Day 2 & 3: Belize Healthcare Development and Service Program 2019
What
a great first few days we've had!
Here are some student reflections
about their experiences so far:
With the rooster’s
call to the sun, I woke up and realized that the day was finally here: I’m in
Belize. What I had thought a few weeks ago was a distant dream, became a reality
in which I got to explore and help out a community I have never been to.
The first thing I did
today was greet my homestay mother and ate breakfast with Emma (NMH Student) and
Gabby (Medical Fellow). I ate a Johnnycake with peanut butter and then washed
the dishes after. Then I got ready,
headed out to the San Antonio community center, and set out to Caracol (Mayan archeological
site) and the Rio Frío cave.
As I look
back to what happened at the trip today, I felt like I have traveled through
centuries full of Mayan history and feel as if time hasn’t passed at all. The
trip was an overall unique experience that I believe I can’t get anywhere else
even at home in Indonesia. It has been a truly on unforgettable experience that
I am further grateful for.
--Jennie Young’ 20 (Reflecting on Day 2, March 10, 2019)
Kelly Cao ’20 similarly shared her reflections of Day 2 (March
10, 2019):
Belize has been so
welcoming of us so far. From the hospitality of my host parents, homemade meals
made from the fresh fruits, vegetables, and poultry in the garden, and the
open-mindedness of the home visit families that we provided our services to
today. Visiting the Mayan ruins yesterday and Rio Frio was absolutely
breathtaking and I was so grateful for the opportunity to step foot into the
remains of such a complex culture. Furthermore, venturing through the nooks and
crannies of the cave was truly cathartic, as the damp, mildew scent that
engulfed me further grounded me within the Belize.
Having a delectable breakfast with our host family, made with ingredients sourced from their backyard garden! |
Frio Rio Cave |
At the end
of the day, everyone received their much awaited medical
scrub shirts, which set the tone for our experiences on the following day.
Jordan Lafave ’21 described today’s activities (Day 3, March
11, 2019):
Today we had our first
day of home visits, and they went really well. The families were open to us practicing
and letting us into their homes. Returning from the home visits, we got
together as a group to discuss hand washing and nutrition. We will be
presenting information about hand washing, nutrition and other topics to a
local school on Wednesday and Thursday. All is great!
Heading to our first health screening home visits |
Finally having time to rest after a full morning's work! |
Thank you for this! It looks interesting and exciting. Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteHey daughter i am ao excited for you for experiencing this great opportunity. You and the rest of students emnbrace and fulljoy
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