What d'ya say?
  • Home
  • BLOG
  • India Adventure
  • Scuba Diving
  • Meddies
  • Travel Pictures
  • Falmouth, Jamaica Pictures
  • Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Project HOPE International Elective - The Very Beginning

2/15/2014

0 Comments

 
My adventure actually begun in Feb 2013 when I applied for a scholarship to participate in an international health elective.  When I found out I was the recipient of the scholarship I was ecstatic!!   What an amazing opportunity to explore the world and learn medicine from a new perspective.  Then I learned my site would be in Vijayawada, India.  My first thought was that I could not correctly pronounce the site name much less know where in India it is located.  With the help of my trusty side kick, Google, I learned about where I was going.  Also I decided to ask around to see if any one had heard of the city.   The reactions and responses I got were not those of shared excitement.  They were statements such as really? Is that safe?  I don't think you should go.  You will stick out that may not be a good idea.  I was a bit taken a back by these responses.  I was even more taken aback when it was from people who had grown up in India or those who frequently visited their families in India.  Then there was the CNN story about the troubles of foreign woman traveling in India.   All the negative cautious comments gave me more motivation to prove people wrong.  Before I have even set foot on India I have done what I can to make sure my travels are safe.  I hope that the people I will be working with and encounter in India will be kind, welcoming, and friendly as those Indian individuals I know in the States.  That being said I am going to do everything in my power to respect the cultures and traditions of my host country.    If I'm honest I will admit I don't agree with all the views or customs but is it my place to bluntly disrespect them to prove a point? No. My mission is to experience the health care system in India through learning and teaching.  I can't deny I'm nervous and outside my comfort zone but these types of experiences challenge my strength, independence, and influence the woman I am both today and in the future.

P.S I have to thank Project HOPE for providing me with opportunity and scholarship.   Here is there website, check it out! http://www.projecthope.org/ 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My name is Meg and I am currently a Geriatrics and Palliative Care Fellow at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.  I started this blog several years ago as a way to remember and talk about what I experienced while studying abroad in Rwanda during the summer of 2009.

    The blog has now continued and still serves as a way to let my friends and family know what I have been up to and a way for me to open up.

    Disclaimer: The contents on this site represent my personal opinions, views, and experiences.  They do not reflect the views of my employer or sponsor program.

    Archives

    January 2016
    March 2014
    February 2014
    May 2012
    February 2012
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.