Gonzalo U. Serrano AldereteParticipated in 2022Intern Abroad | Kenya
Gonzalo Serrano is trilingual in Spanish, English, and French. He studied biology and chemistry at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. He has been a student representative, college resident assistant, tutor, college baseball player, lifeguard, and a missionary in Peru and Mexico.
What inspired you to travel abroad?
Growing up in a small town of Puerto Rico with a desire to give a lot, but having almost nothing, looking back at my younger self I realize that I was always trying to look for ways to serve others. I think this love to serve others was seen a lot in my parents and in our family physician.
Our family physician, Dr. Girald, was more than the doctor of the town. He was also my baseball coach, a supporter of the town activities, a true believer of community service, and a friend of the town. He created in me a spark of service for others, I just did not know that it was going to be through medicine as well, where I would find my passion and calling.
In 2017 after Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico, when the help of communities was not enough, nations came together to help our island. Me sitting on my couch was not going to do any good, instead, I went to Hospital Hima in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where I volunteered to help with all the gathering and supplying of basic need articles, medication, and clothing to those greatly affected by the hurricane. It did not stop there, I gathered my graduation class, talked to the administration staff and faculty, and asked them to give us a few days where we were all able to go and help in amazing ways. Here, I also saw doctors who in between their patients, took time to help us with the sorting of clothing as well as other goods.
In college, I had the awesome experience to shadow Dr. Klein in Lyons, Kansas, who taught me what it means to be more than a doctor for your community. From taking care of patients, to participating in one of the local churches and putting the best Christmas lights in his house for everyone to enjoy, he showed humility as a doctor and as a people person. This was one of the reasons I was driven to create the Diversity Task Force in my college and went to apply for a missionary trip to Peru which I was part of last year.
From our family doctor, to the ones who helped during the hurricane and Dr. Klein in my college years, they all showed me what it means to go beyond your profession title and do more for others, whether you know them or not. This created in me the desire to explore other cultures, submerge myself in them and try to see the world from another perspective, all of this while I served them even before I became a physician.
Why did you choose ?
Throughout my college career in Kansas, I was able to do community service, experience shadowing opportunities and do research experiments. I started looking for internship opportunities where I would be able to help, serve, and learn more about medicine. IMA showed me an opportunity to do all this, while learning from another culture.
Here, us as interns taught students about hygiene and women's health while interacting and learning from them.
What was your favorite part about East Africa?
Although having a vast amount of memorable experiences, including those lived in the hospitals, clinics, and schools; I want to point-out the experience I had in Malindi with the Giriama tribe. There I was able to be part of some of the ritual dances and actually try to understand what these meant for them as a community.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
Service, resiliency and altruism; the meaning that IMA and Kenya gave to these three words made my experience abroad more than extraordinary. If one summarizes an experience with these three words, that’s an experience I want to be part of.
Since day one and my welcoming to Kenya, IMA demonstrated to me what a great sense of service they had for us as interns and other people as a community. The opportunities provided by IMA where we were able to reach orphanages, schools, other hospitals, and communities are prime examples of what community service is all about.
My experience with the patients, as well as with the healthcare workers, allowed me to see and live what it truly means to be resilient. Having doctors tell me they had been on hospital floors for more than two days straight, and seeing patients not give up and fight for one more day taught me the resiliency is more than words can describe.
During my time in Kenya I had a few doctors tell me, “I could be making more money elsewhere, but I need to give back to my community”. These were the same doctors that after a busy week of working two jobs would go back to our residence to ask about our week and teach us a little bit more. They would then get ready for a Saturday, where all of us, including them, would volunteer for a day full of patients and hard work. Like I said, Service, Resiliency and Altruism in Kenya made my experience abroad more than extraordinary.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
IMA showed respect, hospitality and care throughout my two months in Kenya. Local staff made sure I felt safe and comfortable during my stay. The local staff found ways to keep our body and minds active through debriefing meetings, team bonding activities, and their willingness to be there for us always in case we needed anything.
Did International Medical Aid (IMA) provide specific pre-departure Covid support? If yes, please tell us what kind of support you received.
Before leaving home, I was asked to provide proof of COVID vaccine or negative results to the virus as the country of arrival requested. We were required to have with us protective equipment like masks and gloves. Besides the country requirements, IMA also guided themselves through the CCC requirements.
IMA East Kenya's first Mental Health Awareness Clinics. We addressed major themes in the life of high schoolers.
How did International Medical Aid (IMA) help you stay (and feel) safe abroad amidst the ongoing pandemic?
While being in Kenya, we were asked to wear our masks during all hospital and clinic settings. We also had to wash our hands before entering the residence after a day of work. Disinfectant alcohol was also provided in the buses we were transported in. We were also encouraged to take any additional precautions we thought were necessary to protect ourselves from COVID-19.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
Research, as well as patient care, is one of my passions. Having been able to do research during college, I wish I would have known even prior to my arrival to Kenya that I could have been able to do research during my time abroad.
If there is one thing I would change would be doing a research experiment that would benefit the community in Kenya as well as the rest of the world. Maybe a research experiment that I could continue while being back home and in that way, help and stay more in touch with IMA and its extraordinary work.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
There truly was no day the same as the other, however; when asked about a typical day in my life abroad I love mentioning days like Tuesdays and Thursdays. Although our hospital workday started at 8am when we were picked up from the residence, I started my day at 6:30am as I got ready for breakfast and took advantage of the quiet time at the house to review the cases from the day before.
From 8am until 1pm we were at Coast General Referral and Teaching Hospital where we had the opportunity to rotate in different departments and learn from different medicine specialties. After work, we would go back to the residence for lunch and I would take time to head to the local weightroom.
At 7:30pm they picked me up for the night shift which went from 8pm until 6am the next morning. During the rush, hard work and tiredness that came with night shifts, it kept me excited knowing that I would take time during the night to visit and check on the status of patients of which cases I was part of in the past. Coming back to the residence at 6:30am was a perfect time for breakfast and a good shower and sleep before visiting the orphanages or schools for the clinics.
I ran the 2nd edition of the Coach001 Classic, a healthy run made to raise funds for foundations helping breast cancer patients.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
During my free time, I read an anatomy book or watched some tv with the other residents as we talked about our days. I also took time everyday to exercise my body at the local weightroom and go on Saturdays to CrossFit with the program director, Mr. Odhiambo.
I also enjoyed the excursions IMA offered where we were able to explore and learn from the community in Kenya. Last but not least, I was part of a local 5K to create awareness and gather funds for organizations in Mombasa dedicated to help breast cancer patients.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
We were placed in a very safe residence in Nyali, where we had security guards 24 hours of the day. In the residence, we had extraordinary personnel which took care of our meals, laundry, and cleaning of residence and rooms. We were also provided safe transportation to hospitals, tours, and local places. Thanks to these accommodations, I was able to focus all my energy on the purpose of this internship, which was serving the patients and community.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
I believe that the fact that almost four months after my time abroad, I still find myself talking about my experience like it was just yesterday speaks for itself. My time abroad opened my eyes and put my feet on the ground of both the injustices and blessings that occur under the same sky.
From sharing my experiences, seeing the differences in various medical systems, and encouraging other to reach out and help others in places they might have never thought of, to realizing that things like water, food, a bed to rest on, and a ceiling to live under are not only a basic need, but also a luxury in a lot of places. A luxury which we sometimes take for granted and that if I had not spent my time abroad, I would have not given the value I give to them today.
The Watamu/Malindi Safari let me submerge myself into the local life. I even got to dance with members of the local community.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
One thing that every future participant should know about the IMA program in East Kenya before the program begins is that a good selection of department rotation might have a great impact on the experience of each participant.
Another thing would be to learn as much as possible of the native language. This would provide the participant a greater opportunity to not just communicate with patients, but to be able to relate better with the community.
Would you recommend to others? Why?
Since coming back from Kenya, I have already spread the word about the IMA Pre-med program in the college I attended to, as well as in my country through social media and one-on-one conversations with students and healthcare professionals who might be interested in being part of this program in numerous ways. I believe that it is part of my responsibility now to share my experience with others and encourage them to reach out and help through programs like IMA as I know it can change their lives like it changed mine.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
I feel that the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is the chance to see the world from a different perspective. One thing is to know about a place or a group of people; another thing is to live in the place and around a different community, and appreciate it.
I feel that traveling abroad gives a person the opportunity to go beyond their comfort zone and explore the true meaning of life and what their purpose is. In my case, IMA and Kenya were a perfect reassurance that I want to keep traveling abroad while helping and serving others through medicine.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Before IMA in Kenya, a meaningful travel meant one where I was able to create memories for life. After IMA Kenya, meaningful travel took a whole new meaning.
Meaningful travel now is one where I’m able to touch and impact the life of others through service. Meaningful travel is one where it does not just become a memory, but that the experiences lived there changed me and transcend for the rest of my life.
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