Quite a satisfying day in the trench #archaeology #planning #archaeologist #trench1 #trench #excavation #fieldschool #fieldschool2018 #silchester @uniofreading @silchester_excavation (at Silchester Roman City Walls and Amphitheatre)
Hello! My name is Jennifer and I am a third year student of the Dental Hygiene Program. I had the opportunity to go on the most incredible field school experience to San Pancho, Nayarit, Mexico. We were a group of 8 students and
3 instructors and our mission was to enable the locals of San Pancho, both adults and children, to achieve better oral health through health promotion and disease prevention.
We started by visiting primary schools and a community group in San Ignacio called “La Casa Clu” where we provided oral health education, caries (dental decay) screening, and fluoride treatment to children. “La Casa Clu” is a small non-profit organization established by a lady named Jessica who created the space for children to be children, and for them to grow and learn by being a part of a community. The children were thrilled to have us come educate and play with them. It was amazing seeing how engaged and willing the children were to learn about oral health. They were so welcoming and the endless hugs made it difficult to leave.
After a week of seeing the children and exploring the cultures and community of San Pancho, we began to set up our dental hygiene clinic at a community centre called "Entre Amigos". Entre Amigos is another non-profit organization supported by volunteers to encourage and enhance learning opportunities for children and youth. We were so privileged to be able to work with an amazing group of volunteers from the centre who were so accommodating and welcomed us with open arms for the 10th year of doing this field school.
Our Dental Hygiene clinic ran for 4 days and for approximately 10 hours each day. The days were long and hard, and our backs were sore, but at the end of the day, the appreciation we received and the self-fulfillment we experienced made it all worth it. Seeing the oral health statuses of some of our clients were eye-opening. It really puts your mind into another perspective seeing and experiencing in person how limited access to health care is available in some parts of the world. However, being able to help change someone’s life by improving their health and seeing their bright smiles afterwards was the most amazing feeling.
I learned and developed so much as a health professional and a health advocate, and gained so much clinical skills over this short period of time. This truly was a life-changing experience that I will always cherish for the rest of my career.
