Abuelita and Company

This past June I am happy to say that I served with FIMRC (Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children) in the (likely) unheard-of city of La Merced in Peru. There, as an itinerant health fellow with 12 other volunteers, we went to various native communities as well as city centers to conduct health campaigns and give medical lessons.
We all lived together for the month in Rosa, Luis and Abuelita's house and were able to enjoy some spectacular food. Plus, the avocados from their backyard were the size of cantaloupes.
The city is situated on the eastern base of the Andes, fringing the jungle. Being in this ecologically transitional region made for some wonderful weather and beautiful sunsets. Each day we were able to immerse ourselves in the local medical community and regularly visit schools for our lessons. This was arguably my favorite part of this trip; giving humorous lessons at one of the schools and helping the understaffed special needs school by playing with the children. Overall, it was truly rewarding because no matter our background or level of experience-- we all provided integral parts in brightening the community's collective day.​