Reflections on the Rice GMB Nicaragua Trip

To begin this post, I wanted to give a HUGE THANK YOU to my friends, family members, GB staff, fellow brigaders, and club officers who helped make this trip possible. I feel eternally lucky and grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with my Rice peers and volunteer with Global Brigades. Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who helped contribute to my personal funds and supported my team's efforts. Our trip could not have happened without the support from our donors across the nation. Without their gifts and love, the 888 patients we were able to see and 3 large families we built sanitation units for would not have been served.

Upon reflection of everything I learned about myself and the world whilst on brigade, it is difficult to grasp the fact that I was only there for 9 days. Our hybrid medical, dental, and public-health brigade was unique in several aspects; through this sort of double-sided clinic and construction service approach, we were able to get comprehensive exposure to the health issues we hoped to tackle including an in-depth look into the roots of these problems. Listening to professors' lectures about neglected tropical diseases or reading books about sources of health disparities in the developing world cannot compare to the incredibly eye-opening experience of visiting the insides of low-resourced Nicaraguan family's homes, viewing firsthand their dirt floors teeming with parasites and unsanitary living conditions, and then listening to these community members discussing their symptoms and chronic conditions resulting from these living situations in medical clinic.






This trip greatly reinforced my interests in global medicine and my aspirations to become a doctor. While on brigade, I saw how essential possessing certain skills is to effecting meaningful change. I was challenged and stretched to use my knowledge of the Spanish language to communicate with the patients and utilize the triage vitals-taking skills I learned in EMT class to take vitals signs from massive influxes of patients in short amounts of time. The doctors, pharmacists, and dentists had so much value to the patients who walked miles and miles and waited in long lines for hours in humid, hot and sometimes rainy conditions just to receive their evaluations, medical input and treatments. Shadowing the doctors during consult and seeing their work's impact on the community members' lives was inspiring. I am even more driven now to continue working towards improving and gaining the education that will equip me with the skills and knowledge to make a lasting difference in people's lives.




I found the interactions that I was able to have with the community members to be the central, most valuable component of my experience. It is the humanistic side of medicine that compels me to work towards the career path of a physician. During the brigade, I treasured the opportunities I had to connect with the community and learn about individuals' day-to-day lives, experiences, and dreams for themselves and loved ones. I enjoyed listening their stories, watching their cultural shows, and tasting their food. I was touched that they were so willing to open up their homes and hearts to share bits of their lives to us, and I hope that one day that I can be a doctor that patients can trust to do the same.

I left with a changed perspective on the way I live my own life in the states. Seeing how the people made the best they could out of the little resources they had was heartwarming. It made me reflect on how I should be more appreciative and happy with what I have back home. Back home many of us have so much, but still somehow live in a constantly dissatisfied and unhappy manner. This trip made me step back and look at my life and what I need to change to lead a more happy and simple lifestyle.


This trip ultimately left me feeling motivated to continue educating myself and improving my skills to be able to return in the future better equipped to care and provide a source of hope for these people who unfortunately lack the voice and resources that they deserve.