Working with Maison de la Gare was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life so far. Saint Louis is a beautiful and historical town filled with amazing, welcoming and joyful people. I would always be greeted by smiling faces every time I would walk across the bridge to visit the downtown area. Downtown was a great place to swim in the hotel pools, eat delicious food from restaurants and spend the night out dancing in clubs.

My host family was amazing and treated me with care and warmth every day by feeding me great food and making sure I was always happy. The house I stayed in was very nice and I had no issues with anything in the room or bathroom. Even though I definitely had to adjust to the cold water all the time, I actually ended up appreciating it after coming inside from the heat of the sun.

The staff members at Maison de la Gare are people I now consider family and very near to my heart. They were always there to comfort and entertain me with their daily jovial auras and made coming to the center every day even more enjoyable! Treating the talibé boys in the clinic was a very rewarding and extremely insightful experience as they constantly showed their appreciation for my help. They would always smile and call for me, even as I would walk around downtown or on my way home. It felt nice to have little friends everywhere I went.

Being a pre-medicine major, this was a perfect place to intern for the summer as I got daily hands-on, first-aid patient care experience that I will take with me in the rest of my career.

I can honestly say that I love Saint Louis and Maison de la Gare and plan on returning very soon!