Reflection on the week

So this week was pretty amazing, not only for me but the organization as well. I learned a ton of Spanish and some serious salsa moves too. AMA had the best group they could have asked for as their test run for establishing a health branch to the organization.
The group this week heard lectures on Mayan health, the Mayan cosmo vision, and the Guatemalan Health Care system. They met with Mayan midwives and other Mayan health professionals so in their week hear they gathered a ton of information on the Guatemalan/Mayan perspective of health. The entire group was thrilled with their experiences and very excited about the interactions they had. I over heard one of their nightly reflections this week and it sounds like they were able to share a modern perspective of health while also learning the Mayan perspective. They talked about how they taught the Mayan women how to take blood pressure and other really common doctoral practices in the states. They talked about how quickly the women picked up these new concepts and how eager they were to learn. It was an extremely successful trip. They also talked about how amazing and holistic the Mayan approach to health is and more "well rounded" the practice is.
For the future, I believe the goal is to build a program that provides an opportunity for groups of health professionals to come learn and share knowledge that can be very beneficial for all parties involved. There are some aspects of Mayan health that the current US health approach could benefit from and there aspects of current health practices that Mayan health could benefit from. This group really let this organization know that it would seem successful to add another very important and life changing program to their organization.
Long term, I know that they want to build a strong enough relationship between the communities and visiting US health professionals that they could maybe start reforming the Guatemalan health care system. I don't know enough about it to contribute my opinion, but from what I have been told there could be better ways of administering health care in this country. This is obviously a very long term goal, but one that could benefit the lives of so many. I am very excited for AMA and their ambition for this project.
As far as how I have been doing, I spent last night sleeping a lot due to my very busy week and it was just what I needed. This morning was very sunny which was so nice because it hasn't really stopped raining since I got here. YEAH hurricane season!!! Some other interns and I took the opportunity to lay out in our court yard to appreciate the rarely seen sun. It was quite lovely. Afterward at about 10:30 this morning we hiked up a mountain about 20 minute walk away. It had an amazing view and a great play ground at the top. We hiked back down and made it just in time to catch the soccer game. It has been a lovely day and this evening we are having a very nice dinner at my friend's house. I am very excited.
Check in again soon!