Back at the Beginning

And so, here we are again, at the beginning of another semester, back from Bolivia and on the island in the midst of the havoc that Irene's passing has caused upon all returning students from the northeastern coast of the US.

There's nothing better than coming back to a place that I consider my home, where I can sleep in my own bed and feel safe, walk along the streets and know most of the people who pass by and be with friends that are my second family. But then again, there's something to be said for working in a foreign country, visiting sights I would never have seen otherwise and meeting people who will never be forgotten.

When we left two weeks ago today, I had yet to feel that sense of excitement, the joy of visiting another country and experiencing a culture different from my own and meeting individuals who will hold a place in my heart forever. But as we drove to the airport in Santa Cruz on Sunday morning, I knew that I didn't want to leave. It was like being at home. Perhaps not home in San Francisco, in the US where comforts are readily available but it reminded me of going to China, of staying in my dad's village and knowing my way around despite being unable to read road signs.

In between clinic and hospital time, we traveled to different homes for follow-up visits and the disparity in health care was clearly evident. In the US, things are sterile, hospitals have an overbearing sense of strict rules but when I visited the clinics and followed nurses to individual homes, I knew that despite the lack of some materials and the different socio-economic status of the two countries, medicine was still the same. They cared. Everyone we worked with strove for the same goal: to see people get better, to help and heal, whether physically or emotionally.

Perhaps this is a bit of a sappy post, but less than two weeks in Montero showed me that I'm on the right track...

After all, where else would I find beautiful sights with fast friends... only hours away from living conditions... that would have the US Health Department up in arms?

Behavioral is teaching us to define culture and ethnicity while becoming more aware and competent, observing and acknowledging without being judgmental. Which brings me to the point that while I may not have grown up in the same cultural group as Bolivian citizens, I felt as if I understood them better than others I have encountered in my educational journey.