Our Final Post

Hello All!

     We have all been home now for a few days and we just wanted to send our thanks to all of you who have supported us, donated, read the blog and helped us go down to the Dominican Republic. We all truly gained a new perspective on medicine, resources, education and life in general.
     On our last day, we all slept in, packed and then shipped off to Boca Chica for one last beautiful beach day. Here, we all had a group lunch, played in the water and sunbathed until 4pm came and it was time to head to the airport. Unwillingly, we boarded the bus, checked into our flight and headed home.
     The trip was an incredibly rewarding, humbling and eye-opening experience for us all, and we cannot thank you all enough for helping make this trip possible. On behalf of the group, we want to say thank you for being so incredibly supportive in our journey to the Dominican Republic. Please keep in touch, and we look forward to informing you about trips in years to come!

Warmest Regards,

Ye, Rehan, Roshni and Nick
and the Pre Med Alt Break Group

Last Day in La Piedra

Hola A Todos,

     With only 2 days left in the Dominican Republic, it is definitely bittersweet in that we are all missing home and but also savoring every minute we have left here.

Our first activity of the day was a baseball game with some of the locals. It just so happens that we were put up against a few members of the amateur league in La Piedra but we were still able to hold our ground... Kind of.

 

     After a tiresome morning of baseball, we invited the other players back to the Guanin community center with us for a well deserved lunch and an intense water balloon fight with all of the children. Even though we made over 200 water balloons, they definitely did not last more than 2 minutes in the frenzy of the fight. It was amazing to see the smiles on the children's faces with fists full of balloons and the chance to have some fun while also cooling off in the heat.

 

     Once things had dried off and settled down, we split up to tackle the last few tasks we had yet to finish. One group had a chance to walk to houses in the village and interact with some of the members of the community and learn about their living situations. Another group played a friendly game of volleyball with the baseball players and children from the Guanin center (luckily, we were more successful at volleyball than baseball). Others spent time teaching lessons to the local children in the classroom.

 

     Muchas gracias to Rehan and Roshni for spending the morning putting the top coat of paint on the UConn building we have been spending all week working on so that a few of us could start designing the walls with UConn logos. In the end, we all worked together to make the building look fantastic and topped it off with all of our hand prints. It was amazing to know all of our hard work has paid off and that our legacy will always be a part of Guanin history. 

 

     It was sad to have to leave La Piedra today after a really great day of sun, new friends, hard work and lots of fun, especially because we know that tomorrow we will have to say goodbye. On our way back to our host families, we stopped in the colonial district of Santo Domingo to get in some last minute souvenir shopping and get a last look around the city we have called our home through the last 2 weeks. 

 

 

Hasta luego!

 

-Melissa, Spo, Megan, and Andrea

Our Work is Coming to an End

Hey everyone!

       Today was our third day working at La Piedra. At the beginning of the day we split into three groups again to finish the work we had started the previous days. One group worked with the children, one group did construction and the last group walked around with Melenia, the nurse that works with Guanin, to experience the living conditions in the community of La Piedra firsthand.

      The first group working with the children ended up dividing into three smaller groups. Nick and I worked with one boy, Samuel, teaching him to play the piano as he had expressed an interest in learning. We taught him how to play Jingle Bells, Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Happy Birthday. Not only did he pick up on them really quickly but was also continually enthusiastic about learning. He is an incredibly talented boy who wants to be a surgeon when he grows up. Another four of us led the class in lessons on anatomy, numbers and colors. Interestingly, there was a gradient in ability and two of the older students in the classroom really struggled with the material. So, Dushala and I took them to a different table and taught them privately. We started with the basics, such as the alphabet and eventually worked our way up to where the rest of the class was. Both students were so incredibly passionate about learning the material and having the one-on-one opportunity provided that you could literally see it through the smiles on their faces. By the end of the morning lessons, we reviewed the material and most of the students knew twenty new numbers, basic anatomy (thank you, Isabel, for head, shoulders, knees and toes!) and lots of new colors. 

    The next group worked on continuing the construction on the new volunteer house. This started with sifting dirt and sand to make starting material for the cement and carrying cement from one place to another. Next, they helped prime one of the outside walls of the building for painting. And lastly, they also painted a new consultation room in the clinic that is on site. After talking to Seve, we were given the approval to name one of the buildings after UConn. Tomorrow, Rehan and Ye will be painting the UConn logo on the outside of the building to begin our legacy!

    The last group traveled with the nurse approximately a mile down one of the roads. This was a great experience because we could do house visitations and give check-ups to patients who may not be able to make it to the clinic, as well as see the living conditions up close. Out of the three houses we visited, the first was by far the worst in terms of living conditions. Essentially, it was a series of three beat up sheds that could not even keep out rain. One shed had the kitchen/laundry room and the other two had beds and various living areas. There were no fans, or mosquito nets, and barely enough running water for four people, even though six lived there. Also, it was not atypical to have four kids in a single bed. This was definitely an eye opening experience because most of the things in the first house were really unexpected and unimaginable. The next two houses became progressively better in terms of space and utilities, but none of them were cleanly or really livable at all by US standards. I think the opportunity to do these home visits is definitely one of the most valuable parts of working at Guanin for these three days.

     It's been amazing working with the people of La Piedra. Despite the fact they live without what we consider in the US as basic luxuries, they are always incredibly happy and optimistic. They all genuinely care about the people around them, and go out of their way to give generously whatever they have to others. It's truly inspiring to see a community of people like this and these experiences will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

 See you all very soon!

- Wes and Tessa

Connecting with Guanin

  Hola familia y amigos,

   Today was day two working with the Guanin community. Dr. Been joined us along with Dr. Beenson, a colleague of Dr. Been, who was nice enough to volunteer at La Piedra.

   We started off the morning with a medical lecture by Dr. Been on hypertension and diabetes. These two conditions are extremely prevalent in what we've seen in the Dominican Republic thus far. His lecture allowed us to better understand the patients we've been interacting with throughout our trip and the diagnosis and treatments which we will use as medical professionals in the future. Dr. Been provided us with a thorough connection between the courses we've taken at UConn and what we've witnessed from patients for the first time here.

     Next, we split up into three groups: construction, teaching, and a group which accompanied Dr. Been on home visits. The focus of this experience was to culturally immerse ourselves as future medical professionals where this experience would allow us to better connect with our patients. Five of us went into the homes of three residents for the first time and found the conditions of the homes completely astonishing. The first home we entered was built mostly from scraps of metal and tree bark. The roof contained punctures and there were a swarm of flies surrounding the dishes and food area. There was one bedroom with walls made of bed sheets as well as a small shack outside that was used as a restroom and a hose that was used for bathing. There was a family of eight that shared two full sized beds and one bedroom. Dr. Been helped us conduct our diagnosis by explaining the importance of thoroughly gathering all the information that would be helpful in identifying the residents health status.

   While examining an infant in the home Dr. Been quickly identified an irritation on the child's, mother and grandmothers skin. He wisely made the correlation between their lifestyle and their condition. His ability to make those connections with little information provided was profound and enlightening, he showed us how when making a diagnosis with a patient you have to rely on intuition, past experiences and trust your instincts.

     The second group was the construction group. As we said yesterday the project we are working on is building a guest house for future volunteers. Today they decided to add in a second floor and began the process of cementing the cinder blocks for the floor. Once the made cement was used up and more had to be mixed the workers decided to hold off on the construction for a bit. With that, some of us helped out the kitchen by serving lunch to 26 children and 10 volunteers. A few helped to sift sand for the cement mix while others assisted the third group with teaching.

   The teaching group worked with children ages 4-14 on defining human anatomy in English. They started off with a blank outline of a person drawn  on poster board and hung it up on the blackboard. Students were given sticky notes with different body parts written in English. The assignment was for each student to put their sticky note in the appropriate area on the human outline. This let them learn the English term for various body parts. This group helped teach the 'head, shoulders, knees and toes' song to these kids in English. Lastly they tested out the terminology they learned by playing a rousing game of Simon says or as we would say here 'Simón dice'.

      It was then time for lunch, we reunited and enjoyed a spectacular array of Dominican delicacies made by the Guanin cook. The rest of the afternoon consisted of interacting with the children of the center. We played a short game of volleyball and after we were given a Spanish medical lesson on human anatomy by Dr. Been. He gave us a brief overview of the Spanish terms for the parts of the body which potential patients would commonly use. Finally, we said our farewell to the children for the day and drove back to the city of Santo Domingo to our host families. Our evening was spent exploring more of the community and its shops. Afterwards, we spent a couple hours reflecting, we stated our goals for the remainder of the trip and discussed how we have grown as a group and individuals since day one.

      Only a couple more days left and we just wanted to say thank you to all those who have been keeping up with our blog and sharing this experience with us!

-Dushala and Maria

Back to La Piedra

Hola!

     Today the group was able to get immersed in the community in La Piedra.  We split into three groups - construction and teaching older and younger children. The younger children were around five to eight years old, and the older children were around ten to thirteen years old.

The construction team had a very busy day. They were hard at work helping to mix cement, move cinder blocks, and lay the groundwork for a future playground for the kids.  One of the projects we are helping to build is a guest house for future volunteers, and today they finished the roof, which is an amazing accomplishment in the short amount of time we were there.  While the day was physically demanding, it was rewarding to see our efforts pay off and have a lasting effect on the community.  


One group taught the older children the English words for colors, numbers, and basic math. They made activities for the children to keep them engaged, such as a scavenger hunt, drawing, and a fun exam that tested what they learned that day.  All of the children performed extremely well and remembered much of what we presented to them.  We also rewarded them with lollipops for their hard work, and the candy was certainty a huge hit!

The other group working with the younger children taught them the alphabet in both Spanish and English, asking them how to spell words in both languages to review the letters they learned.  After, the group taught numbers from 0-20, focusing on the numbers 0-10 and playing interactive games to help them reiterate the information.  The children enjoyed circling numbers on the board and getting up to do actions like spinning around three times or clapping their hands seven times.

After lunch, the groups continued their work, and we also added a music class to the teaching.  We sang with them and taught them basic piano skills, such as playing the C Major scale.  Isabel was very impressed with the eagerness, desire, and persistence of her students to play the piano.

Overall, today was an extremely engaging day with the residents of constructing and teaching, done also finding time to organize the pharmaceutical supplies and help cook and serve a delicious lunch for the children and volunteers.  We are excited to continue making progress throughout the week and get to know the community on a deeper level. 

Roshni and Isabel :)

Sunday Adventures!

Hey everyone!

     We just got back from our weekend in Samaná after a long day filled with fantastic and memorable activities.
     We started the day early, after getting traditional breakfasts packed to go from a local restaurant and headed to the docks around 9am. We all boarded the catamaran not knowing that it would quickly turn into a fun and wet speed boat ride. The boat took us for a gorgeous tour around Los Haitises National Park before docking outside the entrance of a Taíno cave. Haitis means highland or mountain range in the Taíno language. Native Americans often adorned caves like the one we visited with pictographs. It was incredible to think that the beautiful island sights we were seeing were probably very similar to those that Christopher Columbus and his crew saw when they first arrived.
We got to explore the cave, which was most likely a place of refuge for the Taínos people from the Spanish conquistadors. The following is a short clip of the area we were exploring in Los Haitises National Park.

     After we explored we got to kayak through park and view the mangroves. Mangroves are various types of trees and shrubbery that grow in the tropics. The roots grow straight into the ocean water, but are still able to osmoregulate by sending all the salt to a visibly yellow "sacrificial leaf" so that clean fresh water can go to the rest of the plant. It was many people's first time kayaking but everyone had tons of fun and got  to experience some amazing views.
     After kayaking we took another enjoyable boat ride over to Island Cayo Levantado where we had a buffet style lunch complete with red snapper, rice, chicken, salad and fruit. And to top off the meal many people got virgin piña coladas in fresh pineapple shells. For the rest of the afternoon we got to relax on the picture perfect beach and enjoy the scenery. Many of us took naps on the beach and some of us even got messages. We all got a lot of sun before leaving the beach and heading back to Santo Domingo where we were reunited with our host families. We all had an amazing weekend and created some great memories, but were all excited to get back to work at La Piedra tomorrow!

Look for more updates tomorrow!

     Spo, Melissa, Andrea and Megan. 

La Piedra y La Samana

     Hey everyone!

     We're sorry about the delay in blogging, our days have been really full and the wifi has been rather spotty, but we're committed to keeping you all updated! The last few days have been jam-packed as we've moved from the small rural town of La Piedra to the tourist hub of La Samaná for a much needed rest. 
      Yesterday was our last day sleeping in La Piedra, and as we spent more time in the area we have learned much of the culture and history of community. Statistically, 1300 people reside in the community, a fact discovered by a census carried out by the Guanin Center. Working in the community, one of the things we noticed was the large population of Haitian people. After speaking with Guanin staff, we learned that much of this population comes to the Dominican on 6 month contracts to work on farms, however many of these people end up permanently residing in La Piedra. This population is at an extreme disadvantage, as they are not recognized as legal citizens, and are, along with their children, not able to receive Dominican citizenship. Working with these people has been great, as we have been able to provide healthcare, comfort and support for these people who have so little. 
     During our two days in La Piedra, two of the biggest activities we carried out were working in a clinic carrying out check-ups on children at the Guanin Center and setting up a medical clinic in a church in a community close to La Piedra. In the first medical setting, we took individual's vitals and assisted doctors with triaging and administering medicine to patients. Towards the end of this day, the flow of patients decreased and we had the opportunity to spend time with the children of the community. One of the best things to see was how these children got such a rich joy out of us playing games with them, and blowing up balloons for them; they even got a chance to use our stethoscopes!      
     On the second day, at the church, we were able to have an incredible amount of hands-on medical experience, something we could not carry out in the states. There was a constant flow of patients, numbering over 80, and towards the end of our time we actually had to sadly turn people away. Students were split into 3 different groups that rotated between shadowing doctors, dispensing medicine and taking patient's vitals. This was an incredible experience for many students as they were able to get a significant amount of hands on medical experience. One rather low point of our day was the amount of patients we needed to turn away at the end of the day. It amazed many of us how desperate patients are to get vital medications that are easily accessible to many people in America. Unfortunately the resources at the clinic were scarce and we had to turn many patients away as we did not have the proper medication for them. This was truly an eye opening experience for all of us. 

     Outside of medicine, one of the interesting facts we learned about La Piedra is that it's literal English translation is "The Rock". The landscape is littered with jagged, irregular rocks that give evidence to the fact that this community was once under the ocean. We spent a few hours one day exploring a 16 room cave in the heart of La Piedra. It's normally a two hour tour, but for safety, we were only there for around half an hour. The cave was once inhabited by the native Taíno people of the Dominican, around 500 years ago. In this cave, there is a pool connected to an underground river, but rumors were circulating about the discovery of a crocodile skeleton in the pool, so swimming is now completely off limits!         

     After the clinic ended, we had a great send-off meal from La Piedra, and after packing, we embarked on our 3 hour trek to La Samana, which is located on the eastern edge of the Dominican Republic. We were excited by the view of the shoreline and the beach! Samana is a beautiful coastal town on the end of a peninsula. It is a definitely a more touristy spot than everywhere else we have been. The first night we got here, we had a dinner with some American food (finally!). After a week of eating chicken, rice, and beans, we couldn't help but get excited when we found margarita pizza! Saturday morning, we woke up early to drive to the waterfalls of el Limon, one of the landmarks of Samana, and one of the most beautiful places we have ever been to! We rode horses up to the waterfall, and I have to say, it was a bumpy ride. However, we were super impressed by all the people who rode horses for the first time. Facing fears left and right on this trip! 
     When we finally got to the waterfall, we got into our swimsuits and got into the water. Some of us had some trouble swimming, especially Sylvia, one of the staff people from Guanin. Thankfully, Wes and Colin were there to carry her over directly underneath the waterfall, and she had a great time as a result. 

     After the waterfall, we went to the beach near our hotel. It was awesome sleeping in the sun and swimming in the warm water. Relaxing on the beach was a great way to cap off an eventful week and we were all really grateful for the opportunity to wind down. 
     After a week of living in basic living conditions, we were shocked that our own perceptions of luxury have changed. When we got to the beach, which was a part of a resort, we went to the bathroom, and were shocked that there were actual toilet seats, with running water, soap, and hand towels readily available. These conditions, which are pretty standard for us before the trip, have become a standard of luxury. In a way, we felt like the "outsiders" at a resort for Americans. Instead of being shocked at the poor conditions surrounding the resort, we were the ones shocked at the luxury of it. 
     This realization came unexpectedly. Although we emphasize in our reflections how privileged we are in comparison to the people we serve on a daily basis, we have also, through full immersion into the Dominican lifestyle, learned a powerful lesson of perspective. Even after this trip is long over, this is something that we will hold with us forever. 

And I think, that, is perhaps the greatest lesson of all.

Good night for now!

Nick, Rehan and Ye (Je) Sun

Voyage to La Piedra

Shivali: I've never blogged before. I don't know how to blog.

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

Arrival and Settling In

Hello All,

     We apologize for the delay in blogging, we haven't had steady internet access yet... We're equally as surprised as you are!
     The past three days have been very eventful! First off, if you haven't already heard, our 9pm flight was cancelled and rescheduled for a midnight departure. We finally arrived at our host families homes at 5am on Sunday, and despite our exhaustion, were up for a 7:30am orientation around Santo Domingo.
     The orientation included a tour of the historical building and ruins of the nation's capital, contrasting the current and more modern vendor fair. Despues, we had our first lunch (of many) which consisted of rice, beans and chicken. It was by far the best chicken we have ever tasted! After the tour, we met Dr. Bean, our medical director for our time in Santo Domingo. Additionally, we met our group leader and director, Severino, who has worked extensively with medical students and professionals in the area.

     Monday included shadowing at the Pediatric and Maternal Health Hospital. We were toured around the hospital by Maria, an administrator of the facility. Four years ago, there was an addition to the hospital allowing more patients to be seen on a regular basis. The new and old parts of the hospital are mirror images to each other. In total, the hospital hosts 1075 medical professionals. Our first impressions were that the hospital was very understaffed and resources were minimal, but nonetheless the individuals working there were incredibly caring towards the patients and it was evident that the care provided was of great efficacy.
     We saw three major units: the pediatric ER, neo-natal intensive care unit and the OB/GYN ward. The pediatric ER included a triage center for patients, oral hydration room, respiratory care unit and an emergency inpatient area.  In the neo-natal intensive care unit, there were 4 nurses in charge of two rooms of neo-nates and pre-mature neo-nates. Additionally, in the OB/GYN ward, there was an OR section entailing 4 operating rooms for Cesarian sections and four natural birth chairs. There was a neo-natal care unit in the OB/GYN ward, as well as a recovery ward and a still-birthing consultation area.
     In order to provide better triaging and patient care in La Piedra, we needed to pick up some stethoscopes and BP cuffs. After buying these supplies, Dr. Bean discussed what to look for in respiration quality and heartbeat quality, as well as detailed how to take blood pressure.
     Today, we went back to the hospital and continued to shadow in the areas discussed earlier. In the pediatric care unit, we saw many children come in and out. Many cases were regarding bacterial infections and massive dehydration. In the OB/GYN unit we shadowed surgeons, OB doctors and anesthesiologists who were preforming many C-sections. We saw around 5 surgeries in the 3 hours that we were there!
     The next few days, we will be traveling to the community of La Piedra to provide general care in a more rural setting. During the weekend we will be traveling to Semana for some tourist activities and fun!! We will keep you updated on our travels, although we may not have wifi tomorrow or Thursday in La Piedra.

Thanks for reading!

Colin & Nick

Welcome!

Welcome to the University of Connecticut Pre Medical Society alternative break trip blog! This summer 15 students will be traveling to the Dominican Republic for two weeks to participate in our first ever alternative break volunteer trip. As the trip is only 4 days away we are all excited to travel to the Dominican Republic and start our journey together. Starting on May 18th we will have 2 students post a blog every day regarding their experiences on the trip. This is an excellent opportunity for family/friends to stay connected with participants and stay updated on our experiences throughout the trip. So stop by starting May 18th and check out whats going on!

In the mean time check out a video published by the organization we will be working with, Centro Cultural Guanin Inc. The video gives a glimpse into La Piedra, one of the local communities that we will be working with.