It is teaching time again in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, but this time it’s not for new rehabilitation promoters. We have the privilege of hosting two physical therapy students, Natalie and Julia, from the University of Texas Medical Branch for a six-week global health rotation. 

The students arrived on Sunday, and we made the trip back to Chichicastenango, a three-hour drive through the mountains for a trip totaling eighty miles. Monday, we oriented the students to ASELSI, the therapy program, and some cultural components. Tuesday and Wednesday, they had the opportunity to work with Shesita, our staff, our pediatric patients and their families, and me, while we continued sharing different cultural keys for the work we do, including attempting to move around the grounds in a wheelchair. The students commented on how hard it was in a relatively flat area and how much more difficult it must be outside of ASELSI. Thursday, we evaluated some new patients, experienced what it is like to use crutches up and down the mountains, and visited the local market. Friday, they worked on some projects for school, and they went to stay with a family in the village this weekend. The time spent with a local family out of the town center should really help them get an understanding of how people live in the surrounding villages and the implications for their physical therapy intervention.

The first week, as is expected, was an adjustment to a new culture, a new clinic, a new place to stay, and a new language. The students are adjusting well and getting first-hand experience of how much harder it is for someone with a disability to move around here. We’re looking forward to the coming weeks and all that they hold. I hope to have them share their own perspective with you, too. But for now, we’re on to week two.