So here's our great start to our first blog, from Shivali and Ye. We are currently sitting in our room in La Piedra. It's 9:30 PM, and we just finished a great reflection talking about our privileges, and differences we see within our group as well as the community. We think that through this experience, we have begun to appreciate, and embrace these differences. We also talk about components of us that we have no control over, and how different our groups' backgrounds are. But we are still here, together, doing the same things, because we want to become the types of people we want to be, and because we want to pursue the professions that can be meaningful in that way to each of us.
Earlier in the day, we spent time at a rural clinic 1/2 hour from la piedra. There, we were able to observe and help with patient consultations. We learned a lot about taking vitals, signs and symptoms of disease and conditions, and even tips to making patients more comfortable. It was great having this hands on experience. And great being a part of it.
The rural clinic was very different from the urban hospital we saw from Santo Domingo and anything we see from the US. This was a primary care clinic that accepts people with or without state insurance. They provide free care for people with insurance and do as much as they can for those without it. It was really eye opening to see the workers there doing the most they can with the little they have.
After that, we drove to La Piedra, it was apparent that as soon as we got off he paved roads, we were in a completely different world. Poverty was prevalent, houses were shacks made of scraps of metal, and the people looked like they were in need. Children walk around a lot without shoes, and without adequate clothing. Our tour guide to la piedra was Severino, who is the program director for Guanin. He shared his background and why he wanted to start this program. His story was so inspiring because he is able to give so much to the people that he shares a background with. It was card how much he was appreciated in the community as we saw a whole group of people running up, happy and grateful to see him.
When we finally got to where we were welcomed with a great meal cooked from a broken bus that was donated and turned into a kitchen. It was amazing, again, to see people make the best of what they have. We learned about the programs that Guanin provides, especially for the kids in the community. It made us want to work harder to help them. Next week, Shivali got really excited about being able to give lessons to the kids after school programs! And Ye is excited about teaching piano and music lessons to the kids :)
And that's not all we did, on top of all this, we got to wind down at the beach, and Ye got to jump off a cliff that Shivali was too scared to jump off. Even though it was not that high ( but it actually was ).
This was a lot longer than we thought it would be, but we are really looking forward to interacting more with the people of La Piedra. We will continue to work hard and do the most we can! Stay positive and stay hydrated!
Bye for now!
Ye and Shivali
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