My first impressions of Uspha Uspha

I have been working at Proyecto Horizonte in Uspha Uspha for about three months now. The new city, people, and work were at first somewhat intimidating, but I feel I have now been here long enough to become both comfortable and confident in what I am doing. One of the best parts of working for Proyecto Horizonte is how they are able to take such a diverse set of talents within the volunteer corps and apply them to the project so that everybody is able to utilize their strengths. As a pre-medical student and a big sports enthusiast, I was incredibly pleased the volunteer coordinator was able to accommodate me in both the Centro de Salud and Escuela de Futbol.

In the Health Center, I have a variety of responsibilities. I have been able to go on vaccination campaigns, draw blood from patients, assist doctors, and help prepare patients by taking weights, heights, and blood pressures. The doctors, nurses, and dentists have been incredibly open and supportive both in and out of the health center. As time has passed, they have allowed me more and more responsibility, and have been patient as I learn to master new skills. Outside of the health center, I have played soccer and volleyball, gone rock climbing, been to fairs, and done countless other activities with the employees. In previous projects I have been with, I had found a separation between local and foreign volunteers that has been at times difficult to bridge. With so many community projects and opportunities to bond, that has certainly not been the case here.

For soccer school, I was surprised and pleased and the amount of direction and responsibility we were given. From the promotion at the beginning in order to find children to organizing monthly tournaments, under the guidance of the volunteer coordinator we have been able to exercise a great deal of our own control over the course of the program.