As I’ve mentioned many times before, one of my favorite parts about traveling around the world is meeting new people. Throughout RTW, I have had the pleasure of encountering so many people from different walks of life. If I’m lucky, I get enough time with them to connect on a deeper level, learning their stories and asking questions along the way. During my time in Peru, I met many people who inspired me and really touched my heart. Two of these women, Tolulope and Chisom, set aside some of their (very valuable) time to do an interview with me, which I am sharing with all of you. It never ceases to amaze me just how powerful women really are, and sitting down with the new generation of empowered women makes me quite confident that we can (and will) change the world.
Name: Tolulope Adewumi
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Attending university: Tufts
Major: Biotechnology and Spanish Cultural Studies
Planned graduation date: May 2025
Fun personal fact not related to school or volunteering: My favorite music artist changes basically every month.
First time in Peru? Yes
How did you learn Spanish? Through HS and university classes. Also, lots of music and movies with subtitles.
Q. How did you find out about the medical volunteering program in Peru?
I looked into medical opportunities abroad, and I started with Spanish-speaking countries. I hoped to study abroad in Chile through my school and started looking at Peru once I realized it was another option. So, Google brought me to this opportunity!
Q. You could have spent your summer doing the typical things like working or going to the beach. Why did you choose to spend your free time volunteering?
Honestly for me, I got my month of June to relax and reset, so by the time July 1 came around, I was excited to go and be useful in the world. I’m also at a point in my college career where I’m discovering what I want my future job title to be and how I want to change the medical field Internationally, and I knew this would be beneficial to that. I was truly excited when I learned that we would be working with an indigenous organization, as well as an organization that didn’t seem to be “voluntourism” (when you volunteer somewhere but aren’t actually doing impactful work, but instead using it as something to fill your camera roll or resume while traveling).
Q. What are 1 or 2 challenges or unexpected surprises you found as a medical volunteer? How did you adapt or overcome the challenge?
This program was the only one that required Spanish knowledge and I was nervous about it. Luckily, once I got here, I had one of the best levels of Spanish amongst our group, so I felt that I could be useful. However, in a position where I had to translate often between the volunteers and the coordinators, I wasn’t used to that type of on the spot situation. Practice truly helped me build my confidence in the language, and allowing myself to be granted grace when I made mistakes kept me going. Also, getting used to that bus ride was a bit hard! But sitting towards the front of the bus helped with the headaches, and finding legroom when I could was my goal.
Q. What are 1 or 2 learnings or insights from the program that helped you with your future career or personal goals?
I decided that I want to pursue a career geared around epidemiology or preventative medicine. I don’t want to be a physician, which is something I never expected myself to say. But, working in the market revealed it’s not really the system that helps people, but the services you can provide them that make an impact. I want to be on the side of creating sustainable services, so I decided to enroll in my schools accelerated masters program after getting that clarity. We also found a church home in the weeks that we were there, and that community spoke so much life and advice into me as well. This helped confirm the new steps that I’m taking and equipped me with what I need to walk boldly in the decision. I’m confident that this is a better direction for me.
Q. Is there one patient or encounter that really left an impact on you? What made it so special?
There was one lady named Marta! She came EVERY SINGLE TIME we had the market open. It wasn’t convenient for her to go to the doctors, but she knew she needed to keep herself in check. She kept the papers that we gave her of her vitals each time so she could compare notes, and once her numbers started getting to a point of concern, she told us she was going to go to a doctor and sort it out. We had changed our schedule, so we did not see her for at least a week or two. When she finally saw us again, which also happened to be the last day for us, she was rambling about her visit with the doctor and what she should do and how much it helped her to have the insight [we gave her]. She talked about the new steps she was [going to take] to make sure that she gets control. Her glucose level is better and I could see a light in her eyes. Even when she spoke to her neighbors, she would encourage them to come in because of the help that we were able to provide her. She was one of the people that we met when we were doing the market and consistency. It showed me that we were truly filling a need. There was something about her gratitude, but also her consistency that struck me.
Q. You’ve been here almost five weeks, and are leaving for home soon. What will you miss most about Perú? What will be your first stop at home?
Honestly, I’m going to miss the food! I’m a big foodie and I did my research and talked to others who have traveled before, so I knew what I was getting myself into for the most part. But I did not expect to taste the freshness of the juices and feel the love with which they cooked their food. Not only did Natalie accommodate my dietary session so well, she genuinely cared. I enjoyed each meal out of all the restaurants we tried. I never encountered a waiter or waitress that was not kind which added so much to the experience. I’m gonna miss the food and specifically Tanta! My first stop when I get home is always the same. I’m from Atlanta, the home of Chick-fil-A, so I go there and get my meal on the way home from the airport! As I said- foodie. Now besides the food, I’ll miss those that I worked with- my coordinator Katy, her mother Señora Gladys, and her mother in law señora Viviana, and our temporary coordinator Marcielo.
Nataly (cook) and Katy (coordinator) are sisters and they both embody resilience so well. I can see from the love they have for their children and families that they know how to care for people. It’s a blessing to have been able to hear about their personal stories in my morning chats with Nataly or the bus ride talks with Katy. They also are so hardworking and give all that they can to their loves— how I hope to be in the future.
For our abuelitas, I never saw them without a smile on their face. They are an embodiment of sacrifice. They work in the kitchen so diligently for their community out of the kindness of their hearts. They’re only paid in smiles and thank yous, but you can see how much that means to them. They also welcomed us into their home anytime we needed something after shift. I’m not sure how I could ever thank them for what they taught my heart.
Marcielo was our first coordinator, and he was slightly uncomfortable with all of the medical stuff. But, he was truly intrigued to hear about our stories and our personal lives and loved to ask us questions. He has a very inquisitive mind and was thoughtful, and he taught me that being curious and discovering things about yourself and others is never a waste.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share? or an insight for someone thinking about doing something like this?
Take the leap! Go on the trip! I was so nervous to step into something like this, especially by myself. Luckily, I had Chisom with me the whole time so we got this together. But all the friends that we met along the way were solo travelers and they were so kind and we became a group that I truly feel like we’ll stay in contact for years. Not only did I grow personally through seeing warm culture, but I also grew professionally and spiritually. Peru will always have a place in my heart. Also, if you’re looking for souvenirs, it’s best to be consistent and go back to the same store so you you can make relationships with them! If you were thinking of going to the income market, make sure that you stop by their next-door neighbor la portada del sol and speak to the lady in back right corner! She’s was so kind to us, would give us little gifts for free, and gave us tips/recommendations for what else to see while we’re there.
Name: Chisom Nnam
Hometown: New York City, NY
Attending university: Tufts
Major: Cognitive Brain Science
Planned graduation date: May 2026
Fun personal fact not related to school or volunteering: I taught myself how to crochet and have made my own sweater once!
First time in Peru? Yes
How did you learn Spanish? Through college (2 years now)
Q. How did you find out about the medical volunteering program in Peru?
Through online research.
Q. You could have spent your summer doing the typical things like working or going to the beach. Why did you choose to spend your free time volunteering?
Partly because it is a required portion of the program that sponsored my trip and partly because this is a one-of-a-kind experience that you don’t really know how impactful and enlightening it can be until you’re in it and I wanted to experience that.
Q. What are 1 or 2 challenges or unexpected surprises you found as a medical volunteer? How did you adapt or overcome the challenge?
Not really knowing what I was doing at first because I don’t have any tangible experience with medical volunteering or even working in a medic setting. I’ve always just had a vague interest for it and wanted to see what it was like.
Q. What are 1 or 2 learnings or insights from the program that helped you with your future career or personal goals?
Ironically, I’ve realized that I don’t want to be a doctor, but I want to contribute to a more well-rounded, accessible understanding of health and healthcare and this experience has made me question: “how can the future work and research I contribute to help grow this understanding?”.
Q. Is there one patient or encounter that really left an impact on you? What made it so special?
It was really the number of patients who had similar problems with their blood pressure and glucose. Seeing the trend in how many people were unaware or surprised by their high blood pressures and high glucose levels highlighted the importance of our work but also pointed to a lack of knowledge surrounding preventative actions.
Q. You’ve been here almost five weeks, and are leaving for home soon. What will you miss most about Perú? What will be your first stop at home?
First stop: home. I will miss the people the most (and the food of course!), especially our cook Nataly, and her sister and my coordinator for the medical program, Katy, and her mother Gladys. They were like a host family to me and have touched my heart in a special way.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share, or an insight for someone thinking about doing something like this?
To people thinking about it—just do it!
“There is no limit
to what we, as women,
can accomplish.”
-Michelle Obama
Thank you for interviewing these very special young ladies, and sharing their stories. It is always inspirational to hear about people who step outside the box to do something for others as it benefits and grows them as well.