The End of the China Adventures

It is unbelievable how quickly time flew by. Just yesterday, we were meeting students to escort us to Wuhan University. Now, we are flying back to America. These past two and a half months has honestly been life-changing. Doing my capstone in China will be a once in a lifetime opportunity that I definitely will never forget. I have learned so much about the culture as well as traditional Chinese medicine. The older generation tends to have more faith in TCM than the younger generation probably because of the strong influence of Western medicine. Nevertheless, in every pharmacy that has Western medicine, there is a TCM section as well. The respect for elders is also very prevalent throughout all parts of China. On the bus, there are televised advertisements demonstrating proper etiquette which includes offering your seat to an elder. Also, in an ironic silly sort of way, the elderly are often taken cared of by their children, but the elderly also care for their grandchildren as well. They still hold certain responsibilities especially when the parents are too busy working to care for their children.

We were able to visit mental hospitals where it was actually depressing to see adolescents cooped up in one room with a limited amount of entertainment resources. They just had one TV, a ping pong table, and chairs and tables where they could read or draw. Patients are interviewed individually by a group of doctors and nurses, an experience that I would find intimidating. The staff also has little time to interact with the patients so when they saw us foreigners, they all crowded around eager to speak English with us. We were invited to teach them some basic English words so we reviewed fruits, vegetables, and different sports with them. It was quite interesting to see how well they responded to us. However, I don’t believe that the care in this institution is of good quality, and I think that their protocols and plan of care should change dramatically to one that puts the patient’s best interest as a priority.

We have met so many amazing people here and have made an abundance of good friends. Everyone has been so eager and willing to help us with anything that we need. They truly made sure that we were taken cared of, and I really appreciate this wonderful belief in hospitality. I believe that part of this is due to the general idea/outlook on foreigners. All the Chinese people are so excited to talk with us as they so eagerly want to practice their English. This experience has been incredible. It could not have been more perfect, and I would not change this experience for anything in the world. Because of this, I am more worldly and more culturally aware. The Chinese work very hard day and night and yet they continue live simple lives with few complaints. This is an idea I hope to adopt one day. I am ever so grateful for this wonderful opportunity!