During my 4 weeks in Oaxaca, I spent 2 weeks at Hospital Civil where I had the opportunity to rotate through the emergency department, labor and delivery, and the operating room. Each setting offered valuable learning and exposed me to a wide range of clinical scenarios in a resource limited environment. In the emergency department, I observed the management of acute conditions and gained insight into rapid clinical decision making. In labor and delivery, I was able to participate in patient care during critical and emotional moments, which reinforced the importance of compassionate, patient centered care. In the operating room, I observed surgical procedures and developed a deeper understanding of teamwork and technique. The local physicians and staff were incredibly welcoming and committed to teaching. They made a strong effort to include us in patient care and explain their clinical reasoning, creating a supportive and engaging learning environment.

In addition to my clinical experience, my time in Oaxaca was shaped in meaningful ways outside of the hospital. Living with a host family gave me a genuine look into daily life and culture in a way that you simply can’t get as a visitor. From sharing meals to everyday conversations, I felt welcomed and supported, which made the experience feel much more personal. The language school was another highlight. It helped me build confidence in my Spanish and gave me a supportive space to improve my communication skills. That growth extended beyond the classroom and helped me feel more connected overall. Outside of structured activities, I also had the opportunity to experience Oaxaca’s culture through its food, traditions, and strong sense of community. These experiences added depth to my time there and reminded me how important cultural understanding is in both life and medicine.

This previous fall quarter, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico! I completed an internship with Child Family Health International (CFHI) through their Global Health in Mexico (Oaxaca) program.

In Oaxaca de Juárez, I completed a total of 180 hours of clinical rotations at clinics, a hospital, and a rehabilitation center. I visited the following sites: Centro de Salud Urbano No. 1 "Dr. Manuel Martínez Soto,” Hospital General "Dr. Aurelio Valdivieso," Centro de Salud Colonia América, Centro de Salud Tlalixtac de Cabrera, Centro de Salud Urbano 04 Fracc. El Rosario IMSS Bienestar, and Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil Teletón (CRIT). During these rotations, I shadowed medical professionals during general medical consultations, surgical procedures, and physical therapy sessions. I also developed a deeper understanding about systemic barriers within the Mexican healthcare system.

Additionally, I visited rural communities in the Sierra Norte, Aguaje del Zapote, and Chacahua. In the Sierra Norte, I learned about traditional medicine from local curanderas and parteras. This is an accessible alternative to allopathic medicine that uses natural remedies from indigenous practices. In Aguaje del Zapote and Chacahua, I learned about Chagas disease and Dengue. I also accompanied Dr. Isabel Saucedo and Don Julio, a vector specialist, to conduct public health inspections in the communities. I also helped deliver presentations about relevant health topics at local primary schools in Puerto Escondido.

Being selected as a recipient of the CFHI UC Davis Quarter Abroad Scholarship opened a new door for me. As a first-generation college student, navigating the higher education system can be challenging. This experience reaffirmed that persistence and resilience lead to deeply rewarding opportunities. Studying abroad was a dream come true and a meaningful investment for my future. It has left a profound impact on my academic and professional trajectory, ultimately igniting my interest in pursuing a career in surgery.

I am incredibly grateful to the faculty, mentors, and peers who made this such a memorable and transformative experience. Special thanks to Dr. Yvette Flores, Dr. Mónica-Torreiro Casal, Dr. Magaly Chavez, Martha Canseco, and Sandra Rivera.

Shadowing physicians in clinics and hospitals, I saw firsthand how providers balanced modern medicine with traditional healing, where resources were scarce but compassion was abundant. I witnessed systemic health challenges firsthand—patients traveling hours for medical attention, hospitals working with limited supplies, and families playing a crucial role in their loved ones’ care. This experience taught me that medicine is not just about treating illness but about understanding the patient’s beliefs, environment, and access to care. Outside of the clinical setting, Oaxaca’s rich culture embraced me—dancing in the streets during festivals, tasting mole in a bustling mercado, and connecting with local healthcare teams who welcomed me as one of their own. This experience reinforced that medicine is universal, but healing is deeply personal, shaped by history, tradition, and human connection.

CFHI is a great program to experience cultural immersion, clinical exposure, and language acquisition. It was a very well rounded experience with a lot of helpful support in place from the coordinators, my host family, and alumni advisor. We had enough structure in our schedule to reap benefits from the experience and enough free time to relax and enjoy the environment. I definitely would recommend it to other students!

It was interesting to see some of the common chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia) because of diet and food access, also seeing unique tropical diseases like Dengue and Chagas, and seeing the younger age that women tend to have children as a result of social factors.

My host mom was very kind and helpful and an amazing cook! She would always be interested to get a recap of our days so we could practice our Spanish. I really enjoyed my stay with her.

Spanish classes were also super helpful and I learned a lot that helped me increase my fluency. My teacher, Rocio was extremely kind, patient, and supportive to help us make progress on a lot of grammatical and conversational skills.

The many beautiful beaches and the overall environment in Puerto Escondido were very beautiful to enjoy. We even took a weekend trip to Oaxaca which was also a wonderful place to visit.

My global health study abroad program consisted of about 2 months in Oaxaca city, Mexico and two weeks in Puerto Escondido. Not only did I learn more about health problems that affect the Mexican population but also how to spread prevention awareness. I had the opportunity to shadow doctors in clinics and a hospital and was exposed to the different obstacles that many of these clinics faced. Most of the clinics that I had visited had a limited amount of resources available and doctors wrote their clinic stories using typewriters. In Puerto Escondido our main goal was to learn about public health and how to incorporate it into the community. We were given the opportunity to give presentations to elementary school classes on sexual education and Vector-related illnesses. All of the children that we presented to, all showed the desire to learn more. Besides the academic part of the study abroad program, the culture in Oaxaca, Mexico is truly one of a kind. I was exposed to calendas (parades), dia de los muertos celebrations, and the beautiful beaches. Oaxacans are extremely respectful and easygoing, always greeting you when you walk by or eating. Overall, this was an amazing experience and I am very thankful that I was able to experience it.

Practicing my Spanish while immersing myself in another culture prior to residency had long been a goal of mine, and CFHI helped make that happen. I really enjoyed both my language classes and homestay in Oaxaca. I was also able to take part in local art and cooking classes in my free time to continue to practice my Spanish, in addition to shadowing at a private surgical clinic. I'm grateful for the opportunity and would love to participate in a similar language immersion program with CFHI again.

I spent 4 weeks living in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico and exploring the foundations of traditional medicine. I chose to travel to Oaxaca because of my connection to traditional medicine and my interest in cultural anthropological studies. As a physician, I hope to incorporate elements of traditional medicine into my practice, and I have a particular fascination with how different cultures integrate western and alternative medicines into one system for healing.

My experience with CFHI allowed me to compare the uses of traditional medicine practices in Oaxaca to the understanding of integrative medicine and traditional practices in the United States. I am so incredible grateful for the opportunity to learn in such an expansive and lively city. Being able to immerse myself in the Oaxacan culture was an experience I will never forgot and will only continue to inform my practice as a physician during residency. I improved my medical and conversational Spanish to the point of intermediate learner and was able to engage in learning that was entirely in Spanish. I learned so much about the traditional medicine practice in Oaxaca and different herbs that I can continue to learn about and utilize in my medical practice. I developed a deeper understanding of the interactions between traditional medicine and hospital medicine to inform my practice as an integrative medicine – family medicine physician. I also immersed myself in the Oaxacan culture and food and found a deeper appreciation for the way of life present in Oaxaca. I am so grateful I applied for this program and will continue to draw on experiences from this journey for the rest of my life.

Oaxaca is a food city and is known for its unique and delicious cuisine, so do not hesitate to explore and try the different foods that it has to offer.

Prior to the program, I had never had the opportunity to travel alone and never really got to explore healthcare in other countries even though I always had interest in global/public health. Before CFHI, I didn’t know who to ask or where to go in order to find shadowing opportunities overseas that would allow me to learn about medicine and culture. I learned about CFHI at the UC Davis Pre-Health Conference during two lecture sessions about global health (one anecdotal and one from the program on ethics) and I knew immediately that this program was what I had been looking for.

Dr. Jenny was even kind enough to exchange her contacts with me for a one on one zoom call where she talked to me and my friend for 2 hours about all our concerns post-COVID. The program even granted me the Community College Scholarship to help my family with the cost.

I learned quickly the best way to reach the staff is by email pre-departure, though information on logistics could be more readily available, sooner released, or clearer. The application and training is very straightforward.

The entire month in Puerto Escondido passed by too soon. I loved my clinic placements! The doctors, nurses, “chemicos,” and entomologist I met were all willing to teach and they are super sweet. I definitely find that you need to be willing to step out of your comfort zone, ask questions, and come in with an open mind. Anything I asked was answered in detail. Clinics themselves had a limited scope of practice focused on prevention, metabolic disease, and there was a lot of visits on women’s health, mostly prenatal care and family planning. Between the clinics and Spanish class, I learned how Mexico organized their medical care in the public sector, public programs, culture, and from many conversations with medical professionals and my professor, what is working and what needs to be done. The medical staff, including Dra. Isabela the Medical Director, even helped me learn in depth about violence against women in Mexico (an issue I want to address in the future as a doctor). When when things were slow, the doctors would explain the procedures we had done and taught us to take blood pressure (of course only taking hers and a fellow CFHI student to practice).

In terms of the homestay, I was blessed to be placed with a sweet older lady who cooked bomb foods, mixing it up with traditional stewed meats to steamed veggies and rice when my roommate had gotten sick. The host sister even invited us to her birthday, took me out my first few days, and everyone made sure we got our conversations in.

This being said, the experience is what you make of it and what you put in, you get out. For me, it was everything I could ask for.