On the 10^th of October I attended a Mass that was held in honor of individuals suffering from mental illness as it was World Mental Health Day. This was my first Mass held in Spanish, and additionally, it was held in the first cathedral in the Americas. The experience was really incredible; I was sitting in a place surrounded by another culture and language in a building that was older than my country! The following week I worked on developing a brochure for the Alerta Joven program that would provide more information regarding the program and services offered. Last week we worked in the office on Wednesday where I learned more about the financial mechanisms of the clinic from my preceptor. It was interesting to hear about, in greater detail, how the clinic has achieved sustainability. Throughout the week I also worked with the Alerta Joven discussions again, the topics for the weeks were Sexuality which emphasized the biological aspect of sex and reproduction. The other Charla was focused on Maternity and Paternity and the role of parenting. 

Aside from my Fall Break trip, I’ve been in between the clinic and office this reporting period mostly. I also spent that morning and early afternoon at the cathedral. This week I’ve been sick, but I’m currently back in the clinic and today is my last day here. On Monday we’ll move to the Monte Plata facility where the other clinic is located and on-site housing. I’m looking forward to that experience, as I’ll be surveying another part of the country and interacting with different people, different staff, and different patients. Once we get there we’ll be working on different projects, hopefully be doing more shadowing with the physicians and patient care. Hopefully by next week I’ll be feeling back to 100%, I’ll be taking my medicine and recovering until then!