How my experiences on VIDA put my life into perspective

Going in, I knew that volunteering in Guatemala would be different than my previous 2 VIDA adventures (both to Costa Rica and Panama). I was fortunate enough to be the coordinator of one of the first trips to Guatemala, and within a couple days, we could see why VIDA has reached out to these communities. We worked predominantly in rural communities where there was little access to adequate healthcare facilities and the standard of living was quite low.

Patients were coming into clinics because they were poor. Not poor in the sense that they were coming to clinics looking for money, but poor in the sense that patients were coming with diseases of the poor. We saw a lot of cases where patients had parasites, simply because the water in their area was contaminated. We had a case where a patient couldn't afford to keep her child and could not afford an abortion, so she had it illegally done. As a result, not all of the placenta was removed, and because of the tissue's aggressive nature, it turned cancerous and invaded the walls of the uterus.

Every time someone asks me about VIDA, I tell them that it's more than slapping band-aids on people's skin and more than brushing someone's teeth. On VIDA, you're dealing with patients with real and serious illnesses that need attention. But just as important as helping the communities was the impact that VIDA left on its volunteers. At the end of every trip, when I listen to feedback given to me by volunteers, I always hear people tell me that before VIDA, they weren't sure if medicine/dentistry was right for them, but after two weeks of volunteering, they knew this was their calling.

Personally, the biggest impact VIDA has left on me was a sense of how privileged I am to never have to worry about things like boiling my clothes, or worry about not having enough to eat. Sure I've heard and seen things about poorer nations around the world, but to actually experience it is a whole different matter. My experience with VIDA has really put everything into perspective. While we stress about school and exams, others in Central America and around the world are struggling to put food on the table. So whenever I'm stressed in school, I reflect on my VIDA experiences and realize that even in school I am lucky, and that many of the patients I saw would gladly switch places with me if they had the chance.

The experience I have gain from VIDA is invaluable. And what is extremely striking is how close to home these communities are to us. I can hop on a plane and within 4-5 hours, I can go from a first world to a third world nation. It truly is unfortunate how you don't have to look far to see poverty. Even within our own countries we have communities in need, and VIDA has inspired me to further my community work back home and help in any way I can.

Please feel free to read more on our experience here:
uwovida.blogspot.com