In Our Own Words

The Exchange at our final stop in Paso Robles, Calif.

This week marks the one-week mark since The Exchange came to a close. But in our eyes, it really has just begun. Just because our travels ended, does not mean our mission has and we are still all working together in different spaces toward the same goal.

We all took the time to write in our words what The Exchange meant to us.

From Keasha:

Keasha at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland, Calif.

I hope that blessed is a word ample enough to describe what it is I feel when reflecting on this trip. These last 17 days have afforded me the rare opportunity to work with some of the most awe-inspiring people this world has to offer. From day one, meeting with Susana Praver of La Clinica de La Raza, and D’shane of the Native American Health Center, and seeing first-hand how the impulse of positive minds yields success and growth. To day 16 at Granny Donna’s, sharing our individual stories and acquiring deeper understanding of each other, I can say that this trip has taught me so much. It has taught me the following:

• There are still people who have not faltered in their struggle of justice and equity, and that these same people are winning the fight
• In the realm of forward-thinking, positivity and loving service, color-lines cease to exist and all people can relate to and help one another
• The power of cohesiveness and positivity
• The power of spiritual circles and tap-dancing grandmothers
• That impossible is a word that has no meaning and should be taken out of the dictionary because all things are possible

The Salud Southwest Exchange is not over, it is in fact a beginning for me. It has opened the door to what I had thought was impossible, to what will become my reality. How to provide free or low-cost health care to those most in need was once a blurry vision in my mind. Now it has been manifested in stark clarity in so many centers we visited in the Southwest. This reality allows me to thinking that truly, a better world is possible and that we are collectively moving toward that vision. Ashe, to all the supporters, participants and followers of the Salud Southwest Exchange! It’s been FRIGGIN AWESOME!!!

-Keasha

From Kereese:

Kereese speaks to a group at Central Valley Indian Health Services in Clovis, Calif.

I’ve still got a bit of whiplash from the high-speed velocity of the trip.  I can undoubtedly say that it’s been one of the defining experiences of my life.  We met so many amazing organizers, physicians, administrators and community members.  We also, and I think more importantly, met each other and ourselves again. We saw each other and ourselves in different ways and taking on different roles, growing and learning in different ways,and even living and breathing slightly differently than before.  The next several weeks and months will be an intense period of self-inspection, discovery and redefinition for many of us.  Personally, I have witnessed some of the most heartbreaking disparity and yet, at the same time, seen so much hope.  One of the most important lessons learned during the trip was the importance of seeing the positive in your community…the assets that you can build upon to fix what is broken.  I’ve learned that we have at least 14 wonderful, beautiful, shining beacons of light that will be sunbeams of change, hope and goodness in our world.  It’s a stunning realization to make.  You think you know people because you go to school with them everyday, but I definitely didn’t know the extent of the emotion and determination that emanates through the souls of the people I work with daily.  We will be the change that we need.  Of that I am now certain.

-Kereese

From Jesus:

Jesus speaks to a group of students at the University of New Mexico

Forgotten

It’s surprising…

To be here where for many there holds no significance.

To see these red land which carry in them the blood

of the millions who tried to defend her,

that loved and respected her.

Her sands, so sensual to the touch of a hand,

like a caress given to a lover

which vanishes the moment it passes.

The ultimate gesture of love.

Here, where millions have called her Mother

where the rocking of her breath

whispers a melody of no equal.

Here, where her skin flourishes in the sun,

which doesn’t hide the passing of time across her face.

To that which the heavens cloak and venerate

showing the universe her beauty

and worshipping her with the stars.

She who kisses our paths in

our short journey,

recognizing us as her children.
She who cries for the things we do to her,

and for the things we fail to do as well.

She who cries for the things we do to ourselves

Yes, It is surprising.

It’s surprising that we have forgotten.

-Jesus

From Akua:

Akua greets visitors at the East Central Ministries Health Fair in Albuquerque, NM

14 new family members,

16 days,

So many wonderful experiences,

Awe inspiring moments that will stay with me forever

California is great because of the wide spectrum of its scenery and its health services. New Mexico is a gem, with warm weather and open hearts.

But Arizona stood out to me in its amazing juxtapositions. From learning the basics of sheep herding along the south rim of the Grand Canyon, to meeting a team of special ops military officers whose mission was health care.

Sun bathing with Cassandra by the pool at the roadside Days Inn. Red tiled roof, blue skies, pine trees next to palm trees next to orange trees, forced into early autumn by the scorching summer sun. The bright blue of the chlorinated pool marred by dried leaves and other detritus. It was so surreal, we should have taken pictures.

The beauty reflected in the reality. Learning not to judge a book by its cover, but by its contents. Surprised at every step of the way by the love with which the work is done. Seeing the progress stand beside how far we have to go.

Loving service, open hearts, open minds and enjoying the scenery along the way.

-Akua

From Joanna:

Joanna speaks to a group at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland, Calif.

You would be hard pressed to find medical students doing what we did on the Salud Southwest Exchange, 2009.  Not to say that we are exclusive, just the opposite, we encourage other medical students and students from any discipline to join our Exchange or begin their own exchange.

An “exchange” is a great opportunity to get to know your communities, work together with peers to address community concerns, and begin building the foundation of a powerful relationship with your communities at home. It is an opportunity to tap into what is being done and the potential of what can be done concerning health care.

This is something we as students of Cuba are expected to do upon graduation, but why wait?  Start now!  And for those graduating in the U.S. who are not exclusively asked to return to your community, why not? Seize this opportunity before leaving home and losing touch with your community; before graduating and losing touch with your professors and classmates.  Starting an exchange is all about tying your education into your reality at home.

On the Salud SW Exchange 2009, we did just that.  We had three objectives that we established before the exchange that we addressed throughout the exchange: (1) to present our own words our experience of what it is like to study at ELAM and promote the availability of full scholarships to study there; (2) to volunteer our services while learning about some of the more significant health care concerns; and (3) to build personal and professional relationships with health care practitioners.

These objectives helped us establish our focus when we visited various different underserved communities throughout the U.S Southwest.  We hope to continue this exchange by sending groups of students back to these communities to further elaborate on the three objectives and how their education and relationships can help address community concerns.

It was a great Salud SW Exchange 2009 had by all!  I congratulate all of the students for their participation and I encourage more students to get involved.  Now is the time, seize the moment!

-Joanna

From Pasha:

Pasha speaks about The Exchange at the MEDICC sendoff party in Oakland, Calif.

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to learn, grow, and experience as much as I have with all the amazing individuals who participated in this year’s Exchange.  Having the privilege of organizing this event from its inception has provided me with a unique insight into all that it took to make this year’s Exchange a great success.  The challenges we faced while planning this event were as seemingly insurmountable as the embargo that created them.  However the spirit that accompanied every mile of road driven, floated amongst the words spoken, and rested in between every warm handshake and loving embrace that was given was stronger.  It enabled us with an unassuming compassion and confidence in our mission that allowed us to crumble many of the roadblocks that rested between impossible and possible.  From Oakland, California to Albuquerque, New Mexico and back – students from the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba shared their experiences with the very same type of communities we plan to serve once doctors.  These communities are no longer just places on a map, but real people, families, and friends who were also a part of SSWE and with who we look towards an inspiring future in health care.  Personally, the SSWE reaffirmed my commitment to and belief in the many communities of our country who receive less than acceptable health care service.  I know now even more that our country will need doctors like the SSWE members to bring back a level of care and consciousness to the profession that despite the best efforts of very capable doctors here in the US is being consumed by the greed of the overall system.  This Exchange has placed more force behind my purpose as a future doctor and advocate of human rights.  I say this all with the faith that the same spirit which insured the success of this Exchange will continue to show us the path to equality and health.  I give my sincerest thanks to all who made this event one of the most cherished experiences of my life.

-Pasha

From Damian:

Damian takes a break while shooting pictures at Dine College in Tsaile, AZ

hello friends. while i enjoy writing and even maintain a personal blog, often

i feel that my thoughts on paper come out coarse and partially incoherent. some may argue i can hold my own with a pen but at the same time i feel that when i carry a camera it is as much an extension of myself and my thoughts as my very words are. on top of that there’s that old mantra that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, so lets just say that here are 15,000 words in photographic form; just my personal favorites from the trip that didn’t make the dated blog entry cut.

-Damian

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