Today was an interesting day. As opposed to other days filled with activities, today was not that way. We all learned a lesson today which is that not everything always goes as planned, but that is okay. 

We woke up early this morning and took a trip to the community of Marechal Rondon. Here we gathered with the ISC faculty, students, and staff. ISC is an organization that has many volunteers including teachers and students; they come together and try to find solutions to problems in their poor community. One of the issues they focus on is environmental health. 

After we all introduced ourselves, where we come from, and what we are excited to learn about, we took a ride through their community. I couldn’t help but notice that all of the homes were so close together, and along super steep hills. We made a stop, and we got a beautiful view of the favelas next to a lake. Professor Ricardo explained to us that this lake is involved in their sewage system.

At that moment, unfortunately, one of the students in our group was not feeling well and was going through an allergic reaction. We had to end our visit early and return to a doctor to make sure that our classmate’s health was okay. Although we were not able to complete what was planned, I did get to see some of the students that were part of the program. It was truly moving to see the enthusiasm in these students’ faces because considering that they have so little in this poor community, they are willing to dedicate their time to gain knowledge and help improve their community in whatever way they can. It was a sign for me to be more grateful for what I already have, take advantage of it, and keep moving forward! 

We spent time at home and ate lunch. Later in the afternoon, we had a collective health class with Federico Costa. His lecture was about Environmental and Social Gradients. He talked to us about the drivers of disease emergence, urban health programs, and much more. One of the issues he explained was diseases brought by rodents, and since these poor communities do not have proper sewage systems, they suffer the consequences when there is flooding, for example. Another issue is the disposal of trash. In middle class areas, we know that trash is collected three times per week, but this is not the case in low-income communities. The residents themselves must find proper ways to dispose of their trash and many times it involves walking up and down those harsh hills that we saw in the favelas. The urban health programs aim to solve these emerging health problems by conducting research within the communities.

Although our plans were changed throughout the day and in the evening as well, we learned to adapt. The other students and I still took advantage of the knowledge and experience that was provided for us. With the help of everyone, we were able to tie everything together to make it a successful day!