As the President of the Johns Hopkins MEDLIFE chapter last year, and one of its founding board members, I have been involved with MEDLIFE’s activities for many years. Three years ago, I attended a two-week mobile clinic in Lima, where I was able to help with blood pressure checks, tooth fillings, pap smears, and the many other services MEDLIFE provides. I quickly realized, however, that what I really learned was about much more than the medicine —it was about the people. I had connected so well with everyone I met, from the local doctors to the street vendors to the families building staircases with us in Lima’s hills. It is this connection that stayed with me, and drove me to apply for the yearlong internship three years later.
Being chosen as a Student Affairs Intern is a unique opportunity for me to make a significant difference in the lives of the underserved communities in Lima and around the world. I am so excited to take my involvement with MEDLIFE to the next level and encourage others to do the same. My experience in Peru three years ago made me look at healthcare from a different, more global perspective, rather than just the individual doctor-patient relationship I was previously exposed to. By further experiencing the different aspects of healthcare delivery and service through the MEDLIFE internship this year, I hope to gain fresh perspectives and cultural sensitivity that improve the manner in which I live my life, personally and professionally.
Furthermore, I hope to learn more about the inner workings of a successful and rapidly growing non-profit organization, while also gaining valuable experience working with doctors and nurses, community leaders and student chapters. I hope that this internship is just the first step towards a lifelong career of international service. At every health clinic I have visited, in Peru and around the world, the trend was the same: they were understaffed and desperately needed more doctors. Upon returning from this internship, I hope to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN so that I can travel the world and meet the demand for quality healthcare.
After my first couple months in Lima, I am more and more excited about what this year has in store for me. I have already become very close with my roommates and fellow interns and feel at home in our cozy little apartment. After struggling to remember my Spanish for the first few days, I finally feel comfortable having a conversation with the local taxi drivers, vendors at our neighborhood mercado, and even my new Peruvian friends.
My first day here, another year-long intern and I attended the biggest food festival in South America, Mistura. I ate numerous pork and chicken dishes, drank a yellow Peruvian soda called “Inca Cola”, and ended with a special doughnut-like dessert called “picarones”. The whole festival was seaside along Lima’s “Costa Verde” and we had the most beautiful view while we feasted on all the mouthwatering Peruvian dishes. It was the most incredible start to an incredible experience here in Lima.
During that first weekend, we also visited a gorgeous park called Parque Kennedy, located in Lima’s tourist district, Miraflores. It was a surprisingly warm day for what is winter here in Peru, and we all soaked in the sun and chatted while playing with the cats that roam freely in the park. We then went to Barranco and ate fish tacos, and ended the night with coffee from a trendy spot called the Sofá Café. It was a beautiful day in Lima, and a perfect way to kick-start my adventures here in the months to come.
On my first day in the field, the interns and I went with Carlos, the Director of MEDLIFE Peru, who is so passionate about the work we do in the community; it was inspiring. He introduced us to a woman named Maria, who lives in a shack that no one should have to call a home. It was just a makeshift roof placed in between two neighboring houses – no walls, no floor, and no light. On top of the poverty Maria faces, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. The burden of trying to provide for the family and pay for Maria’s medicines drove Maria’s husband to alcoholism, and she has been left to provide for the family herself.
I spoke to Maria while standing in her “kitchen” for a while. There were flies all around us, and garbage all over the floor. As she was talking, my eyes filled with tears, and I became more and more aware of the urgency and significance of our work here in Lima. Maria’s story was not new to me. I had heard of many similar stories, and seen countless pictures of houses just like hers. Yet standing in her kitchen, looking in her eyes, and hearing the pain in her voice, Maria’s story became real. I am still struggling to come to terms with the realities and hardships of her daily life, and the lives of the many others living in the mountain areas here. It is hard to accept how unfair it is that people are living in such poverty while next door they see so much privilege. I ended up giving Maria a teary hug, promising her that we would do everything in our power to help her. I hope we are able to fulfill this promise very soon.