Project Hope 2015: Colombia and Dominica

Hi everyone, I am Emily Hesse and I will be traveling to Colombia and Dominica with Heather.  In less than 24 hours, we will be arriving in Panama City, Panama for the day before getting on the USNS Comfort to head to Buenaventura, Colombia for our first stop.

I wanted to participate in this rotation because this is a once in a lifetime experience. We will be able to see how pharmacy can play an integral role in helping people all over the world.

Though I am excited about this experience, I have definitely had some anxieties as our departure date approaches.  I am not the world traveler by any means, I have left that to my younger brother. The entirety of the trip will be new to me, not only living on a boat for 5 weeks, but international airports, customs and all that goes into foreign travel. I took 4 years of Spanish between high school and undergrad, but I remember very little so there will be a language barrier at some point during this trip.

But, my biggest worry has been packing.  I may be the world's worst over packer.  This time, over packing was not an option, so I have been worrying about how I was going to bring 5 weeks worth of everything I may need in the smallest amount of luggage possible.  Luckily, I think I have figured out how to make it work.  I know this is a minor problem compared to the problems that the people we are going to help face. I also know that all of my worries about packing are going to pale in comparison to everything I am going to be able to learn throughout this rotation.

I am excited to be able to have this experience as part of my pharmacy school education and hope that Heather and I will be able to do our experiences justice through this blog.