Resting and Reflecting
Sofie Brutsaert
1st Year MPH Epidemiology Student
It has been six days since we returned from San Antonio. I spent those six days unwinding. Boy, let me tell you: this trip was a lot of work. We spent three days on data collection, out in the field, driving around or engaging with community members. We then essentially spent dawn til dusk on Thursday working on our final report and presentation to communicate our findings to the community. But it was work in such a good way! It was so much fun to have new experiences.
This was my first time witnessing (and helping to run) a focus group, my first time using R for data analysis all by myself, and my first time having REAL Tex-Mex food.
We learned so much about the San Antonio community, their welcoming warmth; their strong connectedness, and resilience. We also heard about older adults’ frustrations about a city they love and the ways they’ve seen it change around them. I was struck by the concern older adults in San Antonio had for the broader community: they talked about ways they look out for their neighbors, how they worry about people experiencing homelessness, drug addiction and mental health challenges, transportation and food access challenges, and more. Overall, this is a community of people who care about each other, especially the older adults.
With that said, I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I had and the relationships I was able to build. I hope that we gathered data and made recommendations that will help our partners at AHEC serve this vibrant city!
