It’s not often that people take a trip out of the state or even out of the country.  However, sophomore Jake Lee arrived in Ethiopia on March 20 for his spring break vacation.

This was no ordinary vacation.  Lee did not travel with his parents, nor did he go for community service.  He spent his time as a medical student, watching surgeries and attending medical clinics to learn about different diseases and health complications.

The trip was supposed to be from Friday, March 19 to Thursday, March 25.  Unfortunately due to a 14 hour flight delay, Lee arrived one day late.  He met up with his father’s friend who is a neurosurgeon.  The hospital in Ethiopia in which Lee worked was founded by a Korean church.

Lee really enjoyed his trip.  He aspires to become a doctor for a future career and has gotten an early start.

“I thought it was a great experience,” Lee said.  “I definitely did things that most kids did not do on spring break and I was really fortunate to be able to witness a lot of things.”

Lee saw severe health problems than one would normally see in the United States. He was also able to gain knowledge outside of the the medical field.  He learned a little about the country of Ethiopia and the language of the people.

“Apparently Ethiopia and Korea are really good friends as nations,” Lee said.  “There were some Ethiopians who could speak Korean better than me.”

Lee also learned that instead of having a word for “Okay” or an affirmative response, they gasp.

As for future plans for studying the medical field, Lee does have some more extraordinary vacations on the horizon.  He is traveling to the Dominican Republic for another experience similar to the one he had in Ethiopia.  In addition to that, he is going to be headed for Belize on a mission trip.  Both excursions are this coming summer.

Lee’s trip to Ethiopia is a unique and exceptional experience that he would strongly recommend to persons interested in the medical field.  He also would like to acknowledge the goriness of the job.  He does not recommend this trip for the faint of heart.

“If you are sure you want to go to the medical field and witness some gory things then yes it would be a great experience,” Lee said.  “However, if you prefer other subjects of interest, you would be pretty bored.”