¿Quieres probar?

May 18, 2026

¿Quieres probar?

Fun, laughter, and lasting memories were anxiously waiting for the young boy's answer. With his full toothy grin on display, Omar smiled widely at the small blue bottle of bubbles I offered him.

¿Quieres probar? I asked.

It wasn't long before Omar nabbed the bottle from my hands, venturing outside the clinic into the blistering heat. Omar introduced me to his friends--with immense linguistic difficulty on my part--and we all happily blew and chomped on bubbles. Omar's smile shined brighter than the sun, and his laughter continuously echoed in my ears. For a moment, the troubles I faced earlier this week were far from my mind.

Kristine's eloquent description of him as a sponge perfectly sums up the essence of the ever-wise Dr. Richard. The entirety of my first day in clinic was spent soaking up the endless knowledge Dr. Richard had to offer--and boy did I soak. I was in awe of the power he held and the magic he worked, carefully explaining each step he was making to evaluate the issue and come to a solution. The day was productive and mentally stimulating, but that night during debrief, a tsunami of emotions washed over me.

With shaky hands and a heavy heart, I shared with the team how much guilt had silently built up throughout the day. It was like a hole borrowing deep into my heart. In thinking of the patients we saw, I was apologizing, and then I felt even more guilt about making my reflection about myself. That day, I witnessed the boundless strength and fortitude this community has. No fall from working construction or unexplainable pain could shake the resolve of these individuals. And even more, all of the patients were so grateful. I was confused why they were thanking me when I hadn't done anything for them. It felt undeserved.

Near the end of debrief, I sat with sweaty palms and furrowed brows, drowning in sorrow, silently realizing the scope of what had occurred today. I couldn't explain how I felt. After we finished, I hastily got up to leave and head to bed when I was approached by the medical team, specifically Monse and Dr. Richard. It was like lifeguards had tossed a life jacket to bring me back to shore. Their words of comfort and wisdom helped enlighten the deeper meaning behind today: having confidence. But this is not confidence in yourself, rather, the patients.

As I lay in bed thinking about the entirety of today, I realized capacity building goes hand in hand with building confidence in your patients. And that process starts with you. I've heard people say you can't pour from an empty cup, and I believe that saying applied to me today. I was deathly afraid of triage and butchering Spanish, but it only took a couple of practice tries to get into the groove. And then, triage was amazing. (Shoutout to my Triage Ladies--including you, Monse.)

Don't let fear stop you from sharing your unconditional love with others. Like Omar, an entire world of warmth and joy could be unleashed by simply saying yes. It only takes that first step to build a path of confidence others can walk upon. Be the Trailblazer that leads others towards health and happiness.