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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
Katie Doerr is a 2004 graduate of Saint Louis University and is currently a 4th year medical student at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. She is volunteering in El Salvador through May 2008.
 This week is going very quickly. I have been busy at work learning Spanish and immersing in a new culture. Two new students joined the classes, one a future medical student in Arkansas and the other a student in Washington D.C. It is great to hear their stories and learn what brings people to El Salvador. This week, we toured Archbishop Romero´s home with a group from the Cleveland archdiocese. We also took a tour of the public hospital, Hospital Rosales. It is amazing how effective the hospital is given the large number of people requiring its services and its limited budget. The open-air wards were slightly different than in the US, but the medical students and residents all wear the same white coats and provide compassionate care. Andy has been visiting a large community on the outskirts of El Salvador called La Chacra. The clinic in La Chacra was started by Doctors without Borders in the 1980s and then the Catholic parish took over and continues to run the clinic today.
This weekend, we are off to Suchitoto for Saturday. Suchitoto is a small town north of San Salvador, which was a pivotal location during the war. Despite its tumultuous history, the town has recreated itself as an artesian center. They are currently fighting against the privatization of their water.
We leave on Sunday for Guarjila in the northern countryside. It will be slightly difficult to leave our Salvadoran family in San Salvador. They have been so helpful in providing information about Salvadoran history and culture, and helping us practice Spanish by speaking slowly. Nonetheless, it will be nice to slow down a little and step away from the city for awhile.
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