One year is not nearly enough time to experience Colombia. A country of richly diverse regions and welcoming people, I want to know it all. My term as a Rotary Ambassadorial Research Scholar has allowed me extremely unique and special opportunities in which to accomplish this.
When I first arrived in Medellin, I could communicate well in Spanish but it took me almost three months to adapt to the different paisa accent that they speak here. Colombians are very proud of their “correct” Spanish, meaning that they believe their use of the language to be most similar to that in Spain. They think that their accent is one of the easiest to understand (contrary to my initial experience), and I do agree that it has a beautiful, sing-song nature. Now, after twelve months of practice, I am imitating their speech so well that I am sometimes mistaken as a native. This is a huge compliment to my language skills, especially because I have been working almost my entire life to learn the language. My desire to sound like them has proven my respect for my host culture and my attempts to ‘fit in’ as much as possible. And, of course, it enabled me to communicate effectively with anyone and everyone, drastically enriching my overall experience.
Instead of participating in an established academic program, I chose to conduct research at the Facultad Nacional de Salud Publica, part of the Universidad de Antioquia, because I knew that it would give me more valuable experience on how to conduct international investigations and the chance to publish an article in an international journal. Working with Gloria Molina, the head of the research department, and Gilma Stella, my research partner, has been a fantastic way to learn from experienced professionals how research in Colombia takes place. Our project is entitled “Mecanismos de mercado y competencia y su relación con el acceso y la calidad del los servicio materno, en el Contexto del Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud. Colombia, 2008-2009.” It looks at the effects of market competition on access to and quality of maternal health care after the health care system was restructured in 1993. This has allowed me to travel around Medellin interviewing doctors, nurses, health administrators, and the users themselves at different clinics and hospitals. I have learned more about the Colombian health care system than I know about that of the US, and feel empowered having the resources to publish suggestions to the problems we have observed.
One academic year has been too short an amount of time to design, develop, and implement such an in-depth research project, and so we will not finish completely by the time I leave Colombia. We have finished collecting all of our data, analyzing the interviews, and creating the mental maps that will help us in writing up of the article. I will finish a rough draft of the article before my departure, and then we will continue collaborating via email during the arduous process of publication. This will help me achieve my professional goals because as I start applying for PhD programs in the upcoming year, my candidacy will be much more likely to be accepted after having international research and a publication under my belt.
Overall I have been very impressed with the Facultad Nacional de Salud Publica. The dean, German Gonzales, is the past president of my host Rotary Club and has helped me get involved in activities to which I would usually not have access. I have participated in many international health conferences, met with visiting health professionals, sat in on undergraduate and graduate classes whose content is applicable to my research, and enjoyed the dynamic, collaboration among faculty and students. What has awed me most is the very horizontal relationship between professors, docents, and students; the teachers are always available to meet with students and respect their ideas as much as any other professional. At the Facultad I have given several presentations to groups of students and teachers about Rotary and my sponsor country, taught English conversation classes, and been an active member of a weekly painting workshop.
During periods when my official research was slow, I worked in shelters for displaced people as part of a supplementary research and community service project. My interest in Medical Anthropology spurred me to carry out an ethnography looking at the experience of pregnant women during displacement and how the stressful events they endure affects their health and the health of their baby. It has been fascinating becoming close with them and learning firsthand how the continued violence is ruining so many innocent people’s lives.
One of the women with whom I have worked has become an especially important friend. Katy is 39 years old and is pregnant with her first child. Her husband was kidnapped in the middle of the night by the paramilitary, leaving her to fend for herself without the support of any family or friends to support. Katy’s outlook on life is very different from most impoverished Colombian women; she is a feminist, well-educated, critical yet proud of her country, and very independent. Sharing hours talking with her has opened up a whole different perspective on Colombia than I see when with Rotarians or at school, and has been an instrumental source for my research. In return, I offer her continual friendship, an open ear to listen to her worries, and hope that her future will work out despite the hardships she has faced. This was one of the most salient ways in which I participated as an ambassador of goodwill.
When visiting the shelters I frequently conducted art therapy sessions with the children, asking them to draw pictures of their families, their fears, and their dreams. I also worked with the adults, giving them job training and preparedness talks. Because many of the displaced people leave the shelters without a way to support themselves economically, I am developing a micro-loan program for women heads of households so that they can start their own small businesses.
As part of my interest in public health and displaced communities, I visited some of the settlements of recently arrived displaced families with local institutions. Once with Profamilia, the local equivalent of Planned Parenthood, during a health brigade where they offered check-ups and antibiotics to children. Again in Popayan with a Rotarian who works for the Red Cross, going into several different settlements evaluating the efficacy of educational health programs that the Red Cross had been implementing for three years. Due to the lack of safety in these locations, it was frustrating for me not to visit them more often but necessary that I go when invited by recognized organizations. My devotion to interacting with all socioeconomic levels in Medellin, especially those people who are usually forgotten by their own government and fellow countrymen, is yet another example of my service as an ambassador of goodwill.
I lived with a former Ambassadorial Scholar who is from Medellin and rented out a room in his apartment to me during the entire year. He was a very good source of social contacts and explanations of cultural differences when I first arrived, and continues to be a close friend. It was nice to have the independence of living on my own and being able to cook for myself, as well as entertain friends and visitors.
My interactions with Rotary in Medellin were some of the richest experiences as an ambassadorial scholar. Club Rotario Medellin, my host club, is one of the largest and oldest clubs in the country, with some of the oldest members as well. I attended at least two meetings every month, enjoying my interactions with the members who all treated me as an adoptive granddaughter. Because the club has over 80 members, it gave me the opportunity to know a large variety of prominent community leaders. One of the most special friendships that I formed was with my host counselor, Waldemar Rey. He is a very kind, humble, and inspirational man who was constantly supporting me in my endeavors and encouraging me to explore different avenues than I normally would have on my own.
I visited 12 different clubs throughout the district to make presentations, becoming actively involved in the Club Medellin Nuevo, Club Medellin Nutibara, and Club Rotario Popayan. They invited me to participate in health brigades in marginalized communities, conduct eye examinations of children, attend fundraising events, and social “integrations” with their families. I attended and presented at the RYLA conference October 25 and 26, at a Rotaract Forum in Popayan April 26, and at the District 4280 Conference the first weekend of May. I visited the host club of another Ambassadorial Scholar in Cali for their end-of-year party Thanksgiving weekend of 2008, and attended my host club’s meetings with my grandparents and parents when they came to visit me in January 2009. The broad network of Rotary contacts I maintained throughout the year shows how I served as an ambassador of goodwill, since it was important for me to give back to the Rotary community that was and still is supporting me.
A very unique experience was when I was invited to travel on several occasions with the GSE group from New Mexico on their visit to my host district during April and May. It was great sharing perspectives on Colombia through the lens of Rotary with people from my own culture. They were very interested in the work I am doing in Medellin, and have encouraged me to visit their district and make presentations when I return to further cement the connections made between our two districts. I have developed a great respect for Rotary’s mission to promote all sorts of international exchange opportunities and hope to have more chances to participate in them in the future.
The thriving Rotaract and Interact clubs were one of the most pleasant Rotary surprises I found in Colombia. I participated in the three different Rotaract clubs in Medellin during the year, helping them with blood drives, soccer tournaments to raise funds, activities in old-folk’s homes, and children’s shelters in which they carry out projects. I also was involved with the Interact clubs in Medellin, marching with them in a peace demonstration on Colombian Independence Day and guiding them with fundraising ideas.
My experience as an Ambassadorial Scholar has greatly changed my outlook on Colombia because it has allowed me an insider’s view of the daily workings of the country. The Rotarians are very well educated and knowledgeable about local politics and history, always sharing with me their views and inviting me to participate in discussions on Colombia’s place in the world. They were very honest about the difficulties that Colombia has faced, and how they are working to overcome the extreme violence caused by drug trafficking—an almost impossible task. I appreciated how they looked to me for outside opinions that could help them get a different perspective that they have viewed from within for so many years. Their familiarity with the US was always disconcerting; it showed me how aware the rest of the world is of my home country and yet we as (North) Americans in general are so oblivious to the goings-on of the rest of the world. It made me sad at how ignorant the majority of my fellow countrymen and women are of places as wonderful as Colombia. This has encouraged me more than anything else to return to share with them the beauty of learning intimately about other cultures that are only known through negative news headlines. To me, this dedication to dispelling internationally propagated myths about Colombia is my main contribution to Rotary’s vision to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace.
When describing Rotary to my friends, colleagues, and family, I say that it is an international organization comprised of people from very different backgrounds and cultures who are all dedicated to creating world-wide understanding and peace through their humanitarian work mainly concentrated in health and education. They comprise a family that defies political borders and cultural differences, welcoming anyone and everyone with open arms and a heart to help. The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship is an opportunity for culturally sensitive students dedicated to propagate peace and goodwill through service and international studies. I tell everyone that Rotary gives people, members or not, the opportunity to really understand the world through personal connections.
I do not really think that the materials or training that I received from the Foundation and my sponsor/host Rotarians really prepared me in a new way for my success as an ambassador of goodwill, since when applying for the scholarship I already had lots of international experience. What did help was the training at the orientation on public speaking, since that is a very large component of the scholarship. It was also very helpful for me to talk with previous scholars from my sponsor district and others who went to Colombia, to learn what they thought were the strengths and weaknesses of their experiences so I could build upon their suggestions to make the most of my year. I think that one of the things that should be emphasized most to incoming scholars is the patience it takes to get through the entire pre-departure process, and how important it is to really get involved and make the most of Rotary in their host community as soon as they arrive.
My advice to future scholars about living abroad as a RAS is to integrate themselves as much as possible into their host culture. The goal as an ambassador is to really get the “real” experience, with which Rotarians are more than happy to help. It is important to find a stable living situation with people around whom you are comfortable, can offer insight into the host culture, and support a scholar during difficult, homesick periods. Coming home to a good environment makes surviving alone in a foreign country much easier. In terms of representing Rotary, it is always important to explain to people upon introduction your purpose in the country and make them aware of Rotary and the possibilities the Foundation provides everywhere. Become familiar with the scholarship opportunities available in your host district and encourage local friends to participate. Representing your sponsor club can be difficult if you did not get a chance to develop a strong relationship with them before leaving, but make sure to check in on their website and stay in email touch with sponsor counselors so that you are up-to-date on their activities in case your host Rotarians ask.
I am hooked on Rotary for life. After participating in Interact, a Rotary Youth Exchange program, and the Ambassadorial Scholarship, I think my next step will be to apply for the Rotary Peace Fellowship. In the meantime, I will travel around the US presenting to clubs, schools, and anyone who will listen about the amazing opportunities that Rotary offers and teach them about how my experience as an ambassador of goodwill helped me have a fantastic year living in a country of which most people are afraid. I have formed such strong friendships and long-lasting contacts with people here that I am considering returning to carry out further work in Colombia, continuing my doctoral research here, and visiting during the upcoming District Conferences. In the future, I would consider becoming a member of a local Rotary club depending on the dynamics of the clubs near me. Each club has its own identity and feel, which is a wonderful trait of Rotary International but can be limiting if a nearby club does not match someone’s service style.
I cannot wait to continue promoting Rotary on a daily basis back in the US and know that Rotary will be an important part of my life forever.
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