Back to BCNC: BCNC and MC Exchange Nursing Conference

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Today was our professional presentation at the nursing conference hosted by BCNC. In morning allowed us to prepare for our presentation, look over our notes, and finalize the powerpoint. Brielle, Emily and I were the ones to present and it definitely took us awhile to complete it, as we did a lot of research and had to pare down the information quite a bit. In the morning I was feeling confident and encouraged the other two, as we had a great looking presentation and it would all go well. The morning was restful, which I felt was needed as we traveled a great deal yesterday and sleeping in the car never goes well for me. After lunch, we dressed up in professional attire and walked down to the auditorium. This is when I started to feel a bit more nervous and aware of what I had to do. I don’t particularly enjoy public speaking yet I can thrive in it and do well if I am prepared and can put the nerves aside. The event was much more professional and put together than I thought with a total of eight schools presenting. Many were BCN schools and others including Payap University and Chiang Mai University. Each school had a few students there, including their presenters which ranged from 2 to 6 students each. Two BCNC students were the MCs for the event and again each part was very formal and scheduled. The students announced the speaking schedule, yet there were two interesting things. One, the schedule was to start at 1pm and was rigid beyond that, yet the director did not arrive until 1:25pm and therefore the event was delayed. We have heard about “Thai time” yet most of our time here we have not experienced it, as our buddies are sometime more prompt that we are. Secondly, we were not on the presentation schedule originally! I listened for when the Messiah College students would present, as I was one of them, yet we were never named. The BCNC students began the day’s schedule and I began to realize the gravity of the situation. Each school was to present in English, their second language! It amazed me at how well they did and though a few seemed nervous, they did a great job! Each presented on non-communicable diseases and strategies for primary care. I was intrigued by the setup, a little table with a computer to control the slides and microphones, and the large projector screen. Their conference seemed to be very similar to what we would have set up overall. Each time questions were asked, no one would ask any! We tried to prep our own classmates to ask questions but again no one really did. Debbie talked about how this was part of their culture to memorize and not question their professors. I reflected today on how often we ask questions during and after our lectures at home, questioning our professor’s words and sometimes catching their mistakes as we learn. We are all human, even our professors, and it happens! We like to compare our resources at home and find the discrepancies. Yet, this really isn’t as respectful to our professors looking so critically. Just some thoughts!
We were last to present and a few groups before the end I began to feel more nervous. It’s interesting because my mind is often very calm yet my body revolts and takes over, remembering the gravity of what I am about to do. I was doing pretty well yet my body started giving me butterflies and shaking. I took a few deep breathes and felt better. This is why I like to go towards the beginning to present more mind over matter. When we went up there, we gave it our best shot and did just as we practiced. I had to hold the microphone with two hands to steady myself, I was so nervous! I thought we did well and though we spoke fast a few times, we wrote a lot of our information out on the slides and I hope this helped comprehension. We did receive more hesitant question from a Thai student, which I was so excited about! Afterword there were pictures galore, as each school wanted a picture with the Messiah students. It felt like we were celebrities and it showed me how our country is viewed in that way. The BCNC staff told us each year more schools wanted to join the conference to be a part of such a project and I think that’s awesome. Promoting the sharing of information and communication between students from two different countries yet all with the same goal, is awesome! I feel this was preparation for me, as I will be presenting my Research EBP project from the Fall at Pinnacle Health’s conference in the Spring.
That evening, a group of students went out with a hospital staff member and the rest of us asked if we could also go on an adventure out to a market. A red car was arranged for us and we were taken to a market near Chiang Mai University. This was a more expensive one but again was a fun experience going out on our own and experiencing Chiang Mai for ourselves. We explored yet slowly, which was frustrating to me, and I was caught between wanting to move faster but staying with the group. Two of us broke off and found a huge part of the market we hadn’t even explored and we only had ten minutes left. I was amazed for a Monday night how crowded the markets were, and not with tourists! I did get a very yummy donut and an Asian style sushi shirt which was very eclectic. We got back safely and I was able to catch up on some of these days of journaling. Our buddies came over to say hello yet I chose to stay in my room here and destress. There are moments were my introverted side appears and I knew I was in a grumpy, non-affirming mood. I chose to stay in my room, though I could hear everything that was going on and I felt bad if my buddy was disappointed. I rationalize that this way I could work on my attitude and not hurt anyone. Sometimes that happens and I knew spending some me time and going to bed early would help. The buddies came over unannounced just to check on us and hang out, which was very sweet of them. I see this not only from their culture but of their hearts and their connection to us, they really do care about us sincerely!

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