Day 2: UNAN, Spanish, and Home Stays

After a restful sleep, we met Brunilda and headed to the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (UNAN) School of Medicine, for an orientation of their medical school curriculum. Medical school in Nicaragua consists of six years, which begins directly out of their equivalent of high school. Their curriculum bears a striking resemblance to the integrated one that UMass Medical School recently transitioned to.

During the pre-clinical years, the anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, etc. of a given system are taught simultaneously rather than in discrete courses. The clinical years consist of rotations much like those at most American medical schools, but additionally feature a six-week block devoted to primary care and community health.

That afternoon, we made our way to Dariana Spanish School for three hours of one-on-one Spanish lessons. Instead of starting by memorizing nouns or conjugating verbs, my teacher, Denis, and I began simply by talking and getting to know each other. I found out that he was not only a Spanish teacher, but also a published poet. In addition, he had two children, both of whom were doctors who had studied at UNAN.

From Dariana, I walked just a few blocks to meet the family I would be living with for the next nine days. The moment I arrived, the Villalobos were warm and invited me in to sit and talk in the living room with their large family. There was Sr. Villalobos, a retired math teacher in the local high school and the patriarch of the family. His wife, Sra. Villalobos made a mean bean soup and is the president of a local telethon for children with Down syndrome.

Ivan, their son and my host-brother, is a professor of Religious Studies and Ethics at the Technical University in Leon. Ofelia, Ivan’s sister, is a dentist who has learned a good deal of English from American TV and movies. Dinner that first night felt just like dinner with family, only speaking Spanish instead of English and with more gallo pinto.