Cafés & Healthcare

Known for its cafés and strolls down cobblestone roads, Buenos Aires left that impression on me as well, and so much more. My favorite experiences in BA was waking up early one cold morning and walking a couple miles to meet with my classmates for an excursion. Being that no one in BA gets up earlier than 9am, the streets we completely silent and all I could hear were the birds and my shoes as they hit the distressed pavement on every step. As per usual, I stepped into a random café and got myself a medialuna (croissant-like pastry) and a cortado (a shot of espresso and milk) and continued on to my destination.
Aside from giving us the chance to experience the everyday life in Buenos Aires, CAPA gave us the unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in the professional lives of Argentinians in the Healthcare field. The curriculum of the Comparative Healthcare Systems Seminar not only exposed us to their healthcare systems and how they work, but we were also given a brief history of Argentina and history of healthcare. This interdisciplinary form of teaching allows us to have a deeper understanding of who makes up the population, where they reside, and their views on health which then allows us to better absorb our experiences when visiting clinics and hospitals. This is an example of CAPA does its best to give us a unique form of immersion; informed immersion.
The one thing I liked about the program coordination was that this was very well structured but the faculty and staff were flexible as well. CAPA does its best to make sure you obtain the goals you would like to achieve while abroad. For example, I was determined to shadow a physician at some point during my trip. Even though it wasn’t originally on the schedule, our faculty were able to ensure that my goals were met and had a fulfilling experience.
My best advice would be to take hold of the reigns and be proactive in reaching the goals you would like to achieve. It may seem that some aspect of the curriculum or schedule is lacking to your interests or missing something you would like to experience, there is no harm in trying to be instrumental in the programs’ service to you. CAPA is always willing to hear your voice and to implement change.