My experience was more than I expected.

My experience was more than I expected. I enjoyed every second of it. Learning at the clinic, meeting people and enjoying helping out. I fell in love with the city of Quetzaltenango and the people, so much so that I´m considering studying here and develop my medical career as a pediatrician in Guatemala.
The moment I got to the host family, I felt very welcomed by the family and comfortable. The host mom was very attentive about me going out, eating well and took good care of me when I got a cold. The girls were very nice and I got along with them like I had known them my whole life. The whole time I was there I never felt unsafe or unwanted.
At the medical center I was able to go around in the different “clinics” they have. I helped in the HIV clinic, family planning, pharmacy and pediatrics. I was surprised that I was able to do so much, including injecting birth control shots. I learned a lot more here than I thought. My favorite memory was getting to see the doctor suture up a man´s eyebrow. I was able to learn the stitching technique, as well as helping him out.
The coordinators were very helpful and easy to reach in case of an emergency. The office was nearby, which was easy because I could meet up with them and also make payments for weekend tours. The organization of the weekend trips was very reliable and I felt very comfortable going places.
The support in the US was amazing. I asked the online operator lots of questions and concerns and always got a reply back fairly quickly. When I called, the lady who picked up made me feel really safe about my decision to come to Guatemala, and I felt very encouraged. Wonderful experience.