I come from a humble background, born and raised in an urban area of Michoacán, Mexico where tourism and economic activity eclipsed my experienced poverty and lack of access to affordable and quality health ca re. As a product of the environment I grew up in, I have the responsibility to contribute to efforts in uplifting my community and peoples from conditions that conditions that continue to affect the. This program provided me with the opportunity to return to Latin America and see first-hand how social determinants of health and larger structural barriers continue to the shape the different standards of living for diverse groups in diverse geographic locations. This transcended the idea of immersing myself in an educational experience abroad, it was much personal to my own background. I view ed the program from a social activist perspective so I could capture the multifaceted structural issues that shaped the lives of individuals living in Peru.
As an academic, activist, and individual, I made it my goal to connect at a personal level with people I encountered in Peru. Because I was bilingual, I was able to speak with people in Spanish with the intention to learn about their experience, their world views, and explore the issues they thought to be most important. I kept in mind the issues I learned in my classrooms at UCLA: the exploitation and discrimination committed against indigenous groups, the spread of capitalism and implementation of neoliberal practices, the forms of resistance and activism led by women — my knowledge in all these issues influenced me to remain critical of the information delivered, the conditions in which people lived, and the way in which I integrated myself in various situations. Ultimately, my hope was to document my experience with pictures and videos so I can then share what I learned with future students who are interested in this same program because of similar reasons. I was confident the Global Health program was going to serve as the platform to reach my academic and career goals. As a Global Health minor, not only was I taking courses during this program that counted towards my upper division coursework, but I was also provided with first-hand experience through various visits to local hospitals, health NGO's, and trips outside of Lima to Iquitos. I learned how local health posts, clinics, and regional hospitals play a critical role in implementing quality and affordable interventions to meet the health need, and collaborate (or not) with the Ministry of Health to collect data and establish health and risk priorities. As a result, this program challenged me to tap into my academic and experiential knowledge to further expand my insight and ask more complex questions to my professors and different professionals we met. Truly, this program exceed my academic expectations and became a transformative learning experience as a future scholar. Particularly, I was deeply interested in working with and learning from the faculty that led the program since their research highly resonates with my interests. I was thrilled to work one-on-one with Dr. Konda to explore how alcohol use consumption and risky sexual behavior among men who have sex with men increased the risk of HIV transmission in the United Stated and Perú. I was intrigued by how evidence-based research informed innovative, culturally-relevant strategies to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) within local, social and epidemiological contexts. This rewarding experience inspired me to explore similar academic interests and conceptualize questions of inquiry that I hope to answer in a graduate program in the future.
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The streets of Cusco, PeruWe landed in Cusco's airport at around 8:00am. We were in a major rush because from Cusco, we needed to drive to Ollantaytambo to catch our train at 12:30pm. That train would then take us to the bottom of Machu Picchu. Imagine traveling to a country where your travel study program provides you with the opportunity to visit one the seven new world wonders. A view of Machu PicchuA mural I came across while walking around the market of Belén.About Belén, Iquitos, Perú. El barrio is a touristic destination with tremendous commercial force in Iquitos and is divided into Alto Belén (High) y Belén Bajo (Low). The suburban life changes seasonally with the rising and lowering of the Itaya river which floods Belén Bajo for half of the year. El Mercado de Belén (Market of Belén) is a very important place in Iquitos with vivid movement due to the rapid exchange of goods from the same region. Our tour guide mentioned that merchants start at 4am and finish at 6pm everyday. Now that's what you call hustle.
Standing on a cliff that overlooked the city of PampasThere was a reason I decided to do my travel study program in Peru and our visit to Pampas reaffirmed my decision. Visiting pampas was a very humbling experience and also a reminder of my privilege just living in the U.S. where my basic needs are not a worry. In Pampas, people invaded the land after immigrating from distant places where terrorism inflicted tremendous fear and pain. Pampas is a representation of hope where communities use everything they can find to build a shelter that becomes their home. Pampas wrestles with structural barriers that prevent access to basic healthcare needs. Pampas is a reminder of where I came from - un pueblo (un pueblo) very small where streets are also unpaved and running water was only available some days at certain hours. There was only one person that provided medical assistance for minor illnesses but other than that, people needed to visit a hospital in the city miles away without available transportation. Although I have entered a top institution of higher education, I remember that the work I do is bigger than myself. I take classes thinking, 'how can this class give me the knowledge, the tools, and preparation to return to my community and create sustainable interventions that meet the needs of the people?' I realize that navigating higher Ed. is difficult coming from a working class family, with my parents only having finished a primary education, but when you have a responsibility to uplift you community - to use your education as a vehicle for structural change - your drive and passion only grows.
As an emblematic institute of national culture, The Brisas del Titicaca Cultural Association (ACBT), bases their success on the diffusion of artistic wealth of Puno dances and the uniqueness of its music. The MC mentioned that all this is made possible thanks to artistic ensembles like dance groups, the Estudiantina, Native Instruments Ensemble and Choral Ensemble. This group aims to represent the different native groups from regions across Peru to showcase the multiciplicity of diverse musical pieces and dance choreographies. I was amazed by the bright and colorful outfits each group wore. The liveliness of the atmosphere filled people with happiness and excitement. At one point the MC asked the audience to join him at the dance floor to dance. I love dancing so I immediately felt propelled to get up and dance. I grabbed my friend, Denise, by her hand and asked her to come with me. Once on the dance floor, I found myself shaking my hips and moving my feet to the rhythm of the music. Soon, one by one, my peers from the program began joining us as we formed a circle close to the stage. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the music, dancing and spinning as we watch people around smile and move their feet swiftly like if all this came so natural to them. After each performance, the MC would ask the audience to come dance. I found this to be effective in getting the audience engaged in the show. This cultural activity made me realized for the first time that I was, in fact, in another country, absorbing the culture and appreciating the values and passion by which Peruvians embraced their traditions. Lima, Peru. Thursday, June 23, 2016.
Today, my friends and I were excited to visit the Basilica Cathedral of Lima hoping to see the religious-cultural side of Lima. We decided to take an Uber from the Ibis Hotel in LarcoMar, Miraflores to the the Plaza de Armas which was about a 35 min drive. As a Catholic-raised Latino, I have been in touched with my religion because it is very interconnected with my culture. Even when growing up in Mexico, religion played a huge role in the traditions and celebrations in which my extended families participated in. My hope was to see the beautiful architecture, as it is one of my interests, and buy something for my mother. Lima, Perú. Wednesday, June 22, 2016.
Our lecture today focused on non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in global health. Our topics of discussion addressed how, and under what optimal conditions, many infectious diseases are largely preventable. However, NCDs are much harder to prevent because they are more related to the individual-level preventative risks and their duration can vary based on treatment. Lima, Perú. Monday, June 20, 2016.
It was Monday morning. My first day of class for the Global Health Program at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, the hosting university where we were going to have lectures while in Lima. The campus was 10 minutes walking from our hotel. Throughout the program, it became a ritual to meet everyone downstairs in the dining hall where we had the same food available to us everyday, but somehow we managed to enjoy it on the daily. Since it was the first day, we decided to walk to the campus in big groups to avoid getting lost and in effort to there on time. Lima, Perú. Saturday, June 19, 2016.
Our plane landed around 10:30am and a gloomy gray sky welcomed us to Lima, Peru. Although fresh, the weather was not as cold as I thought it would be. We were given forms by Peruvian immigration officials to fill out, specifically asking for the items and amount of money we were bringing into the country. I was not too concern with the process since I was with other program participants. I felt comfortable to know that we were all going through this new experience together. However, I recognized the every one of us came with different levels of experience traveling abroad which is important as we supported each other through this learning process. |