Involvement Volunteers International My time was such a unique and unforgettable experience. I really loved working amongst the locals and learning how the medical system differentiates with the healthcare system back in my country. There were a lot of barriers that I was not prepared for, the biggest being the language barrier. Though stated that the experience would be better with a higher Spanish level, it was extremely difficult for me to have the impact that I could have because there was no way to communicate with the workers at my clinic and no one to mediate the language barrier. Although by the end of the two weeks I volunteered I began to learn the ropes, it was definitely not long enough to feel like I had made an impact. For those who would like to go into the medical program in the future, I would suggest that they have a high level of Spanish if only staying for a short amount of time, such as myself.
Victoria
