Today was really interesting because we got to see both the benefits and challenges that come with Costa Rica’s focus on renewable energy and sustainability. Seeing all the wind turbines in person made Costa Rica’s environmental goals feel way more real to me. I thought it was interesting learning that Costa Rica started focusing heavily…
Birmingham Day 10: Beginning of London
Today was our last walk to and lectures at BCU. I’ve really enjoyed walking to campus and other places. It makes me really want to live somewhere more walkable. Me and the two other education students separated from the nursing students and went over the educational system in the US and UK with Dr. Marks….
Day 11 – Last Day in Birmingham & Travel Time!!
The first thought that came into my mind as soon as I woke up in the morning was that it was our last day in the city of Birmingham today. It is absolutely crazy to think that our time in Birmingham is coming to a final end. The past week really did fly by with…
Time Is Muscle, and So Is Packing
Today was definitely one of the longer and busiest days, unexpectedly. It was our last day in Birmingham before heading to London, which felt exciting since we could visit more places, but that also meant it was nearing the end our our trip. Birmingham had already started to feel comfortable and familiar, so it was…
10/10 rating for day 10
Day 10! Today was another day in the University of Austral building in downtown Buenos Aires. Our first lesson discussed the public healthcare sector and Ministry of Health, presented to us by the Ministry of Health National Director. She was previously a NICU director and coordinator, as well as did a pediatric residence and a…
Day 10: Welcome to London
Today was our last day in Birmingham before heading to London. It honestly felt like such a mix of lectures, goodbyes, and excitement for what was next in London. We started the morning with our first lecture of the day. The lecture focused on cardiovascular disease in adults. The woman teaching us was so nice…
Birmingham —> London
The day began at BCU where we were learning about the growing increase in cardiovascular diseases and why they continue to be one of the leading causes of death around the world. During the session, we discussed how lifestyle factors such as poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise, stress, and obesity all contribute to the…
Last Day at BCU!
Today was another really interesting day at Birmingham City University and I honestly learned so much more than I expected. This morning we had a lecture about ECGs, and although I knew they were related to the heart, I never realized how much detail and knowledge actually goes into reading and understanding them. The lecture…
The Penultimate Day of the trip
Today began the same way that a majority of our days have throughout this trip, with a roughly 20 minute walk to Birmingham City University. However, unlike the other days, this one felt a little different. The walk itself was about the same as usual, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit more reflective…
Day 11: Heart Rhythms and Our Trip to London
This morning started earlier than I would’ve liked, but once we got to BCU’s South Campus, the day picked up quickly. We had two final lectures before officially wrapping up our time in Birmingham. The first one focused on cardiovascular diseases, especially how common they are in older adults. It turned into a really thoughtful…
Day 10 – Off to London!!
Today is our last day in Birmingham!! As excited as I am to go to London, it’s also bittersweet to be leaving knowing that our trip is coming to an end. We started the day with our last lecture at BCU. We first had the chance to talk about critical care nursing and cardiovascular diseases…
Day 11: From Birmingham to London!
Today started off with getting all my bags together to head to London. We dropped our suitcases in the lobby area and then grabbed our last breakfast… I will miss that buffet. Then, we headed to BCU for two more lessons. When we got there, I got an iced hazelnut latte from Costa then headed…
Day 11: Goodbye BCU :(
Today was our last day in Birmingham and our final day of lectures at BCU. It felt very bittersweet. I am so grateful for this experience and everything I have learned from our lecturers and from Chinenye. Looking back on the week, the biggest takeaway from all of our lectures has been the importance of…
Canoe Rides and Cultural Connections
A lot has happened since my last blog, so let me catch you up. On Sunday, May 17th, we woke up bright and early and brought the backpacks we had packed the night before, filled with enough clothes for two days, to the meeting house. After breakfast together, we boarded a bus for a two-hour…
Meet Minkaye
On Sunday, we woke up nice and early for breakfast at 6:00am, followed by a two-hour bus ride to the canoes that would take us to Geyepare. The canoe ride was six hours; however, it was pretty enjoyable. I liked feeling the cool breeze and mist from the water kicking back up on my face,…
Into the Waorani!
We woke up on Sunday bright and early, around 5:30am so that we could grab a quick breakfast before starting our long travel day. After breakfast we hopped on the bus and got started on our 2 hour bus ride to the river. I will say it was quite a bumpy ride, as all the…
Day 10: It’s a MAN’s World
We began today with a two and a half hour bus ride into Nuremberg. On the way to MAN’s facility, I saw towns with beautiful buildings and scenery. It was refreshing to see low-rises and green hills instead of large factories. Those views were short-lived as we arrived at the engine production site of MAN….
Day 11: Bye Birmingham, Hello London
I cannot believe this is the last day attending sessions at BCU. I am happy and sad that this trip is almost over, but I need to talk about Chinenye. She is the true star of this trip. From the minute she introduced herself, I knew that I would feel comfortable and inspired. She radiates…
Day 11- Comparing Two Brands
After BMW, I wasn’t sure Audi could impress me in the same way. It did, but very differently. The facility itself felt more refined. Where BMW felt like an industrial city, Audi felt like a campus that had been thought through. There were more hands-on workers visible on the floor rather than the robot-dominated lines we saw at BMW. The production…
Day 9: Lessons from Dachau
Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp and became a model for others. Visiting the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site today was heavy. I expected it to feel serious, but I was not prepared for how overwhelming the space itself would feel. The camp stood far from city life, which gave me a glimpse of…