Crossing Borders

          This past Thanksgiving I was able to celebrate a little differently. I packed my bag and set off for the beautiful Dominican Republic with 10 strangers from across the country. Me and these ten other college students were members of a club called CURE University at our respective schools. CURE aims to provide free medical care to underserved areas around the globe and we got to be a part of that for a whole week.
       
         The hospital is located in Santo Domingo right in the middle of the city. For most of the week, we were at the hospital helping out in the different wards and getting a chance to learn more about the field of medicine. I got to watch two surgeries be performed and several check ups. The hospital partners with the MLB so i surprisingly also ran into the KC Royals coach one day during a clinical visit. He was down in the Dominican doing some work.
       

         On top of helping out around the hospital we also got to explore the beautiful beaches, the shopping center, and did a couple outreach missions to spread the word of CURE throughout the region. We got to taste test some of the best coffee and chocolate I had ever had too!
       
         The most rewarding part of the week was getting to interact with so many patients at the hospital and talk to them about their culture and learn more of their language. It was fun getting to meet all the children who came in for the clubfoot clinic and check-ups. The staff was so incredibly nice and helpful and they provided us students with such a great experience!