Hola from the Caribbean! Almost 3 weeks ago I arrived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to start my practicum with my fellow classmate, Tiffiany. This beautiful country has greeted us with open arms, and even though our time here has been short, I already feel that I will miss this place.
I am Sophia, a first-year MPH student, and an international student from Guatemala. I truly miss my family, friends, and the way things work in my country. Being here has been a breath of fresh air. The colmadones (corner stores) remind me of the tienditas in my country, which you can literally find in every corner stocked with goods and fresh fruits. The food, oh my God! The food is probably the best part! The fruits and vegetables are fresh, and the variety is amazing. Avocados almost twice the size of my hand, natural juices that taste delicious without any added sugar, tostones, mofongo, mangu, and all sorts of prepared dishes that are extremely tasteful and available at almost all times of the day. A place that remains awake into the late night when the air is cool, while people play dominoes, sit outside their houses to chat, or dance to melodic bachata. The hot air from early morning to dawn makes this place incredibly unique. People here treat you like family; they make you feel welcome. In a way, to me, that feels like home. I can note the effects of colonization similar to my country, starting with inequality. I hear it on the streets as people sell whatever goods they can, offering all kinds of services. I can feel it when I ride the Guagua (bus) and the sweat runs down my back in the blazing heat. I can see it in the expensive and luxurious hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners and only a few locals.
I consider myself very fortunate to have found this opportunity with Dr. Clare Barrington, PI, whom I have been working with since the start of my first semester. Dr. Clare´s works focuses on HIV, particularly HIV stigma and the use of PrEP and other interventions to improve HIV outcomes. She has previously worked with populations who have been disproportionately affected by the epidemic, such as men who have sex with men, transgender women, and female sex workers. During my time here, Tiffiany and I will be working with cisgender female sex workers and transgender women living with HIV. For the latter, we will be implementing an intervention called “Gender Affirming Abriendo puertas (GAP)”. The intervention consists of individual counseling, social cohesion, and peer navigators to improve program retention, treatment adherence and other HIV outcomes. For the former, we aim to understand the burden of nontransmissible chronic diseases (NCDs) among female sex workers. We also want to understand how they access care for NCDs through HIV clinics by conducting in-depth interviews with providers.
I am very passionate about research in all its phases. At the moment, I am working on setting up the baseline survey for GAP in REDcap, which has been nothing but fun. We have also piloted the instrument with some of our colleagues here in the DR and will soon be ready to start collecting data. Working with the team here in the DR has been nothing but enjoyable. They are people who truly care and are passionate for what they do, and I am grateful to get to be a part of this team. I am eager to start working with our participants. I have heard of their hardships and struggles, and that has been a constant reminder of why I chose this field.
I leave you with this beautiful sunset on the beach. Until next time.
– Sophia