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Welcome to Nostalgic Travel Talks! I’m a former Spanish teacher turned travel advisor, passionate about curating unforgettable experiences. My expertise lies in European adventures (with a special love for Spain), cruising, and all-inclusive Caribbean getaways. I specialize in creating tailored trips for families, multi-generational groups, and teachers—whether they’re traveling solo, with colleagues, or leading student groups.
In this podcast, we celebrate the joy of travel, uncover hidden gems, share practical tips and tricks, and embrace the spirit of adventure. Each episode features inspiring conversations with fascinating guests from all walks of life as they share their unique travel stories, lessons, and favorite destinations. Whether you're planning your next getaway or simply love to dream about the possibilities, this is your place to explore the world from wherever you are.
Let’s embark on this journey together! 🌍✈️
Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please. Hey there travelers and lifelong learners, welcome back to Nostalgic Travel Talks, where we believe that the best classrooms often come with a passport stamp. I'm your host Cheryl Johnson, and today's episode is one you won't want to miss. We're diving deep into the heart of the Caribbean, not for a vacation, but for a life-changing academic journey. Joining me is the incredible Dr. Gigi Simmons, a physician whose path to becoming an MD included studying medicine in none other than Cuba. Yep, that Cuba, home of classic cars, mojitos, rich Afro-Caribbean culture, and one of the most unique medical education systems in the world. In this episode, we'll chat about what it's like to study medicine in a country with universal health care, how cultural immersion shaped her perspective as a doctor, and what we can all learn when we step outside our comfort zones and our borders. Whether you're a curious traveler, a future study abroad student, or just love a good story of grit and global perspective, you're in the right place. So grab a cafecito or maybe even a mojito and let's take off. You're here today with Dr. Gigi Simmons and her mom, Gigi Simmons. And Dr. Simmons has gone to medical school in Cuba. So let's start at the beginning. What led you to pursue medicine and how did Cuba become a part of that journey? Well, we'll start with what led me to pursue medicine. So initially I didn't want to go into medicine. Everybody, well most people who know my story knows that I wanted to be a nail tech when I was little. Yeah, I wanted because I would go with my mom to get her nails done. So I wanted to be a nail tech. I was like, that's what I'm gonna do. And so anybody would ask me that, I would say that. But my sophomore year in high school was when the movie John Q came out with Denzel Washington. And they had to perform the heart surgery on the little boy. And I just thought it was like the coolest thing ever. And I was just like, I want to be the change. I want to be that doctor that will give him the heart and wouldn't charge any money. I want to be the change in medicine. So I was like, okay, I think this is what I want to do. I think I want to change over, become a doctor. So then that just led me to Cuba was actually, I went to the Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. And it's the only black Catholic school on the Western hemisphere. So we have a lot of, we have, it's founded by the Catherine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. And so then of course, we also have fathers on the campus and this requirement for you to take theology. So actually one of the fathers came to me at lunchtime and I was a senior and he was just like, you know, you still wanna go to medical school? And I said, yes, I do. I didn't do well on MCAT. I figured I would probably do public health or a post-bac before going to medical school. And he was like, oh, I can get you in next year. And I was just like, well, how are you going to do that? And he led me to the international relations office, which was interestingly in the music house, right across from where I took medical Spanish. And I was also in the band as Xavier. And so I would pass the international relations office all the time. So I went there and he told me that it was actually in Cuba. And I was like, what are you talking about? So I went to international relations and I talked to them and they actually couldn't talk about it because of the embargo on Cuba by the United States and we get government funding. So they were able to point me in the direction of the flyer. So there was a flyer that I passed all the time. It said, learn medicine for free in Spanish in Cuba. And I would pass it all the time. I'm like, I'm not doing that. The free sounds great, but like in Spanish, that just sounds crazy to me. And that was the sign that he pointed me to. And it was for Escuela Latino Americana de Medicina, also known as the Latin American School of Medicine. The scholarship was actually held in New York by an organization called Patch for Peace, also known as IFCO. And it was just a phone number. And so I called, and it was just like, oh, where are you? And I'm like, oh, I'm graduating from Xavier. And I was like, I'm biology pre-med. And they was like, oh, you sound like you'd be a great candidate. And so this was, oh, you know this was a long time ago. They mailed a written application. So it was mailed to me. I didn't have to take the MCAT. That wasn't a requirement for, we just, the requirement is just to have the pre-reqs for medical school. So I was already pre-med, so I had that going for me. And yes, and then the other requirement is that you have to take an HIV test and a pregnancy test. And so if all those work out, then that's how you get there. And so, you know, I kind of submitted my application. My friend was going to come with me as well, but we had to submit a pregnancy test. Hers was positive, mine was negative. And I remember going to her room that day that she found out she was pregnant. And she was just like, I was like, you just messing up the plans. We supposed to go together. And she was just like, well, I think that you should still go. And so she started her beautiful family. And actually she is actually in public health. And I was just like, okay, well, I'll be the one to go to Cuba. And then with all of this whole story, the actual, the message from the father was not for me. It was actually for her. He was looking for her. Oh, wow. At the lunch table. friend and I was just like, oh, you know, she's not here right now, but I tell her the message. And so when I told her, she was like, oh, yeah, we should definitely go. And I'm just like, I don't know about that. Like, you know, free. I know it's free. And I know medical school is expensive, but I'm like, no, I don't think that we need to do that. And she was actually for me. That is amazing. Now I have to turn to your mom and ask, how did you feel about all of this when you found out? Well, as soon as she told me, I was like, oh, that sounds great. You should do it. I didn't ask a lot of questions or anything. You know, I just said you should do it because I'm a more of an adventure type person and I trust her judgment, you know, and I know that she is going to make the right decisions. So I had no qualms with it. Her dad, on the other hand, what did he say? He said, hold on, we have questions. Pretty much he had two questions. Could I come back to the United States to practice? Was actually that was the main question. That was it. That was it. It was only that one question, like, can I come back to practice in the US? And when I told him that I could, he was like, oh. So that brings me to a question about the procedure. Do you have to spend a certain amount of time in Cuba after school, or you can go back right away after you were done? No, you go back right away. And so that was actually one of the requirements is for you to go back to your home country and practice in an underserved population, which is what I wanted to do anyway. But that's the only requirement. Cuba has so many doctors, like they don't need- Oh, so they didn't need any kind of reciprocity or anything like that? No, and really Fidel came up with the school or founded the school in order to serve other countries in disaster areas. So after the Hurricane Mitchell is when he decided like, well, we're deploying all of our doctors to these areas, which we don't mind doing. And we actually want to show sharing this humanitarianism. But if we can train your own people to become doctors and serve in their own communities, that that would be better. And so then that's when he said, okay, well, we're going to open up the school and give out these scholarships. Okay, that is it. So I'm just curious, if you wanted to stay, would there be a process for you to be able to? It is. So can you really stay for long term? Not really. But I do have a friend who decided that she wasn't ready to come back to the States and she did a fellowship in what we would call, it would kind of be like integrative medicine here. We called it, it's called Medicina General Integral or MHE and so that's pretty much their family doctor. And so they were able, it was actually two of them who were able to take the year in order to do that. So they were actually specialized in that but But then after that, they still had to come back home. So if you're not ready, you can stay. Some people have decided to actually stay, and they might go to another country that also has doctors from Elon. Oh, OK. That is really cool. What was the structure like, the pace, the environment? So Cuba, in general, is very much life is hard, we go to work, but we also enjoy life. So it's a balance. It's not necessarily too much of a rush. People are trying to rush, but you can't really rush that much there because of just how the structure is. So you're doing a lot of public transportation or you're walking. It's a lot of bike riding or you can, they have motorcycles, especially outside of Havana. You can catch a motorcycle for like a taxi in Havana, but mostly when you go to the other provinces is where you're mostly getting like a motorcycle taxi. So it's a hustle and bustle to it, but it's not that rapid pace as here in the United States. It's very much, everyone has a job there. So everyone is employed, everybody is getting a check, which is phenomenal. You have free schooling, you get what they call a mandal for food, which is kind of like just a small portion of food. Is it enough to maybe cover the whole family for the month? It's not, but it's a nice supplement and it's usually rice, chicken, and some black beans. That you eat might get a little bit of oil. At least when I was there, I know things have kind of changed it's a lot harder now. So you would get that, you could get some free clothing for school cause everybody's wearing a uniform and everyone is housed. So everyone has a house to go to. If you see anybody on the streets, it's mostly by choice or it could be something that's going on. And like mental with their mental health for the most part. So the pace is like we're here and we're working, but we don't have to. So say if a store opens at 9 a.m. You might see people there at 9 a.m. Are they gonna start working at 9 a.m.? Not really. You know, if someone's on the phone, you're gonna wait for them to finish their phone call before your service. And it's just, I mean that's just how it is. It's just a different culture. It's a different culture. It's a different culture like I'm here to help you and I love, you know, my Cuban family is like bomb. I love them. Like I just love being a Cuban in general because it's very helpful. It's a very helpful community and just society in general. Like if you need something, they will help to direct you to where you need to go. If they have it, they'll give it to you. They'll figure it out, you know, for you and help you out that way. So I love that. But just like the pace and how we do things here, it's just not the same way. They're very open and honest. Like, you know, when I went to Cuba um you don't mean like in a negative way do you not in a negative way but in in our culture and how we are here in the states is hurtful because we don't just go around calling people fat like you know that's just not a normal part but you know when I was I was like 100 pounds heavier when I got to Cuba um I was like about 100 and so I knew that I would lose weight. They told me before I went, they were just like, well, you're probably going to bring your own uniforms because you're a bigger person. And we know that you're going to lose weight because it's a lot of walking. The food is different. It's just a different environment. It's more physical. You have to be mobile. And so when I walk down the street and they'd be like, oh, gorda, gorda, gorda. And I'm just like, I'm just not used to being called fat all the time. It just brings back so many insecurities that you have. You build up this wall that's being a bigger person of, you know, really protecting yourself and being having kind of like a hard shell, but then it's always on your face, like what your weight is. It just kind of takes you aback. But it would always be like, agordita tan linda. Like, you know, it's always like, you big, but you pretty. So it's just like, we see your outside appearance and we know it, but you gorgeous, you beautiful type thing. So if you kind of learn that. You have to build up to it. But when I first got there, it was very tough. Wow. To really hear that. And it just makes you very self-conscious. Like, okay, so everybody sees me here. You know, everybody's looking at me. Like, but it was an adjustment. It was an adjustment. But once I got adjusted, you know, I got a boyfriend, you know, I, a host family? No, so I stayed at the school. So the first two years are at the actual school. So you're actually at the school and it's an old naval base, so you're off the water. It's in a place called Baracoa, so it's maybe like 30, 45 minutes outside of Havana. And you're there Monday through Friday. This campus is on lockdown. And then at Friday at noon is when you're there Monday through Friday. This campus is on lockdown. And then at Friday at noon is when you're able to leave. And that's where you kind of have paths to go here and there, wherever you want to go. And then it starts again on Monday. So in order to get off Monday through Friday, you had to have a pass. They had to know where you were going, which makes sense because you have all these international students. Cuba's responsible for us so it makes sense. So we're there for the first two years and that's where we did basic science. So I was there in school for six and a half years because I took a half a year of Spanish so six months. I knew how to read and write when I got there. The speaking and understanding is hard. Cuban Spanish is hard in general. It's very like fast. I would agree. It's very fast. And they drop their S's, don't they? They do. They drop their S's, they drop a lot of vowels. And it has a very much a sass to it. So you know, it's hard to understand when people are talking to you and you're thrown right into the community. So like, you know, even my first, so I did pre. It was not. Oh, yeah. And we're talking about medical terms. Yeah, we're talking about medical terms. So I started in the basic Spanish. Oh, was nice. First six months was pretty much, well, first three months were learning Spanish. So I learned Spanish in class with, I had one Belizean friend that was there. And then the Brazilian, so we up from Brazil. So it's a lot of portunhol. It's what we call this, a little Portuguese, Espanol mix for sure. Because we're all trying to learn, you know, we speak Portuguese and then in Belize it's more, it is a lot of Spanish, but it's more of like Creole. So it's a lot of mix of languages going on in our class. But I was able to, the basics or get a little bit more confident. I was still very shy. By the time we went into what we call the other, the second three months were of more pre-med classes. So I already did pre-med, so I finished my four years of undergrad. So that wasn't bad. I actually did better in those classes than I did when I was actually pre-med in the States. Oh. That was interesting, and you take your time around. And I think that Spanish, because it's not my native tongue, then it just, you have to pay attention. And we had oral exams every week. So you just prayed that your number wasn't called. But if it was called, you were made to stand up, and you had to respond in Spanish. So I had to know what I was talking about. And I didn't want to embarrass myself, of course. So those were the first two years were there at the school. And the third year is when you go off into your clinical years. So we, as the American delegation, because they have each country broken into the delegations, we were sent to Havana. We stayed in Havana. We tried to leave. We wanted to go to Santiago de Cuba, which is beautiful. It's very cultural very more like Afro-Cuban it's a lot cleaner than Havana. And it's just beautiful it used to be the it was the capital and before moving to Havana so we wanted to go there but because we are Americans you know they want to keep us all safe in one place in Havana was the easiest way if something happened for us to get out, to get out. So we were made to stay in Havana, which was fine. And we went to Cerro, which is it's kind of hood, you know, it's like a hood, it's like a hood, you know, it's the hood of Havana, of the city, you know. And we stayed on campus at the hospital, it's called Salvador Allende, also known as the Covaronga, which used to be like a wealthy kind of hospital before the revolution. And then afterwards when Fidel redistributed everything, then it became, of course, open to the public with the free healthcare. And so most of Cubans know it as the Covaronga, but it was renamed Salvador Allende. And so I was there from third year to my sixth year. So third year, you're learning just the art of medicine of like patient encounters. You're actually in the hospital. So for six months I did internal medicine. We're just like learning how to do physical exam, taking a history. And then the second half was more of differential diagnosis. How do you diagnose a patient? So that like the whole year of just doing internal medicine. And then we went off to do like P's, we did OB. And then our fifth year was like the electives. So like little ENT here and there, little surgery maybe. And then sixth year is like an intern year. So it was like a first year resident here in the States. And so the sixth year you're on the front line. You know, I'm doing overnights for 24 hours over in the cuerpo de guardia, or we will call it the emergency room here, whether it be for internal medicine or for surgery. And then also for the MHE, that's how it's about which is more time like their family medicine. We took turns there as well in what they will call like a polyclinical. So it's like a big clinic, just like our urgent care. So we also do 24 hours there when we're going that rotation. And we would do that like every three to four days, I believe I'm going to say it's more every three days, to get that experience. So it's a lot. It sounds like. It's a full day. It is a full experience. But the slower pace really helps you out to really get it get your skills, increase your skills and just your comfortability with taking histories and doing physicals and really taking care of the patient. Okay so how long before you got to visit her? Oh gosh the first time I went I went with an American delegation which was organized by the program coordinator on the state side. So we went and it was quite a few parents that went and I was excited because we got a chance to meet with some of the politicians that were there. So we were able to ask questions, we were able to ask questions, you know, we were able to tour the school. And one of my biggest questions was, you know, because their, their crime rate there is like minimal, like almost nonexistent. And so my biggest question was, you know, how is your crime rate so low? And they said, well, we provide everything. So why would a person need to commit a crime? So that made me feel good as a parent because it was very clean. I felt safer there than I did in the city of Chicago because I worked in the city of Chicago at that time and on the West side. And I felt safer there than I did in Chicago. Wow. So it made me feel good to be able to go home and know that she was okay. Now the conditions were different, you know, at the school, you know, I have mad respect for her when I went to that first visit because she sacrificed six and a half years of not having the luxuries of the United States. And, you know, it was just different and I had mad, had mad respect and have mad respect for her. And when I left, I said, whatever you ever wanted in life, I will give it to you because you have sacrificed these six and a half years. So it was wonderful. You know, it definitely was. And I think it was the best thing that ever could have happened for her. You know, just this well-rounded, you know, medical training that she got, which was, is different from the United States. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And I mean, and to think like, it's not just medicine, you're building bridges between, you know, all these different communities. I would have to, I don't know how, about the other students there, but I mean, just the idea that you get to meet people from other parts of the world and maybe learn how different people live and learn to appreciate people more than you. Because I've always felt that way about travel. Like you can't appreciate, I don't even know how to put it into words, you just can't appreciate, you got to step out of your own shoes every so often and find out what other people are going through and, you know, just to get a different perspective on something. Yeah, I was there with the world, pretty much. My year was the last year with all of the scholarships because each country received 500 scholarships. And so it was the last year that everyone had used it up. So that was all of South America. So we had Brazil, Argentina, we had Chile, of course, Mexico. We had a lot of different Caribbean countries, some different African nations as well that were there, especially during that second, so what would be my second year is when it was more opened up to different countries in Africa. And then more of like the Caribbean countries were coming over. Because before it was more opened up to different countries in Africa and then more of like the Caribbean countries were coming over. Because before it was more of just like the Latin American countries for the most part. So mostly a lot of just South America that was coming over. And so it was really cool to kind of just open it up and really have just these different mix of cultures. Like I was never into, I'm still not into like football or what we would call soccer. It's not like my biggest thing, but it's a joy to watch it in Cuba. And then also with all the different South American countries who are very just like, passionate, they're passionate about it. I was there for that World Cup. It was during the time that I was there and it was really cool to just see how each country battles against each other and just like the pride. And then also the first two years where they're mixed in with, because once we go into third year, we separate. So it's like the Americans, everybody knew that we stayed in Havana and then Brazil would go to different provinces. So they go throughout the country, all the other countries do, except for us. And so it was just nice to just have that mix of, so we would have what we call galas and so each country you you would put on a show you know and so it was always of course we know they're always like what are Americans gonna do? You know, you want to see what they're gonna do but you're not. I say here I participated with Brazil's gala because you know they would just ask like oh would you like to come and do a traditional dance for Brazil? And I was like, oh yeah, I'll do it. And it was the dance from, it was like a folklorist type dance from Bahia, which I really want to go in Brazil, which I will go one day to Bahia, where it's just a large number of our African ancestors. That's where they were taken on the, during the slave trade. And so that's just like where you see all the black Brazilians and stuff. So it was just like a honor, like, oh, I get to do the dance from Bahia. Like, you know, you hear so much about it. So that was really cool. And then we were also asked other countries to come and participate in an art gala. And so it was just a nice cultural exchange. It would be a whole day, like you cook in the beginning of the day, you like decorate your hall. You show like cultural. We don't really necessarily in America necessarily have like cultural dress. You know, so like, you know, other countries have like cultural garbs and their traditional dances. And so, you know, we're like we're a melting pot, you know, so we don't necessarily have that. But we did like our different cuisines, like, you know, like, OK, we might have a little soul food. We also had, you know, who are Jamaican Americans, you know, so it's just like they're coming in like, OK, we're making this. So that was a nice cultural exchange. And each country would do that during the day. And then that night was the gala where you would do like your big presentation and everything. And my favorite one was actually our second year. And it was the Wizard of Oz. Oh, okay. So I didn't know that there was, excuse me, I didn't know the Wizard of Oz was like the transition really from gold to money. So if you look at the yellow brick road, it's the gold and then they're going usually when you saw eyes it was like green. So it was like a transition for it. And so we decided to like break eyes into like the different regions of the states. So we had the East, the West, the South and the Midwest. And so I was in charge of the Midwest part. And so I did Motown, of course, because why wouldn't I not? Of course. You know, so we did Motown. So we started with some Jackson 5, and then we had a Cuban Michael Jackson, which was really cute. And then we did Rick we had like a Cuban Michael Jackson, which was really cute. And then we did Brick James and Tina Marie, Fire and Desire, you know. So we did that and it was just really fun, you know, to have that creative side. Not only are you here studying in medicine, but you're also able to tap into that creativity. And it just really helps to make you very well-rounded. You're not just about just that one thing. Now, you know, sometimes I wish, medicine is what I know and medicine is what I do. When you decide to go into medicine, medicine is like, it takes over everything that you know and what you learn and you really have to fight to be more into like other things like arts and politics and things of that sort. So that was, I feel like a time in my life when I was able to really take in all of that and not just be all about medicine. Especially even with just being now, like residency takes over and you're just all about medicine and then you become an attending, you're a grown-up and you're still about it, you know? And you're trying to fight to get back that, you know, the other interests that you want to love. So I think that was one of the, it's definitely been one of the best times of my life. Wow. I wouldn't have ever guessed that that would have been part of your program. That is just amazing. Yeah, it was really fun. And I mean, if you look at the structure of Elon, so here in the United States, we do four years of undergrad. So we were the old heads on the campus. You know, we're coming in, I was like 23 when I went to Cuba. My other colleagues and stuff, they were like 16, 17. Oh, wow. Because when you look at the structure of education in other countries, they don't do an undergrad. They get their primary, secondary education. And then they test into a school, whatever profession that they want to go into. So everyone had to take a test in order to say, OK, would this be a good fit for you? And if you passed, scored high enough on the test, then they would send you over to Cuba. Now in other countries, they had to go and do two years of service when they went back home for that. But you know, so it was different for us. But when you're starting in like 16, 17, you're like winning like your early mid, your early 20s, when you get nuts. So you still have all this energy. You know, like, you can set up these things if you, if people in other countries wanted to specialize. Like I have a friend, she's Peruvian and she's in plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery. And she's, I think that she just made 30. Oh my goodness. So yeah, so like, if you think about like the course and she came to, actually visit me in San Francisco And she was doing a program there where she was also learning about reconstruction surgery and things of that sort So she's done all of these things and wants to these different had these different opportunities in this time Where's like you have the most energy because at 23 like I'm already did four years undergrad But you know we tired what about it? You're exhausted you have been schooled, like, out. But I mean, if we did it at like 16, 17, how much energy did you have at 16, 17? A lot more than I do now. Exactly. And you're just like a sponge. You're soaking up a lot of things. It's hard because could you imagine going straight from high school to Cuba? You know. That is, yeah. And I guess it probably takes a special kind of person, you know, to be able to do that. Exactly. And it's not for everybody. And yeah, you're an example of one of those kind of people. It's funny because my mom always says that. She's just like, well, you know, you don't understand like how special do that? And I was like, I was young and ambitious. You know, this was the option. It was just like, okay, we're going and we're getting this degree. If I can't do anything else, I know I can graduate from here. At least I will have an MD. I made provisions just in case residency didn't work out. So I, with our degree, you just had to buy, what they would call like a sales like stickers to certify your degree in other countries. So I might did Spain. I was like, I might want to go and live in Spain. We can just take this degree on over there and just go ahead and settle there. And I think, I want to say I might've did Canada. I can't remember. But yeah, so I went and bought those special stickers just in case. That was a really good idea. Exactly. Especially now. Especially now, right? So it's still an option. They still would, you know, my degree would still be valid over there with those stickers. So I mean, I just say you gotta make these provisions. Well, you must be so proud of your daughter. Oh, I'm extremely proud of her. Because I mean, I'm proud of her and I'm proud of her as a person, not just as a doctor. Because first of all, she's always been focused. Um, when she came home that day after her, her brother went to see John Q, it was funny because the first thing they asked is like, do we have HMO or PPO? Okay. That was the first thing. And then she decided she wanted to be a doctor. So I am just really proud of her, even if she had been that, um, you know, gung ho about being a nail technician. That would have been fine. I'm just proud of her and her ambition She sets a goal. She's very focused, you know, and When she went over to Cuba, I mean, yes, because not many how many people do you know, they learn Medicine in Spanish, you know, so I mean I know one now It's like so I am extremely extremely proud of her and just her ambition, her focus, her drive. She motivates me. You know, so I, yes, to answer your question, I'm extremely proud of her. Wow, that is impressed that this, this, this, you know, before going into this interview, you know, I just I'm just so surprised by so many things that I'm that I'm learning, you know, I just, I'm just so surprised by so many things that I'm, that I'm learning, you know, this is amazing. It's different. It was a different way of training and living, but it, I enjoy it, or I enjoyed it because it was more relaxed. When you look at just the Cuban people, and even, even my attendings who were actually teaching me medicine there. Really the doctors were, by the time I left, they were making like $20 a month. You know, it's not that they're making like a ton of money. You know, they're not getting compensated what we would get compensated here in medicine. So they're like making a little bit more than what everyone else in the country is making. And that's when they had the tourist money, which is what they say, which has recently changed. So a lot of my attendees would actually drive taxis on the weekend. Oh my goodness. Because that will make them more money than just doing medicine. But they do medicine because they love medicine. You know, they really enjoy it. But it's also very much like nine to five. Like, and then if you have to do what we say, guardia, which is your 20, your on-call, you do that on-call and then you go about your life. Like, this doesn't, it doesn't, you're not doing like notes at home or anything of that sort. People get off and you will go and live life and be a regular person. And I'm like, it wasn't a big, it's not a big deal everybody's a doctor. Like somebody's cousin, sister, friend, you know. Everyone is in medicine, or they have some doctor in their family. And a lot of times, even when I would be, I would do my 24 hour call, a patient would come in and was like, well, yeah, I think I have this, this, and that. And I'm just like, okay. I'm like, okay, well, tell me a little bit more about it. And then by the time they finished, I was just like, yeah, I mean, it actually kind of sounds like it's what you have. And just the art of just taking the history, which sometimes is lost, you know, cause people don't want to read a narrative, but it's good to get the history on people. And my favorite part is the social history. I like to get all in people's business. I told me that I just wanted to be a doctor because I'm nosy. And he was absolutely right. Was absolutely right. Yeah, I am nosy. And then I decided that, I'm so in family medicine, I'm primary care. I like to say I treat from the womb to the tomb. And then I also do addiction medicine. So I mean, these are the nosiest places that you can be. And now I'm also working with Charles Drew. I went back to pretty much where I trained. So I did my family medicine at Charles Drew. I did my addiction medicine at UCSF. So I came back and I'm working with our family medicine residents. And I'm also working with the medical students. I mostly just kind of do lectures and stuff for them. But I just told the, they're now in their clerkships. So we're getting into our third year, Kajus, the new medical school. And so we're getting there. And I'm like, this is the time for you to be as nosy as you want to be. You know, being in medicine, it's a privilege, you know? And we do, it's definitely a privilege because your patients will tell you things that they haven't told anybody else. You know, some are just like waiting to come in and say like, oh, okay, well let me tell you this, this and that. Because really by law, you can't say anything. Right, right. And it's true, but it's just like, it's just the level of trust that I really try to have with my patients. Well, I do want them to come in. Like I have a patient who likes to bring me to be recommendations, you know? And she had called for something, Great, thanks, you know? And I like to put those little things, she was actually mad at me because she said, I'm just mad, I was reading my note, because you know, the portal was open, you can read your notes, and she was like, I'm mad that you put that, I'm an Etubian enthusiast. And I was just like, but you are, you are! But it's in my note because I like to have something you know, so we can kind of have that connection. You know, even if I can't remember everything that's going on, I would say, it's like, well, you know, how's your family doing? You know, how are your grandkids? Or, oh, you had that 50th birthday party. Like, how was that? So just having like that special touch. And that's a lot of things which you learn in Cuba. And Cuba is not a time limit that you just really want to develop that physician-patient relationship. And so that's one of the main important things that I've definitely learned. Well, when you say that, it makes me think about doctors that I've had and ones that I really like, as opposed to ones that I don't really enjoy. And I would agree with you, definitely. Like I can think of a doctor that, you can tell he really cares when he's talking to you and that he's making a, what's the word, it's not forced. Yeah, it's like an effort. He's actually really interested. He truly is interested. And then I remember that was when I was living in Milwaukee. But then when I moved out here, I went to another doctor and I wasn't happy about having to leave my doctor, but I went to this other one and I just, he was just forcing it in a way and you could just tell. So you're definitely on to something. I mean, it is. It's a conversation, especially in primary care. You really have to develop that, especially if you're giving diagnosis. I had to give a diagnosis of breast cancer to one of my patients. And I've had to also call that same person back and say like, oh, your pap was abnormal. So like you're developing, and I felt, and I told her too, I said, I feel like every time I talk to you, I'm giving you something bad. Like I don't, I'm her. Like, you know, she's in remission, she's doing well. And following up with the specialists and stuff. I don't have to see her that often, but I'm also only in clinic one half day a week with my own primary care panel. And so I'm booked out four months. So I have to see everyone every four months. If I don't see you every four months, I'm not good. You're not gonna make it. And so, you know, I have these closer follow-ups and most, some of them are social visits, which are my favorites. Some days I have to set myself up really nice. Like every visit is a social visit. Like you're just so stable. Like, you know, just checking in. You know, those are great days. But then I also have patients who are, you know, sicker and I'm like calling them and asking about their hemoglobin A1c, like what's going on with your sugar? You sure you're taking your medicine? Are you sure? Because you said that you're taking it, but I don't, we went from a 7 to 11. It's something that's not, it's not adding up. So, you know, it's those things. And I just think that I really, the basis of my training in Cuba really prepared me to be this kind of doctor here. And it just makes me think about all my doctors that I've seen. And it's so funny because my daughters and I shared a doctor. And it was so funny how they had such a different experience from her than I had. And theirs wasn't that great. But, and so one of my daughters was like, you know, I think it's ageism. And I was just like, you know what, very well could be. And that's why I didn't, I didn't see that side. So it's just, you know, all these interesting things. You've shared with us so many interesting perspectives about medicine and all of the differences that I would say maybe some similarities and differences between our systems. So it is time for our rapid fire round. And I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, and you can just give me your opinion. The first one, what's one Cuban medical phrase or term every med student should know? Now this one I could not think of. I could not. And I don't know why I'm just like blinking. I'm going through my whole time now. I'm just like blanking out going through like my whole time there. I'm just like I cannot think of it. Should I skip this? No, yeah, it's fine, but it's just like I think because I've been practicing here for so long that now everything is clouded by Spanish here. That's why I can't think of it because I'm like I can't I can't think of anything, no phrase that I can't, that I can remember. No worries. My friends who are gonna listen to this from me, I'm gonna be like, girl, it's so me. What are you doing? I started to phone a friend, but I didn't do it. Oh, here's, I have a really good question for you. What is a classic Cuban dish that got you through med school? Oh yeah, so this is a good question. I would say the pizzas. Really? It was, I love the liver. Now I will go to a specific house to get liver. They, LeBron Onions, and so every now and then. I think you're probably the only person in this world. Exactly. When I tell people that, they're just like, what? And I was like, yes, I love liver and onions. And it would be this one house because everybody in the neighborhood around like Cerro, anywhere that you went, you could find what they would call and this somewhat of like a particular, but it's just like a house that they're selling plates from. So I would go and get the liver and the onions with the rice and it was always delicious. So that was a good time, but that wasn't all the time. But you could always depend on a Cuban pizza. So it's not like they're like the best pizzas ever. Some can be pretty doughy, some are a little bit thinner, but they're just homemade in somebody's house and they would just go hand in, hook it up for you. And I enjoy the acaballo and it has the egg on top. So it would be like, so you have your cheese, a little bit of sauce, not too much sauce, because remember we still having a bite look you have to save these resources so you have a little bit of sauce you have your cheese sometimes you can have um usually some type of pork or something and then you have like the egg on top and so that was my personal pan pizzas if i had did was like running low on time or funds you just go and get you a pizza and it was a good time okay yeah do you have any favorites when you were visiting, when you visited Cuba? God, I loved all the food because we stayed at this really good hotel because I, like I said, I went three times and the first two times I went was through, during Thanksgiving. And so the students, I believe, cook the meal or they were the church. Yes, right. It was a church because I remember going there through the day, I think my second visit and seeing them preparing to cook the food. It was, if my mother had seen it, she would have had a fit because my mother was in food service and it wasn't the most sanitary looking stuff because they would be like in the alley between houses doing stuff, but the food was really good. But one thing I remember is their yogurt. Really? Yes. Their yogurt didn't, it did not taste like any yogurt here in the United States. And their coffee, Coobita coffee. Those are the two things. In fact, I bought Coobita back with me. I don't get that, you know, rushed feeling, that heartbeat and all that, you know, rapid heartbeat and all that stuff from their coffee. So the yogurt and the coffee were the things that I remember the most. Okay. Yeah. I just hope one day I can go. Oh, yeah. I don't know if that's going to be possible. You got to go. Well, you'll be fine. I do, but I mean, legally, how can, I want to figure out a way. Well, the legal loophole you would have to, I'm gonna have to tell you how to get there, but. Because when I went those two times, you couldn't go there legally. Right, but you had your daughter there, so that made. Right, that didn't make, well. You could have flown over. But when I went the last time for her graduation, it was the first time that we could actually fly from Miami. Mm hmm. There. And that was one of the first times that anybody could. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That was a big deal. So, I mean, we took such we took over 30 something people there because it was all the parents because the parents, you know, got together and we organized a trip and we flew directly from From Miami there. Mm-hmm. But yeah, it's it's definitely a place to go. It's a must on your list It's beautiful on a molly comb. Oh my god The most beautiful thing ever, you know, then you look at all the buildings and all the fish is historic Yeah, you you'll love it. I'm looking forward to it. You might not want to come back. It sounds that way. I know my son didn't want to. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I'm going to ask you one more rapid fire question. My rapid fire questions never are rapid fire, but that's okay. It's okay. What was the biggest culture shock moment when you first arrived in Cuba? I would have to say, throwing the toilet paper into the garbage. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Because of the plumbing. Yes. Plumbing. Yeah. And so just becoming used to that of like, okay, whenever you clean yourself, you just don't want to sit in the garbage can. And trying to figure out how to do that gracefully as well. Yeah, so that was definitely a big culture shock. Also just like conserving water. So we have like buckets of water lined up just in case the water went out. And it actually did. My second year at an Elam in Baracoa, the water was out for like almost a week. So we had all, we're trying to conserve our bucket water, but then it just started to go down and it started to rain. And so we all just went out in the rain and showered. Yeah, and that was- Gotta do what you gotta do. You gotta do what you gotta do. And it's definitely a, you have to do what you have to do type of mentality to live there. And then I think the other thing is just being comfortable with being in the nude with other folks. Because I mean, it's not like we had individual rooms. One of the biggest rooms would have 14 beds in it. Oh my goodness. Yeah, and there were bunk beds. And so you just kind of get used to being around folks and changing or showering. Because one side of our showers didn't have dividers. It was just open. So we had one shower that actually had a curtain and it was divided off. And so Belize is more of a modest, they're more modest than what we are as Americans. And we also had some Brazilians that lived in our building as well. So they would fight for that, mostly like our Belizean cohort. And we were not doing that because we need to get to class. So I remember one time I went on the other side and it was like three or four people there. I said, do y'all mind if I just squeeze in here? And it's just like, drop them and let's get this bucket going. That's just how we got ready. So just really kind of become comfortable in that. In like the bathroom situation and that's my part. I like that one, Kortri. It prepares you for anything, doesn't it? Can I say something about that whole bathroom? My first visit, I went to her, we were doing a tour and I went on campus and I don't know if it was her campus at that time, it might have been one that she was going into, but I asked to use the bathroom. And so they were like, okay. So they took me to this bathroom and there was no lights. And it was like, oh my God, I felt like I wanted to cry because it was just so different, you know. And that was the day that I told told her you can have anything ever in the world Because just going to the bathroom was just a horrendous thing because it was no lights. It was no flushing Water was dripping. It was yeah, it was pretty bad. Yeah, you had to you know, you couldn't sit down Yeah, it's not a toilet seat. Yeah, you had to take you know, you couldn't sit down. Yeah. It's not a toilet seat or anything. Yeah. And you had to take your toilet paper with you. Yeah. Cause we had our toilet paper. We traveled with our toilet paper. So it was, and that was at the school. And I was like, Oh my God. Yeah. So that's why I say it was definitely a sacrifice. Yeah. For sure. People often think like, Oh,, you were living good. Or they'll think that Elam is more of an offshore and it's not an offshore school, it's international. So offshore, mostly, if you're doing offshore medical school, a lot of times you'll do the first two years in the country, in the host country, and then you'll go come back and do like your rotations in the States. So in for Cuba, it's the whole six years is there. And they were just like, oh, well, you're American. You were living. I was just like, no. I had a car name, which is like the identification card, with all of my information just like Cubans. And I lived the lifestyle. Even if I wasn't living on campus, I was living in the renting. And they would call it particular. Once I got my boyfriend, we moved in together. Or I moved in with him because he had the house. So I moved in with him. So he was like, I'm living this life. Like going to the grocery store where we would like the agros, which would be kind of like our farmer's market. You know, so I'm going there, I'm taking the bus. You know, I'm also in the morning running with the boy abuelita, like trying to catch the bus and something like and them up showing me, you know. I'm just like, you know, so, you know, that's the life that we live, you know. I'm also doing the hitchhiking and trying to get to where I need to go as well. So, I mean, I live just like the folks, you know. I live just like the Cubans, you know. And that's why I still say like, oh, I have gonna get out there and see them. But I still know what's going on and keep in contact with them. And, you know, they're my people. Wonderful. And to think this all started because of John Q. Yeah. Yes. Thank goodness for John Q. That was an amazing movie too, by the way. I think it probably, you know, I remember watching it and thinking, wow, this should be like in the curriculum or something just, and it should be a lesson for how we should do better. And we should. Prevention is key. That's why I would tell everybody prevention is key. Absolutely. Yes. Well, I want to thank you both for joining me on this episode, and maybe we'll get together again and do a second episode, a follow up. Oh, yeah, that would be great. Okay, wonderful. Well, yeah, that would be great. OK, wonderful. Well, thank you both. Wow, what an inspiring conversation. Huge thanks to Dr. Gigi Simmons for sharing not only her medical journey, but also how studying in Cuba broadened her world view in powerful ways. I also want to thank Gigi's mom for sharing her experiences with us and sharing what it's like to navigate this journey as a parent. This is exactly what we're about here at Nostalgic Travel, travel that teaches, challenges, and transforms. 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