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Students study abroad in Peru

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Category: academics Video duration: Students study abroad in Peru
Fourteen College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students traveled to Cusco, Peru, in May 2018 to experience the health care system, language, and culture of the developing country.
[00:00:00] >> Fourteen students traveled to Cusco, Peru, in May 2018 to experience the healthcare system, language, and culture in a developing country. Students participated in medical shadowing at the local governmental hospital that lacked many resources and funding. In the gastroenterology department, students observed endoscopies and colonoscopies that were all done without sedating the patient. [00:00:26] Endoscopy showed many patients with erosion and peptic ulcers. Physicians explained some of the causes and progression of disease. Students also shadowed in the orthopaedics department, where doctors explain many x-rays with broken bones and even the x-ray of a patient who had a craniotomy. Students took Spanish classes through the school Esecela, where they worked on vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills. [00:00:52] Students were also immersed in the Peruvian life by staying with host families and through various activities at the school. The cultural experiences included learning how to make chocolate from the cocoa bean to confection and was followed by a workshop on traditional Incan practices of dyeing fabric with plants. [00:01:13] A tour guide showed the students the impressive sacred valley, including the ruins in Ollantaytambo. Students also observed the traditional war dance in the town square. Students then went to Rainbow Mountain, called Apu Winicunca by those living nearby, which was only discovered five years ago when climate change caused the ice to melt and the sediments from mineral deposits became visible. [00:01:37] Students hiked or rode horses made available for the growing number of tourists for 3.2 miles up to 17,000 feet. From the peak of Rainbow Mountain, students reflect on their journey in Peru.