Kate and a fellow AIM Overseas participant at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Mexico City
Kate Wright has recently completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Canberra. In January, Kate participated in our Health Care in Mexico program - marking the end of her undergraduate degree. Kate tells us about her life-changing adventure below:
Hi Kate! Could you please tell me about what you're currently studying at UC and what stage of your degree you're at?
I graduated from UC in March this year – the Health Care in Mexico course marked the end of my undergraduate degree! I studied a Bachelor of Science with majors in Human Nutrition and Psychology.
Congrats on graduating! Why did you choose the AIM Overseas Health Care in Mexico course?
I chose this course for the hands-on exposure to the health care system of another country. It is very rare to have the opportunity to visit the places we did, talk with the professionals and lecturers we spoke with or to live with the people we did, let alone in a transitional country like Mexico which is learning how to maintain treatment of communicable diseases while finding ways to treat new health problems such as obesity and diabetes. I chose the AIM Overseas course as it provided a balance of the educational and the cultural aspects of Mexico in one grand adventure!
What was a typical day like for you during the course?
There was no typical day! Every day brought something new for us on the course. If we were on-campus at Universidad La Salle for a day, we would start at 8 or 9am, with lectures running through until lunchtime (which were timetabled earlier for us than Mexicans would normally eat!). Afternoons would be more classes or a meeting with the Academic Advisor to discuss our presentations and assignments.
If it was a day for site visits, we would be up before the sun for breakfast (always made by our fabulous homestay mother) then out the door to get the bus to wherever was scheduled; whether it be a rehabilitation centre, a nursing home, a hospital or to a community health day in a poorer part of Mexico City. Travel times varied but were always interesting in Mexican peak hour traffic! Once at our destination, we would do a tour of the facility and hear a lecturer or two (could be in English, could be in Spanish…) from a medical professional. If the lecture was in Spanish, Willy or Margot were always there to translate for us. These days were typically long and tiring but always an eye-opening experience.
Did you have any expectations about Mexico and what it would be like before you went? If so, did those expectations change at all?
I had few expectations of Mexico before I went, which meant that everything I encountered was amazing. Mexico City is a place that is quite difficult to prepare for as it is unlike anywhere in Australia. I suppose most people think of the drug wars when they think of Mexico but as Mexico City is toward the south of the country, it is well removed from that problem, which rages along the US border. The area we stayed (Condesa), near where Universidad La Salle is also located, is quite safe and so much fun – cafes, churros, bars and karaoke to name just a few. Mexicans are incredible people (at least the ones I came into contact with were!), so welcoming and friendly…and they love to eat! The food was delicious and very difficult to do without once I came home. I have managed to locate genuine Mexican salsa verde though so I’m happy!
Do you have a funny story about something that happened to you whilst in Mexico?
The funniest time was probably going to the wrestling – you just had to get in there and scream with the rest of the locals. The best part of the night was watching two of my housemates be interviewed by a man dressed up as a wrestler for a TV show! We’re still trying to find a copy of it on the internet though. Other things that were funny include watching everyone learn to dance, being taught to cook Mexican food, watching Clare being almost run over by every Domino’s Pizza delivery bike in Condesa (she knows who she is!!), learning how to cross the road regardless of the colour of traffic lights, dodging peseros and avoiding ever having to get on one, spying on the music star who may or may not have lived next door, trying to understand what our homestay mother was telling us in Spanish, learning to haggle at the markets then watching the vendors haggle with themselves…there were so many little things that happened that made for lots of fun times.
How has this course affected you?
This was a fantastic learning experience for me, and in some ways life changing. I had to resign from my job in order to undertake the Mexico course but I wouldn’t change it. Not only did I get the chance to see inside some of Mexico City’s medical/health care facilities and hear from some very knowledgeable professionals, but I was also exposed to some amazing cultural experiences, saw some beautiful sights and met some wonderful people. The Health Care in Mexico course was credited toward my degree so I got the opportunity to end my undergraduate studies with something not many other people have.
It looks great on a CV and I have been asked about the trip by a number of different interviewers. Potential employers see an international experience on your resume and you immediately stand out from every other applicant. As more and more government departments are looking for employees with life skills and experiences to supplement their tertiary studies, the Health Care course has provided me with an outstanding tool to assist me in my new career.
What would you say to another student thinking about doing this course?
I can sum it up in one word – GO! - but be prepared to work hard, sleep little, learn a lot, be overwhelmed, laugh, cry, get frustrated and have the time of your life. The course is an irreplaceable part of my degree and my life and while there were hard times, the good times overcame them. This course will test you in ways you never thought imaginable and it will change you. You learn so much about people, including how to cope with being around the same group of people every day for a month, how people still enjoy life when they have so little and how good your life here is and how many opportunities you have at your fingertips. You learn about culture, you learn to push your boundaries, and you learn to be appreciative of the little things, like learning how and where you can do your laundry! So to anyone contemplating whether or not to do the Health Care in Mexico course, I say do it. But take as little luggage as possible – physical and emotional – as you will come back with many new purchases and a great new outlook on the world and your place in it. A last word of advice; don’t expect to understand a single thing that’s going on when you get there…but it gets so much better and by the time it’s all over, you won’t want to come home!
Thanks so much Kate!
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