The day started off with light rain, but that did not stop us from continuing down to Mexico. Although the rain got heavier, we had hopes that the sun would come out and thankfully we were right! We arrived at the border at around 9 am and the weather was very nice. Then we got to Maclovio Rojas, set up our clinic like usual in the open-air market, and began seeing patients. Some of us were doing check-ins and some of us were taking height and weight, while others were taking blood glucose and blood pressure. All in all, this was a very successful trip, during which we saw over 70 patients! As the market started to wind down, we began to pack up, while sending groups of people off to the local taco stand for some fatty but tasty quesadillas.

“Wait…that’s it?” Some of you may ask. Of course that isn’t all of it! This trip was especially great because we had guests from The Daily Bruin who drove down to Mexico with us. They also brought down with them two video cameras to document events throughout the day as well as to interview some of the FISHies and locals in Maclovio Rojas. One thing for sure that you will not want to miss out on is FISH being featured in an upcoming issue of Daily Bruin. So don’t forget to grab a copy as you’re walking to class!

Last Saturday at 5:30 am we headed off to Maclovio Rojas. Once we arrived, we encountered a few minor difficulties. The doors to the community center were locked, so we were not able to immediately set up our clinic. Instead, we went in search of Don Antonio, the man in charge of the town. Our spanish speakers explored the small community asking of where Don Antonio may be. Luckily, we were able to locate him within a short time. Everyone worked together to quickly set up our clinic, and shortly after, the locals of Maclovio Rojas began arriving. The spanish speakers did an excellent job of translating and welcoming our patients. Also, those who were not fluent in Spanish still attempted to converse with the locals, making the people who came to the clinic feel extremely welcome and even somewhat amused.
After setting up the clinic, we realized that our glucometers were not functioning. Unfortunately, we thus were not able to test blood glucose, but managed to perform blood pressure and other routine and important checks on those who attended. While reflecting back on the trip, Natalie, one of our three Spanish speakers, stated that she really enjoyed interacting with the people in the community. Although we had a few minor setbacks, the trip was successful due to everyone’s hard work and positive attitude!