Mary Kate Parmer
2022
Arusha, Tanzania
100 Days of Occupational and Behavioral Therapy in Tanzania
I graduated Belmont in May of 2020 with degrees in Exercise Science and Psychology, and am so excited to still have the opportunity to complete my Lumos trip after a bit of delay! I am originally from Reno, Nevada but have called Nashville home for a while now. Since graduating I have been working in Nashville as a Behavioral Therapist for children with Autism and started a Masters program this past fall in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analytics from the University of Nevada.
I have had the opportunity to travel with Belmont before on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic over spring break and took classes in Europe on a Maymester. In summer of 2019 I was fortunate enough to backpack some of Europe with my older brother for several weeks but this will be my first major trip as a solo traveler and am very excited to challenge myself and make new connections. Hiking is one of my all time favorite pastimes so getting to live in a hub of international hikers visiting to climb the tallest peak in Africa has me beyond excited. I have also never been to Africa and am incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to live abroad and learn about health care and disabilities from professionals on a different continent. Thank you all for following along on my journey as I grow and learn, and I hope to keep you all entertained with thoughts and stories throughout this awesome summer!
More about me....
Major(s): Exercise Science & Psychology
My Stories
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Week eleven and I touched Heaven
Week eleven and I touched Heaven or at least got close… Sorry for the large delay in posting I spent most of week
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Weeks Eight and Nine
Weeks eight and nine and it’s going fine! Monday we celebrated 4th of July surrounded by British volunteers six of them compared to
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Week Seven
Week seven highlights; a three day safari through Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater. It was an experience straight out of a dream and I
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Week Six
A week in Review Monday, I went back to the hot springs with two friends to celebrate their last week of 3 months
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Week Five
The week in Review Monday was spent seeing patients at the hospital that were in the surgical ward. Fortunately, the newer wing is
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Week Four
This week was the first time I felt settled into a routine; I spent a lot of time with my host family. I
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Week Three
Week three Another three days of work at the hospital, mostly with babies developmentally behind on their milestones like crawling and walking, as
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Week Two
Weekly Recap: This week led me to a few new experiences and several new locations. I started the week at Selian Lutheran Hospital
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Travel and Kariburi Tanzania
Hi friends, It took well over 30 hours of travel but I made it to Tanzania! After leaving Nashville at 3pm on Wednesday
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Just a few days away…
Hi, I am Mary Kate! I graduated from Belmont back in May of 2020 and have been waiting to take this trip to
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Week One.
I tighten the straps of my backpack and take a deep breath. My eyes dart back and forth amid the sea of faces as
