It’s been a while since I have been
able to share some of my experiences from graduate school. However, I just had
the most transformative experience of my life so I must!
I was given the opportunity of a
lifetime to travel abroad to Colombia for 9 days with 6 classmates and faculty
members including two MSOT faculty
members, Victoria Schindler and Mary Kientz; a Nursing faculty member, Ann
Walker; a Physical Therapy faculty member, Mary Lou Galantino, and the Dean of
the School of Health Sciences, Theresa Bartolotta. I could write about the places I visited but instead I will write about
the people I met and the emotions I felt.
I was able to explore the profession
of occupational therapy in Colombia. I visited universities where my classmates
and I were able to present a scholarly presentation on ways to use yoga as an
occupational therapy intervention. To my surprise only 5 people out of 100 was
familiar with yoga!!! The students and faculty at the universities were extremely
receptive and already have plans to use yoga with their clients! It was so incredible to be able to provide them with the knowledge to use this cost effective intervention in their practice!
Additionally, we visited clinical
sites during the week. These sites were very nontraditional and included a
homeless/mental illness inpatient program, a day program with sex workers, an
orphanage, and a day program with children that come from really bad home
situations.
Going to the orphanage was an emotional roller coaster. You could see the desire to be held and loved in the eyes of the children. The energy felt was so powerful. I instantly connected with a little boy. I held him the entire time. It was my goal to make him laugh! We danced and spun around and finally he laughed!! Eventually, he fell asleep in my arms. I just held him so closely. Leaving him was so difficult that I could still cry just thinking about it. The whole time I wondered, does he ever get this much individualized attention and love? Unfortunately, he probably does not. He had the most beautiful eyes and what he gave me was the realization of the purpose in my life. One of my purposes is to adopt children. It just feels right. I was adopted and found a forever home. I must give back.
Also, I
made the choice to be at the homeless/mental illness inpatient setting since
that is the population I am most passionate about. The focus of this program is
for the clients to acknowledge their problem, get clean from the drugs,
developing coping strategies, build a support system, and finally leave the
program with a job lined up. This
program is 100% voluntary and the duration is 9 months. The only rule to stay
within this program is that you do not stay out at night and you remain sober. What
I learned was that without commitment change will never occur. It was so inspiring to be around individuals that were so strong and empowered for change!
I felt very honored to
interact with these individuals and to have them share their stories with me. I know how
hard it could be to share your life’s mishaps and knowing that these
individuals felt brave enough to share with me was so inspiring. Every single person that I interacted with
faced some serious struggles and did the best with what they had at the time. The
biggest lesson I learned was to have no judgment!
Some of these situations that led them
to addiction and homelessness include abuse, neglect, and/or a lack of
resources. Everyday they face so many hardships. The poverty issue persists and
45% of the population lives in poverty. Their poverty is way different than the
poverty in the U.S. Many people have said to me, “well we have those issues in
the U.S.” Yes we certainly do have our own issues however their problems are
far worse than any of our situations. Many are living in homes made of cinder
blocks or plastic with no utilities and food. The sizes of some of the homes
are as large as my closet. Some even smaller. It was so eye opening and I felt
so selfish with everything that I have been blessed with. I cried most nights.
So often my ego is worried about
looking good. I forget to graciously show gratitude for everything that I
have. This includes being able to eat 3 meals a day, taking a hot shower
everyday, having clean clothes to wear, and drinking fresh water whenever I
want! I mean we are SO lucky.
I’ve always known how fortunate I am
and how bad some people have it. But to physically see it and talk to these
individuals was so awakening. I truly have been transformed from this
experience and feel so empowered to make a difference.
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