Maciej Plocharski

I participated in the EWH Summer Program in 2011, and I had the privilege to spend that summer in Costa Rica and Honduras. It was an amazing experience, but also a great challenge. I spent the first month learning Spanish, since English is not the best way to communicate with people, especially in small hospitals in Honduras. We were also taught how to fix and maintain medical equipment. This was undertaken in a large group of 25 students, all of whom were from the USA, and I was the only person from Denmark.

At the beginning of the second month we were divided into two groups: All the students from Duke University went to Nicaragua, and all the others to Honduras. My destination was El Progreso, and I was to work in a rather large hospital. My partner and I became friends with our technicians at the hospital, even though it was not very easy; our ability to speak Spanish was rather basic. Nevertheless, that trip gave me a great practical experience, as well as an amazing possibility to learn the local culture. This is definitely a trip I would recommend to everybody!