Reflection

What was the most rewarding moment in the trip?

          The most rewarding part of the trip was the last person I signed up. He was the only person I had that didn't fall into the medicaid gap. Though he opted to find his own health care elsewhere he still did not fall into the gap and that was a relief. He seemed pretty happy with my help and said he would look into insurance through his job.

What was the most difficult moment of the trip?

          The hard part was explaining the medicaid gap to people. They were sad and upset and it was hard to see people in that state. They found themselves angry because the were too poor to afford health care and they really needed it and sad because they ultimately felt helpless. Though I was able to help them file for hardship exemption they still had to go another year uninsured and that really made my heart hurt for them. 

How does this experience compare or relate to other volunteer work you have done ?

          This has been a completely different experience for me. I have never traveled far for volunteering before. I usually stay in the Birmingham area for all of my volunteering services but I had to get out of my comfort zone for this trip. Also this is the first volunteering trip that I have been on that has not been backed by some religious organization. I usually volunteer with a local church but this time it was through my university and I really enjoyed it. It had a completely different vibe and I looooooved it!