Walking out of the Comfort Zone: Unlimited Potential and Possibilities
I still remember when I had just graduated, an older upperclassman had asked me why I had chosen to become a medical examiner. At that time, my reply was, “I wanted to help those who need help.” Those words that I had said soon became my source of motivation to continue to work in the hospital. However, under the busyness and exhaustion from work that had also seeped into my daily life, I found myself unable to determine if I had reached my initial dream to help those in need. Just when I was deep in thought, hoping that I would have the chance to help more people, TRMPC gave me this valuable opportunity.
In this short medical mission trip, I experienced a lot of shock and moments of self-reflection. Previously, I thought a medical examiner’s place was inseparable from the hospital, examination institution, blood donation center, or other related institutions, because a medical examiner could only do so much for people in clinic. However, through this medical mission, my opinions completely changed. Even without the newest innovations, equipments, and reagents, medical examiners still have potential to do a lot more such as transporting limited resources and fulfilling the most basic duty as a medical examiner: providing necessary examination results in clinic.
I am very grateful to TRMPC for having these medical missions, allowing me to become more familiar with rural medicine, to get to know all the amazing volunteers, and to have a future goal to strive towards.
Youth Without Regret: Moved to Action
Although reading is not an important aspect of tribal life, storytelling is like the children’s second language. For children, books are the most direct and simplest way to learn. Using picture books to tell stories, children can connect with main characters who share similar backgrounds as them, allowing stories to strongly resonate with the children.
As we slowly opened the children’s hearts through reading with them, the children obtained both knowledge and happiness. They even excitedly shared their own invented stories for us to listen. I was beaming with joy, because through my small contribution, the children fell in love with reading. After every reading session, the children would send us off saying, “Bye sister. Thank you for reading with us. We will miss you.” Just these few words were enough to touch all of our hearts, making this whole trip all the more worth it.
As written on the homepage of TRMPC’s website, “If you only play the role of a moved bystander, you will find that in the end there will be fewer and fewer things that can move you.” Indeed, I believe that we possess the power to touch the lives of ourselves and others. To not leave any regrets in my youth, I was moved to action.
Volunteering Opened My Heart
Throughout the whole medical mission, one task stood out for me, which was distributing clothes and resources during every clinic session. While the clothes were not new nor resources valuable, every time I brought them to the elderly's’ homes for the elderlies to pick, many of the elders were afraid too much in case someone else needed them more. How they valued the clothes and resources shocked me, making me realize just how little we appreciate what we have. Whenever free stuff is available, we would jump into a frenzy state and try to grab as much as possible, regardless of whether we need it. Seeing their selflessness, we were really ashamed of our wastefulness and greed.
Thus concludes my very first medical mission. Truth be told, the trip was physically taxing, and I had to sleep quite a lot to recuperate. All in all, I must thank those who took care of us, volunteers, everyday including the driving crew, the cooking crew, and all other volunteers. Compared to them, my work seemed a lot easier: I did not have to wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast, and I could take naps while on the road. Without out their hard work, we would not have been able to care for the patients. I am very thankful for them.
I’ll see all of you again in June.
In Their Eyes, What is A Doctor Like?
During the medical mission, I visited other professionals including the pharmacist, medical examiner, and nurse, because I was curious about their profession and livelihood. I also wanted to know what they wanted to see in a physician. Luckily during the medical mission trip, I had the chance to just talk with all the other volunteers. Every profession has its respectful and honorable side: medical examiners are dexterous with their hands when drawing blood; pharmacists exercise a refined and precise management over all the pharmaceutical drugs’ placement and amount; nurses are talented in interacting with patients. Without their help, even the most talented and knowledgable doctor will be helpless and lost walking in circles.
I am very grateful for this medical mission, as it has allowed me to witness and understand what I would not have experienced in a hospital.