensible and just taxation on millionaires and billionaires, the economy, civil rights (for women and the LGBTQ community), ending the Iraq war, and placing a pathway to the end of the war in Afghanistan, Obama has my critical support.
I am critical of Obama, but even on points of criticism, I know Romney's view would be more devastating to our country, and the world. As a reminder, however, elections in America are simply about choosing the better candidate (or, lesser of the two evils) of the two presented. For me, fighting for the better option is enough of an impetus to get up and be involved in the political process.
The thing is . . . I'm kind of not in the US this time around.
If you have been an expat in a foreign country during an election year--and have done a pretty commendable job of integrating yourself in the local culture--you can easily relate to the questions always being asked about the two candidates and the election in general. As humble as I try to be about America's worldwide dominance (for better or for worse; though I'm sure that dominance will look quite different in the coming decades), I have realized that an enormous amount of people around the world are watching and waiting to see what goes on in the US election season and its result.
If you were not aware of the foreign perception of Obama vs. Republicans, favoritism for Obama would be an understatement. When people think of Romney, they think of Bush (and with good reason). On foreign affairs, massive tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, anti-women and anti-LGBTQ views, increased debt burden on the middle class, hurting public education, raising student debt, deregulating the economy, anti-environment, anti-clean energy, privatization of social security, war hawkish rhetoric, and increasing defense spending by trillions of dollars, I can see why they relate Romney to Bush.
Also, people abroad have taken notice of Romney's fair share of Bush-esque bloopers. They have never been less than excited to share their laughs with me. Let me share a couple of quotes with you:
Lastly, what would a post about the elections be without a plug on voting!?
Well, I actually believe that telling everyone to vote would be an irresponsible action. Unfortunately, uncontrolled Super PACs have taken a massive control on our country's dissemination of political "information" leaving many voters with nothing more than a few sound bites of ridiculous partisan statements to comprise the foundation of their vote. I do not ask that everyone votes; I simply ask that if you decide to vote, please do so after making an honest effort to find credible information about each candidate.
I mean, really, we only have two options for president. Don't be lazy. We never know how the balance in the senate and the house may turn out, so it's even more critical that you "voice" an educated opinion.
If you were not aware of the foreign perception of Obama vs. Republicans, favoritism for Obama would be an understatement. When people think of Romney, they think of Bush (and with good reason). On foreign affairs, massive tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, anti-women and anti-LGBTQ views, increased debt burden on the middle class, hurting public education, raising student debt, deregulating the economy, anti-environment, anti-clean energy, privatization of social security, war hawkish rhetoric, and increasing defense spending by trillions of dollars, I can see why they relate Romney to Bush.
Also, people abroad have taken notice of Romney's fair share of Bush-esque bloopers. They have never been less than excited to share their laughs with me. Let me share a couple of quotes with you:
Lastly, what would a post about the elections be without a plug on voting!?
Well, I actually believe that telling everyone to vote would be an irresponsible action. Unfortunately, uncontrolled Super PACs have taken a massive control on our country's dissemination of political "information" leaving many voters with nothing more than a few sound bites of ridiculous partisan statements to comprise the foundation of their vote. I do not ask that everyone votes; I simply ask that if you decide to vote, please do so after making an honest effort to find credible information about each candidate.
I mean, really, we only have two options for president. Don't be lazy. We never know how the balance in the senate and the house may turn out, so it's even more critical that you "voice" an educated opinion.
Peace,
Ameer
Ameer
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Spanish Picnic
Yesterday, a group of 7 Spanish friends and I celebrated a birthday of one of the friends by having a picnic. We took the telefericos to the farthest end of a park in Madrid called Casa de Campo where we had the picnic.
The actual picnic "español" consisted of baguettes, chorizo and salami slices, cheese, olives, pickles, tortilla español (kind of like an omelette, but much better), and, of course, a birthday cake! great food and great company!
Happy Birthday, Carmen!
The actual picnic "español" consisted of baguettes, chorizo and salami slices, cheese, olives, pickles, tortilla español (kind of like an omelette, but much better), and, of course, a birthday cake! great food and great company!
Happy Birthday, Carmen!
What am I doing here, you ask?
Another important thing to remember is that I'm not the typical pre-med--I've always wanted a global career and mobility. In addition, when practicing in the US, I primarily want to work with medically underserved populations in urban areas and that typically necessitates a great level of Spanish. However, I am only fluent in English. Thus, when the opportunity to spend a year living in Madrid--immersed in Spanish-- came up, there was no way I could deny the offer.
Thus, here I am. I accepted an offer teaching Science and English (both taught in English) at a school here in Madrid through the national government of Spain. Basically the government sends you to work at a colegio (primary school, 1st grade-6th grade) or secondary school (7th-12th) to act as kind of a supplemental teacher. Thus, I don't have my own classes that I am responsible for, but my job consists of taking a group of 3 or 4 students at a time out of their 18-25 student class, and tutor-teaching them the material that they're working on. The school is a bilingual school, meaning that some courses are presented in English. When I am not tutor-teaching, I lead classroom lesson activities or lead "science experiments." For example, next week I'm showing the kids how the diaphragm of our body helps us breath by using soda bottles for a demonstration! You probably also remember this activity from elementary school
So how is all this going so far? I love it. We have two classes (45 min each) in the morning and then a 30-minute break where all the teachers eat a full spread of coffee, tea, toast, french bread, chorizo, salami, yogurt, fruits of all kind, and more (for free!) while the kids have recess. Then, we have two more classes, and then a 2-hour lunch period. During that period I typically play soccer or basketball with the 6th graders and then eat lunch. Afterwards, we then have our last two classes. I promised the kids that next week I'll bring my American football to teach them the "other" beautiful game (thanks, John, for sending over the football).
At my school, there are three other "auxiliares," as we're called, who are American and recent-grads as well. We all hang out during lunch and the break.
Peace!
Ameer
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
A New Lifestyle
For the past four years of my life I have been busy as hell with classes, research, and a state of juggling countless projects and involvements at one time. I am currently in my second week of work at the Colegio, and it still feels weird coming home, finishing up any errands, cooking, and still having several hours free to do anything I want before going to sleep. In fact, I sometimes don't know what to do in those hours, because hanging out with friends is not considered work (rightly so), so I feel "uncomfortable" doing it every evening.
It sounds ridiculous, and it's a bit difficult to explain if you've never been in the same situation. Before, I would only watch sports or do something leisurely in an effort to maintain sanity from my other work. In other words, leisure activities were used to alleviate my work-heavy lifestyle. Now, with a normal work schedule the work-heavy lifestyle is gone, and leisure activities have less purpose and attractiveness. Taking a "global news and facebook-ing break" when studying was an act of relief, but now it's "just another news article" or some ridiculous status update from someone I forgot to block.
So, then, what have I done? I started offering private lessons to two sons of a couple that lives in my neighborhood (Arguelles) for when I come back from work at the colegio. It's just an hour Mon-Thurs with each son on alternating days, but it should help my transition to this "new lifestyle." Generally, however, I think I'm easing into this new lifestyle. There are many things to get involved with in the beautiful and large city that is Madrid. Truthfully speaking, this less-stressful and slower-paced lifestyle (not to offend anyone working normal hours like humans should) is something I wanted for my gap year, though I knew it would be a challenging transition.
If you were wondering about how my new job is going, the flat I moved into, life in general in Madrid, other interesting elements of Spanish society, and the past two weekends in Lisboa, Portugal, it's all been great and interesting (with respect to Spanish societal characteristics). I'll get to that stuff in other posts.
Peace
Ameer
It sounds ridiculous, and it's a bit difficult to explain if you've never been in the same situation. Before, I would only watch sports or do something leisurely in an effort to maintain sanity from my other work. In other words, leisure activities were used to alleviate my work-heavy lifestyle. Now, with a normal work schedule the work-heavy lifestyle is gone, and leisure activities have less purpose and attractiveness. Taking a "global news and facebook-ing break" when studying was an act of relief, but now it's "just another news article" or some ridiculous status update from someone I forgot to block.
So, then, what have I done? I started offering private lessons to two sons of a couple that lives in my neighborhood (Arguelles) for when I come back from work at the colegio. It's just an hour Mon-Thurs with each son on alternating days, but it should help my transition to this "new lifestyle." Generally, however, I think I'm easing into this new lifestyle. There are many things to get involved with in the beautiful and large city that is Madrid. Truthfully speaking, this less-stressful and slower-paced lifestyle (not to offend anyone working normal hours like humans should) is something I wanted for my gap year, though I knew it would be a challenging transition.
If you were wondering about how my new job is going, the flat I moved into, life in general in Madrid, other interesting elements of Spanish society, and the past two weekends in Lisboa, Portugal, it's all been great and interesting (with respect to Spanish societal characteristics). I'll get to that stuff in other posts.
Peace
Ameer
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sin Titulo
It has been almost a week in Madrid, though it honestly feels a bit longer. I feel like adapting to Madrid has been pretty easy so far, but it is only the beginning. Here are some thoughts since I arrived:
- Having a data plan on your phone when arriving in a new country feels a bit like cheating the integration process--you cannot get lost or lose your way, and it makes life 100x times more efficient, paperless, and, of course, less exciting. There have been countless times where--just in case--I checked my phone for directions to an apartment during my search for a place. I have yet to be lost in Madrid (knock on wood). I've tried not to depend on my phone as I believe it may be hurting my spatial awareness of where certain things are located.
- I found an apartment in Arguelles, a great part of Madrid. Arguelles is ideal for me, because it is close to all of the interesting things Madrid has to offer (15 minutes walking to the center aka Sol and 5 minutes by metro; the metro is literally 2 min walking from me), yet it is pretty residential with Spanish families, young people, and no tourists. My roommates are pretty chill. At the moment, I have three roommates with different nationalities (Spanish, Lebanese/Syrian, and Panamanian), which has been great for practicing Spanish, because even the Lebanese flatmate is fluent in Spanish.
- For those that do not know, the Spanish daily schedule is pretty unique. It is almost as if life is shifted a bit unless you work in an office. Breakfast (or really just a very small snack and coffee) is in the morning at whatever time you want though many people go to sleep around 12am or so, thus, eating in the morning is a bit later than US times. Lunch is around 2:30 or so, and dinner is around 8-11 (whenever). People nap from anywhere between 20 min to 1.5 hours, though I have heard 3 hours from a girl who proudly stated she is the queen of siestas. Once again, those working in an office typically do not take a siesta, but it is certainly alive with students, the elderly, children, shop owners and workers, and practically anyone else . . . thus, a good proportion of the population.
hasta luego,
Ameer
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
So It Begins
Things went pretty smooth; the concierge even forgot to charge me for my second checked-in bag. I met a Gallego (Galicia is in the Northwestern part of Spain) on the plane from Chicago to Madrid, and was able to practice my Spanish for a few hours with him in many topics: things to see in Galicia, the local Galician cuisine, legalization of marijuana and how it relates to crime (he was coming back from seeing his new wife in Mexico), the economic situation in Spain, and other things of "Spanish nature."
After arriving at the room where I am staying for five days--more or less-- I went to the local shopping center to buy a SIM card for my phone and get some groceries. When I came back, I began cooking lunch around 12:45 pm, a normal time in the US for lunch. When I tried offering my roommate some lunch he looked a little surprised at how early I was eating. "Do you typically eat this early?" he asked. Evidently, Spanish people typically eat lunch at around 2:30 pm, and at some point between 8-11 pm they'll have their dinner. Oh, by the way, most people just have a coffee for breakfast . . . so imagine waiting from 8 am until 2:30 pm with just a coffee under your belt before having lunch, albeit a big lunch. Nah, I like to integrate with the local culture, but you won't see me doing anything like that.
Afterwards, I got to work setting up times to check out apartments. Before heading to a bar with another person in the same program and her roommates to watch the champions league match between Real Madrid and Manchester City, I viewed a room in an apartment. It was nice, but I want to have at least seen a few before making a decision.
Tomorrow is orientation day. Apparently it will last for 10 hours, but hopefully it will be shorter so that I can maintain sanity, and because I have another apartment to view.
Peace,
Ameer
After arriving at the room where I am staying for five days--more or less-- I went to the local shopping center to buy a SIM card for my phone and get some groceries. When I came back, I began cooking lunch around 12:45 pm, a normal time in the US for lunch. When I tried offering my roommate some lunch he looked a little surprised at how early I was eating. "Do you typically eat this early?" he asked. Evidently, Spanish people typically eat lunch at around 2:30 pm, and at some point between 8-11 pm they'll have their dinner. Oh, by the way, most people just have a coffee for breakfast . . . so imagine waiting from 8 am until 2:30 pm with just a coffee under your belt before having lunch, albeit a big lunch. Nah, I like to integrate with the local culture, but you won't see me doing anything like that.
Afterwards, I got to work setting up times to check out apartments. Before heading to a bar with another person in the same program and her roommates to watch the champions league match between Real Madrid and Manchester City, I viewed a room in an apartment. It was nice, but I want to have at least seen a few before making a decision.
Tomorrow is orientation day. Apparently it will last for 10 hours, but hopefully it will be shorter so that I can maintain sanity, and because I have another apartment to view.
Peace,
Ameer
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Farewell, US of A
After a quick layover in Chicago, I should be on my way to Madrid. I want to apologize to anyone I was not able to see before leaving. I will truly miss everyone, but I am excited about yet another journey. I will, however, try to keep in touch while in Madrid. This blog, skype, ooVoo. and all of the cool communication apps (Tango, whatsapp, etc.) coming out nowadays will hopefully mitigate the disconnect as much as possible.
I traditionally have not been one to take many pics during my travels, but I hope to keep this blog interesting with pics, and occasionally, videos to keep you in the know of my life in Madrid.
When I arrive in Madrid, I will immediately start checking out rooms in apartments around the city. At the moment, I am pretty excited about exploring the city and becoming familiar with the districts by checking out "pisos compartidos." Hopefully that excitement will not soon be spoiled by getting lost and countless communication errors with landlords in my broken Spanish. I expect all the above to occur, but it's all a part of the adventure!
Hasta luego,
Ameer
I traditionally have not been one to take many pics during my travels, but I hope to keep this blog interesting with pics, and occasionally, videos to keep you in the know of my life in Madrid.
When I arrive in Madrid, I will immediately start checking out rooms in apartments around the city. At the moment, I am pretty excited about exploring the city and becoming familiar with the districts by checking out "pisos compartidos." Hopefully that excitement will not soon be spoiled by getting lost and countless communication errors with landlords in my broken Spanish. I expect all the above to occur, but it's all a part of the adventure!
Hasta luego,
Ameer
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