Healthcare in Oaxaca

This was my first time on a short-term (spring break) study abroad trip, and it was a wonderful experience. It's very different from a 4-5 week program because you do so much in a brief time! Arcos Learning Abroad created a program that allowed us to learn, experience, and immerse ourselves in Oaxacan culture. The program was focused on healthcare, and we had a variety of excellent experiences that gave us a broad overview of healthcare in Mexico, from traditional and homeopathic practices to allopathic medicine. We met practitioners of traditional medicine, visited a regenerative farm cultivating medicinal herbs, and had a cooking lesson themed "food as medicine". We also visited a public hospital, a pediatric hospital, Oaxaca's Hospital for Children, and sat for a lecture on the Mexican healthcare system at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca (UABJO). Finally, we went to a class for future nurses at Universidad La Salle, Oaxaca. But the trip wasn't only focused on Medicine. You can't go to Oaxaca without visiting Monte Albán (always inspiring), having nieves in the Jardín Sócrates (Plaza de las Nieves), visiting the markets, and sampling the cuisine. We did all that and more! It was a fun-packed, stimulating trip. Our on-site director/guide/expert on all things Oaxaca, "Tonio", was very knowledgeable, kind, and fun, and he curated experiences and excursions that were meaningful as well as enjoyable. It was seven days, packed with unique opportunities to learn about, and view first-hand, aspects of Healthcare in Mexico, from traditional to modern practices and perspectives.