Honestly, I haven't left my house in three whole days after returning from Taipei. Maybe I'm going through Taiwan withdrawals, unable to believe that my trip has already ended. I'm no longer surrounded by little street food carts, night markets, sketchy salesmen selling out of suitcases, or my fellow group members!! I'm finally back home, in middle of nowhere, Fresno, California!! But being home has gave me some time to reflect on my trip! So I've decided to dedicate this last post to my feelings from this trip. I know... "talking about feelings" sounds so cliche! But I believe this is necessary because this trip has really changed my life for the better and I would like to share this experience, to inspire others to go on this trip too!
Not only has this trip helped me reconnect with my own Taiwanese identity, it allowed me to explore parts of Taiwan culture and life that I never experienced. For example, I grew up listening to my parents talk about the NHI (which started after they had left Taiwan), Taiwan culture, and even Taiwan education (my dad went to college in Taipei, while my mom left for the states during high school!). During this trip, I had the opportunity to learn about all three!!! Now, I feel like I have so much to contribute during conversations with my parents regarding Taiwan! Now, I can say, "Yes, Dad, I have sat in a Taiwanese lecture hall!" From this trip, I got to witness the differences between Taiwan education and American education- something that is definitely worth noting!
In addition, this trip has taught me more about the NHI. Especially during this crucial time when America is prepping its first steps into nationalized health care, I believe that it is extremely important to see all sides of national health care, from patients to physicians to administrators! On this trip, I got to see all three sides! And boy! Now I know that there is no perfect system. In America, I always heard of the benefits of Taiwan's NHI, but I never heard of the failures!! Now, I know all sides, allowing me to think more critically of national health care!
Lastly, this trip has allowed me to grow as a person. Being the youngest member of the group in terms of age, grade, and status in the GM program, I learned so much from my fellow peers. Because they were much more experienced in terms of both life and academically, I feel like I learned to be more mature around them and to think with a more adult mindset about life. From this trip, I made friendships with amazing people that I never would have thought that I could be friends with! To be honest, initially I thought I had to pretend to be older in order to be accepted by them... But in the end, I realized that these people were truly wonderful people who told me that at this point, age shouldn't matter! Instead, they taught me that it was important to be true to myself and just be a good person so that people will accept me for who I am!
I am so fortunate to have been able to go on this trip. The people I have met, the experiences that I had, the feelings that I possessed- all of this will keep with me forever!
Thank you USC and TMU for giving this experience to me! I am more than blessed to have been able to have my life touched by everything and everyone that has helped make this trip so wonderful!
No comments:
Post a Comment