Hey everyone! I’m back and for the last time unfortunately. We just finished our presentations (thank goodness). I was really nervous during mine but I think it went okay. Everyone else did amazing on theirs! I am so proud of everyone. We also did a little Webinar session with some incoming Pitt students who want to learn about the program which was super fun! Miranda and I had to answer a question about immersing ourselves into the culture here. It was great!

Something that I learned was how different the Argentine healthcare system is in comparison to the United States. The US does not have certain programs and organizations such as Obras Sociales. I was also incredibly intrigued when I learned about mutualism in Argentina and how it offers health services and social assistance to members and their families while also not operating at a profit. It’s yet another way of financing healthcare. Another thing I learned was about the history of Argentina’s healthcare system when we had learned about peronism and how Juan Peron was the founding father who also essentially invented the Obras Sociales system. I also loved learning about the culture and immersing myself. When we went to La Boca and Tigre especially, you just felt like you belonged there and the atmosphere was immaculate. 

A fun fact that happened on the trip was that we visited every single system that we learned about surrounding the course. We saw a (multiple for each) public hospital, private hospital, an Obras Sociales representative, a Ministry of Health related facility, and even visited an oil company’s building!

Secondly, so many of us have become friends just from being on this trip! It was a great experience all around and I would just like to thank Lynnea and Grant for coordinating and administering this program for us! We all had such a great time and appreciate everything that you’ve both done. 

For now, I’m excited to go home to see my dog. Thank you readers and have a nice day!