#2: Towards a Culturally Competent System of Care Abridged
Blog #2 Questions:
- Describe the level of cultural competence at which you feel you are currently functioning and provide specific reasons and examples to support that. (Think about what factors might have limited your competence up to now.)
- In what specific ways do you hope the Uganda travel-study program will move you toward greater cultural competence? (“specific”) is the operative word here.)
- Explore how increasing your cultural competence benefit you (and the people you work with) in your future career, even if you never leave the U.S. again.
At this phase in my life, I believe that I am “Cultural Competent”. People who are culturally competent accept and respect differences and continuously further extend their knowledge about different cultures, resources available, and are comfortable working in cross-cultural situations. Growing up, my aunt, who also attended SIUE, went to the Netherlands for a semester as a study abroad trip. When she returned home, her new life-long friends decided to come and visit her in the United States. For many of them, they had not been to the US, so it was a great learning lesson for them and even myself (at 8 10 years old I couldn’t wait to show them around Abraham Lincoln’s home). I was always attached to my aunt’s hip, especially with her foreign friends. During this time, I was able to meet people from Holland, Spain, France, and Réunion Island. Growing up around people from different cultures enhanced my knowledge because I was so eager to learn more about where they came from, what their hometown looked like, what the did for fun. I even got the to teach me a few words in their native language. Being so young, I didn’t understand or think about how they have positively shaped me. At the time, I didn’t know all my curious questions taught me about their traditions, language, and what a typical day or weekend looked like for them. When they left, I craved to travel to see them again, but this time I wanted to see them in their home town. When I graduated high school, my mom gifted me a two-week trip to Spain. Because this was my first time out of the country, I was very nervous, but so ready to learn and experience a different life-style. I was able to meet up with my aunt’s friends, which showed me a unique part of the Spanish culture. This made my travel experience more unique because I was able to see what the locals do and love on a day to day basis. Fast forward to my sophomore year of college, I participated in a five-week service learning study abroad trip to Takoradi, Ghana. While I was there I was able to travel to 23 middle schools to teach basic health topics that were concerning to the community. This trip allowed me to identify issues and resources of the area. I had to accept that my lifestyle and culture was much different from theirs. I wanted to dive deep into their daily life, not only to learn myself, but for them to embrace our differences and support one another. I have learned quite a bit; however, the world is huge and there is always more to learn.
Going to Uganda, will change my life, no doubt about it. This program will test and teach myself while being in a culture that I know very little about. I hope that this program guides me to help where it is needed and allow me to share my public health knowledge to not only the Ndejje University Students, but to the community as well. Working with college students will allow me to understand what is like at a different university, in a different country. While working with the students, I hope to gain a sense of the traditions and culture of the surrounding community. I will be able to learn first-hand, what it is like to live in Uganda. While working with Ndejje University faculty, staff, and students I will be able to better understand their health beliefs and practices. Learning in a different country is beneficial because you are typically out of your comfort zone, which allows you to lean on someone to show you the ropes. This leads to being more culturally competent because, you take the time to observe and learn from someone who is comfortable and reliable in that setting. When I am out of my comfort zone and experiencing new things, I look to someone who is willing to help me see things in a different light, as well as, teach me how to work and learn in a different environment. During my time in Uganda, our group will be taking a Luganda course. This is one of the major languages in Uganda. Taking this course will allow me to be able to communicate better with members of the community. Knowing a little bit of the local language will also allow me to communicate effectively while interacting with the community and fellow students.
My absolute goal is to keep traveling. But, even in the United States, it is extremely important to be culturally competent. In any field of profession, you must be able to communicate effectively, be open to new ideas, and accept people from different cultures. America is the “melting pot”, and essentially there is no way to get around working with people who are different than yourself. Being yourself and being culturally competent is key to a happy work environment while still being efficient when completing tasks or projects. Even if I never leave the U.S. again, I will be able to use my knowledge of my three oversea travels. These skills and lessons that I have (and that I am still learning) can be used to teach coworkers and help open their eyes to something they are unfamiliar with. I plan keep learning about different cultures and ways of life. I have always been a very eager learner, who googles everything to read up on the topic. There are many cultures and countries that I want to explore and familiarize myself with. When I was a senior in high school I promised myself that each year I would go to somewhere that I have not been to, even if it is in the U.S. In 2015 I went to Santa Monica, California, 2016- Takoradi, Ghana, 2017- Jamaica and Grand Cayman, 2018- ENTEBBE UGANDA. I am so excited for this adventure and bring back more knowledge and skills!!
Traveling with Mica 