Practicum

Our first official day of Practicum was on Thursday. We all had to be up bright and early to leave for our placements. The car ride there is enough to wake ANYONE up if they are still sleepy! The traffic is incredible. It's full of motorcycles. The cars are all in a jumble, there is no single file rule here in Indonesia, that's for sure. And if there is, no one adheres to it!

Thursday and Friday were interesting days for us all. We all arrived back to Kassanda after Thursday's practicum and decided we needed an outing to clear our minds! We were overwhelmed to say the least, but in a way that was to be expected. And after our day on Friday we all realized we are going through what is called "Culture Shock". We are needing to learn better communication skills not only with those at our placement, but with our translators as well.

We are learning that all of the feelings we are having are normal and part of this entire experience! They are what makes the experience real and - for those of you who want a big word thrown in - "Phenomenological".
Culture shock is not something we can experience in Canada but we can use this experience to enhance our care of others in our diverse Nation!

We will keep you "posted" on our practical experiences over the next couple of weeks.