What to Expect from the Unexpected
Derin Adunbi
2nd Year MPH Health Behavior, Health Education Student
Last May, I was a part of a group of students who deployed to San Antonio, Texas as part of the Public Health in Action course. That week taught me so much about teamwork, flexibility, and meaningful community engagement. One year later, I am reflecting on what to expect for my upcoming experience in Grenada.
Despite having worked in the field, I have no idea what to expect in Grenada. When I went to Texas, I knew that, at the very least, I could relate to the people around me through a shared American culture. Even if we spoke different languages or came from diverse backgrounds, the community I worked with would understand what it was like to live, work, and grow in the United States.
Grenada is a Caribbean Island thousands of miles away, sharing a complex relationship with the United States. The racial categories, language, and culture I am so used to will be completely different and potentially at odds with what I will experience in Grenada. It’s interesting (and nerve-wracking) thinking about how my various identities might be perceived in a brand-new context.
In preparation for this next deployment, I plan to take one of the lessons I learned from Texas: leaning into the unknown. There are probably hundreds of ways I can prepare for this trip to Grenada. I can read their local news, watch travel vlogs, listen to podcasts, and scroll endlessly on Instagram looking at all the island has to offer. However, even if I consumed all the content there was to consume and plan everything to a tee, there would still be hundreds of unknowns that I couldn’t prepare for. The beauty of an experience like this is that most memorable experiences come from things you never saw coming. Whether that’s an unexpected interaction with a local or stumbling across a cultural event, these small moments can be monumental for you and the community you serve.
So here’s to the unexpected moments that may arise in Grenada. Here’s to the people I will meet and the lessons we will learn from each other. Here’s to the unknown and embracing it fully.