Final Reflection

Hi guys. Sorry, I know its been a long time since my last entry, but I was really busy with my independent study, and lost keeping up with the blog. But I feel like I should sum up my experience for all you guys of my fall semester in the Dominican Republic. It has been the best experience of my life. I have learned so much, not just language, but also public health issues, political problems, Dominican culture and medicine. David, Stacy, Mollie, Jenn, Jenny, Kelly, and Christina have been my family. I’m sad to see everyone go, but we all will go onto better things and do great things. I can tell. Every one of us has the strive and thirst to change medicine and health in Latin America since being here. I personally know the health situation here needs to change. Services are decent, but need to be improved. Seeing and working in a public clinic (NGO) like Pequeños Pasitos really struck me as something that needs to be more prominent in the Dominican Republic. As in the more impoverished parts, such as in the south. David and I were throwing around some ideas of how to improve this one night, and hopefully in the future, we can work together in hope of achieving this goal of improving health all over Latin America. I think David and I really have the drive to do this, so hopefully we can get together later in life and complete our goals. I’m proud as well to have many contacts in DR, so that when I go back, I’ll be welcomed back in open arms. I’m really glad I chose this program. It has just been a perfect experience; it exceeded my expectations completely. My host family was incredible, our program director (Lilly) was stupendous, and my friends (David, Stacy, Mollie, Jenn, Jenny, Kelly and Christina) are the greatest. You all are my family, and are always welcome in Michigan. It has been my great pleasure and honor to have known all of you, and I hope we can all stay in touch. As for all my friends in Michigan, I’ll be home tonight. If you would like to get together and discuss this in person, I can tell you all the little details, and tell you how amazing this experience was. As for all my new friends all around the US, I love you guys, and thanks for everything, you guys helped make this experience the absolute best it could be. Para mis amigos en la Republica Dominicana, les quiero mucho, y cuídense. Les prometo que voy a volver un día, y podremos juntarnos. Thanks to all of you who read this blog, it means a lot that you guys wanted to keep tabs on me. Maybe I’ll write one for France summer 2010, maybe. But thanks again to all of you. Send me a message whenever and I’ll be more than happy to keep in touch with all of you. Merry Christmas.