Junior Caroline Corbyons, a biology major and member of the cross country team, decided to spend her Winter Term doing something a little unconventional. As a member of one of many projects undertaken by Medical Ministry International (see Web site at bottom of page), Corbyons spent two weeks working alongside medical staff at a hospital in the small village of Cabara in the Dominican Republic.
As a Spanish minor, she was able to translate for the doctors at the hospital, and she also found herself assisting with some of the operations. In one particular case, Corbyons found herself unexpectedly assisting in the delivery of a child; the doctor handed Corbyons the baby “hot off the press,” and she remarked that “it was the most beautiful thing in the world.” She recalled that the baby’s name was “Oscar Antonio,” and said that she would always remember that experience.
When she wasn’t at the hospital, Corbyons stayed in a dormitory at a Catholic retreat center in the town of Nagua on the Dominican Republic’s Northeastern coast. When asked about her stay in the dormitory, Corbyons replied: “we slept underneath mosquito nets, and I saw a tarantula the size of my head in the bathroom one night.”
Corbyons also commented that when she travels outside of the United States she notices how different people are, but at the same time, how alike they are.
In the summer of 2003, Corbyons participated in a medical mission to Honduras, sponsored by Mountain of Hope. On that trip, she worked in the hospital in San Pedro Sul and also with a veterinarian providing care to large animals in the small village of Quince de Enero.
Corbyons was enthusiastic about her stay in the Dominican Republic and looks forward to participating in future service trips as a member of the Periclean Scholars at Elon University.