Day 9 — Visiting Hospital Menonita de Aibonito & Going to Host Families

Today was the last day of staying at Salesianos, a Catholic retreat in Aibonito. In the morning, we visited Hospital Menonita de Aibonito (Mennonite Hospital of Aibonito). In small groups, we toured the hospital with the chaplain. We started in the chapel, where the only religious symbol was a wooden cross. Approximately 86% of the patients who enter the hospital are Catholic; however, they only keep the cross out of respect to everyone who enters the chapel. The small window in the room was a beautiful stained glass depiction of a nature scene (Photo 1)

 

Although there were a lot of other cool aspects to the tour (to me at least as a biochem major), the other part I wanted to talk in depth about was how the hospital treats patients’ post-surgery, specifically for orthopedic surgeries. Each patient receives their own room, with a pull-out couch for family members if they want to spend the night. There is a private bathroom in each recovery room, as well as a mini-fridge and a television. Essentially, each room is set up like a hotel room. The chaplain described to us that they want each family to feel welcome, to facilitate quick, healthy, and supportive recovery for both the patient and the family. I couldn’t help but think about the stark contrast between this attitude with the attitudes of recovery in the United States. After my mom had major surgery in August of 2024, the hospital was incredibly restrictive of when she could have visitors. Granted, she had a major heart surgery which has a different recovery process than an orthopedic surgery; however, the sense of isolation and unwelcomeness that permeated throughout her stay in the hospital was much different than the environment that felt intentionally present at Hospital Menonita.

 

During the tour, we also learned about the history of Sistema de Salud Menonita (SSM). SSM was founded in La Plata in 1943 (Photo 2) after the Puerto Rican government granted a group of conscientious objectors’ permission to turn an old tobacco storage building into a health clinic. From 1943 to today, SSM has expanded into 7 hospitals spanning across Puerto Rico as well as 6 healthcare clinics, three different living communities, and an insurance plan open to the citizens of Puerto Rico. Although SSM has grown immensely from the small healthcare clinic that was established in 1943, the values and practices that SSM had from the beginning remain the same: to serve the community with the love of Christ to provide integrated, excellent healthcare services in a caring and compassionate environment, without discrimination.

 

After finishing the tour, we headed back to Salesianos to pack up and get ready to leave for our host families. For this May Term, we’re staying with our host families for about 9 days. Hector, my host brother, picked us up, and we headed out of town to La Plata, about a 15-minute drive from Aibonito. There are nine girls staying in La Plata, spread between three families. The three families are all related and we spent the evening going between houses saying hi to all of the cousins, aunts, and uncles and playing pool (Photo 3). I am definitely looking forward to the next week and a half, as I navigate life with a host family.

Meiling Yordy/Julia Hitt

 

Photo 1

 

Photo 2

 

Photo 3