Introduction

GLA’s Global Health Initiative program is a primer for studying medicine or public health in the developing world. A university-level program, it’s designed to give a progressive experience— challenging preconceptions of health with new experiences, and guidance from attending medical and public health professionals working in the field.

Global Health Initiative Itinerary

Please note: Activities may happen on different days due to weather or community needs. This is a tentative itinerary.

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Blog Updates

All the kiddos have arrived! Ready for some adventures!

 

Introduction

GLA’s Global Health Initiative program is a primer for studying medicine or public health in the developing world. A university-level program, it’s designed to give a progressive experience— challenging preconceptions of health with new experiences, and guidance from attending medical and public health professionals working in the field.

Global Health Initiative Itinerary

Please note: Activities may happen on different days due to weather or community needs. This is a tentative itinerary.

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Blog Updates

Om swastiastu from Bali!

All of our leaders but one arrived safe and sound today (we can’t wait to meet you, Victoria!), though exhausted from their long ride. After a Balinese welcome, with flowers behind their ears and freshly-cut coconuts to drink from, the students were introduced to Kaya House, their home base in Ubud. Dinner was a quick affair–everyone was eager for a shower and a good night’s sleep. Looking forward to our first full day tomorrow as we explore the language and culture of Bali, and get a feel for our neighborhood of Mas.

Day 2

Today was day two of the trip and the first day of really experiencing a whole new culture. Some of us started our day off bright and early with being awakened by the sounds and music of the morning offering in the temple.

After breakfast we began our trek to the world known rice paddies of Bali. Our leaders from Bali Institute explained how they work and how rice farming is a community job. The rice farmers follow the subak which connects the all the farmers and explains the rules of everyone helping each other with the farming. After our tour of the rice farms we then drove about 20 minutes to our next destination, Tirta Empul Temple.

Once we arrived we received a demenstration on how to put on our sarongs (these wrap like fabrics that must be worn in the temple). We then began our immersion into the culture of the temple and the people of Bali. We began by making an offering to a spirit of a giant banyan tree. After we completed our offering and were welcomed into the temple we walked through the entry way and into a giant open courtyard type are with a pond of Koi fish (see picture 2). We were taken to the holy water spring in which we got blessed with the water. Everyone gets in and wades in the water to be blessed. We then were lucky enough to participate in a prayer ritual. We were brought in to a sacred place meant for praying and we received offering of flowers and rice (pictures above).

We followed a five step prayer. The first was a prayer with empty hands to cleanse our soul and mind. The second step was to pray with the white flower asking Bhatara Surya, god of sun, for permission and blessing. The third step was a prayer with the mixed flower or “kwangen” which was for or ancestors. The fourth was with mixed flowers or “Kwangen” again and this was for our wishes. The last was empty hands for wishing our spirits to always be clean and for peace for everyone. We then got blessed with holy water in which we drank for our hands three times and on the fourth we washed our hair and face. The priests then gave us rice in which we placed on our forehead and collarbone and three pieces were to eat. After that we said “om shanti shanti shanti om”, meaning closing for the prayer.

After that we were released to shop in the market and we got to try our hand at bargaining for goods. We then traveled to Mt. Batur for lunch at Kintamani. We had a delicious Indonesian lunch of rice, noodles, vegetables, fruits, and many more. After bonding over our meal and amazing view we came back to Kaya house to rest before heading out again. Around 3 we headed to the medical school to have our introduction into our service work.

We arrived at STIKes (the school) and were greeted with beautiful flower leis and were brought up to a conference room in which we were treated to the local welcoming mask dance. The medical students introduced themselves and Bali as they know and love. We then recieved our schedule for the next three days and were given a tour of the lab that they use to study. We then had a magnificent meal and we got to get to know our Bali colleagues. The med students sang some amazing songs and we taught them some American dances such as the “Cotton Eyed Joe” and the “Cha Cha Slide”. After that we went back to Kaya house and went to sleep after our long day of experiencing the new culture.

-Cassady

Day 3

With Day Three began our first days of service here in Bali, we woke up bright and early and headed out to two different local banjars (a community gathering place) in the village of Mas. There, we were joined by the STIKes students to accompany us on our house visits. These house visits allowed us to experience the friendly environment of Bali firsthand, as we were eagerly welcomed into every household. The people of Mas allowed us to fill out surveys regarding the cleanliness and overall health status of each family unit by answering questions for us and allowing us to take their blood pressure. We were taught how to manually take a person’s blood pressure and the 6 steps of washing hands. After a short lunch break at the banjar, it was decided that we would conduct house visits again for the remainder of the afternoon, giving us a chance to bond with our STIKes students. When the service came to an end, many of us were able to visit a local store and load up on Balinese candy, ice cream, spicy chips, and other junk foods. We then retired to our homestay after a long day of exploring Mas and its people. Before we fell asleep, Lloyd led us all in a 30-minute meditation session to clear our minds before reflecting on our first day of service in our journals. Most of us fell asleep during the session (oops) and found it a lot easier to sleep later in the night.

Our second day of service began with by discussing and revising the survey we had used the day before with the STIKes students. We talked about what questions may offer better insight into the health status of Mas and what questions and topics we believed to be important. We then began home visits again, this time using our revised survey with the added questions. After attempting to converse in Balinese with local residents and becoming experts at taking blood pressure, we then inputted our findings into a spreadsheet to help us better understand the health issues facing Mas. A few of us headed to the store yet again to stock up on more Balinese junk food before heading back to the homestay to get some rest.

The last day of service focused on the elderly citizens of Bali, as we held community health checks at two banjars. In the morning, we were able to watch the STIKes students and their advisors perform the duties required at each station and after lunch, we were able to take over for them. Some of us assisted in helping the elderly register for the health check, getting a chance to review the Balinese language while others were able to practice their newly acquired blood pressure skills or record the height and weight of the patients. A few were able to calculate the blood sugar and uric acid levels of the participants by drawing their blood and the rest passed out a healthy snack of coconut milk and lentils to the elders.

-Karyna

 7/10/17
Throughout the week we went from house to house with our STICKes medical students to give health advice and gather data. Although we were supposed to be teaching the locals how to properly wash their hands and prevent high blood pressure, we learned a lot more from them than they learned from us. As our research progressed we observed the trash problem in Bali and the rising rates of hypertension and diabetes. Beyond that, we learned that not everyone lives their lives the way we do in America–and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We took note of their compassion and openness when they happily invited us into their homes and appreciated the little Bahasa Indonesian that we managed to speak. After the rewarding service work, it was time for a weekend getaway to experience more of Bali.
Going to Amed was a big change from Mas. The city streets were traded for black sand, Kaya house was replaced with beach bungalows, and the driven attitudes transitioned into ones more focused on building friendships. To start off, we woke up at 4:30 am (not an appreciated time for highschoolers), to embark on our snorkelling adventure. In groups of three, we hopped on spider boats and sailed towards the snorkelling site. As the sun began to rise, we also began to put on our masks and flippers. Once the gear was on, we jumped into the salty water. Below us, there was a Japanese shipwreck from WWII along with lots of coral and fish. The rest of the day consisted of a visit to the jungle healer, a game of beach volleyball with the locals, and a dance party at bungalow one. On Monday morning we left Amed and drove three hours back to Mas.
As much fun as we had at the beach, no one expected how great the tour at the birth clinic would be. For two and a half hours we talked to 2011 Hero of the Year Award winner Robin Lynn. Her influencial discussions about everything from midwives to post-natal care taught us so much about what health really means and what we can accomplish as a generation. As cheesy as it sounds, she further validated our purpose in health and with GLA.

-Hannah and Emma

¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a Argentina!

We’re so happy to have all of our students here in Tigre, a tranquil town in the north suburb of Buenos Aires.

After we settled into the hotel Villa Victoria, we enjoyed the sunshine and played a few “rompehielos” (ice breakers) to get to know all 22 students, 3 US staff, and the local Argentine team. Following snack time (and tea time) we looked over the schedule of the fun filled two weeks in Argentina, and completed orientation.

A delicious pasta dinner with Neapolitan ice cream followed and early to bed, ready for a full day tomorrow of kayaking and an introduction to our service project!

Un beso,

GLA staff

Andrea, Kumbi, and Lexi

July 3, 2017

Hello we had a fantastic first full day in Argentina! The people here are amazing, y fantastico. The way of life is fascinating and captivating. Today, we starting off the bright and beautiful day with a breakfast in the Hotel Villa Victoria de Tigre. Afterwards Andrea and her friend Pablo from our service site at the CAEC school. They came to show us what our service site would be like and what we would be doing. For the afternoon we met with Diego and Patricio to kayak down some of the waterways in Tigre. As we stopped for a drink we interviewed Diego and asked him a couple questions about Argentine culture, surprisingly most of his answers dealt with kayaking! We’ve had an awesome first day in Argentina and can’t wait to see and do more!

Your First Leaders of the Day,

Andrew M. and Parker J.

July 4, 2017

¡Hola y bienvenidos a nuestra aventura en Argentina! Today we all began our first day of service through Chacras at Buenos Aires. We were all super excited to get our hands dirty and start working. At CAEC, our service site, the students and volunteer faculty surprised us by taking us to the beach of Rio Tigre,which was just a short walk from the school. We are going to be building a small structure for CAEC out of adobe and eco-ladrillos, giving the school more space to provide for the special needs students. As leaders of the day, we had conducted an interview with one of the faculty members at CAEC named Fabian. He told us that he believes working with special needs children was his calling and that he will continue it for as long as he can. We asked him what the most important thing he had learned from the children was and he said, “Before we can talk about and confront issues surrounding diversity, we must first discuss inclusion and opportunities within society.” Fabian is a judo instructor for disabled children and is also a track and field coach for the deaf and blind. He mentioned how he uses different methods of judo for different disabilities as well, and for those who can’t move as easily as others, he’s taught them how to fall in a way that would hurt less. When we went back to home base, we all enjoyed trying Argentine food, such as empanadas for lunch and blood sausage for dinner! We’ve been loving our time here in Argentina! Don’t miss us too much because we’re having a baller time. ¡Ciao!

~Aritri and Hannah

July 5, 2017

After breakfast we began the day by playing telephone and a fun icebreaker called name tag. We then made our way to our service site to begin our second day of work. We braved the rain and sticky mud, making good progress on our construction project. We dug many holes. After returning from service and having a nice snack, we met Giselle and Georgia- our tango instructors. For the next hour, they taught us the art of Argentine tango! After tango we had dinner and then split into our mentor groups with Kumbi and Lexi. We discussed cultural stereotypes and where they come from, along with T Hall’s Iceberg Culture Theory. We also did rose, bud, and thorn from the day. Finally, we went back to our rooms to get some rest after a long, busy day!

-Alex and Isabel

July 6, 2017

After breakfast at 8 am, the GLA students participated in an intense game of capture the flag, in which one of the participants, Aritri, ended up jumping into the pool to help her team win the game. Afterwards, we started working on constructing “ecoladrillos”, or ecobricks, that we would later use in our work site. While constructing these bricks, we watched a documentary called “Plasitc Ocean”, in order to learn more about the effects of plastic on our environment, and how to actively get involved in the prevention of plastic ending up in our oceans. We learned different methods to cut plastic out of our lives, and help save many aquatic animals and most importantly, protect our future health. For lunch, we had lentil stew along with Argentinian bread cake. In the afternoon, we headed out to the city to explore el Museo de Arte de Tigre, or art museum of Tigre, where we saw paintings by multiple Argentinian artists including Quinquela Martin. We later continued walking around the heart of the city, buying some local foods on our way. When we got home, we did an activity where we watched a ted talk video about “big talk”, or the opposite of “small talk”, where we would skip small talk, and directly have a personal conversation in order to know them better. To continue getting to know the students, we played “speed-friending”, where we spent 2 minutes explaining something personal about ourselves to different people. For dinner, we enjoyed incredible lasagna and ice cream for dessert. Our night time activity was watching a movie called “inside out”, about people’s different emotions. After an activity packed day, we ended our evening in our beds!!

-Afsaneh and Danny

July 9, 2017

Buenos dias!

We woke up to a chilly, foggy morning at the estancia today. We were served a filling breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, breads, and lots of fruit! The first group set out for horseback riding and got rained on… A LOT. Luckily it stopped raining for the second group to ride horses, but because the saddles were wet, we ended up looking as if we all peed our pants! After drying off we had another super filling meal: asado lunch. There were empanadas, salads, french fries, and a very LARGE assortment of meats. After lunch it was time to say goodbye to the dogs, horses, gauchos, and estancia. :'((

After our trip to the Estancia, we took the bus to a small town, San Antonio de Areco, with historical sites. We spent 10 minutes there in the rain and then left for the Puerto de Frutos. The Puerto de Frutos market had a variety of Argentine souvenirs. Unfortunately, we went as the stores began to close and had to pick another location. We decided to go to Chinatown and found small stores to shop at. There were super unique souvenirs and weird foods to try. After a long day of horseback riding and shopping, we went back to home base and ended the night with a delicious meal of shepherds pie.

Overall, today was a lovely adventure that we enjoyed leading the group through 🙂

Love,
Alaina and Sonia (the best leaders of the day)

July 10th, 2017

I’m guessing I should start this blog with an introduction of myself. My name is Amanda Harvey, and I’m from Lubbock, Texas. When you ask your child/ relative/ friend that is on this trip about me, they’ll probably describe me as the dog girl (I have 3 dogs who I talk about nonstop). I was the leader of the day on July 10th. On this day, we got the honor of speaking to a lady about her experience during the Argentina Revolution. Lucía described an unforgettable story about getting taken away from her mother, and her grandfather’s quest to find her. Most importantly, she came to our home base with the intention of spreading a message of love. Lucía stated, “I don’t like war, I like peace.” I think this stuck with us all for the following days to come. In addition to speaking with Lucía, we also made an immense amount of progress on our building. We began constructing our first wall and put up our four poles that would outline the structure. All in all, this was a fairly productive and important day. I’d like to end my blog with a shout out to my mother, Emma Coronado (she insisted I wrote about her in my blog, so here I am). Thank you, mom, for always being so amazing and supporting me on this mission trip!

July 11, 2017

¡Hola! Today was another great day in Argentina! For the majority of our day we worked at CAEC. Today was highly progressive for building because the sky was clear and we did not have to deal with the rainy, cold conditions of the past week. Using the adobe mud and ecoladrillas we made in previous days, we began to build the first wall of the building. As leaders, we were allowed the opportunity to interview young workers at the school. These interviews offered a unique, interesting perspective about the school that differed from the people who founded it. They described their passion for the kids at CAEC and how they love helping them discover their different abilities. After service, we were allowed to use wifi for a couple of hours. Most of us contacted family and friends during the rare opportunity to talk to people outside of Argentina. After dinner, we discussed strategies to share our experiences when we return home. The day ended in a big jam session with everyone singing along. It was another great day in Argentina and we all look forward to the last few days of the journey and the future opportunities to bond with the CAEC students, locals, and each other.

-CATIE AND MARIE

GLA Blog: July 13th, 2017

Today we went to the capital, Buenos Aires! After taking an hour train ride to the city, we walked a couple blocks down to an small, authentic Argentine store, Arandu. Here, there were many leather products (i.e. wallets, boots, bracelets, etc.), gaucho hats, and “alparagatas” (shoes that resemble ‘Toms’) which Argentina is very well known for.

After, we continued to walk the busy streets and were surrounded by exquisite architecture influenced by the French. We walked aside the widest streets in South America; it consisted of 5 lanes on both sides.

Next, we headed to La Boca by bus. All of us sat on the second floor of the double decker bus and got to see the city in a different point of view. We passed the Pink House, Obelisk, and many other local landmarks. As we got closer, there were many colorful buildings and murals.

For lunch, we left La Boca and headed toward Buenos Aires again. We ate at an all you can eat buffet that included an asado (Argentine barbecue).

Towards the end of the tour, we walked all the way back to the train station, allowing us to see even more of the bustling city!

Leaders of the Day,

Paige and Bella

4.17.2017

Welcome to our program blog for our Spring Break Sea Turtle Initiative program in Costa Rica. We’ll be updating the blog occasionally when we receive new info from staff in-country.

This group photo was taken just moments ago. The group is off to Parismina within the hour!

4.18.2017

We woke up around 9am for breakfast yesterday, we had eggs, toasts with guava jam, cold iced tea, and watermelon.

After that we got ready for the organic farm tour owned by Jason. We saw many different varieties of fruits, vegetables and plants. We also were lucky enough to see iguanas, spider monkeys, and even a sloth!!!

After the farm tour, we had mentor group meeting, where we talked about how our first impressions about different cultures can be incorrect at times. Next we got to have free time on the beach where tons of pictures where taken and we even had a jam sesion with JP.

Around 5pm, volunteers from ASTOP came to talk to us about the biology of sea turtles and the importance of protecting them. Finally we went night patrolling on the beaches, hoping to protect sea turtle eggs, and after a couple of hours walking the beach with our guides we saw this beautiful Leatherback Turtle coming out of the water! We got to see how she prepared a hole in the sand for the nest, while we had to remain quiet in total silence. After she laid the eggs, we took them to the nursery so they can be protected from poachers until the little hatchlings are born.

-Caroline M., Trinity and Caroline R.

4.19.2017

Today we woke up and it was already scorching hot. We ate our breakfast of delicious fruit and homemade doughnuts and headed out on the ride to town.

In town, we arrived at Olga’s to get our fruit shakes. Troy and Kristina joined us and we drank the refreshing shakes.

Kristina gave the group a tour of Parismina, including the ASTOP Headquarters. After our tour we went to Yolanda’s to bake some coconut cookies with a few local kids. On our ride home, we picked up a few friends (or dogs, we should say) to bring back to home base.

Everybody ate lunch and had a group nap in the hammocks. We woke up and headed out for beach clean up and beach time! But it started to rain so we came home for cards and dinner. After a beautiful sunset and photo shoot, we had a mentor group session on Service and headed to bed.

It was a good day!

4.20.2017

After a long day in the town yesterday, we woke up and ate breakfast around 9am. Following a delicious breakfast of grilled cheese and fruit, we took a boat tour at the mangroves near Home Base.

We were lucky enough to see monkeys, sloths, a cayman and all different types of birds thanks to our boat driver Margarito. Although it was a scorching hot day, the breeze from the boat cooled us down.

After the boat ride, we went back to the Home Base and sat in the hammocks for some time. It was so hot, so before we went to the beach we played cards. Next we spent 1 hour on the beach and some of us sat in the water.

After we went for a walk along the beach to search for trash and clean it up to preserve the natural beach environment. Then we came back to Home Base and had a delicious dinner.

-Hope and Ella

4.22.2017

It’s our final night in Costa Rica!

From Parismina we stopped at a national park to go ziplining. We zipped through the rain forest across 11 different cables, one of which was almost half a mile long!

We then arrived in Alajuela, and sat down to our farewell dinner.

Tomorrow, we all head home, forever grateful to get to help protect Costa Rica’s turtles and meet each other.

It’s been an adventure! Pura Vida!

4.9.2017

Arrival Day!

Welcome to our program blog for our Spring Break Sea Turtle Initiative program in Costa Rica. We’ll be updating the blog occasionally when we receive new info from staff in-country.

Update: All students except for one have arrived in Costa Rica yesterday and were picked up by our staff in-country. Please not that the remaining student is expected to arrive later on today, and is therefore not featured in the group photos below.

4.11.2017

Today, we started off with a tour of the garden and spent some time playing a game call called ‘Cat and Mouse.’

A local woman – Christina – visited us after lunch to inform us about an organization called ASTOP, related to our mission in Costa Rica. They help protect and preserve the three main species of turtles on the Caribbean coast of the country. The leatherback, hawksbill and green sea turtles all nest on the beaches here.

On the tour we learned a lot about various plants and animals. We saw two sloths and a lot of huge iguanas! Jason also cut open coconuts for us to try.

We ended the day at the beach, where most of us went in the water.

-Amber, Victoria, Sylvia and Paige

4.13.2017

Last night we went for the first Night Patrol at the beach. In the beginning it was hard walking at the beach at dark, but after a while the full moon helped us see the way.

We learned on how to find turtles and we saw the path of a turtle that came out maybe an hour before but no luck on finding it.

For breakfast, we had ‘arepas’, scrambled eggs, and fruits. After breakfast, we went on a boat tour though the canals. On the tour, we found lots of monkeys, sloths, and birds such as herons. We even saw a cayman!

When we got back we had a delicious lunch and then some free time before we went to the beach to do service and clean up the trash. Back at the Home Base, we had some snacks and icies, and then we took a dance lesson! We learned the salsa, bachata, and cumbia.

After dinner, we got in mentor groups in order to reflect about the day and the service we are doing here for the community.

Later, the group was playing games and all of the sudden we were told there was a turtle on the beach nesting, not far from our Home Base! We got ready in less than 5 minutes, got our flash lights and went to the beach so excited about the news, and when we got to the place, there it was: a giant leatherback turtle laying eggs in the middle of the night!

We sat around the turtle and quietly appreciated the beautiful turtle and the peacefulness of the moment.

4.13.2017

Today we walked over 30 minutes from the lodge to town to visit the sea turtle hatchery and get a tour of Parismina town. There we met locals and saw their way of life from their churches to their schools and even their soccer field.

Afterwards, we returned to the lodge by boat along the river. We then had lunch and continued our beach clean up, where we accumulated over 10 more big bags of trash.

Later, we splashed around at the beach and had mentor groups, where Paz, JP and Sophie spoke to us about service and how it has impacted their lives and can potentially impact ours.

After, we all bonded over playing cards and talking in the hammocks while waiting for dinner. We ate dinner and then went on night patrol at the beach and hoped to see another Leatherback turtle lay eggs like the night before.

-Annia, Bianca, Carter and Julia S.

4.14.2017

Last night when we were on our night patrol we were lucky enough to see a Leatherback turtle and a Green turtle! We watched one of them dig her nest and lay her eggs; a few of us were fortunate enough to be able to pet the Green turtle, and it’s an experience we will never forget.

During the morning we walked to the town of Parismina and learned how to cook ‘cajeta’, a coconut and cinnamon sweet. Afterwards, we visited a local art craft fair where the people living there brought some jewelry and decorations that they made.

We spent a lot of time with local kids in the soccer field. Wepksyed many different games and got to teach them how to play it, such as ‘duck, duck, goose’ in Spanish. After that we had a snack with the kids indoors due to the rain. After our popsicle snacle, we walked to a local family owned restaurant to by delicious coconut, pineapple, watermelon and guanabana smothies.

We are looking forward to another night patrol tonight and hope to see more turtles.

-Mary, Daria, Ivy and Joshua

4.15.2017

After 5 days in Parismina, we are back in Alajuela for one night before students begin flying back to the US in the morning. Our ride home started with a 10 minute boat ride to Caño Blanco and a 2 hour bus ride to Costa Rica Adventure Park, where students went ziplining in the rain.

Today’s weather definitely put the “rain” in rainforest! Upon our return to Alajuela, we enjoyed one last meal together and recalled the fun and the challenging moments of the past week.

What an adventure we had! Hasta la próxima!