India: A Place Where Passion and Culture Intersect

There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think of the things I learned or the people I met while I was in India. Me and several other UW students were fortunate enough to gain medical experience through shadowing qualified doctors and nurses in various specialties, including Pediatrics, OB/GYN, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and many others.

There has always been something about entering a hospital that has made me covertly pleased. Whether it be for a simple checkup, physical therapy, or a trip to the emergency room; hospitals never fail to bring me to a blissful state of euphoria and nirvana. Once I step foot onto a medical facility it becomes my sanctuary. All my life I've wanted to become a doctor, but my lifelong dream always seemed like a dreadful fantasy that I was never going to reach. Yet, true aspirations don't die easily, so when I came across this program, I took a leap of faith and I definitely DO NOT regret it!

Being submerged into a new culture is one of the best experiences you may ever come across. People in India do things very differently compared to the US. Sometimes it caught me off guard, but I always tried to have an open mind. There's no harm in looking at things through a different perspective; perceptions are meant to be altered and this was a great opportunity for me to see and try something new.

I came into the program with the desire to only observe pediatrics. I love kids and before this trip I could only imagine myself becoming a pediatrician. But I got out of my comfort zone and decided to try out a few new specialties, like surgery, OB/GYN and emergency medicine-- and I was pleasantly surprised. To become a master in a medical niche is all that I aspire, but being able to explore different options while abroad exhilarated me most. I never thought I'd like being in an operating room; surgery in general made my stomach turn, but once I finally stepped foot in the OR I absolutely fell in love! At first glance, I saw the patient’s chest held wide open, and the sight of their beating heart became my new hypnosis.

I've always heard that success is a journey, not a destination, but it never really hit me until this trip. Getting hands on clinical experience was incredible. Being in India reminded me of the drive and determination I once had as a child to become a doctor. I no longer dread the required steps it takes to become a doctor (maybe except for taking the MCAT).

Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon, once wrote—in his book When Breath Becomes Air— "I don't think I ever spent a minute of any day wondering why I did this work, or whether it was worth it. The call to protect life—and not merely life but another's identity; it is perhaps not too much to say another's soul—was obvious in its sacredness." This is how I imagine being a doctor would inevitably feel like. Doctors are advocates for the poor, enthusiast for life, and the true heroes of society. It is uncertain as to what the future holds for me, but I know for a fact that I’m going to dive into something I’m passionate about. What is life but a continuum of cycles— the moon falls so the sun can rise; a woman dies and a baby is born. As time passes by, our passions are revealed. One by one we find what it is that will allow us to not only make our mark on this world, but also contribute to the cycles of society.

So if you're on the fence about studying abroad take that step and go for it. Keep an open mind and try new things; you may even surprise yourself. Always remember that good things come to those who wait, but better things come to those who work for it. I can honestly say that every minute I spent in India, whether I was overheating and itchy from all of my mosquito bites or bonding with the locals, it was all completely worth it in the end and I don't regret a single thing!

Naida Suazo

Sociology Major | Chemistry Minor

University of Washington 2018

#India #Health #Medicine