Wagle with his university medical class (left) and at El Hospital General Al Norte in Puebla, Mexico (right).
Saurabh Wagle is an undergraduate majoring in premed and biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas. This past summer, he spent five weeks studying health care in Puebla, Mexico by by taking classes in Spanish medical terminology and shadowing at local hospitals. Below, he reports on his experience:
Studying abroad for the first time was an extremely nerve-wracking, yet exciting experience that I will never forget. As soon as I entered my terminal and saw my friends, I knew that this study abroad experience would be truly special. During the plane rides, I kept thinking about how all of the Spanish classes that I had taken and all of the times that I had practiced speaking in Spanish had finally come to this. In the end, it was simply incredible to have the opportunity to become fully immersed in a different culture and to be able to navigate through the city of Puebla using the Spanish speaking skills that I had previously acquired.
Meeting my host mother Mrs. Maria Terresa for the first time was enthralling as she was also excited to see me and wanted to get to know me throughout these five weeks. It also helped that my host mother and I were constantly speaking in Spanish to each other because this helped me to feel more comfortable with the linguistic environment. I will never forget the late night dinner discussions about the culture of Mexico, the unique variety of cuisines in Puebla, and the most popular destinations to visit in Puebla. It was also pretty neat to see how much Spanish I was able to comprehend, and at the same time how many words I still needed to learn.
Wagle with his host family and roommate.
Likewise, I was also able to try different types of food that my host mom would make for me like pan dulce (sweet bread), sopa (soup), and arroz con pollo (rice with chicken). I was also able to try different types of food on my excursions in Cholula, Cuetzalan, Oaxaca, and Mexico City like mole poblano con pollo (chocolate chicken curry with at least 30 different spices), torta pastor (grilled chicken sandwich), taco arabe (grilled pork taco), and consume con pollo (chicken noodle soup). All of these dishes were eminently savory and delicious. The university that I had attended for my medical classes had these dishes among others as well. At least in terms of food, it was a truly mouthwatering experience to remember.
UPAEP – Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla.
On most days, I would also take medical classes in Spanish at UPAEP (Universidad Popular Autonoma Estado de Puebla — one of the universities in Puebla). Dr. Luis Arroyo was the professor for my class, where I learned countless numbers of medical terms in Spanish. This helped me immensely with my shadowing opportunities at the public hospital. Every lecture was just so engaging and fun to attend because of the vast amount of information that we were learning. I especially enjoyed making comparisons and distinctions between the English and Spanish terminologies for the different human body systems. His lectures would always further reinforce my passion for medicine, and in conjunction with the hospital internship, I found I always received a wake up call to the real problems that exist within the walls of the hospital. Even though there was a lot of material to analyze, I will never forget my main reason for pursuing medicine: my love for helping patients and truly understanding the disease processes within them in hopes of finding a cure. From the first day of class, this was what Dr. Luis made me realize, and the only way to do this was to constantly ask questions and stay curious.
Wagle with his professor, Dr. Luis Arroyo, at UPAEP.
The bulk of the trip was devoted to interning at the hospital, which I couldn’t have been happier to be a part of. I would enjoy waking up every day around 5:30 in the morning just to go to the Hospital General Al Norte, a public hospital that houses patients who live in the most impoverished areas of Puebla. Seeing these patients go through such pain and suffering broke my heart, but what gave me hope was the impeccable teamwork of the doctors and nurses that gave their blood, sweat, and tears to treat each and every patient every day. Through this program, I was able to shadow doctors like Dr. Gaby and Dr. Enrique in the NICU and see how they were able to treat premature babies. This gave me the opportunity to help them treat these infants by bathing them, taking their blood samples, and keeping them in their ventilators. It was an absolutely incredible experience to do this since I plan on becoming a pediatrician or neonatologist in the future. This experience only drives my love for medicine further and makes me work even harder to achieve my dreams.
During other weeks, I was able to shadow Dr. Harold in the General Surgery unit and witness a live brain surgery, where Dr. Harold removed a type of tumor called a meningioma which affects the peripheral regions of the patient’s brain. This was absolutely riveting as Dr. Harold would also explain the anatomy and physiology of the brain to me and all of the other medical residents around me while performing surgery! It was again awe-inspiring to be able to witness this and learn about the painstaking process of carrying out a surgery.
Teotihuacan Pyramids in Mexico City.
What was also interesting is that all of these doctors and nurses do not speak English for the most part, so this was a perfect opportunity to practice speaking in Spanish with them. I would constantly be asking questions about what type of procedure the doctors were performing and what type of medical instruments they were using. This definitely increased my Spanish vocabulary and confidence to speak to any native Spanish speaker.
Wagle at a church in Cholula.
After shadowing in the NICU and General Surgery unit, I then had the chance to shadow doctors in the Internal Medicine and Gynecology unit. I witnessed doctors taking care of patients with tuberculosis and patients with liver failure. The doctors taught me how to use a stethoscope and listen to a patient’s heartbeat. From shadowing in the Gynecology unit, Dr. Andrea would let me sit in and watch a C-section or a natural birth from many of the patients that were in the unit. This was stunning to watch as it makes you realize how quickly life is created and cherished in that moment when a baby is born. It is the most beautiful moment to witness in the world. I was also able to help the doctors and nurses with their procedures by cutting umbilical cords, placing tags on babies’ feet and hands, and helping to carry babies to the nearest cribs. I will never forget these moments, as well as the doctors and nurses that I became acquainted with within these five weeks.
Monte Alban in Oaxaca, Mexico.
After the five weeks had passed, I was upset. Time really flies by since you are constantly in the routine of doing things that you had only dreamed of doing before this trip, such as shadowing at a public hospital, taking medical classes in Spanish, trying authentic Mexican food, practicing speaking in Spanish, and visiting popular tourist hotspots in Mexico. When it’s all over, you feel like you lose a part of yourself. But do you really? Because of this trip, I now have the confidence to speak in Spanish to just about anyone who speaks fluently or is learning the language for the first time. I have an increased sense of curiosity about the world and about the medical world too. Interacting with patients at the hospital and experiencing the resplendent culture of Mexico during excursions made me never want to stop learning and growing as a person. This trip gave me a stepping stone into the field of medicine, and it has developed my social skills as well. Although I have left Puebla already, the lessons that I have learned will stick with me forever, and that’s the one quality I never want to let go of: passion. Whether it’s planning to go to medical school or just experiencing life in general, one should always stay hungry for knowledge and new experiences. Always.
—Saurabh Wagle