It has taken me awhile . . .way too long to be honest . . .to sum up my time in Morocco. 3rd time to Morocco was a charm. I had a great time with my cancer epid co parts (the proof is in the plethora of pics). Thanks Lizzy and Jaye for the MANY memorable evenings!
I couldn’t have asked for my research project to have gone smoother. I had tried to trouble shoot as much as possible before I left the U.S. knowing that there was a lot I would not be able to prepare for. I kept waiting for the big glitch and it never came- thankfully! I was able to collect data at all of the primary peds oncology sources for both Casablanca and Rabat in just 6 weeks! I have a ton of interesting facts on an array of subtopics related to the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric brain tumors in Morocco and now is the time to mold it into a paper. Dr. Soliman says this is the fun part . . .I am not so sure about this, but we will see! No matter the fate of my paper, I am satisfied with international project #1 and all the lessons I learned along the way. Next up . . .late effects research at MD Anderson/Texas Children’s for the year!
This past weekend destination was Marrakesh. The tourist trap of Morocco! It is an old city with a huge medina that is full of tradition and lets be honest, the more important part, a lot of great shopping! And oh did we shop. Saturday was spent wheeling and dealing the souks of the medina. It was so much fun! If I have learned anything in all of my travels it is how to bargain. My skills were put to the test and all in all I think I did quite well (according to my house/classmates).
My countless hours of e-mailing and planning seem to have paid off . . . I could not have imagined that my start to collecting data could possibly have gone as smoothly as it has. The head of the pediatric oncology department had told me how wonderful the woman who kept the department records was, but wonderful is an understatement. Even prior to my arrival she was sending me Excel spreadsheets with data to answer questions that I had. Once I did arrive, with few words and many hand motions, I was given more helpful spread sheets, an office and someone that pulls charts for me!
Within a matter of hours after arriving in Casablanca we were headed on a 16+ hour journey to the desert (the southern border of Morocco with Algeria) to do some camel riding. It was amazing! I had to pinch myself because there I was in the middle of the desert with 360 degrees of sand dunes surrounding me, in the middle of nowhere!
