Without a doubt I can say that this trip changed me, as traveling always seems to do. The neat part about this experience is that, because I get credit for class, I was required to have a list of goals prior to my travels. This was done in order to see what I truly gained from the opportunity compared to my expectations. These were my goals:
Veterinary Goals
o
I am looking forward to all of the veterinary
experience I will gain on my trip, especially that which puts me out of my
comfort zone.
o
I hope to observe how veterinarians in Brazil
practice medicine in similar situations as those I have observed here and how
their protocols differ from ours.
o
I hope to increase my knowledge in clinical
areas while working and observing in the hospital there.
o
I would like to see how medicine is practiced in
rural areas and what supplies they have at their disposal.
o
I am looking forward to seeing how the cultural
differences of Brazil effect how veterinary medicine is practiced there.
o
I hope to get more hand on experience with
animals that I have not yet encountered while working at the wildlife
facilities.
o
I also hope to get more hand on experience while
at the university in both clinical and surgical settings.
o
I look forward to seeing how language barriers
affect learning veterinary medicine in a foreign environment.
Cultural Goals
o
I hope to learn some Portuguese. I feel that
nothing shows respect or appreciation for another culture more than trying to
understand and speak some of the language.
o
I hope to form long-lasting relationships with my
host family, students and the veterinarians I meet and work with along this
journey.
o
I hope to truly experience the culture, but
taking advantage of every opportunity that is presented to me!
Looking back at these goals, I realize how blessed I really was on this trip. I gained an incredible amount of veterinary experience. I was able to view the differences in how clinicians and surgeons practice in another country and was proud that I could make my own valid opinions on these techniques. It is wonderful to realize how much I did know prior to the internships, even as a first year. It was interesting to me to see how they seemed to understand the importance of every move they made while working, which I found a valuable observation. Veterinary medicine is constantly changing and growing in the United States but this experience showed me that every country has something to teach us and global understanding is truly important and relevant to our career.
While I believe that the trip was focused with personal veterinary goals, I am grateful that I was able to grow in the knowledge of a new culture as well. I definitely saw how language barriers affect learning veterinary medicine in a foreign country. I feel that this will help me relate more to those visiting Purdue from other universities around the world. I hope that I will be as helpful and encouraging as those were to me in Brazil. That being said, I am beyond thankful for the relationships I gained and friendships I made during the four weeks. I hope to return one day, but with a greater Portuguese vocabulary!
Looking back at these goals, I realize how blessed I really was on this trip. I gained an incredible amount of veterinary experience. I was able to view the differences in how clinicians and surgeons practice in another country and was proud that I could make my own valid opinions on these techniques. It is wonderful to realize how much I did know prior to the internships, even as a first year. It was interesting to me to see how they seemed to understand the importance of every move they made while working, which I found a valuable observation. Veterinary medicine is constantly changing and growing in the United States but this experience showed me that every country has something to teach us and global understanding is truly important and relevant to our career.
While I believe that the trip was focused with personal veterinary goals, I am grateful that I was able to grow in the knowledge of a new culture as well. I definitely saw how language barriers affect learning veterinary medicine in a foreign country. I feel that this will help me relate more to those visiting Purdue from other universities around the world. I hope that I will be as helpful and encouraging as those were to me in Brazil. That being said, I am beyond thankful for the relationships I gained and friendships I made during the four weeks. I hope to return one day, but with a greater Portuguese vocabulary!
No comments:
Post a Comment