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Meet the Interns: Rachel

Recent UVA graduate, Rachel Goldberg, is our newest intern here at the Lima offices of MEDLIFE Peru. Read about what motivated her to join the team and what drew her to Peru: 

Why did you decide to become an intern? Rachel blog1

I spent last summer studying in Lima and loved it, so this was the perfect chance for me to come back and see my old friends and explore more of Peru. I also studied media studies and was hoping to get a job in film or television production, so this internship is a great way for me to use those skills for a good cause. I just started, but so far MEDLIFE seems like a great place to work, because everyone is so passionate about what they do.

Where are you from?

I’m from Silver Spring, Maryland, and I studied media studies and Spanish at the University of Virginia.

How did you get involved with MEDLIFE?

I saw the job posting for a communications intern and emailed MEDLIFE to say I was interested, and now a few months later I’m here in Lima starting my year-long internship!

What was your first impression of Peru?

When I was here a year ago, I lived in a very different part of Lima, so when I got here everything was strangely familiar but new and different at the same time. I have been really surprised by how huge Lima is and the contrast between different regions of Peru. Trying to find my way around Lima can be pretty overwhelming, but I’ve been lucky to find that Peruvians are really friendly and welcoming, and happy to help out.

Tell us an anecdote from your experience in Peru thus far:

Last year when I was here for just less than three months, I stayed with a Peruvian host family, which was a great way to experience Lima. I got to know my host mom, Estrella, as well as her children and grandchildren, and they always treated me like family. I stayed in touch with them even after I left, though I didn’t know if I would ever see them again. Now that I’m back in Lima, I’m living in an apartment with other MEDLIFE interns, but I went to see my “familia peruana” soon after I arrived, and they welcomed me back as if I never left. I spent the day eating delicious homemade Peruvian food and playing with the kids. It’s nice to know that I’ll always have a second home and family here in Lima even though I’m so far from home.

What do you look forward to most this year?

I’m really looking forward to going out in the field and meeting the people who benefit from MEDLIFE’s work and sharing their stories. I’m also excited to get to know everyone here in the office, and explore more of Lima and the rest of Peru.

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Hear it From MEDLIFErs

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Reya Seby
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This trip motivated me more to pursue a career in the healthcare field so that I can use my resources to help those who need it the most, similar to MEDLIFE’s mission.

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Victoria DiCanio
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It was most enjoyable to finish the hard work and see how big a difference a group of individuals can make. It was such an amazing experience.

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Anita Woo
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David Saff
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The most enjoyable part of my trip was hanging out with the amazing group of kids I was with. I would highly recommend a MEDLIFE volunteer trip to others.

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Sydney Sansone
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This trip made everything that I was learning in my public health courses come to life and immersed me in a new culture while also learning about medicine.

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Abygail Youmans
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Being involved with MEDLIFE is not like joining another club - its bigger than that. It is about joining a movement that seeks to help change people’s quality of life for forever.

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Emi Hofmann
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Not only was I able to participate in a week long Mobile Clinic, shadowing doctors of all types of specialties including pharmacy, dentistry, gynecology, and more, but I was also able to learn about the culture and visit incredible places.

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Julian Takagi-Stewart
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One thing that I really loved about this trip was that MEDLIFE made sure that the volunteers got an understanding of the complexity of issues that lead to underprivileged people in communities outside of the main city

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Hannah Van Hofwegen
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Whether it was basketball with the local kids, assisting the doctors, talking with families, building washrooms, holding babies, or spending time with the people who were on the SLT with me, this was an amazing opportunity that I would do over and over again.

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Isabelle Holt
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I loved learning about the patients MEDLIFE has followed and how they offer real help to people with chronic/urgent conditions. It is amazing how the organization formed real connections with the communities.

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Valerie Lindeborg
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Our family had the privilege of participating in multiple trips with Nick [founder] and his amazing staff. Their expertise made the trips unforgettable while instilling in my boys the fundamentals of good character: selflessness, compassion, and empathy.

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Harry Vildibill
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As an aspiring physician, MEDLIFE motivated me to further continue my goal of becoming a doctor. In fact, I enjoyed the Tanzania Service Learning Trip so much that I decided to go on another trip to Cusco, Peru.