Sitting at the airport

Here I am... sitting at the airport. I just spent the weekend in Taipei with a bunch of the girls; Amy, Alyssa, Rachel, Jeni, and Jocelyn. We dragged our heavy bags from the subway station all the way to our hostel that was 3 blocks away... 3 blocks is a long ways with 50 lb bags haha. After a little planning, we went to The Palace Museum, a huge famous museum in Taipei... the biggest attraction is a jade cabbage... haha kinda hilarious. After the museum we paid 15 dollars to ride to the 89th floor of Taipei 101 (the second tallest building in the world). It was like we were looking out the window of an airplane while we were up there. We had to ride the word's fastest elevator to get to the 89th floor in less than 40 seconds. Pretty cool right? That night we visited the 'snake' market briefly (it was raining) and, to our disappointment, we didn't see that many snakes.

The next day we woke up early and left to the LDS Taipei Temple and did baptisms for the dead. The temple there is busy mostly on Saturdays, so it was fairly quiet when we went, which I liked. It was the temple workers and us girls. It was wonderful.

We went up and talked to a couple missionary that had visited us at Chi Mei Hospital to interview us for the LDS newspaper earlier that week after we did baptisms. They took us to a fancy French restuarant a few blocks away from the temple. It was pricy but well worth it!

Later we went back to the hostel and put our bunk beds together and watched 500 days of summer haha. It was a great lazy day afternoon. We had some good girl bonding time.

Now it's time to go back to Hong Kong. I never thought I'd be back so soon. I left last summer thinking I wouldn't see my family there for a long long time. No way would I be able to afford going two summer's in a row! But I'm glad the study abroad was so close to HK... it made it easy for me to book a cheap flight to HK from Taiwan.

So there's the update. From Taiwan to Hong Kong ... i'm in the inbetween time, at the airport. And I found out wi-fi is the happiest thing when bored at an airport. Wi-fi plus skype and facebook... and gmail... and blogger.

Nursing in Taiwan

I feel like I should summarize the things that have stood out most to me during my stay here in Taiwan. It was the last day of clinicals for us today. Looking back on the whole experience here, although the days were long, every minute has been worth its while. My favorite thing about this month was getting to know the people. Everybody at the hospital was thrilled to see us. they were VERY welcoming. I know I've said this a hundred times but I don't think anyone will ever know what I mean until they come and experience the warmth of the people here in Taiwan.

I feel like I have learned a lot and realized how similar the healthcare system is to the United States. People are the same, no matter where you are in the world. The main focus on healthcare should be healing the person, inside and out. The nurses here really exemplify generosity, care, and kindness. I am glad I chose to come to Taiwan to learn about cultural differences in the healthcare system. I am glad I've met these wonderful nurses and doctors here. The one thing I can take away from them is their attitude and their love for everyone; including their patients and co-workers. They are so cheerful and optimistic about their work. I love it. I hope to be this way someday. I don't think I'll forget these nurses that have befriended us and joked with us as well as taught us their way of practicing as a nurse in Taiwan.

We finally hit the beach!

Kenting is at the very southern part of Taiwan and has wonderful beaches. It's the Maui of Taiwan. The ride to Kenting wasn't as long as the ride to Hualien thank goodness. Going to the train station this weekend was like deja-vu. Days go by so fast that it felt like it was yesterday that we were boarding the train to Hualien, not a week ago.

When we finally arrived at our destination. Our Hostel looked like a party! It had the "laid back feel" to it. It definitely looked like a room and board right out of a place you would find in Hawaii or somewhere like that. There was American music playing in the background, a bar with a kitchen behind it where girls were cooking up breakfast for some fellow vacationers. The hostel looked great. I'm a fan of hostels.

We went to the beach that day. It was cloudy but it was just so nice to be out on a beach! Utah really needs a beach...

The next day we decided on renting "mototo's" -motor scooters- EVERYONE rides them here. It is ridiculous how many scooters you will see here in Taiwan. The driving here is horrific too. So the fact Kris let us rent scooters and actually drive them on the roads with the traffic here... a miracle. I'm surprised we got to do something like that! It was way fun though. It was nice not having to depend on a taxi or a bus... we were independent. Kris asked us girls which one of us had actually driven a motor scooter before... a few girls raised their hands... I had TRIED driving a bullet bike ONCE (and almost ran into a fence at that) haha but I raised my hand anyway... so that was it. The drivers were designated. That day we scooted around on our scooters and went down to the beach where they had snorkeling gear to rent. We rented our gear and wow! I've never been snorkeling before or anything like it. Putting my face under the water and taking my first look at the life beneath the surface was breath-taking! Who would have knew so much life existed under there and so close to shore too. There was coral of all kinds... neon colored fish, king fish, angel fish, nemo's, big fish, small fish, sea urchins, schools of fish... man it was amazing! I loved it!

Kenting was an awesome trip- some laid back beach time! I love our weekend trips where we get to see everything around us-Go hiking, see the beach, snorkeling and getting a peak at the life we never get to see in the ocean. On Saturday morning some of us girls woke up extra early to take a scenic drive on the scooters up a mountain near by before we left back to Tainan; it was gorgeous!

Some weekend fun

After 3 full days of working at the hospital. After hitting a wall (that's me being extremely tired for a few days) I finally regained my energy and felt good. Perfect timing. It was time to take our weekend trip to a place called 'Hualien'. None of us knew what to expect. We've just been hearing the word 'Hualien' ever since we got here. I've learned that our professor doesn't really have a habit of telling us information ahead of time. Haha, it really makes this trip all the more adventurous…

So Thursday morning, 5 am, came around. All four of us girls in the same room start to drowsily wake up from our night’s rest to get ready to leave for our six hour ride to a place we hardly knew about. We met the others in our group down stairs by the door, our usual meeting place and headed off to catch our 6 am ride on the train/ high speed rail to Kaohsiung, then eventually Hualien.

“Amigos. We need to get to Amigos.” I kept hearing Kris, our professor, tell the taxi driver. I thought to myself… we’re in Taiwan… are we really staying at a hostel named “Amigos”? Who would have guessed I would find a Spanish word among all the Chinese billboards and signs here in Taiwan.

The hosts at ‘Amigos’ were very very kind. I am getting the impression that EVERYONE here in Taiwan is very kind. Hospitality is apparent in the culture here. All 9 of us girls were placed in a room filled with bunk beds. The whole situation, 8 girls and one teacher unpacking and claiming our beds, reminded me a lot of girls camp back in the day. Ha ahh how I miss those days… girls camp was fun now that I think about it, although I didn’t quite realize exactly how fun it was back then, I do now. We had a community shower, 2 bathrooms out in the hall. Living in a hostel wasn’t THAT bad. I would totally stay at a hostel again… hopefully in Europe somewhere next time (:

The first day in Hualien, we went downtown and shopped around. The second day, the taxi drivers that chased us down the second we got off the train (a bunch of Caucasian people in an Asian dominated area must be a sure sign we’re tourists or something…) that got us to agree to hire them to drive us around for the day for 2000 NT or around $72 US dollars, picked us up from the hostel that morning. And that was the start of our tour. We drove to all the main attractions of the gorgeous Toroko gorge. I did not expect to see the things I saw. Toroko gorge is beautiful. Truly beautiful. Hiking was awesome. One of the best hikes I’ve been on. Our tour of the gorge took almost all day. The taxi drivers dropped us off at around 4 or 5. We spent some time later that night at the jade market, where I bought 2 jade vases… I hope I made a good purchase, 42 dollars for 2 jade vases isn’t bad right?.. good purchase or not.. I decided that would be my souvenir from Taiwan. No more unreasonable expenses for the rest of the trip. Haha.. That day, some of us girls did some research to see what fun things we could do in Hualien. We decided on River Tracing. The following morning, 4 of us girls were picked up by a van and taken to a river. We changed into wetsuits and went river tracing! It was AWESOME. It was so much fun. There’s nothing like being out in nature, in the river, looking around and seeing green luscious mountains on either side of you. Misty skies right above the tops of the green mountain tops, And seeing clear blue water along some parts of the river. It was awesome. We found places where the water gathered in places and became deep. We jumped off small cliffs into the water; it was unforgettable. Mostly because of the environment I was in. I couldn’t help but look around and gape at all the trees, the water, the mountains. It was like we were in the middle of a jungle or rainforest.

After river tracing, we met up with the other 4 girls and watched “Water for Elephants” at a theater nearby. It was wonderful to actually sit down and watch a movie. I felt like I haven’t done that for a while.

We bummed around the receiving area of the hostel that day until it was time for us to board our train back ‘home’ to Tainan.

It was a goooood weekend. I love seeing the natural beauty of nature. I think that’s what made this weekend so good. It was a gorgeous trip.

exhausted?

I've titled this post exhausted because I just might be a bit exhausted... haha. Monday morning I thought I was going to faint at the start of the shift; I toughed it out. I was pretty out of it throughout the day, but tried hard to keep my eyes open and my brain running ha. I came back to the dorm that day and just crashed. I changed into basketball shorts and a tee shirt immediately and climbed into my bunk bed. Rachel, another girl in my room got back at the same time I did and followed my lead. After about half an hour, Alyssa came home and turned off the lights and climbed into bed too. Soon after that Amy came home and did the same. So by 6 pm, all four of us girls were in bed; lights out!

We slept for about 3 hours.

It was the best 3 hrs of my life, at least that's what it seemed like at the time. I really needed sleep that day.

Tuesday was much better, we followed the hospice home care nurses around. Instead of staying at the hospital all day, we got to drive to the patients' homes. It was good to get out and see the different homes. Although I do think I was a bit dehydrated because I was feeling very very drained during the day. It was really hot out. KAY enough with the complaints! other than the fact that I was fatigued for the past two days, I am pleased to say that today went much much better! I had a great day. I had energy. It was a good day. We followed chemotherapy nurses and learned about chemotherapy.

Tomorrow we go to Hualien. It is 6 hrs away. I have a book report to finish between now and monday. I will probably be reading my book, The Joy Luck Club, on the train to Hualien. woohooo!

Getting to know the people

From day one the warmth of the people here was apparent. The Taiwanese people are so kind and generous. I feel like they will go out of their way to make sure we feel welcomed. I think this is a great part of their culture here that more people should adopt. They are wonderful hosts to their country. I feel like they are very kind hearted and genuine.

During our clinical at the hospital, the nurses and doctors will try their best to speak as much English during their shift so that we can understand what is going on. Just this one simple act says a lot to me. During clinicals back at home, students are given no special attention at all. We often feel we are in the way; a nuisance to have around. However, here at the Chi Mei Hospital in Taiwan, they make us feel like they are honored to have us learn from them. It is wonderful to share perspectives and paradigms on healthcare practices. I am most surprised at how the doctors are so kind to us students too. They are so willing to teach and to explain things to us when we have questions.

I have also noticed the patient-nurse/ healthcare provider interaction is much more friendly and at an even level than what I have been used to. The nurses will walk into a patient's room and take time to chat with the patient and provide any comforting care the patient is in need of. The nurses are very aware of the needs of the patient and are paying attention to the little queues given by the patient. It's much different than the hustle and bustle of the nurses I have worked with before. However, this 'more caring attitude' can be due to the unit we are working on- oncology and hospice. The nurses at Primary Children's Hospital in Utah were also very kind and caring and genuinely patient-centered. Whether due to the unit or just the culture, in general I would have to say the nurses and doctors here in Taiwan ARE much more genuine in their compassion and concern for their patients. I want to be as genuine in my care as the nurses here in Taiwan when I become a nurse someday.

Here in Taiwan the focus is mainly on the FAMILY. The family is the main unit. If a patient is diagnosed with an illness, the family is the first to know and then the family decides if they want the patient to know. This is a little different than in the U.S. We are much more focused on individual rights; The patient always has the right to know and the patient can choose to keep their healthcare info from their families. It is interesting how precedence-the individual or the family- is reversed between the United States and Taiwan.

Also the care here is much more holistic. Healthcare is directed by all aspects of the patient; emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical aspects are all taken into consideration. There are many alternative therapies that are practiced also, such as the use of essential oils and massage. They have prayer rooms, volunteers that come in and have activities and crafts with the patients. Patients are definitely treated holistically here. It is very humbling to see the love from the nurses and the gratitude from the patients. It definitely softens my heart to see such kindness (: It makes me excited to be a nurse.

The nurses here are also very very very welcoming. They have taken us to see the sites of Taiwan! It has been awesome hanging out with them this weekend! The home care nurses took us to Kaohsiung, where we went to monkey mountain , the beach, and a night market. Then the oncology nurses too us to a beautiful hike today. It has been a wonderful weekend. The nurses have treated us WELL! they treat us to meals and give us all types of food to try. The nurses are wonderful here. I am blown away at how nice they are to us!

almost through the First Week

Our routine every day usually consists of waking up at around 6:30 or 7, getting ready, walking to the hospital, hospital till 4 pm, then finding food for dinner and then being exhausted back at the dorm, then bed. The weekend is our free time however! So this weekend we went to the night market here in Tainan. We met some friends while there! They were med students around our age, 21 or so, and they were all from Taiwan but were in the 'English Club' at their school. They were with a white guy from washington state, he's the leader of this 'club'. We ended up pairing up with this group and playing a scavenger hunt with them at the night market. We had to take a weird picture, win a game at the market (they have games like a carnival), and eat something weird. The 4 taiwanese kids Rachel and I were paired with were very nice and loved showing us around. They even bought us stinky tofu to try. Afterwards two of the girls got mine and Rachel's email so we could stay in contact. ha!

Friday morning was nice, we had some time to upload pictures, write emails, blog, and go to the gym. We met up with everyone at 11:30 to take taxi's to Anping, home of a former dutch colony. We toured Anping's attractions such as the Fort and a museum there. While there, we noticed they rented bikes.... what! We HAD to take advantage! Sooo with some discussion we decided we would rent the bikes and try to bike over to the beach which we saw wasn't too far away. This was quite exciting- getting the bikes, pedaling through the streets of Taiwan, biking along side the river, It was VERY cool. The breeze from going fast on a bike was wonderful too since the sun was so strong that day. We started biking around 2:30 and biked till 5 that evening where we ended our bike ride at the 'Tree House'- a house entangled by the tree's roots/branches-very phenomenal. After walking back to a street market we found in Anping and shopping around for a bit, where some of the girls bought souvenirs to take home, we caught a taxi back home.

That day alone was tiring! I felt like I did so much that day. My body was exhausted. Sleep was awesome.

Today is Saturday, I slept in this morning till 8. This is not normal for me! Usually I wake up at 5 or 6 ... due to jet lag. So the fact I slept in was surprising. Our plans today ... We will be going to Kaohsiung with some of the nurses today. It's still pretty early right now, we're not meeting until 11:15 sooo we'll see how today goes! I can tell you that I will be exhausted by the end of this month, we just keep going and going!

Taiwan

Eight BYU nursing students, one nursing professor, and one dean of BYU's nursing department. Together with Chi Mei Medical Center's healthcare staff has made an eventful first week in Tainan, Taiwan.

The plane ride there was the longest 15 or so hours of my life! Not to mention we had a 5 hour lay over in the Korean airport. Skyping with some friends back home could not have been any better during those long 5 hours! When we finally arrived, it seemed like a mess trying to find the right bus to take to Tainan. Language barrier... but no worries. We ended up taking the right bus, and met an english speaker on our bus ride too. He was from Taiwan but had friends who spoke English and thus.. knew English. As we got off our bus, we took the high speed rail to the Chi Mei Medical Center where we were greeted warmly by very very friendly nurses. Arms open, bright faces, broken English, they embraced us with a warm welcome and helped us load our stuff into a van to take us to our housing accommodation. They gave us the tour and all. It was good to find out there was an exercise room upstairs with an elipticals ... good to know I can still work on my fitness while I'm here.

After getting settled in, we were quickly led to the Medical Center. We toured the hopsital. The hospital was much much bigger than I had imagined. After the tour two of the nurses took us down to find some food. Kris, our professor, found her favorite thing.. a flat chinese pancake cooked with eggs, green onions, basil, and sprouts of some kind... We all bought one and called that our dinner. By then we were all ready for a shower and bed; being tired combined with feeling nasty with greasy hair and dirty clothes made our foreign dorm rooms seem like a nice home away from home.