Working as a Translator in Merida

Hey guys! So during the PWB 2014 trip to Merida, Mexico I had the opportunity to work as a translator and checking patients in for the first couple of days of the trip. Even though it is not as medically-oriented, I learned a ton. I have a decent knowledge of Spanish, but I had to re-learn my alphabet fast, as I spelled out patients names. Plus, everyone had tons of questions or they didn't know which doctor they needed to see, so I learned medical terminology in Spanish as well. One of my favorite memories from this position was sitting in one of the pueblos surrounded by a group of old women who were waiting to be called, and just talking with them. These women were older and were sharing their life stories with me as well as giving advice all in Spanish. I was just impressed by their willingness to be so open with me as well as how patient all of our patients were, since some waited all day for their appointments and they did not normally get rude about the wait. In the last couple of days I was able to do more medically-oriented work (Which was tons of fun!), however I  am really happy for the initial first couple of days since I learned a lot about the people that we were helping and their culture, my own Spanish ability, as well as that I really enjoyed working with people. So all in all, this was a great trip! :)