Day 8! Today we got to go to Uruguay! We woke up early and got to go on a huge ferry with other passengers. It was super cool to get to another country this way. Once we got to Uruguay, we ended up walking to a little town called Colonia del Sacramento! This is often known as the oldest city in Uruguay. It was cool to hear about certain landmarks like the bridge, the lighthouse, and more. After this, we got to take a bus tour to the newer part of Uruguay. We got to go into this stadium like building called Plaza de toros, and it used to actually be for bull fighting, but after some changes it is now for concerts and shows. Next, we went to lunch, which had some new food options that were so good!
Then, the rest of the time was ours, some other people and I went and walked around Colonia and got some cool souvenirs, it was so cool to walk around and see all the different shops and places. One of the most interesting things about this place was the amount of dogs there, that were just kind of adopted by this community. They truly do protect the area, while also hanging out with each other. Not many cars drove through this town, but when they did it was truly known by the dogs. They would bark and almost get in the way of the car. A tour guide told us that people even take them to get their checkup and all the other necessities to keep the dogs safe.
As we were waiting for the ferry on the way home Jason asked me and other nursing students if seeing the conditions and environments of the hospitals stray us away from nursing. I got to explain how this has truly grown my desire to be in the field even longer. There was one moment that truly confirmed this for me. On one of our earlier days, in the Austral Hospital as the nurses were giving us a tour we went to the pediatric unit. While we were there, one of the nurses saw the family of a young boy she had cared for when he was younger. She looked shocked at how grown the boy was, and after talking with the family for a couple minutes she came back to the tour. When she came back, she was tearing up and just explained how that was emotional. In that moment, it honestly had me emotional too and I realized the impact healthcare workers can have on other people’s lives.
This was just such an interesting and cool question asked by Jason, and it has been so interesting to hear about Jason’s life and all the travels, languages, and things he has accomplished. It was such a meaningful question and conversation and a reminder of why I am excited to continue to pursue nursing.