ProWorld Internship in Mexico

Interview with Alina Esquenazi, ProWorld Intern in Mexico

GO: Why did you decide to intern with ProWorld in Oaxaca, Mexico?

Alina: I was looking for a program that would allow me to travel internationally and to develop myself professionally. The ProWorld program in Oaxaca, Mexico allowed me to do both of these in an environment that I was familiar with (I had been to Oaxaca previously) and where I spoke the language. I was specifically looking for programs in Mexico because my parents are from there, and I wanted to immerse myself in their culture. Also, ProWorld offered a unique experience through their clinical internship program.

I was able to work in a public health clinic in the heart of the city, and as the only foreign worker, I was really able to immerse myself in the day-to-day life of a health clinic and the opportunity to interact directly with patients and staff. The city of Oaxaca was also definitely a draw for me since it offered a lot of history, culture, incredible culinary traditions and is a very safe place for travelers.

Alina and friends volunteering at a school for the day

Overall, the staff at ProWorld really listened to what my goals and desires were and found an internship for me that coincided with my interests in global public health and bioengineering, and allowed me to practice my Spanish and experience a professional environment in a foreign country. The ProWorld program is structured so that you have some free time to explore the city and its surroundings on your own, but they also plan some group excursions to key points of interest that can be a bit harder to get to.

This mix of free time and organized activities allowed me to feel independent and to pick activities that were of interest to me. One weekend, I traveled to the beach, which wouldn’t have been possible with other programs. ProWorld did a great job of providing just enough structure to make sure that all of the interns and volunteers were succeeding, while still allowing us to mature and become independent abroad.

GO: What made your internship experience unique and special?

Alina: I felt that my internship experience was unique because of the amount of responsibility that I was given at the clinic. The first day that I was there, I had the opportunity to dive right into the activities at the clinic, given tasks to do and patients to monitor. By the end of the second week at the clinic, the doctor that I had been shadowing took time off and left me in charge of all of her patients.

As a college sophomore with no previous medical experience, this type of responsibility and level of trust would have never been provided to me at your typical internship program. Despite being very nervous, the remaining clinical staff provided a solid support system for me and in the end, I was able to succeed in keeping tabs on all of the patients and providing them with support and counsel they needed.

Alina and friends on a ProWorld excursion to the archeological ruins of Mitla

Being in Oaxaca, Mexico was also a very special experience. The city and its surroundings provide visitors with many cultural and historic sites perfect for anyone interested in history, archaeology or Mesoamerican societies. Oaxaca is very colorful and surrounded by a lot of nature and rolling green hills. Being in a state of Mexico that is friendly, stress-free and a vibrant city really added to the uniqueness of my experience.

GO: How has this experience impacted your future?

Alina: My experience in Oaxaca with ProWorld gave me the opportunity to explore my professional interests through an internship that directly relates to my major in college, bioengineering. Because of the enlightening experience that I had in the clinic, I now see an even more urgent need for medical devices that can be used in a setting with limited resources than the typical American or European hospital, which companies usually market their technologies to.

By experiencing first-hand what it means for a community when there is a shortage of insulin or glucose test strips for example, it has emphasized for me the need to bridge the gap between available devices and what the majority of the people in the world need.

My experience also allowed me to become more independent and less afraid of the unknown. During my stay in Oaxaca, I traveled to and from work alone each day on public transportation and was completely immersed in the local culture throughout my day, both at a professional setting and in my homestay with a local family.

Alina and friends at Mitla in Oaxaca, Mexico

This really allowed me to become more self-confident, to develop my Spanish, and to become more assertive. Although I had travelled alone before, doing so in a country where I interned and lived as a foreigner was a new experience that helped me learn a lot about myself and feel more confident about my future.