Hola Chicos! Estamos aqui en Santa Ana, Costa Rica, disfrutando el sol y las frutas tropicales!
Don't worry, I won't speak in Spanish the entire time. My name is Jessica and I'm here in Costa Rica with Meghan. Together we will be here for a total of six weeks, giving us plenty of time to learn more about this beautiful country. We have just completed our first week here and we have loved it so much!
One thing that has been fun is the rotation of volunteers. Since we are here for an extended period of time, we get to see multiple groups of pre-med, pre-PA, and public health students rotate through our clinic. Tomorrow we meet 15 new volunteers after saying goodbye to 24 other volunteers on Friday. While it sounds very hectic, it's actually nice having that many people. It gives Meghan and I an opportunity to mentor and answer questions about medical school, and also teach medical skills during patient encounters. Also, with so many volunteers and 3 doctors currently on staff, we are able to simultaneously hold 2 mobile clinics that would otherwise be closed if we didn't have enough help.
While it is always fun meeting new people, it is always sad having to say goodbye. Hopefully we don't get too sad after having to say good bye 6 times in a row!
