Final Post: ELI Objectives

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This journal entry is in response to my ELI objectives. Below are the two objectives I created before leaving for Thailand. The community objective was altered after receiving feedback from Debbie, therefore it is different than the one i originally submitted on canvas. I hope to address both objectives in the following sentences.



Professional:

After completing my clinical experience in Thailand I will demonstrate an increased understanding of cultural humility by describing in my ELI journal how I adopted my care to meet the specific needs of the population.



To be completely honest I was anticipating that i’d have to make some big changes in order to meet the cultural needs of my patients, but i didn’t. I had read before coming to Thailand that there is a huge emphasis on hot and cold in pregnancy. It was traditional for women to sweat a lot after the delivery of their baby, and to not be offered any cold things during the process. I was anticipating a hot delivery room and other restrictions. To my surprise I observed none of that. Therefore I didn’t have to adapt my care in the way i was anticipating. One way i showed cultural humility was in relation to the populations buddhists beliefs. Even though i am christian, and do not necessarily agree with their beliefs, I tried my best to be respectful. For example when we went to the elderly activity at the temple, we participated in their morning prayers. Out of respect I sat quietly while they prayed. During morning ceremony at BCNC I placed my hands in the prayer position and stood quietly while the students recited their prayers. When meeting superiors I put my hands in the wai position out of respect. This practice transferred from the hospital to my day to day life. After looking back on my experience I feel as though I grew more in my ability to show cultural humility during my every day adventures, than in my interactions during clinicals.



Community:

After completing my cross-cultural experience I will be able to compare and contrast the concept of community from an American and Thai perspective.



The concept of community is huge in Thailand! I thought Messiah college put a big emphasis on community, but then i went to Thailand and my mind was blown. It’s easy to distinguish the differences between how Thais and Americans treat the idea of community. I have a few stories to tell that will help illustrate the importance of community in Thailand. One day I decided that I wanted to go on a prayer walk around BCNC by myself. I put my earbuds in and started walking around. I didn’t get very far before i started getting weird looks from the other students. They all looked at me confused, probably wondering 1. why i was alone and 2. if i needed help. I smiled and continued on my way towards the academic buildings so i could pray over the classrooms. I made it to the first hallway but was stopped by a staff member. She seemed concerned that i was walking around alone. She asked if i needed help and seemed confused when i said i was just looking around. I went back to my apartment realizing its a lot harder to do things alone in Thailand than with a group. My second story involves our Thai buddies. I watched them put others above themselves multiple times throughout my trip. One example that stands out to me was at the Hot springs. A few of the buddies bought papaya salad to eat for lunch, and automatically called over some of the other buddies to share it with them. The buddies who bought the food were concerned about the group as a whole, and not just themselves. They wanted to make sure everyone was fed. I also observed Nu offer Oil food multiple times even when he didn’t have much to eat. This just shows me how much the community matters to Thais. One last thing i noticed was that in the hospitals there were wards and not separate rooms. I’m left to wonder whether this is due to the fact that the hospital doesn’t have the capabilities of having separate rooms, or if the patients desire a community oriented environment. In America there is a large emphasis on individualism and independence. Having wards would not fly in an American hospital. Honestly, my personality meshes more with a community oriented country. I don’t like how America is so individualistic. I think I partly chose Messiah College because I could feel the community atmosphere when I was visiting. I know that some Americans are community oriented, but the country as a whole is not.

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