Baylor Arts & Sciences

Baylor study abroad: Stephanie Kendall in China (part three)

June 19th, 2013 · No Comments · Students, Study abroad

Stephanie Kendall, a senior public relations major from Singapore, is taking part in the Baylor in China program this summer. In the third in a series of blog posts, Stephanie describes her visit to Beijing’s magnificent Summer Palace.

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A buffet-style breakfast was prepared for us in the dining hall, complete with a typical Chinese dim sum, along with some American-style dishes. At breakfast Wang Laoshi (老师, Professor Wang) announced our plans to have our regular three-hour class, get lunch and then visit the famous Summer Palace (颐和园) where we would learn about the architectural design and layout while exploring the grounds.

After switching from a few buses and walking around Beijing we finally arrived at our first sightseeing destination, the Summer Palace. As we entered the gates we could see lavishly decorated pillars full of bright reds, yellows, blues and greens, which created intricate patterns of flowers, dragons and all sorts of shapes.

Behind the gates were a few buildings and statues surrounded by a bunch of trees. As we walked along the path past the buildings we could see a glimpse of a Longevity Hill and a breathtaking view of Kunming Lake bordering the Summer Palace. I had to stop for a moment and take a few pictures at this gorgeous sight, so I could forever remember this moment in time.

While taking a few pictures and admiring the beautiful sights of the Summer Palace, Wang Laoshi informed us that we would have a small boat race along the lake to see who could reach the Seventeenth Arched Bridge.

Divided into three different teams we headed out to the water to start our race. Ready, set, go! Pedaling faster and faster my group (Juanita, Nathan and Olivia) managed to surpass another group (Wang Laoshi, Billy, Holly and Amanda S.), but were still trailing a few meters behind a third group (Yudong, Jacob and Amanda R.). We pedaled as fast as we could trying to reach the arched bridge before the other groups, but weren’t fast enough to catch up to the first boat (with Yudong, Jacob and Amanda R.). After the race we were all exhausted and decided to stop pedaling and just admire the sights and sounds of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill.

After the boat race we ventured through a long corridor to reach the heart of the Palace. Here we could see the Tower of Buddhist Incense atop a large hill, overlooking part of China. This Tower of Buddhist Incense was specifically built for the Empress Dowager Cixi, since she was strictly Buddhist.

The structure and design of the Tower was breathtaking and beautiful to witness. The colors radiated in the sunlight, making it the prettiest structure at the Summer Palace.

At our last destination in the Summer Palace we came across a water market area, which was designed for the Empress as well. She would often get sick, but loved the look of water, so she had a water market made in order for her to admire the market without actually sailing along the canals. Once again the architecture was stunning, filled with lots of bright reds, golds and blues.

We all hopped onto a bus and headed to another local Chinese restaurant. After our delicious meal we came back to the hotel and prepared for another day filled with class and sightseeing.

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Baylor study abroad: Stephanie Kendall in China (part two)

June 13th, 2013 · No Comments · Students, Study abroad

Stephanie Kendall, a senior public relations major from Singapore, is taking part in the Baylor in China program this summer. In the second in a series of blog posts, Stephanie describes her first day in Beijing at Tsinghua University, which she says is “known as the No. 1 school in China.”

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For our first day at Tsinghua University we met downstairs for breakfast with the group, exchanged numbers and discussed our itinerary for the week before exploring the campus and heading to our first day of class.

As we walked through campus, we soon figured out that walking everywhere would become second nature.

After our first class we met up with a group of Tsinghua students learning English and talked to them about their course work, and about life as a student at Tsinghua. We all exchanged emails and numbers so we could meet up another day and explore the outskirts of Tsinghua with locals. We said goodbye to the students and headed to our first traditional Chinese lunch as a group.

The food was lavishly displayed and full of exotic spices — each bite was a burst of flavor. We had spicy pickles, sweet and sour pork, noodles, egg drop soup, beef vegetables in a delicious brown sauce and so much more.

With our stomachs full we headed to the bank to exchange money before getting our subway cards, which we would later find out are a necessity when traveling through Beijing.

Later we walked back through campus to find the bookstore, which was about a mile-long walk. At the bookstore we got our Chinese textbooks, dictionaries and any other materials we needed before having another delicious feast full of Taiwanese cuisine. With the lack of energy we had left we all decided to head to bed early and prepare for our first real sightseeing trip the next morning.

In part three of Stephanie’s adventures in China, she’ll talk about the visit she made to one of Beijing’s most impressive sights — the Summer Palace.

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Baylor study abroad: Stephanie Kendall in China (part one)

June 12th, 2013 · No Comments · Students, Study abroad

Stephanie Kendall, a senior public relations major from Singapore, is taking part in the Baylor in China program this summer. In the first in a series of blog posts, Stephanie describes her arrival in Hong Kong and introduction to some of the foods and attractions of the city.

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After a tiresome 14-hour flight from San Francisco, my friend William (Billy) Stockton and I had finally made it to one of the cuisine capitals of the world, Hong Kong!

As we exited the airport we could immediately feel the change from Texas weather. The air left our skin feeling sticky and moist, as if we had just walked into a humidifier. With the help of one of Billy’s friends we boarded the bus and went off to his place in Kowloon.

Despite the jet lag from the flight we managed to spend the entire day out shopping, exploring Hong Kong and eating delicious food.

We started the morning off with going to a local dim sum restaurant where we indulged in some Hong Kong delicacies such as pork dumplings, Chinese tea, egg noodles and much more. After our feast we ventured off to downtown Hong Kong to check out the shopping and met up with some friends who gave us a personal tour of Hong Kong the following day.

The next day we were able to eat some of Hong Kong’s richest foods such as Japanese noodles, mango flavored shaved ice, ji dan zi (鸡蛋子), which is a type of waffle dessert, local Cantonese food and delicious Korean barbeque.

Amongst our numerous food stops we took a trip up to The Peak, an area on top of one of Hong Kong’s mountains, which overlooked all of Hong Kong and its skyline. As the daylight started to fade to darkness we took a ferry ride over to Hong Kong Island to see the location of the famous duck — a giant yellow inflatable duck constructed by a French artist who wanted to promote peace within different nations of the world. Sadly, the duck was under repair and we were not able to see it.

While visiting Hong Kong Island we overlooked the financial district and business side of Hong Kong. As we walked alongside the water we marveled at the tall skyscrapers and bright lights. During this walk we took a few photos of the skyline and the traditional boats floating on top of the bright reflections cast by the buildings. It was truly a picture perfect moment.

The next morning we headed to a local Cantonese restaurant before boarding the subway to venture to another part of China, Shenzhen. Shenzhen is known as an up-and-coming area, full of various cultures, nightlife, food and much more.

That evening we treated ourselves to a fantastic Thai massage at a local spa. We felt like royalty being waited on hand and foot — literally. We attracted a lot of attention with our blonde hair and American physiques. With only a few months of studying Mandarin we were able to decipher some words and phrases, such as “Wow, so pretty! Can we take a picture with you?,” and simple sentences asking how long we’ve been learning Mandarin. It was exciting to know that after only a few short months studying Mandarin, we could somewhat converse with the staff.

After our eventful evening of luxurious spa treatment, we headed to the airport to board our flight to Beijing to meet up with the rest of the group. After being delayed 2.5 hours due to bad weather we managed to arrive in Beijing, and headed to our dorms at Tsinghua University, which is known as the No. 1 school in China.

In her next post, Stephanie will discuss her arrival and first days at Tsinghua University.

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Baylor’s Lauren Barron reflects on her time spent treating victims of the West explosion

June 4th, 2013 · 1 Comment · Faculty

On April 17, 2013, an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas — about 15 minutes north of Waco — killed 15 people and injured 200 more. Many faculty, staff and students from Baylor University volunteered their time and expertise in the days following the tragedy, including Dr. Lauren Barron, a physician and faculty member who serves as associate director of Baylor’s medical humanities program. In this firsthand remembrance, Dr. Barron describes her opportunity to help one of the victims of the explosion. The photos that accompany her essay are ones she took that day in West.

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At the request of the McLennan County Medical Society, I was able to volunteer in West on April 25, the day of the memorial service for the fallen first responders and the day of President Obama’s visit. When I arrived, the Red Cross volunteers there were very apologetic about having physicians earlier in the week who had not seen many (or any) patients. They were concerned about not utilizing physician volunteers’ time wisely.

However, a female patient apparently came in late on Wednesday night whom they were quite concerned about. They asked if I was willing to make a home visit, and of course I readily agreed.

At the time of the explosion, the woman had been looking at the fertilizer plant fire from her small home nearby. She took most of the force of the blast in her face, neck and upper chest. By the time I saw her, the woman had been discharged from a hospital in a neighboring community and had not been able to afford much in the way of medication or the medical supplies needed to change her bandages.

So, I set out with a Red Cross volunteer/nurse/firefighter, a social worker from Austin, and one of the medical residents from the Waco Family Health Center, Dr. Bill McCunniff.

It took a bit of doing for us to get to where the patient was staying — in a house with relatives on a rural road that Google Maps didn’t know about. But when we arrived, we were able to check her wounds and change her extensive dressings.

She had more than 300 stitches, mostly on her face, neck and upper arms. We also found two areas of gauze packing in her neck that were becoming quite uncomfortable for her and needed to be removed, given the risk of infection before her May 2 follow-up appointment with the surgeons who had repaired her wound. We were also able to call in antibiotics, something that had not been done (understandably) in all the chaos, and I arranged an appointment with her primary care physician for the following Monday afternoon.

It was a joy and a privilege to be able to care for this young woman, especially with the Red Cross volunteers and the young intern who accompanied me.

The patient was in so much pain, I would not have been able to remove the gauze packing without the help of the social worker, who sat on the other side and helped distract the young woman with relaxation and breathing exercises in such a way that it was rather like having an anesthesiologist make a house call with me!

Without the social worker’s expertise, this woman would have surely had to go through all the difficulty, discomfort and financial burden of going to the emergency room again — after having been through so much already. The social worker was also able to spend quite a bit of time with the patient’s family, who were also dealing with their own trauma.

And I don’t have words enough to praise her the nurse from Tyler — also a firefighter and Red Cross volunteer. It would have taken several hours for the other doctor and me to care for this patient without her slapping exactly what we needed into our hands almost before we asked. She handled all the bandages and juggled all the supplies, freeing us up to give our full attention to the patient.

So, having our ragtag group — spontaneously assembled with exactly who and what we needed — made receiving a house call seem like a miracle for this patient and her family. Forget time, forget cost effectiveness — it was all worth it just for this one patient.

As family physicians, we are ideally suited to make house calls. I found the same situation to be the case after the earthquake in Turkey — that home visits for certain elderly patients and others with difficulty mobilizing or with transportation obstacles were very, very helpful.

Any physician or medical professional who volunteers several days after a disaster needs to understand that there may be very little that they end up doing, so I recommend taking a book or paperwork, and plan to chat with the amazing Red Cross volunteers (many of whom have participated in disaster relief all over the country).

On the other hand, there may be just one patient — just one — whom they were destined to care for that day, but would have missed out on helping if they had decided not to go.

DISCLAIMER: Various details of this account have been altered to protect patient confidentiality.

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A tribute to Ray Cannon on his retirement

May 10th, 2013 · No Comments · Faculty

Dr. Raymond J. Cannon Jr., professor of mathematics, is retiring this spring after more than three decades at Baylor. He joined the Baylor faculty in 1978, having earned his A.B. degree from College of the Holy Cross and a Ph.D. from Tulane University.

Dr. Cannon was honored at a mathematics department event recently, where math chair Dr. Lance Littlejohn gave the following tribute.

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At the end of this spring 2013 semester, Ray Cannon will be retiring after 34 years of exemplary teaching, service and scholarship to Baylor University, as well as professional contributions to his discipline. We’re all going to miss Ray — not just his colleagues in the mathematics department but his colleagues and friends all across campus.

As chair of the department, I hear all the good things and bad things from students about their math teachers. Never once have I ever heard a negative comment on Ray Cannon’s teaching. This is very unusual because Ray can sometimes be blunt with his students, but he does so in a “fatherly” sort of way that students appreciate his honesty and positively respond to his challenge. He has always had an open door policy with his students and no matter the time of day, if Ray is not in class, he will likely have students in his office seeking additional help.

One of the funniest written comments sent my way was from a student who said this of Ray about what qualities he liked about Dr. Cannon: “His sense of humor and friendliness — he actually seems human.” Now, we all know that can’t be said about too many mathematicians! He touched so many students’ lives in his teaching. When I communicate with our math alumni, they always have nice things to say about Ray Cannon.

The name “Ray Cannon” is known in all math circles in the United States. He has been active on the College Board for years for his workshops to teachers for AP calculus. If I am at a mathematics meeting and someone sees that I am at Baylor University, invariably that person will say, “Please say hi to Ray Cannon for me.”

Ray is well known across campus — indeed, he has been active in developing the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core program and he served on the Faculty Senate for years, twice being the Faculty Senate Chair. At his retirement reception a few weeks ago, several Baylor colleagues remarked to me that Ray was a rock of support during some turbulent times at Baylor. That typifies Ray Cannon — he’s always been willing to fight for his colleagues no matter who is the opponent.

For me personally, Ray is a good friend first and a wonderful colleague second. And I am glad that is the order. It just makes it much easier for me to accept his cry, “Lance, that’s the dumbest idea that I have ever heard.” And my good friend Ray Cannon has said that to me several times!

We are going to miss both Ray and his wife Jo terribly. I never wanted to see Ray retire — he’s been my MVC (Most Valuable Colleague). But all of us are happy for both of them, and we know that we will continue to see Ray in the department.

And Ray, if you ever get to the point that you miss the grading of exams, or miss another exciting meeting — know that we will welcome you back with open arms!

Dr. Lance Littlejohn

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Teaching English in Austria: We hear again from Baylor alum Celia Heidbrier

May 8th, 2013 · No Comments · Alumni, Study abroad

Celia Heidbrier graduated from Baylor University in May 2012 with a BA in German. She was selected for a prestigious English Teaching Assistantship in Austria, and is now spending a full academic year teaching English in Deutschlandsberg, a small Austrian town of around 9,000 people. We asked Celia to check in from time to time and let us know what her experience has been like. This is the second in her series of blog posts for us.

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Greetings again! Today, I thought I’d talk about the domestic and culinary environment here in Austria.

I have a nice, quiet apartment (everyone here calls it a “flat,” though) in a suburb. My building looks like a house, but it’s actually three separate living units. On the ground floor is a couple with two little kids, and I’m on the upper floor along with another couple. We have a schedule posted by the front door that says which household is in charge of what chore for the week — such as cleaning the staircase, shoveling the snow and mowing the lawn.

Before I came here, I had never shoveled snow! I was a bit unlucky, too, because we’ve had an unusually long and snowy winter here (as you can see from my photos that accompany this post). I lost count of how many times it has snowed between December and May. I am happy, though, to see wildflowers such as bright purple crocuses, little yellow roses and daisies blossom. They’re still fighting the cold, though!

I keep four trash cans in my kitchen — ones for biological waste, paper, plastic, and everything else. It is easiest to keep the trash separate before taking it outside and putting it in the respective bins. There is a town schedule saying when biological waste will be picked up, when paper will be picked up, etc. Trash pickup is not as frequent as at home; it comes less than once a week.

Another chore (yes, chore) is grocery shopping. There are a few stores to choose from — I usually go to one called Merkur because it has the best quality, the most variety, and it is the most organized. Its layout resembles that of an American supermarket. There are also some discount stores near me, but I never find everything I’m looking for, and as I have to walk everywhere (no public transportation within this small town), I’d rather not bother.

What’s interesting about one store, Hofer, is that many of its packaged products have instructions or ingredients listed in three different languages — German, Hungarian and Slovenian. Also, many stores — almost all — use a system called the Eurolock for their shopping carts. Shopping carts are outside the store, and they are all locked together by small cables from the back of the handles of each cart. I have to have a coin ready — a 50-cent piece or a single or double Euro will work. There is a small, horizontal slot on the front of the handle in which to place the coin. The coin pushes out the cable, and the cart becomes free. If I’m not buying much, it’s better to bring a little basket.

I also have to bring my own bags. There are no baggers. At the checkout, I have to take everything out of the cart and place it on the conveyor belt (same as at home). After an item has been scanned (even before I’ve paid) I must quickly put the groceries back into the grocery cart, as there’s very little space behind the scanner. Next, I pay and leave the checkout counter and go to the wall where there’s a longer counter. This is where I, once again, take my groceries out of the cart and finally bag them. I go outside and stick the shopping cart back in place and get my Euro (or whatever) back.

Speaking of food, stereotypical items such as Wiener Schnitzel, cabbage, pickles and sausage can be easily found in stores, restaurants and Imbissstände (snack stands). There are lots of breads and meats available. Hard-boiled eggs are also abundant. What surprises me the most are the salads.

A very important specialty is Kürbiskernöl, which means “pumpkin seed oil.” This is green oil which tastes like peanut oil, and West Styria is very proud of its pumpkins. This is the featured dressing of most salads in the region. The featured lettuce is Vogerlsalat, which we (apparently) call “corn lettuce.” It’s bright green and has a very pretty shape — somehow shaped like a club or a spade. And lastly, there are Käferbohnen, meaning “beetle beans.” These are mildly sweet red beans, and they are as big as beetles.

Put these three things together, add some boiled scalloped potatoes and cooked green beans, and voila! You have a restaurant-style salad. Often when I go to salad bars, I find that everything is already in its own sauce or dressing — for example, tomato wedges in pumpkin seed oil, cucumber slices in ranch dressing, potato slices in cream, pickled red cabbage, lettuce in pumpkin seed oil — so it can be a bit intimidating to put a salad together. Somehow, if I’m careful, I can pick tasty combinations.

Next time, I’ll talk about even more tasty combinations and some other stereotypical, but pleasant things.

That’s all for now. Goodbye!

Celia

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Garrett named 2013 Baylor Centennial Professor

May 1st, 2013 · 1 Comment · Academics, Faculty

Dr. Greg Garrett, professor of English, has been selected as the 2013 Baylor Centennial Professor by the Centennial Faculty Development Review Committee.

The Baylor Centennial Professor award is funded by the Centennial Class of 1945 and supports faculty development. Each year, a Baylor tenured faculty member is designated as the Centennial Professor and is provided with funds for a project that will aid in developing of his or her ability to function as a university professor and contribute to academic life.

Garrett has taught at Baylor since 1989, and will use the $5,000 that accompanies the award to further work on a book titled Entertaining Judgment: The Afterlife in Literature and Culture, his first book for Oxford University Press.

“I want to express my gratitude to the 1945 Centennial Class for their support of Baylor faculty, and for this personal honor, which has been granted to friends and colleagues who are among Baylor’s most prolific writers and finest teachers,” Garrett said. “I am humbled to join their company.”

Garrett said his new book will examine our views of the afterlife over time.

“I write often about the intersection between religion and culture, and particularly about how we make meaning — religious, philosophical and emotional — from the things we read and the films, music and other cultural artifacts we enjoy,” he said. “In this project I’m exploring how literature and culture from Milton and Dante to the present have shaped the ways we think about what happens to us after we die — and how that perception shapes the way we live and believe.”

Garrett added that the award money will enable him to further his research efforts abroad.

“With the help of the Centennial Award, I’ll be traveling and working in the United Kingdom, especially at Gladstone’s Library in Wales, a great research institution where I hold the role of Residential Scholar,” Garrett said. “I’ll also be traveling to talk about my project this year with scholars in England, Scotland and Wales, with their students, and with the British media. The award will help underwrite a speaking tour this fall that will take me to Kings College in London and to Cambridge.”

“I’m personally grateful for the Centennial Award for its support of my learning and writing that will lead to a book and to speaking and media appearances, but I’ll also be channeling what I learn back into the classroom and into conversations with my own colleagues, so I hope the larger Baylor community will benefit in many ways,” he said.

Garrett teaches classes in creative writing, literature, film and theology in the Baylor English department and George W. Truett Theological Seminary. His advanced degrees include a PhD in English from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Divinity from the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest. He is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books of fiction, nonfiction and memoir, and of 75 short stories, essays and scholarly articles.

He has two novels forthcoming (including one with Brennan Manning), and his next nonfiction book will be published by Oxford University Press in fall 2014.

PHOTO CREDIT: Baylor Marketing & Communications

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Outstanding Students 2012-2013

April 30th, 2013 · No Comments · Academics, Students

The following students from the College of Arts & Sciences were recognized as “Outstanding Students” in their major fields of study at Baylor’s 2013 Academic Convocation on April 19.

Aerospace Studies

Jared Neal Strickland
Serena Sakura Walker

Anthropology

Alyssa Brooke Bonorden
Brittany Ann Kirsch
Gechi Winifred Obiano

Art

Katie Alexandra Hooker
Samuel D. Panter

Biology

Ryan Elisabeth Batson
Gregory Chandler Fox

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Leah Aultman
Regina Martinez

Classics

Jeffrey Michael Cross
Kirsten Kappelmann

Communication

Alison Ann Croom
Jason Robert Netherton
Steven Joseph Trebus

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Clara Maria Flores
Grace Elane Merrifield

Economics (BA or BS)

Kimberly Woodsum

English

Adriadne Aberin
Teal Dodrill
Ryan Smith

Environmental Science

James Thomas Britven
Dannie Belle Dinh
David Allen Dreir

Family and Consumer Sciences

Danielle Katherine Frantz
Megan Ashley Tschida

Geology

John Michael Karim
Matthew Saunders McCarter

History

Kody Sherman Jackson
Andrew Taylor Vincent

Journalism, Public Relations and New Media

Caitlin Giddens
Brent Salter

Mathematics

Kelsey Carpenter
Westin King
Adam Telatovich

Medical Humanities

Connor M. Smith
Hillary D. Villarreal

Military Science

Kyle Allan Everson
Nathaniel John-Thomas Hale

Modern Foreign Languages

Nikolas Pontasch (French)
Alex Perry (German)
Josh Rose (Russian)
Vanessa Wyns (Spanish)

Philosophy

Rebecca Michelle Phillips
Jonathan Keith Tekell

Physics

Panayotis N. Apokremiotis
Blake Alan Birmingham

Political Science

Mollie Moore
Aundrea Payne

Psychology and Neuroscience

William Heffley
Michelle Pennington

Religion

Lauren Rivers
Garrett Shuffield

Sociology

Selena French
Sydney Shields

Statistical Science

Madeline Drevets
Allison Hainline

Theatre Arts

Francisco Lopez Jr.
Kelsey Martin

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Baylor medical mission trip: Jesse Hilton

April 29th, 2013 · No Comments · Mission trips, Students

Over spring break 2013, students and faculty from Baylor University’s medical humanities program traveled to the medical school of the Universidad Evangélica de El Salvador, a Christian university located in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador. It was the first medical mission trip ever organized by Baylor Medical Humanities. Jesse Hilton, a junior biochemistry major from Tolar, Texas, was one of the students who went on the trip, and we asked him to share with us what he experienced.

A Student’s Recap of Baylor’s First Medical Humanities Mission Trip to El Salvador
By Jesse Hilton

Last September, I remember sitting in one of the first American Medical Student Association meetings of the new school year. That night we had the opportunity to hear from Ramona Curtis, Baylor’s director for civic engagement and educational development, and a leader of the Ghana community wellness mission trip Baylor undertakes each summer. I knew Baylor hosted mission trips, but I had no idea what actually happened on them.

In Curtis’ 30-minute lecture, I learned some important details about Baylor missions. Most importantly, I learned about the healthcare and medical focus of several of the yearly mission trips. The Ghana trip sounded great, but when I sat down and took a look at the Baylor missions website, I saw another trip that caught my eye.

The El Salvador medical missions trip the medical humanities department put together this year was the first of its kind at Baylor. Through the efforts of Dr. Lauren Barron, the associate director of medical humanities, Carlos Colón, the coordinator for worship initiatives at Baylor, and several other staff members, Baylor was going to El Salvador for the first time. My understanding was the general purpose of this inaugural mission was to pave the way for Baylor to make future trips to El Salvador.

I’m a junior biochemistry pre-med student here at Baylor, and for the past couple of years I’ve been looking for any opportunities to get involved in hospital and medical volunteer work. I love medicine and I know I want to be a physician. The trip we took to El Salvador gave me a unique chance to serve in my field of interest.

Beyond that, this mission fulfilled much more than the confused expectations I had when we left the ground at DFW Airport back in early March. I really didn’t know what to expect going into this trip. I had traveled to Costa Rica a few years ago so I was familiar with Central America, but this was my first time to be involved in a mission trip.

I remember in one of the trip preparation meetings back in January, Carlos said something that helped ease some of my worries about such a massive undertaking. Carlos is a veteran of the field, and through his experience, he said he learned to maintain a less strenuous schedule than some missions have done in the past.

What he said was verified by my experience on the mission. While we had our fair share of intense days across many different challenging environments, the trip leaders blessed us with time in the evenings to relax and reflect. We conducted 30-45 minute reflection and worship meetings in the evening of several of the days, but we still had the time to relax and hang out for a couple of hours each night to unwind and prepare for the day ahead.

Our first full day in the country we traveled out of San Salvador, the capital city we were staying in, and explored the beautiful countryside leading to Santa Ana. In Santa Ana, we experienced Salvadoran culture by attending Catholic Mass, and spent some time relaxing in Carlos’ house in the city. The urban environment there is much different from the United States, and I can only urge you to see for yourself to learn more about what I mean.

Later that day we travelled about 30 minutes out to Chalchuapa, the small village where Carlos was born. The highlight of the evening was walking through the Mayan ruins right outside Chalchuapa.

At this point it may sound like this whole trip was a vacation, so I want to cut to the chase and discuss the real meat of the trip: what we did to serve in El Salvador and how I was changed as a person.

The following day we went out to the medical school of Universidad Evangélica. We spent most of the day meeting some of the students, staff and doctors at the school. We had some very unique experiences that you would never get in the U.S. as an undergraduate student. These involved exploring the pathology lab and viewing — and even holding — some of the vast array of disease-ridden specimens and organs they collected for study. We also participated in one of their anatomy labs, where we had access to cadavers over 15 years old! We did much more at the university, but the next day involved an even more hands-on experience.

The following two days we went to a public hospital in San Salvador and did some amazing things with the physicians there. I ended up going through surgical rounds the first day, and witnessed several post-op procedures. The second day I stayed with Dr. Elaine Lambert, a rheumatologist and Baylor alumnus who teaches at Stanford. She blessed us with her presence on the trip. I spent most of the morning and afternoon at the clinic seeing several patients with Dr. Lambert and a few other students.

While these experiences were exciting and informative, I also saw some of the darker side of healthcare in El Salvador. The unfortunate circumstance of these days was my lack of ability to help in this underfunded, understaffed and under-resourced hospital. I felt very helpless, and sometimes I even felt as if I were in the way as we spent time there.

By this point, I felt happy with the certainty I felt with my career choice. The experiences I had in the hospital gave me confidence in my decision to become a physician. However, I also felt ashamed because I saw issues and suffering around me that I couldn’t do anything about.

Getting first-hand experience of the healthcare in El Salvador had given me new found gratitude for what we had in the United States, but I wanted to do something — anything — to feel like this mission was not just a one-way street of benefit for me.

Luckily, that Thursday we set out in the early morning to go on a medical brigade to a village far outside of the city. This village had little access to medicine or healthcare of any kind, and most of the inhabitants were very poor. Dr. Pena, one of the physicians from Universidad Evangélica that came with us on the brigade, said something that gave me encouragement. He said the medical brigade we were undertaking would not have happened without the investment we at Baylor were putting in.

That little bit of knowledge gave me more drive to help out in any little ways I could find. We put together a clinic in a church building in the village that day, and in about five hours we saw over 200 patients treated by the physicians of the university, Dr. Barron and Dr. Lambert.

I forged some great relationships that day with several Salvadorans, including a young doctor by the name of Reyna Almendarez. I spent most of the afternoon at her side learning as she diagnosed patients, and despite my poor Spanish and her poor English, we had a strong bond by the end of the day. Forging these kinds of great relationships was possibly the best part of my trip.

We had some hiccups on the last day of our journey, as our plane was delayed more than a full day, and that led to some hard times returning to the states late Sunday night with school starting again the next morning. None of that was an issue, though, as this trip was one of the most defining times in my life.

It’s been almost a month since we got back, and we’ve had multiple reunion meetings among students and staff of the mission trip. Some of us are already meeting to discuss fundraising on a broader and longer term for future trips to El Salvador. I will definitely do everything I can to return next year if we have the opportunity.

I left out so much of our experience, but that’s because so much cannot be explained through a journal like this.

I want to thank some of the people who played a huge part in making this such a successful undertaking for me and for Baylor: Dr. Lambert, Dr. Barron, Dr. Marcum, Carlos, Chad Mustain, and of course, all my peers. More than 20 of us gave our whole spring break for the chance to serve in this mission, and I know that none of us regretted it.

I will be directly involved in our future efforts in serving the wonderful but struggling country of El Salvador. But more importantly, I want to say I was directly involved in growing as a person through this journey. I know now more than ever I want to go into the medical field, and this trip has given me that strength.

———————–

PHOTO SUBJECTS, FROM TOP:

PHOTO 1 (top): The Baylor group poses at DFW Airport before departing for San Salvador
PHOTO 2: The Mayan ruins near Chalchuapa
PHOTO 3 (l to r): Sean Browning (Baylor freshman), Roger Navarrete (a medical student in El Salvador), and the author, Jesse Hilton
PHOTO 4 (l to r): Dr. Pena (a Salvadoran doctor) and Dr. Elaine Lambert (a Baylor alum now teaching medicine at Stanford)
PHOTO 5: The very busy clinic that Baylor students helped run in a small village church building
PHOTO 6 (l to r): Jesse Hilton and Dr. Reyna Almendarez (a Salvadoran doctor)
PHOTO 7 (bottom): The group that worked to make the village clinic a success

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College of Arts & Sciences Board of Advocates spring 2013 meeting images

April 22nd, 2013 · No Comments · Photo galleries, Special events

The Baylor College of Arts & Sciences Board of Advocates, a group dedicated to helping Arts & Sciences achieve its long-range goals, met on the Baylor campus April 20 for its spring 2013 meeting. Part of the day’s agenda included a tour of the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), led by Dr. Truell Hyde, vice provost for research.