187th Vision Care Eye Camp: Guatemala (June 13th- 20th, 2015)
The 187th Vision Care Eye Camp in Guatemala proved to be a very significant and transformative experience for me as I was able to understand the true power of team work and what great team work can ultimately accomplish. In summary, the main notion for this Vision Eye Camp was to help clarify people’s visions, so that they can see the world clearly! As we embarked on our trip to Guatemala, this was the main focus for us: to give the patients better vision through our team work. When we got to Guatemala, there were a lot of tasks that had to be completed prior to serving the patients. These tasks included setting up the necessary machines for the eye evaluations, organizing the medicines for the patients, and understanding our respective role
During the next five days, our team administered eye examinations to the patients. For the most part, everyone was busy as the days were packed with a lot of duties so that we could give the patients a quality hospital experience. There were a myriad of jobs but every member was given a specific task to fulfill which meant that this Vision Care Camp would only be successful with adequate team work. Although, I was extremely interested in a lot of the other jobs, I knew that I would have to fulfil my duties to the best of my abilities as a doctor’s assistant. However, I was overjoyed with my position because as a doctor’s assistant, I found myself completing a variety of tasks as I had the opportunity to dilate the patients eyes, administer an eye-chart test, and aid in preparing a doctor for eye surgery.
My experience as a doctor’s assistant helped me learn a lot as I was given a lot of tasks to complete.
As this was my first time volunteering in the 
medical field, I was able to understand how significant I can be at the age of sixteen by merely helping the doctors. It was extremely fulfilling for me to see patients come into the hospital with a lot of different eye problems, and ultimately leave with better vision and better eyes. I was also touched by the generous hospitality that were offered by the Guatemalan patients and the people of Guatemala as they treated me with respect and kindness all throughout the week. It was great to have the patients thank me for my services and these acts of gratitude has instilled in me a burning desire to continue to help others in any way I can. Although this trip was arduous at times with the early morning starts and etc., I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to be a part of a team that has helped so many people in just one week.
This trip showed me the true value of team work and how important it is for us to work together collectively as a unit to obtain the best results. This experience has also provided me with great friendships as I was able to bond with some of the Guatemalan natives and my fellow peers. My time with the Vision Care team has truly helped me to see the world in a different way as I am now determined to help as many people I can in the future. Overall, this experience has provided me with invaluable friendships, and has been a truly humbling experience as I was able to experience a third-world country and the struggles some people go through. I believe that this trip has helped me to mature and helped me to ultimately understand that I can make a difference in the lives of many people as a member of the Vision Care team.
