Language
By the time I leave for Cordoba, I will have completed Rice’s final Spanish language-instruction course. Going to a Spanish-speaking country for 9 weeks, I have the opportunity to immerse myself completely in the language and the culture. During my time there, I aim to speak as much as possible with my host family and maintain at least a 1 minute conversation with a local resident every day. This will not only push me to practice my Spanish but also to reach out to others in the community and get myself out of my comfort zone. My program also offers medically-relevant classes in Spanish, and so by the end of my experience, I want to be able to fluently gather patient family histories and symptom information when volunteering with mobile clinics.
Country
Fortunately for me, I know many fellow Rice students that have travelled to Argentina, either for study abroad, for an internship, etc. Before I leave, I want to conduct informal interviews with 2-3 of these friends to learn more about their experiences, seek advice on traversing cultural norms, and get recommendations on resources to prepare me better for my trip. During my Loewenstern, I want to visit at least one local museum, theater, or cafe per week to immerse myself in Argentinian culture.
Social Issue
I want to learn more about the history of Argentina’s universal healthcare system and how the State Ministry of Health is currently tackling public health challenges. I will do this by familiarizing myself with the information on the Ministry’s website (http://www.msal.gob.ar/), reading at least one article per week before my trip. During my time there, I hope to engage as much as possible with the Ministry’s public policymakers to obtain more insight on current efforts to improve national health outcomes. During the two weeks after my service (and before the Fall semester begins), I want to compose a rough draft for a paper, synthesizing and summarizing the information I have learned, highlighting key experiences and issues, and taking a stance on these issues myself.
Service
The main goal of my service is to learn as much as possible about the education and outreach programs that the Argentinian Ministry of Health is implementing to solve public health issues. To do this, I want to set aside 10-20 minutes at the end of each day to reflect on my experience that day and come up with a couple questions to ask the next day to expand on my learning and clear any confusion that I have. I also hope to learn by doing. I’m not completely sure at this point what my focus/project will be, but even by simply assisting CFHI-partner organization professionals and volunteers in whatever way I can, I hope to gain essential skills and knowledge in community service/asset-based community development. Furthermore, I want to implement some of the tools that I have learned in UNIV 305 such as going on community tours, drawing up a community map, and creating a calendar of events.
Personal
I hope to cultivate intention in my life by living each day to the fullest (this is something that I strive to do every day – not necessarily a SMART goal for my Loewenstern but I’m hoping that the Loewenstern will give me the opportunity to grow and explore in my efforts). I want to do this by constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone and succeeding through failure. During my Loewenstern, I aim to do this by being brave enough to ask tough questions and understanding my perceptions about the world through the shattering of my own expectations. I want to strive to live my life working from the ‘why’ to the ‘action.’ During my Loewenstern, I will aim to write in a journal for 10 minutes every night on the day’s events or an issue that prompted me to think. (Perhaps, I might also publish these journal entries to this blog). The last and most important goal for me is to understand whether pursuing an MPH/a career in global health is the right path for me by the end of my Loewenstern. Hopefully, by reflection through these blog entries, I will have a better idea if it is or isn’t.
Pre-service
Before I leave for Cordoba, I want to learn as much as I can about the history of Argentina, the social and economic issues present in the country, and about its cultural landscape. I hope to do this by reading one book per month on these topics before my trip and talking to peers that have already been to Argentina. I also hope to gain a better understanding of the social issue of public health by reading at least one article per week on the Ministry of Health website.
In-country
During my time in Cordoba, I hope to immerse myself as much as possible by increasing my Spanish fluency (see Language), visiting a local museum/theater/cafe once per week, participating in local cultural events, and exploring neighboring cities and regions to get a better understanding for Argentina’s sociocultural landscape.
Post-service
Upon returning from my trip, one goal is to synthesize my experience and insights into a paper. I also hope to bring a greater awareness of global health issues to Rice’s campus. I hope to take advantage of the many global health groups on campus by perhaps speaking at a meeting for Rice Global Medical Brigades or Volunteers Around the World. In addition, perhaps more informally, I want to educate others about my summer experience and the community that I had the privilege of serving.