Update on todays activities

Today we had a chance a take some of the kids from the orphanage on a field trip up the mountains, and to the falls.  This was a rewarding experience since these kids don´t really get a chance to participate in such activities and they were very grateful.  In addition, tonight we will be making some food baskets to donate to the community.  I am really excited. 

There´s one child that I have been particularly intrigued by.. Her name is Jessica, she is an orphan who is about 4 to 5 years old.  When they found her she was extremely malnutritioned.  She has a strange abdominal protrusion and a curvature in her spine. She is very withdrawn from the rest of the kids. I try to make a point to try and connect with her.

Tomorrow, is the start of second year of dental school and I will be missing a couple of days since I am here in Hondouras.  I can´t wait to get back to school.  With all the dental work we have done here it has made me more motivated to learn about the procedures.  I definately have a lot of questions. 

Well I have to run dinner is almost ready (Im guessing its rice and beans lol).  Then I will be off to my ¨hotel suite¨ where I hope to not find another Tranchilla tonight. 

Short post from Hondouras

Hey Guys,

I have a quick minute to quickly got some stuff on my blog.  You will have to pardon any grammatical errors.  Well I am on this ancient computer and on DialUp. Lol yea I am living the high life.  I also get the most gourmet coffee ever, its called cold showers.  They wake you up pretty fast.  Overall, the people here at the REACH International Orphanage are extremely nice and they are very glad we are here to help.  We have been preforming a lot of dental work and working with the kids.  Life here is so different then what we are use to. I am not sure as to who is the more disadvantaged one.,.  Is it us or them_  Kid´s here have very little however, they are still very happy. Most dont even have homes or clothes however, they appear happy.  They have great interpersonal skills and love to play football and just talk with you.  TV, internet, facebook are a long shot and when you speak to people they give you their undivided attention.  They aren´t distracted by text messages or their cell phones.  This is probably one of the greatest experiences I have had.  I wish I could write more however, my 5 course dinner is calling my name (rice and beans for the 3rd night in a row).. Miss you all!!

IDA Annual Session

So, I have decided to start a blog of all the fun and interesting things I get to do with ASDA, the IDA, and in Dental School. In addition, I am going on a mission trip to Hondura's in the middle of July and thought that this would a fun and interesting way to keep a journal of my experience and a way to keep people that have supported me involved.

So, my trip to French Lick Resort and Casino was to attend the IDA Annual Session from Wednesday, June 8th 20111 till Saturday, June 11th. I will be honest, earlier this week I was actually thinking about canceling my trip. Given the fact of all the things I needed and wanted to get done during this break and anything dentally related I wanted to stay as far away as possible. However, in retrospect I am really glad that I went!!!

The venue of the location was French Lick Resort. It is located approximately 2 and hours south of Indianapolis. It has a very interesting history.

 

I love conferences because it allows me to travel and network with a lot of different people and walks of life. In addition, I get to attend a lot of courses (for free as a student!), and I am usually bombarded with a lot of toothpaste.  I eat lots of great food but most importantly I get to be a part of the decision making process that happens at a state level.  This is something that impacts my profession directly so I feel the need to be a part of it. Here are some of the exciting things I got to be a part of:

• First Session of the IDA House of Delegates
• Reference Committee Meeting
• Component Caucus Meeting
• IDA Open Caucus Meeting
• Second Session of the IDA House of Delegate
• IDA Board of Trustees Meeting

This was probably the work portion of our trip.  We participated in a lot of different meetings were we discussed different by-law changes and amendments in the field of dentistry as they related to Indiana. Chris Cummings presented a resolution for the IDA to support the ADA's stance on eliminating or minimizing the use of live patients for board exams.  With A LOT of work on his part it was adopted into by-laws.  However, there will still be a lot of work to get it to the next level. It may or may not happen but we were working at going in that direction. It’s a great feeling to know that we have people that volunteer their time and money to attend these meetings and want to hear from us (students). There were also a number of faculty and staff present from the dental school (Dr. Platt, Dr. Lund, Dean Williams, Dr. Dean). 

It’s not all work we have a lot of fun too.  Here are some of the exciting things I did:

IDPAC Silent Auction: Dentists had donated gifts and services for a silent auction for IDPAC.  IDPAC is a political action committee that lobby’s in Washington DC.  One dentist was even auctioning a private plane ride across downtown Indy!!

President's Hospitality Suite: This was a great networking opportunity.  It was hosted with free drinks and appetizers.  I met with many practicing dentists and even a few recent grads.

IDA Awards Ceremony: One of my favorite faculty members received an award with a standing ovation (Dr. Lund)

IDA Membership Celebration Honoring President Szakaly: This was an excellent evening out on the lawn filled food, drinks, live music, and opportunity to meet with members of the community.

 

Indiana Oral Health Coalition:  This was a very interesting event hosted by a local dentist.  We discussed the many disparities across the state and brainstormed on how to come up with ways to tackle them. I got a seat next to the Dean and Dr. Windsor!!

The Christensen Bottom Line: This was a continuing education course that I had a chance to attend. Dr. Christensen is a leading guru when it comes to Practical Clinical Courses!

New Dentist Reception: This was probably one of my favorite events.  It was kind of a barbeque style service near the pool.  I really enjoyed speaking with new dentists as I felt I could relate with them the best!

An Evening with Hey wood Banks: Comedian Extraordinaire:  Good ol’ Dental Humor

Vendor Showcase:  Product knowledge, free toothpaste, and product sponsors for my dental mission trip! I’m lovin’ it!

I also had the chance to watch the basketball with a couple of local dentists at the casino!  The most exciting event that I participated in was Horseback Riding!!!  

My dental school friends will tell you how much I looked forward to this event.  It was a 45 minute ride in the woods and I absolutely LOVED it!!!

 

As you can see my weekend was action packed!  Up by 6 am in bed by 1 am! I had lots of fun! I can’t wait till Annual Session again next year.