Overall Experience

Traveling to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with VIDA was a truly amazing experience. Our group leaders were very helpful, welcoming, and shared with us so many great facts about the area and the people. They were very easy to work with! Having the opportunity to travel to travel to Central America was amazing. The people were very kind, welcoming, and friendly. Working in clinic was an eye-opening experience with learning what a strong patient-physician relationship looks like, learning about the common diseases/illnesses seen in the area, and having a hands on experience with taking vital signs, etc. The doctors were all very knowledgeable, friendly, and really took the time to teach us.
The host families were great; they took care of us and I felt safe while staying with the families! Also, the fun adventures like zip-lining and dance classes were very enjoyable!
I have grown as a person from this experience from learning about another culture, learning more about their accessibility to resources (i.e. medical), and the the increase of awareness about medical issues.