The start of IHP has been extremely interesting. Our group consists of 35 students, two traveling professors, and a coordinator. We are currently living in a hostel four blocks from the capital building and every night you can walk out into the street and see the giant illuminated dome of the building in the middle of the street.

Most of the classes so far have been orientation/overviews but we are quickly getting underway with reading, and assignments.

Our main topic of conversation presently is how to define Health. After much conversation we came to the conclusion that Health is not just related to biomedicine, doctors, and clinicians. Instead it suggests a much broader meaning consisting of mental states, culture, environments, economy, and much more. To really drive this point home our first field assingment was to aid in a volunteer program in DC. The various programs were comprised of painting schools, reorganizing libraires, and cleaning nature trails. All of which as we discuessed play into the overall definition and meaning of Health. Naturally I choose to work on the nature trails. Our gropu of eight volunteers from IHP were assinged to demolish an old chicken coop on Herritaghe island. The work was fun and rewarding as we got to use sledge hammers, pickaxes, prybars, and hammers to demolish and clear this rotting structure. The overall volunterring experience was both physically rewarding as well as a stimulating conversation starter, since each group was asked to present on how their activities contributed to an overall general increase in Health.






As official classes start tomorrow I am looking the multiple guest speakers, and case studies that are schecduled during the rest of our time in DC. I am also extremely exctied for our departure next Wednesday for South Africa.