Claudia Partida-Taylor, DO: Christiana Care, Family Medicine PGY-2

Mexico: June 2025

 My time in Tijuana, MX was short, but still extremely rewarding. We arrived to San Diego and then crossed the US/Mexico border the same day. As we crossed the border, I took a moment to realize that this wall and these gates were all that stood between people’s hopes and dreams. We started working at clinics and shelters the following day. We heard stories of moms who were with their children and had escaped gang violence in their home countries. A woman told me she was kidnapped and beaten/tortured in her home city in Mexico and had to flee with her family to Tijuana to escape. So many stories of despair but also hope. People seeking refuge and asylum. Something they all had in common was the desire for a better life.

  The patients came in for the same illnesses we see at our own clinic in Delaware. We treated wounds, diabetes, high blood pressure, upper respiratory viruses, prenatal care, and mental health. It felt very natural seeing these patients and providing them with care. Of course, there were times we had to get creative with the lack of resources, but we did our very best to treat patients as we would our own family members. As stated above, the main difference was that these patients all had a story of trauma and fleeing. Most people are just waiting for the chance to cross the border.

  While the week went by fast, the patients we treated were profound. With all that is happening in our current country, it felt like I was helping in some kind of way. It also helped me understand that my patients in Delaware who have crossed the border have grand stories and traumas that they carry with them. It also emphasized just how scared our undocumented patients must feel in the fear of returning to places that they fled from. Overall, I am extremely grateful to have had this experience, and I would return in a heartbeat.