Parties, Quesadillas, and Monarch Butterflies

So, last Friday night, there was a party to say goodbye to the surgical residents who are finishing their first year of residency. This week they are moving on to Leon. In true Mexican fashion, all the surgical nurses, surgeons, and aneasthesiologists got together for food, booze, music, and lots of dancing until late into the night. Luckily, I was invited, so I was able to partake in the fun. The lady on the right is the head surgical nurse. The man is one of the general surgeons, but not the one I shadowed daily. The other lady is a surgical nurse. Ironically, almost everyone there smoked cigarettes most of the night. But luckily it was outdoors so it wasn´t too smoky. We had a typical Michoacàn dish called Mixiote. It was made with a special sauce, chicken, and cactus. With rice and beans of course. And tequila to wash it down. We had a blast!

Two of my host sisters took my out on Sunday night for quesadillas. They had cheese and meat and cactus with crema Mexicana. Hot off the grill and delicious!

I finally went to go see the Monarch butterfly sanctuary. It was a two hour drive and then an hour hike up in the mountains. The santuary is at an altitud of 9800ft. Needless to say, the air was thin. And cold. But to see thousands of butterflies flying around in their winter home was amazing. In a couple weeks they will start their migration back to the US and Canada when the weather here starts getting too warm for them.