A Musical Memory from Spain #StudyAbroadDay #HogsAbroad

During my time abroad, I took a weekend trip with my friends to Cádiz, a coastal city in southwestern Spain. On our way into the city, we passed by a guitar shop beneath the apartment building we were staying in. Though I had no intention making a purchase, I found myself wandering inside. Traditional Spanish guitars lined the walls and every surface in the cramped space. I was in awe—I had never seen such stunning, detailed work. As we turned to leave, the luthier, Fernando, emerged from his private workshop. He spoke no English, so we conversed in Spanish. He shared with us how he loved making guitars but never learned how to play in his 40 years of work. My friend mentioned how I like to play guitar—next thing I knew, I was being invited to play one of his priceless guitars! Fernando quickly arranged an area for me to play while my friends sang along. To this day, it is one of my most favorite memories. It’s incredible to think that I would have never had that opportunity if I hadn’t decided to study Spanish. I am so grateful for study abroad!

 

--Bridget Wells, class of 2021 (B.S. Nursing & B.A. Spanish), Summer 2019 #GilmanScholar

Learn more about the Gilman Scholarship.

Learn more about Bridget's Faculty-Led: Spanish in Madrid program.

You can start planning your adventure abroad today! Dive in to our Explore page at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/explore/index.php, and start your program search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Teaching Projects & The Basket Market #HogsAbroad in Ghana

My name is Paige Deffenbaugh, and I am a senior honors nursing student in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. I am currently studying abroad for three weeks in Ghana, Africa with 14 other nursing students and two of our nursing instructors. The first two weeks we are spending in the northern part of Ghana in a city named Bolgatanga. The last week will be spent traveling to a city named Accra in the southern part of Ghana and stopping at multiple places along the way, including Mole Park, Kumasi, and Cape Coast. I’m going to share with you some highlights and pictures from my second week in Ghana!

To begin our second week in Bolgatanga, we actually took a short ride in the van farther north to visit a crocodile pond! When we arrived, one of the workers took us down closer to the pond so that we could see the crocodiles better. A few men began trying to coax two of the crocodiles out of the water using a chicken so that we could take pictures with them. The crocodiles were a little slow to exit the water and didn’t appear to be hungry at all, as we had been told that a bunch of people had visited the pond the day before. After a little while though, both of the crocodiles had made their way onto the land near us. First, the men taught us a little bit about what to do and what not to do around the crocodiles so that we wouldn’t get hurt. Then, we began taking turns taking pictures with the crocodiles and touching them. They were pretty calm and barely moved throughout the whole process. You could tell they knew the drill and had been around humans in this setting many times before. 

Yes, they are both real! The crocodile I am touching is over 100 years old. 

Along with my teaching project on respiratory illnesses that I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am also teaching about women’s health with my friends Maggie and Hannah. This week we had the opportunity to teach at a local girls senior high school. Along with our women’s health topic, choking, wound care, anemia, and sickle-cell anemia were also taught by some of the other nursing students. All of the high school girls were gathered in a big auditorium, which was a little intimidating to us all at first. There were close to 500 girls in attendance we were told! Most of the teaching projects we do here in Ghana are either individual or small-group teaching, so we just weren’t used to teaching such a large crowd. However, we got more comfortable as the time passed and successfully educated the young women about the different phases of the menstrual cycle, feminine hygiene, risks of infection, birth control methods, safe sex, and consent. Many of the young women came up to us afterwards with great questions, so it was encouraging to know that they were paying attention and wanted to learn more about the subject. After the entire teaching presentation, some of the girls received cosmetic bags filled with toiletries and feminine hygiene products.

Maggie, Hannah, and I teaching about women’s heath to hundreds of high school girls. 

Here in Bolgatanga, there is a basket market held every three days. This week was our third and final time to go to the basket market. On basket market day, we always woke up earlier than normal and were on the van ready to leave by 6:45 am. This was so that we could be some of the first people there and score the best baskets. We were all a little intimidated on our first visit to the basket market, as the people selling baskets began swarming up to us immediately trying to get us to buy their baskets. Before we knew it, we were all surrounded by a crowd of people coming at us from all directions. We quickly learned the best way to tell them no and to move on though. The exciting part is the bargaining. You never simply pay the basket sellers the first asking price for the baskets, you always bargain with them for the best price. We quickly caught on and were pros in no time. It became a fun little game for us all to play - who was the best bargainer and could get their baskets for the best prices? Going to the basket market was definitely something that we all looked forward to and will miss, so we had to get our fair share of it in. Most of us have accumulated quite a haul of baskets during our stay in Bolgatanga, as they make great gifts for family and friends. Now we just have to figure out how to get all of our baskets home!

Showing off our basket haul at our first basket market. It was a little rainy, but that didn’t stop us from going!

Another entertaining part of our trips to the basket market was figuring out how to get all 15 of us + our baskets into the van for the ride back to the hotel!

Those are just a few highlights from my second week in Ghana! Stay tuned for more updates.

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Paige Deffenbaugh is spending the summer 2019 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing in Ghana program.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Five Questions for one of our Summer 2019 #UARK #GilmanScholars, Bridget Milam #HogsAbroad in Spain #FundingFriday

Nursing major Bridget Milam is spending the summer 2019 term in Spain with our U of A Faculty-Led: Spanish in Madrid program with the help of the Gilman Scholarship. We asked five questions about the Gilman Scholarship and the application process.

What do you want to do when you graduate from the University of Arkansas, and how will this study abroad or internship experience help you be better prepared for that? After graduating from the University of Arkansas, I want to serve as a bilingual nurse in a local Northwest Arkansas clinic focusing on prenatal care and sexual education. My study abroad experience is helping me develop my Spanish-speaking skills through immersive classes and cultural activities.

What will you be doing in the summer academically/on your program and what do you think made you a good Gilman candidate? Aside from living with a local Spanish family, I have been taking 6 credit hours (12 total by the end of this summer) in Spanish-language classes. These courses are taught completely in Spanish taught by local professors who enjoy teaching the material. I believe my ability to explain in my essays my goals and how I will achieve them (i.e., bilingualism) is what made me a good Gilman candidate.

What was the application process like? The Gilman Scholarship Application was thorough and intimidating—they want to know almost every detail about you. I am thankful for the countless advisors and professors who looked over my application with me multiple times.

What will your follow-up project be about? Since I am a Resident Assistant, I decided plan my Follow-Up Service Project as an all-hall Study Abroad + Gilman Scholarship program this fall. I hope to host previous Gilman scholars and current advisors who will converse with residents about study abroad and the Gilman Scholarship (oh—and there will be food!).

What tips would you give to others considering applying for the Gilman scholarship? Don’t let the complexity of this keep you from this amazing opportunity—start as soon as you can on the application and talk to your advisors and mentors for help along the way. You don’t have to do it alone!

Anything else to add? As a good rule of thumb, I spent around 40 hours total writing and editing both essays. Start as early as you can!

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About the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program) offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Afrikids & Community Health Fair #HogsAbroad in Ghana

Hi everyone! My name is Maggie Temofeew and I am also a senior honors nursing student in Ghana for a few weeks! I am going to share some different highlights from my time here thus far.

I was at Afrikids for the first week in Bolgatanga. It is a clinic here in Bolgatanga. I have enjoyed it so much. My first day was spent with my friend Gracie in the maternity ward learning to detect a heartbeat, assess the position of the baby, and measure the fundal height! I loved this day because I have not had my OB clinical yet, so I did not know any of this before coming to Ghana. The women are so kind and eager to teach us as well as learn from what we know.

This is a picture of me finding fetal heart tones with Porcilla, a nurse at Afrikids!

A baby who was handed to me in the maternity ward—so precious!

One of my other favorite days at Afrikids was spent in the pediatric ward. I want to be a pediatric nurse someday, so this was an amazing experience. The matron, or charge nurse, showed me all of the supplies they use when starting IVs, what specific medication they use as protocol for malaria and other common diseases. They make do with so little in this country. It makes me so thankful for the resources we have in the US.

Here is a picture of the pediatric ward!

My specific project on this trip was to test for and teach about anemia. We had a health fair for the community and I tested around 130 people with the help of my group. Many people were dangerously anemic and did not know it! I enjoyed getting to talk to them about how to increase iron in their diets and even had to refer some to the hospital. Besides the health fair, I tested almost 70 more at Amiah’s clinic.

Testing blood out in the community for anemia.

Testing blood out in the community for anemia.

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Maggie Temofeew is spending the summer 2019 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing in Ghana program.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Afrikids & Home Visits: Highlights from Bolgatanga #HogsAbroad in Ghana

My name is Paige Deffenbaugh, and I am a senior honors nursing student in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. I am currently studying abroad for three weeks in Ghana, Africa with 14 other nursing students and two of our nursing instructors. The first two weeks we are spending in the northern part of Ghana in a city named Bolgatanga. The last week will be spent traveling to a city named Accra in the southern part of Ghana and stopping at multiple places along the way, including Molé Park, Kumasi, and Cape Coast. I’m going to share with you some highlights and pictures from my first week in Ghana!

While in Bolgatanga, we spend every weekday morning at one of the local clinics. This past week I have been at a clinic called Afrikids. Some parts of it that I was able to explore in depth included the consulting rooms, the maternity ward, the pharmacy, and the laboratory. In the consulting rooms, I was able to observe a doctor assessing patients and making diagnoses, as well as learn how to document the patients’ diagnoses in their computer system. In the maternity ward, I learned how to perform the different components of a prenatal assessment. In the pharmacy, I was able to see the kinds of medications that are used and prescribed most commonly in Afrikids. In the laboratory, I learned how to test for malaria and typhoid fever, as well as how they take blood samples from patients. While we were there, we observed the way their healthcare system works and how it is different from ours in the US. All of the staff at Afrikids were so welcoming and willing to teach us all that they could, as well as learn from our nursing school knowledge as well. I enjoyed getting to learn more about the jobs of many different members of the healthcare team, not just the nurses.

Abbey and I on our last day at Afrikids! This is outside of the emergency department waiting room. 

One morning instead of going to the clinics, my friend Meredith and I went on a home visit with one of our instructors Mrs. Agana. She took us to one of the local beauty salons, as the owner of the shop had a baby who wasn’t eating enough and was malnourished. Meredith and I performed a quick physical assessment on the baby and asked the mother questions about his behavior and eating habits at home. At the end of the visit, we gave recommendations to the mother about foods that she should try and feed him in order to provide him with the adequate nutrition he needs to grow up healthy and strong. While we had been assessing the baby, a woman who worked at the beauty salon had gone and pulled her son out of school and brought him to us to have a look at also. The little boy’s mouth and jaw had been hurting for a while, so Meredith and I did a quick physical assessment on him as well. With the help of Mrs. Agana, in the end we concluded that he had an infected tonsil and needed antibiotics. Each of the students will have an opportunity to go on a home visit while we are here. 

During the initial physical assessment, I listened to the baby’s heart and lung sounds. 

At one of our first study abroad meetings right after we were accepted into the program, each of us chose one or two topics to research with a partner that we would later present as a teaching project while in Ghana. One of the topics that I have been responsible for teaching about with my friend Rachel is respiratory illnesses. Many women in Ghana do the cooking for their families and are exposed to smoke via the pots they use to cook with. Therefore, that long term smoke exposure may lead to respiratory symptoms and illnesses over time. Some of the money our study abroad group raised through FundRazor went towards buying about 70 of a new kind of cooking pot that reduces the amount of smoke produced when in use. Rachel and I will present this teaching project multiple times while we are here, giving away cooking pots to each household that attends our teaching until we run out. Our first time teaching was this past week. We went to a group of family houses behind a bakery, so some of the women we were teaching were being exposed to much more smoke than usual because of their occupations as bakers. We taught them the effects that smoke inhalation has on their respiratory system, signs and symptoms of respiratory illnesses, and ways to prevent lots of smoke inhalation and the development of respiratory illnesses (like using the new cooking pots). Some of the other students on the study abroad trip occupied the women’s children so that they would not be a distraction while Rachel and I were teaching.

During our teaching project, Rachel and I taught a little bit about the anatomy of the respiratory system. 

Some of the women who received new cooking pots for their households. 

Those are just a few highlights from my first week in Ghana! Stay tuned for more updates.

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Paige Deffenbaugh is spending the summer 2019 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing in Ghana program.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Personalized to Me #HogsAbroad in Mexico

I had the most amazing experience studying abroad! I attended the Puebla, Mexico program under the health professions bracket. This program to me was unique, it was 5 weeks long (which to me is the perfect amount of time, it was in the summer) and it was personalized to my degree and future profession, nursing! 

My favorite parts of the experience included my host family, the weekend excursions, and the amount of free time we were able to have. My host mom, Rosa, cooked AMAZING food every day and I was so blessed to be able to eat that well every day because we all know college student diets aren’t the best! Rosa and her family were so incredibly welcoming and supportive!! They also taught me a lot about Mexico, took me to popular sites in Puebla, to the markets, and even taught me some of her recipes (her salsa verde was my favorite). 

The weekend excursions allowed for the students to learn more about the culture and explore different cities in Mexico. It also provides opportunities for souvenir shopping, photo ops, and getting to know your fellow study abroad candidates! What I loved most about this trip was the amount of free time we were given, both on the excursions and from the day to day basis. There is so much to explore in Puebla, and we got through most of them during our time there. 

I cannot begin to explain how improved my Spanish was upon my return home from Mexico. Areas that I lacked in included listening and comprehension, however after 5 weeks in Mexico myself and my peers noticed overall improvements in our confidence in speaking with others in Spanish. This study abroad experience was everything I had hoped it would be plus more! 

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Nursing major Hannah Mosman spent the summer 2018 term in Mexico with our U of A Faculty-Led: Spanish Immersion & Service Learning program in Puebla, Mexico with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Service-Learning with International Studies Abroad #HogsAbroad in Chile

I traveled with International Studies Abroad (ISA) in the Summer of 2017 and did the Service-Learning Program in Conin Infant Clinic. On my excursion to Valparaiso, Chile I could not have had more of a life changing experience. It was the first time that I had gone abroad without knowing anybody once I got off the plane, and it was much colder than I anticipated! It was so exhilarating and terrifying and I had thousands of thoughts flying through my head all at once after landing. I had traveled alone before, but for some reason I felt so small in the Santiago airport. Luckily, ISA was one step ahead of me and a kind man directed me to my ISA driver, Gonzalo, who was so very kind. I rode with Arnell from Tennessee and it was a great experience. We spoke in broken Spanish the whole ride to Valpo and bonded through our experience thus far. Everything was so new and exciting and Gonzalo was playing Beyonce in the car and we all sang along. 

Once I got to my house I got an extremely warm welcome from Gabriela and Jose. I knew then that I was going to be alright in my homey European-influenced Latin American town. My host parents cooked the most amazing dishes that I still crave to this day, especially the vegetables. There is nothing like the fresh vegetables abroad that are so tasty raw that all they need is a few squirts of lemon juice to enjoy. I still think about the alfajores that we made. My host sister from the States and Gabriela’s daughter that visited from time to time were fantastic as well and we still chat online and comment on each other’s Instagram photos. I also improved my Spanish immensely which was very important to me as I did not have room in my busy schedule to take Spanish courses throughout college but I wanted to improve. I really enjoyed being forced into the language because it really did make me better having no other way to communicate. And, my host parents were SO understanding and spoke slowly for me so that they ensured that I understood.

I still reminisce about Conin and all the wonderful nurses, physicians, therapists, and dietitians I met. I also think about the babies nearly every day. I still wear my anklet that I got from Horcon that reminds me of the time I spend with all of them on a regular basis. I still message Nicol from Conin every once in a while to check in and see how everyone is doing, although the babies I worked with a year ago are now gone and either back with families or adopted which is a great thing indeed! I have all my Chile pictures on the wall I show to all my residents on my “Get-To-Know-Me” board and that way my experience lives on. I also met my now dear pal, Laura, that actually was from the University of Arkansas and I worked those hours with her at Conin nearly every day and we become very close. Since we have been back we still get together for coffee or dinner and reminisce and enjoy our new life experiences as well! I certainly got a long term friend out of my experience as well.

I also traveled throughout Chile, and went on the excursions that the program planned such an white water rafting in Cajon de Maipo and travelling to the various coastal beaches by bus that were unforgettable. I also traveled with Laura to Horcon and went on long walks through the beautiful city that is Valpo. I also went to the neighboring city of Vina del Mar, which was really cool as well. If you choose this program, be sure to take advantage of everything that there is to offer. I even traveled to Lima, Peru because the tickets were so cheap and I have a pal from the University of Arkansas that was from there!

On another note I had been dating the man I am still with today for about six months at the time, and this was our first experience long distance. So with this said, this trip was challenging in more ways than one and it made me develop and grow a lot as a person. I realized many different aspects of my life were evolving and that my horizons were being broadened by being abroad without him and having experiences apart from him and our relationship. But, to all those people that think they can’t do something like this because they are in a relationship, you most definitely can and I encourage you to!

Anyhow, overall my experience was extraordinary and I will be forever appreciative of everything that I got out of it and I hope that the people I interacted with also benefited from my presence as well. I definitely would recommend this to anyone. And for those who are more resume-driven this was a great experience that I have brought up in interviews, and is certainly an experience in the health field that I can use to my advantage. I also got credit for it towards my Anthropology degree as I did a research paper while I was there.

If you are thinking of studying abroad, definitely consider studying abroad in Chile and seek out opportunities to do a Service-Learning program because for me, it was an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my days!

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Senior Nursing major & ISA Global Ambassador Sydney Albrecht spent the Summer 2017 term in Chile with International Studies Abroad (ISA). Learn more about Sydney's ISA program in Valparaíso, Chile.

Find your own study abroad program to hone your professional skills and enhance your resume at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search

The Final Days Abroad #HogsAbroad in Mexico

Packing + hanging out with friends + coming back to the US has been hectic, but here is my recap of my fifth and final week in Puebla!

Monday:
This week my rotation is in surgery, so I’m spending all week in the OR watching different surgeries. Today I watched a coronary bypass surgery, which was one of the coolest things I have ever seen! It is so humbling to see a beating heart and also to see how much knowledge the doctors have to fix a heart. Seriously, there are so many times where I had to write in my notes to look up how they were doing the surgery, because it blew my mind that they were able to take a vein from the leg and put it in the heart. We were there for about three hours, but only saw about half of the surgery. At one point, the surgeon had to step out to change gloves, so we were able to stand near the patient to watch them put him on bypass and watch the heart. I think I’ve said this before, but the heart is my favorite organ, and it was so so cool to see it beating and working in real life.


Tuesday:
There weren’t any surgeries today, so me and the other girls at my hospital went to a starbucks close to us and talked about our time in Mexico! Later that night I went to dinner with some friends, and also to the Estrella de Puebla.


Wednesday:
Today Mexico played in the World Cup, so some friends and me went to go watch the game at a restaurant! The atmosphere is so fun and it was a nice break from the hospital. Even though they lost, they made it past the group stage onto the round of 16. My mom came to Puebla to visit me and so we went to dinner in El Centro, and I got to show her around! It was so nice to have her in the place where I’ve spent the past month, and I can’t wait to show her around more. At night, I went out with some friends, but we didn’t stay out too late since we had to go to the hospital the next day.


Thursday:
My last day at the hospital did not disappoint! After waiting around for a little bit, I got to scrub into a brain surgery to remove a tumor! The doctors we observed were all very helpful and willing to teach us, and it was so cool to see how complex the surgery was, but also how talented and knowledgeable the surgeons were. It was an 8-hour surgery, and I only was able to stay for 3 hours of it. But what I saw was unforgettable and I learned so much even from just observing. I was sad to leave the hospital, but I’m so grateful for the experiences I’ve had and everything I’ve learned.

the doctor and resident who let us scrub in!

Friday:

Today since we don’t have our hospital rotations, we had a farewell breakfast at a restaurant near school. Afterwards, we went to a drive through safari about 30 minutes from Puebla! It was such a fun experience and a fun way to spend time with everyone one last time before we went back to the states. After spending most of our day there, we headed back to Puebla where I grabbed lunch with my friends near UPAEP. At night, we went out with some of our intern friends from the hospital, to celebrate the end of their intern year and us leaving! We went to their favorite place to go dance and it was so fun to see everyone one last time! They taught us so much in the hospital, and so kind to become friends with us. I’m going to be sad to leave Puebla and the local friends I’ve made here, but also grateful that my U of A friends will all be together once school starts!

Saturday:
Today is my last day in Puebla! In the morning, my friends and I went to the market in El Centro with their host parents. We shopped around for a little bit, and I bought some Talavera and other souvenirs. Then my friend’s host parents took us to some of the tunnels that run underneath Puebla. They were telling us that the tunnels were how the Mexican army was able to beat the French during the Cinco de Mayo battle. It was really cool to walk through, and we probably wouldn’t have found the tunnel without the host family’s help! Next, we went to a store called “La Oaxaqueña”, where we bought chocolate, vanilla, and mole from Oaxaca. For lunch, the host mom bought us cemitas (which is a giant sandwhich- google a picture of it!) and we ate at their house. For dinner, my host mom invited her whole family over for mole Poblano, and it was the perfect last meal in Puebla. Later that night after we had all packed, my friends and I went out for some ice cream and to hang out together one last time in Puebla! Five weeks went by too quickly; I am not ready to leave this city and all the memories I’ve made here, but I know I will be back in Puebla soon.

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My name is Lili and I am from Dallas, Texas! I’m an honors junior Nursing student and also minoring in Spanish. This summer, I’ll be studying in Puebla, Mexico in a service-learning health professions program. I’ll be living with a host family, taking Spanish classes for health professions, and also shadowing a doctor in one of the local hospitals. I’ll be writing about my experiences in the hospital, around Puebla, and on the different excursions my group is taking. I hope you follow along!

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Nursing major Lili Barrientos is spending the summer 2018 term in Mexico with our U of A Faculty-Led: Spanish Immersion & Service Learning in Puebla.

Read more from Lili at https://lettersfromlili.wordpress.com/blog/.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Snapshots from Community Health Nursing #HogsAbroad in Ghana

My name is Hannah Cogburn and I recently returned from my community health nursing study abroad trip to Ghana. Here are a few photos from my time in Ghana.

In a town called Paga, Ghana, crocodiles are considered to be sacred ancestors and are highly respected. This one was very patient and put up with our lengthy photoshoot!

A fun night spent watching the World Cup and eating a deliciously spicy meal with some locals in our custom-made outfits.

One of the local seamstresses in the craft market was kind enough to let us play with her beautiful daughter, Princess!

We were in awe of the overlook at Mole Park where we spent lunch watching elephants, antelope, warthogs, and monkeys in their natural habitat. 

On our safari at Mole Park, we walked deep into the foliage to watch some elephants snack on some roots.

One of our last stops was in Cape Coast in southern Ghana. We were able to spend some time on the beach and have some fresh seafood which was the perfect ending to a life-changing trip.

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Nursing major Hannah Cogburn spent the Summer 2018 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing in Ghana program.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Community Health Nursing #HogsAbroad in Ghana

Hi, my name is McKinsea Volbrecht. I am about to start my senior year at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the U of A. I just returned home from studying abroad in Ghana, Africa for three weeks! We spent our time there teaching the community about prevalent health care issues such as malaria, wound care, sickle cell anemia, dental hygiene, alcohol abuse, and I personally taught on CPR and choking.

Along with teaching the community we also spent two weeks in local clinics shadowing the nurses and doctors. In Ghana nurse midwives are primarily responsible for the majority of births. Since I am interested in one day being a nurse midwife I was eager for the chance to shadow these nurses. So one of the most exciting moments on the trip for me was watching the birth of this little baby boy.

The mother arrived at the hospital fully dilated and started natural labor. Unlike in America, the women in Ghana do not receive any pain medication during the labor process. The nurse noticed that the baby was face up and after consulting the doctor they decided the patient was in need of an emergency C-section. I helped ambulate the patient to the operating room and watch the doctor perform the surgery. Three hours later a healthy baby boy was born. It was such a blessing to be a part of this birth. I learned so much from the midwives. I am excited to compare my experience in Ghana with my upcoming OB clinical.

All in all, my experience studying abroad in Ghana was fantastic and I truly believe it will make me a better nurse one day!

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McKinsea spent the Summer 2018 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing in Ghana program with the help of our our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Oaxaca #HogsAbroad in Mexico

On Friday morning, we started our four-hour bus ride to Oaxaca. We had a day packed with things to do, but before we started we went to a buffet that served Oaxacan food. Then, we visited a black clay pottery workshop in the city. We watched one of the artisans make a jar completely by hand, with only the simplest tools, and it was really cool to see how they decorated the pottery. We got to buy some pottery from the workshop, and then we left to check in to our hotel. It rained a ton that day, so we weren’t able to take a walking tour of the city. Since we had some free time, we went to eat dinner at an Italian restaurant, then walked around and found a place that sold soccer jerseys so that we could have one for the World Cup games. After getting some ice cream, we went back to the hotel to rest up.

Saturday, we went to Monte Alban, an archeological site about 20 minutes from Oaxaca city. Since the Mexico game was at the same time, some of us went to a cafeteria to watch the first half of the game. During half time, we left to go on a tour of the archeological site, and saw pyramids, altars, and ruins of residences. We were 6000 feet above sea level, and the view was incredible with all the mountains that surrounded the site.

After visiting Monte Alban, we went to another buffet for lunch and watched Germany and Sweden play. Then we visited the widest tree in the world, the Arbol de Tule, and then went to a mezcal factory to see how tequila and mezcal are made. After a long day, we got back to Oaxaca at 6, then had time to explore the city. We found a coffee shop near the Templo de Santo Domingo, and then grabbed dinner at a rooftop restaurant. We went to bed pretty late, and the next day we woke up and went to the market. The zocalo and pedestrian street were both so fun and alive, and I wish we had more time to explore Oaxaca.

We left around noon for Puebla, and after a bumpy bus ride, we made it back around 5, giving me plenty of time to unpack, find my scrubs for the hospital, and eat dinner with my host mom.

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My name is Lili and I am from Dallas, Texas! I’m an honors junior Nursing student and also minoring in Spanish. This summer, I’ll be studying in Puebla, Mexico in a service-learning health professions program. I’ll be living with a host family, taking Spanish classes for health professions, and also shadowing a doctor in one of the local hospitals. I’ll be writing about my experiences in the hospital, around Puebla, and on the different excursions my group is taking. I hope you follow along!

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Nursing major Lili Barrientos is spending the summer 2018 term in Mexico with our U of A Faculty-Led: Spanish Immersion & Service Learning in Puebla.

Read more from Lili at https://lettersfromlili.wordpress.com/blog/.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Traditional Healer #HogsAbroad in Ghana

Yesterday we all journeyed to visit a traditional healer that participates in the original religion of Bolgatanga. He was very informative, although he could not tell us everything for he has had experiences with either himself or of other healers of people trying to steal his secrets and make money (greedy people ruin it for all of us). He was extremely welcoming, and was very kind to have let us even come talk to him. It is nice to see that some of the original culture of Bolgatanga lives on, and that he helps so many people with his many herbal and spiritual remedies.

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Sydney and Bethany are spending the Summer 2018 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing program.

Read more from Sydney & Bethany and the Nursing program in Ghana at https://arkansasnursingscrubsinghana.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Anemia Research #HogsAbroad in Ghana

Personally, I have been working on my anemia project here in Bolgatanga and it has been going wonderfully! I have gotten many women to interview and we got a whopping 64 patients yesterday to come be tested for anemia. We found that so far about 35% of our population size is anemic on both Ghanaian scales and those of the States. It is certainly prevalent and an issue that must be addressed.

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Sydney and Bethany are spending the Summer 2018 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing program.

Read more from Sydney & Bethany and the Nursing program in Ghana at https://arkansasnursingscrubsinghana.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Just a Tad Sweaty #HogsAbroad in Ghana

Just finished our first week of clinicals!! We were able to share some knowledge about wound care, respiratory illnesses, and blood pressure with the local villages. The community of Bolgatanga and staff at the clinics were all kind, intelligent, and receptive. We are grateful to have been able learn so much from the wonderful people of Bolgatanga.

After clinicals each day, activities ranged from a well deserved nap to exploring Bolgatanga’s restaurants, shops, and markets. Every three days Bolgatanga has a street market that is PACKED with venders side by side, selling everything you can imagine. This is no ordinary market though, this thing felt like it went on for miles!! Luckily, our driver and personal hero, Charles, was kind enough to show us the ropes and how to successfully navigate the market. We came out with a variety of yummy fruit, appreciation for personal space, and a tad sweaty. We would definitely like to attend the market again.

In addition, we all picked out our favorite fabrics from a local shop and are having custom outfits made! Measurements were taken, and doodling of ideas occurred. The outfits are currently being made and hope to be in some time next week!

As a part of our evening routine, we regularly have an intense game of cards, uno, fish bowl, and phase 10 while sharing a large pizza from the hotel. We have probably eaten our weight in carbs on this trip, but who’s counting. This is a great time to unwind and get to know our professors and the other nursing students.

This upcoming week, we plan to switch clinical sites, visit a traditional medicinal shop, and tour the regional hospital. So yeah, you can say we are all pretty excited!

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Sydney and Bethany are spending the Summer 2018 term in Ghana with our U of A Faculty-Led: Community Health Nursing program.


Read more from Sydney & Bethany and the Nursing program in Ghana at https://arkansasnursingscrubsinghana.blog/


Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/