It’s crazy to think that I’ve been gone for less than a week! Besides getting over jet lag and adjusting to being away from home my group has been very busy getting introduced to the vast and very complicated realm of health on global and community levels (and everything in between!)
The 33 of us, along with our professors and traveling staff are already a very tight bunch and I am incredibly happy to say that we make up a deep respectful, trusting, open, and very beautifully diverse mini-community. Each of us has had to cope with being away from all those we love but have been able to rely on each other for help and support. We all know we’re going through the same anxieties and we are so excited to start this wonderful and life-changing journey.
So far, we’ve been hearing from multiple guest speakers. Some are leaders of local Geneva NGO’s concerning their influence on community health across the globe, others represent local sectors of trade organizations and give us insight on their impact on health goods and services. We’ve visited the UN and have been introduced to the extremely intricate workings of health systems (economically, socially and biologically) from World Trade Organization, UNAIDS, and World Health Organization officials. Today we visited the World Health Organization where we heard from experts on Traditional medicine practices as well as the HIV/AIDS situation globally. Tomorrow we visit a hospital and learn the basics about the health care systam on a patient-care level. Needless to say, with these guest lectures and separate lectures from our own professors, we’ve had a lot on our plates!
A little bit about the beautiful city of Geneva: in its relatively small population of 178,000 there are roughly 189 ethnic groups and 4 prevalent languagues spoken (French, German, Italian and English). It has beautiful scenery (the Alps and Lake Geneva, as well as the antique architectures), wonderfully friendly people, and consists of a very trusting and accepting community in its politics and mindset. And of course, it has delicious chocolates, cheeses, breads and pastries. I wish I had more than a week to explore it but can’t wait to get to India in just 3 more days!
While I am missing being at home, I know that I have been given a very unique opportunity to learn about what I am most interested in. It is really refreshing to feel that I am part of a network of students and teachers who are so intrigued and passionate about everything that I am, but that bring so many different perspectives to the table. All in all, I couldn’t be happier!
