Amrita Athwal is one of MEDLIFE’s interns in Ecuador this summer. She is currently staying in the sierra of Riobamba and has traveled to the Amazonian Jungle of Tena for a Mobile Clinic earlier this month. Find out more about this MEDLIFE student leader in her interview:
Where are you from?
San Diego, California
How did you get involved with MEDLIFE?
I founded the chapter at UCSD back in 2010 and quickly rose up the ladder to SAB and now West Coast SAB chair.
Why did you decide to become an intern?
Because I love everything about MEDLIFE! I’ve been involved with the North American side of MEDLIFE for so long that I felt like I needed to finally just come out here and live the Latin American side of it.
What has surprised you about Ecuador?
Ecuador is absolutely gorgeous! Every time I look up I feel like I’m looking at a backdrop in hollywood except it’s the real thing.
What do you look forward to most this summer?
Actually doing hands-on global health care; everything from the patient follow-up to helping with the community projects, to aiding the people of rural Ecuador.
Tell us an anecdote from your experience with MEDLIFE thus far:
My most memorable experience with MEDLIFE thus far has been on my first mobile clinic in Lima, Peru back in 2010 when I worked on the staircase project. After all the strenuous labor of making the stairs that week, we had the option of purchasing a plant for less than a dollar to decorate our stairs. I remember planting my plant and loving how much hard work I put into constructing those set of stairs, and actually feeling like I made a difference.