Spring Break
Prachi Bhardwaj, HBHE Student
March 5, 2019
Ah, spring break! The one and only break that University of Michigan students get in their winter semester, a sacred week. So many people have asked me what my plans are over break and when I answer I'm going to Texas, I get many mixed responses. Are you going to Dallas? Houston? I answer no, Brownsville on the Texas-Mexico border. Like others, I was one of the people who wasn't well informed about what the state of the border was like, until the current administration brought it to attention these past few years.
After learning more about the Texas-Mexico border and the project that I am doing, I am both nervous and excited to be able to enter and experience a community like the RGV. When I am asked what project I am doing and I mention that we will be doing data analysis for a healthy nutrition and physical activity campaign, people get excited but I feel somewhat vulnerable. I am not trained in nutrition or movement science and have had my own fair share of struggles with being overweight, so who am I to be doing this work? In addition, what stake do I have in the RGV community, why would anything I do be impactful?
Weeks of introspection have led me to answers that can put these questions to peace. The first being: when I was a young chubby child, I never had the tools or programs that could help me lead a healthier lifestyle. But, I know exactly what I may have needed or what I even need now. I can provide my own input as someone who has struggled with finding a way to nourish my body with the right nutrients and physical exercise. Who better to evaluate a program than someone who has endured similar issues? The second aspect of my introspection had to do with the fact that I do not speak Spanish and have no relation to the community. But the truth is, do we have to have a stake in a community for us to help make impactful change? Does what happens in a community have to directly impact us for us to care about it? The answer for me is a hard no. If I can use the skills that I have learned in the classroom to help build capacity in communities, and if I am welcome by that same community, then what could be better?! In addition, my wonderful partner in this project is a native community member who I am sure will be able to ease the transition of my entry into this community.
Overall, I think a few things are evident from this blog post. One that is really obvious is that I overthink a LOT in my free time. Second, I am very cognizant of the space I take in communities and in projects, as I think every public health professional should be. We want to avoid being ethnocentric, ignorant, or unneeded saviors. I, instead, consider myself open-minded, experienced, thoughtful, and passionate. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to work with Tu Salud Si Cuenta, and can't wait to share how my experience goes!
