{"id":10816,"date":"2015-12-03T19:45:01","date_gmt":"2015-12-03T19:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/?p=10816"},"modified":"2024-01-30T10:27:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T15:27:47","slug":"jamaica-a-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/jamaica-a-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"#Jamaica: A Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2015\/12\/Avila-Portal2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10820 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2015\/12\/Avila-Portal2-224x300.png\" alt=\"Avila-Portal2\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2015\/12\/Avila-Portal2-224x300.png 224w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2015\/12\/Avila-Portal2.png 425w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/a>A bright sky and big smiles\u2014these are the images that flash in my mind when I think of Jamaica. The beauty of the country is only surpassed by that of its people.<\/p>\n<p>I had many expectations for my experience providing dental hygiene care in Jamaica. I expected to feel humbled and I knew I would have to be resourceful. However, I did not expect the instant connection I felt to the country and its people. While Jamaica reminded me of my birthplace\u00a0of Cuba, what touched me the most was the graciousness and hospitality of the people.<\/p>\n<p>There was not a day that went by where at least one patient thanked me for simply being there and caring for the needs of their country. I received more hugs and thank you\u2019s than I could count. I witnessed children\u2019s eyes go wide in excitement when they learned they would be getting toothbrushes and others ran\u00a0after us for a sample of dental floss. Patients traveled for miles or even days and waited in long lines in hopes to get a chance to be treated. In the same light, some gave up their spots in line for others who they felt were\u00a0in greater need.<\/p>\n<p>To say that I gained more than I felt I was able to contribute is an understatement. The Jamaican gratitude and overall joy for life is something that I will keep with me for the rest of my life and career.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, Jamaica! See you soon.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">ONE LOVE!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Ailyn Avila-Portal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A bright sky and big smiles\u2014these are the images that flash in my mind when I think of Jamaica. The beauty of the country is only surpassed by that of its people. I had many expectations for my experience providing dental hygiene care in Jamaica. I expected to feel humbled and I knew I would &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/jamaica-a-reflection\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">#Jamaica: A Reflection<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":465,"featured_media":10818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,7],"tags":[69],"coauthors":[524],"class_list":["post-10816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jamaica-dental","category-study-abroad","tag-jamaica-dental-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>#Jamaica: A Reflection - Center for International Programs<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/international\/jamaica-a-reflection\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#Jamaica: A Reflection - Center for International Programs\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A bright sky and big smiles\u2014these are the images that flash in my mind when I think of Jamaica. 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