Day 2 started with another unnecessary early morning breakfast without coffee, but I’m starting to accept that I will not be sleeping. I had my regular South American breakfast, coffee with bread and egg(s). Today’s plan was straight up CHOCOLATE. We had a scenic 2-minute walk into the city plaza where we went to the…
Tag: Summer2026
Inside Argentina’s Public Healthcare Divide (Day 5)
The visits to Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Paroissien and Universidad Nacional de La Matanza allowed me to see the social and economic inequality among municipalities in Buenos Aires and those in its rural surroundings. Paroissien is a provincial hospital serving almost 3 million people. However, Paroissien gets much less money from the government than…
Day 5: A Day in La Matanza
Today we traveled outside of central Buenos Aires to visit the Paroissien Hospital in La Matanza, one of the many municipalities on the outskirts of the Buenos Aires Province. The hospital is a public hospital that is fully funded by the province, but it is not funded by the municipality. During our visit, we learned…
Day 4: Down Under
There was only one thing on the agenda today, the Cu Chi tunnels. A system of tunnels used in Vietnam during the war. We did have a brief stop at an art factory, in which handicapped workers, specifically those that were affected by Agent Orange, create egg inlay art. I bought one for my mom…
Day 3: Bright day with Dein Quang
Before the visit, Prof Minh’s lecture set the tone for the entire day. He shared insights on how companies need to pivot during crises including points of multiple manufacturing countries. Manufacturing in one country is a strategic vulnerability, and I noticed Dien Quang thought about this too as they are expanding to South America and…
Day 3: Some Electric Lectures
Once again, we started off the day with a morning lecture from Professor Minh. I wish he became a professor at Pitt; I really love his lectures. I learned more about what makes Vietnam so attractive for business despite neighboring countries like Cambodia and Laos having even cheaper labor. This is actually something I had…
Day 11- Tekinker and Tree Trail
Today we had a tour at an engineering company called Tekniker. We started off with a presentation from the head of the Health Sector. He talked about what the different sectors entail and what kind of research they do in each one. He also went more specific into research and designs that the Health Sector…
Day 10-Balance and The Athletic Club
Today we had some presentations on different balance. We learned about the different systems which affect balance, the ways different devices help correct balance, and how balance is tested on a scale. We learned about many different devices on the market that assess and improve balance in a wide variety of ways. Some very advanced…
Day 4: Education shapes the future of citizens
This morning took us on a cold walk to a bus stop only 10 minutes from our hotel. Our adventure on the bus lead us to Joesph Chamberlain College (JCC). JCC is a sixth form college that provides 16-18 year old students an opportunity to learn English and curriculum that will help them take the…
National Nursing Day Along the Tigre River! (Day 3)
Day 3! Today was such a cool day because we got to explore a completely different area outside of Buenos Aires. We took a boat over to Tigre, and the views along the river were beautiful. It was really interesting seeing all the houses, schools, and small communities along the water because it felt so…
Day 3: From the River to the ICU
Today, we learned more about the differences in healthcare access and funding throughout Argentina. In the morning, we traveled to the Tigre River and rode a boat down to the Río Capitán primary health center. During the ride, we passed houses, docks, and beautiful scenery which showed how isolated some of these communities are from…
Birmingham Day 3:
Happy day number three! Today was packed full of learning and included lectures and a walking tour. We were able to learn how connected different communities are, and that healthcare is such a broad topic, and there are so many jobs within it. Our lectures today helped me better understand how to listen to people’s…
Day 9- The Sore System
We started off our day at the School of Engineering. We were in the biomedical engineering laboratory and learned from a research group their research in wheel chairs and sensors. We learned about the research they were doing in developing sensors to detect pressure in wheel chairs. It was cool to be able to hear…
Day 2: Xin Chào!
Xin chào! Today we went to UEF about smart and sustainable service in businesses, where we played a kahoot and I got second place! As a prize, I got nori flavored chips which I am excited to try eventually. We then did presentations about business models that have been successful in the U.S. that haven’t…
Day 2: Getting Closer with the People
To start off day 2, we went back to the UEF school and had a lecture and class. The lecture had a lot of information about keeping the economic system sustainable. We also got to do any activity where we came up with a developmental idea that is strong in the United States. But not…
Comparing Healthcare in Buenos Aires! (Day 2)
Today was a very busy day in Buenos Aires! We got to see two completely different healthcare settings in Argentina. We first took a trip over to Tomas Reggio Primary Health Center, where we met with some of the Sisters and walked through the clinic. The clinic was much smaller than many healthcare facilities in…
Day 2: A Busy Day in Buenos Aires
In Argentina, gaps in income negatively impact how healthcare is delivered. Individuals with higher incomes tend to receive better quality care, while individuals with lower income review lower quality care. Today in Argentina, we traveled to the Tomas Reggio Health Center, which is a public health clinic. This clinic is funded by the municipalities and…
Day 2: Birmingham City University
Despite cold, rainy weather, I enjoyed exploring Birmingham City University (BCU) campuses. At the City Centre campus, the lion mascot stood out on the red glass panels. The area’s architecture is more modern than that of other Birmingham sites. Our first stop was the education, business, and law building, featuring white walls and glass that…
Day 8-Funicular and Flea Markets
We started off the day with getting churros and hot chocolate from a shop. I really liked these because the churros were a lot different than the ones I have had in the US. All the churros I have usually had are coated in a cinnamon sugar topping but these ones weren’t. I liked these…
Day 1: A Taste of What’s to Come
Today we met and were welcomed by UEF (University of Economics and Finance) in an incredible ceremony! It was a ton of fun meeting students and getting seeing part of the Vietnamese culture as well as getting to eat some incredible food! The biggest difference in culture I noticed today was the driving culture. I…