Sunday, July 24, 2011

June 13th: Last Full Day ☹ (Rachel's Reflection)


I cannot believe how quickly the time here went!! It has already been 20 days and it breezed by in the snap of a finger. I am so heartbroken to leave this beautiful city and all of the amazing people that we have met.



The morning started off in the hospital. Lisa began by showing us around her floor, internal and post-op. It was interesting to observe the differences between this hospital and the hospitals in the United States. The supply carts and the med rooms were very open, and there was no who took out drugs or how many they took out.



We got to see the Maternity floor next!! Anja and I had been waiting our whole trip to visit this floor. This floor was extremely busy today. They had 34 moms, 29 babies, and only 24 beds! So they had some mom-baby pairs on beds out in the hallway. We were there during bath time so we got to see all of the babies massaged and bathed. The babies looked so fragile and precious. It was an awesome experience!



This afternoon was our last visit to Jinan Middle School. We had all really bonded with our classes, so this was a very bittersweet experience. Today was a discussion day. My class was very actively involved. They told stories such as:

"I used to eat fast food four times a week, and now I only eat it once a week."

"I never really like sports before you started working with us. Now I spend my free time playing basketball and doing other active things."

"Last night I had the choice of playing outside or playing video games on my computer. I chose to go outside and do some exercise."

It was very encouraging to hear how much these students had benefitted from our study. I hope that they can continue to implement these changes in their everyday lives.

The students took the survey once again to conclude our data collection. Overall between the 4 middle school classes at Jinan and the middle school class at Taian, there were 43 people with a family history of Diabetes. This is definitely an at risk population, and I hope that our study will have a lasting impact in the prevention of Diabetes.

Cathy and her class

Me and my class

Anja and her class

Laurelyn and her class

For our last night in Guangzhou, The Vice President of the hospital held a banquet for us. He invited every nurse and doctor that had helped us during our time at the hospital. It was such a nice night. The company was great and the food was delicious.

Wei Ju, the director of nursing, gave each of us a present before we left. It was so thoughtful of her. She gave Cathy and me gorgeous necklaces, and she gave Anja and Laurelyn fancy bracelets.

All of us with Peggy and Wei Ju. They were so great to us!!

Then came the emotional part of the night… goodbyes. How do you say goodbye to the people who had played such an integral role in getting us to China, who made our experience more than perfect, and who had become such dearly loved friends of ours? They have all been so great and so helpful. I wish that we never had to leave them. I would say that more than a few tears were shed.

Time for our last night’s sleep in Guangzhou……. So sad L

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