Coming to Harvard I knew that there would be incredible opportunities to pursue my interest and passions, but I could have never imagined that these opportunities would lead me to work in a mobile MEDLife Clinic in Ecuador! As a Latina with a passion for global health, the Harvard Chapter of the MEDLife movement has been a phenomenal opportunity.

MEDLife is a global non-profit organization that focuses on empowering underserved communities by providing equitable short and long-term access to medicine, education, and more. Through the movement, individuals visit a MEDLife site and assist in running mobile clinics in nearby communities. The clinics provide healthcare services to community members and provide them with educational material for preventative care. This year, the Harvard chapter assisted local physicians in hosting 3 pop-up clinics in indigenous communities near Riobamba, Ecuador. Following the clinics, MEDlife continues to maintain contact and aftercare services with all the patients to ensure long-term empowerment of the community.

This trip provided many learning opportunities about global health, my future ambitions, and discovering my travel habits; all of which can be summarized into 5 stages - 

1. Dreaming: I have always known that I wanted to serve underserved communities, specifically Latine communities due to my personal connection. However, never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would have the opportunity to do this work in Ecuador. When I joined the Harvard MEDLife chapter my junior year, I was immediately drawn to the opportunity to participate in the MEDLife Service-Learning Trip (SLT) to Ecuador. I was ready to make my dreams a reality and I enthusiastically committed to the MEDLife mission. As a Latina and a Spanish speaker, I knew that I could connect with these communities in a unique way, and I was excited about the chance to help communities directly.

2. Planning (and procrastination): As soon as I knew that I would be able to attend the SLT I began thinking about everything I needed to do - book flights, learn vocabulary, and more. Most of the planning was in collaboration with the MEDLife organization and the student group that I would be serving with. Together, we fundraised to help support the cost of the clinics where we would work, practiced our Spanish medical terminology, and learned about global health. We aimed to become culturally competent so that we could most efficiently work with the local physicians and serve the people who attended the clinics. Despite a sizable portion of the trip being planned by MEDLife, this stage was also stressful for a chronic procrastinator like me. I packed my bag the night before I left, I did not fill out the necessary paperwork until I was boarding the plane to Ecuador, and I didn’t even think about phone service until I got there. This procrastination made the experience better because it caused me to really engage with the communities and go out and seek things that I might have forgotten to pack.

3. Experiencing: Upon arriving in Ecuador, I was amazed by its beauty and by the welcoming individuals that I met. I have never felt so at home when traveling and working in different communities. When we first arrived at the SLT we took a day to familiarize ourselves with the communities that we would be serving - this included touring Riobamba, learning about the history, and being educated on the specific healthcare problems facing the populations here. The next few days were a whirlwind of clinic work. At clinics, we were responsible for running and observing in different stations, including vitals stations, general medicine, dentistry, nutrition, OBGYN, and more! Each station had different tasks, but generally we were able to interact with the patients and directly assist in their care. It was incredible to see how local physicians successfully addressed patient needs regardless of having limited information and resources.

4. Bonding: Although the point of the service-learning trip was to serve the communities, there were also many opportunities to bond and explore Ecuador with my peers! Through late nights talking, getting lost with no GPS, semi-unsafe fair rides, and trying local foods, we were able to bond very quickly. The group I was with made the experience more worthwhile because they made every moment fun. Even when we were exhausted from a long day at the clinic, we found ways to make the most of our time and enjoy the company! Our time bonding also allowed us to experience Ecuador outside the clinic. We were able to truly immerse ourselves into the culture by exploring local sites and interacting with the communities. We tried cuy (a local dish), saw beautiful waterfalls, and experienced an amazing festival!

5. Reflecting: I have never felt more inspired or passionate about pursuing healthcare than when I was working with these incredible people and selfless doctors. I learned that one person can make a positive difference in improving the quality of life for others. Due to the incredible individuals that I met on this service-learning trip I now have a clearer vision moving forward on how to serve underrepresented communities more effectively.

While my stages of traveling might seem a bit much, they constantly help me to get the most out of my traveling experiences!

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