Project HOPE International Elective - The Very Beginning

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/