November’s Greetings: Turning New Leaves

      November has been such a busy and eventful month, filled with uncomfortable changes and success to match. I've finally found my rhythm in learning course work and my exam scores have improved tremendously. My favorite module this month was Renal even though it was extremely challenging. I believe I understood the mechanisms of the drugs in this module better than any previous module, and I credit that to spaced repetition via my Anki cards. A lot of my family members use these drugs, and I used to "prescribe" these when I worked as a scribe, so its interesting knowing the entire process on a molecular level, of their action in the cell.

      More importantly, this was a big month for community service for me, as I finally got a chance to volunteer with Edible Schoolyard Nola, and the Crescent City Farmers Market. I originally was set to volunteer with Edible Schoolyard in New York as a kitchen volunteer, however Covid-19 hit and that was no longer a possibility. When I came to Nola, I was so excited to find that they have their organization operating here. Edible Schoolyard is an organization that teaches inner city elementary students how to cultivate and cook healthy nutritious foods, as well as foster an educational opportunity for sustaining a healthy lifestyle and relationship with food. 

      Due to Covid-19, I serve as a garden volunteer as opposed to Kitchen Volunteering, and after a few setbacks I was excited to volunteer this month. My assignment for the day was to repurpose mulch around my chosen school, Arthur Ashe Charter School, to liven the entrance area and prepare for Sweet Potato Fest. It was hard work and reminded me of my experience digging up water lines in Nicaragua. However I was grateful that in spite of the challenging work, I felt good afterwords. That feeling has been hard to have this year. 

      I also had the pleasure of volunteering with Crescent City Farmers Market. Before I arrived in Nola, I already had an idea of how I wanted to serve the community and this was one of them. Crescent City Farmers Market allows people to obtain fresh produce, vegetables, and other goods from local and small vendors. People can now preorder what they want, and the Market is converted into a drive-thru, contactless transaction. I love how they were able to adapt so fast. I had to share this opportunity with other classmates as well and I think they enjoy the market as well. It’s also a plus since I often used to buy produce and vegetables in bulk and they’d always spoil so fast. I enjoy getting to know the vendors each week, and plan on doing more.

      I can’t say I’m not excited to go home and just relax for a month because I am truly ecstatic. I also am excited to volunteer at CHiPS kitchen while at home in NYC. I also feel better knowing I’m about to start MCAT studying due to how much I’ve grown this semester academically. This experience thus far has shaped me for the better and made me uncomfortable in so many ways----it was required. I saw it through.

Happy Holidays !


Total Community Service Hours: 12.5 hrs


Had such a good time: