Have you ever had a moment in life when you feel like many of your different – seemingly disparate – passions come together?  This is what happened to me just this weekend.

Last Saturday, I traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, to work at an orphanage in this hectic border city.  Although I have collaborated with two UCLA student groups – Bruin Hope and the Fellowship for International Service & Health (www.orangefish.org) – to conduct work in “TJ” for over two years, last weekend was no ordinary volunteer trip.  

Recently, the children of the orphanage – called La Tribu de Jesus – were evicted from their home.  From what I gather, the owner of this property is considering selling the land, and having many children living there is not conducive to this process.  As a result, the children have been forced to leave, and the belongings now sit on the dirt/mud road in front of their former home, with several adults camping out each night to ensure that the goods are not stolen.  

Despite no longer having a permanent house for her more than 50 children, the director of the orphanage, Edith, is committed to continuing to provide them with a safe, supportive, and loving home.  Right now, this atypical family is living in a cramped church-owned space; in fact, over 30 kids sleep in just one 12 x 12 room.  As Edith and her husband Fernando are saving money for a new home, their funds are extremely limited for food and gasoline to transport the dozens of children across town to their regular schools

As I prepare for graduation, and moving to the East Coast in less than 3 weeks, I didn’t think a trip to Mexico was in the cards.  However, when I heard about the current situation, I couldn’t help but step in.

This is where my many different roles/jobs and interests seemed to miraculously coalesce.  I have always loved children and have a passion for working in Latin America. Enrolled in a bilingual class during first grade, I speak Spanish fluently.  As a Resident Assistant at UCLA, I had access to a group of college students eager to make a difference; having worked in restaurants previously, I was able to collaborate with dining facilities to contribute food.  

However, I knew that what Edith, Fernando, and their extended "family" needed most was money and support for a permanent home … and I figured, what better way to share their story with American donors than through film?  Therefore, I used my experience in filmmaking to document the current situation faced by the orphanage, which will soon be edited for release on the FISH website.

Remarkably, although they are tangentially related, all of these roles fall outside of the career path I currently am scheduled to pursue:  medicine.  With an interest in and passion for international service, it is hard to think of a way to make a more tangible and severely needed contribution than working as a physician in developing countries … and I am excited by this prospect.

However, I often worry that the rigors of medical school, and the ensuing residency, will impede my creativity and come at the expense of my other interests.  Do I want to dedicate the next 7-10 years of my life to studying anatomy textbooks, dissecting a human cadaver, and performing long hours of hospital rotations … or would I rather be on the ground doing the work I love … whether in inner city communities, in the Amazon, or with Burmese refugees in Thailand?

I still am unsure.

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