Globemed (GROW)

What was involved 

In my Globemed GROW (Grassroots Onsite Work Intern) experience, I interned with Social Action for Children and Women as a GROW intern, where I flew to Mae Sot Thailand, working on a variety of projects to help SAW with their mission. SAW is a nonprofit which provides free health education, workshops, and support to rural populations in Phrop Phra, Thailand. These populations are often refugee Burmese populations who have fleed illegally to Thailand due to border disputes from the Political crisis in Myammar. My role was threefold, 1. Create a documentary to highlight the work that SAW does through a series of interviews, questionaries, and videography, 2. Teach refugee students subjects of mathematics, English, science, etc to prepare them for the GED exam, 3. Create an annual report for SAW to send to potential donors and sponsors. 

What I learned from the experience

My biggest learning moment from the experience was growing my cultural humility by understanding and communicating differences in culture. When I first arrived in Thailand, I noticed many things being different, such as the greetings, cultural traditions, and dining norms. Although at first it was hard to adapt, I began to be open-minded about Thai ways in life. This allowed me to grow closer to the people I was working with, and share my culture while hearing others express their culture as well. I attribute this as the primarily reason I was able to build such strong connections with my friends and co-workers in a different country, something I will use in my future experiences as well. 

How it impacted my life

My role as a GROW member was one of my most enriching experiences throughout my college career. It taught me cultural humility, how to awknowledge differences between us and other people as will has build mutual understanding through our similarities. As an aspiring physician, I would like to use these competencies to serve disadvantaged patient populations and remove any cultural barriers which may be getting into the way. Additionally, living overseas for 2 months has given me insight as to healthcare gaps around the globe and how we can develop healthcare systems further so that everyone has the right to it.