A Trip Across The World & What It Taught Me

January 29, 2019

A Trip Across The World & What It Taught Me

As some of you may know, I (Brooklin) have recently traveled to Japan and back through a student exchange program between Berea College (my nursing school), Kagoshima University (a Japanese nursing school), and Chung-Ang University (a South Korean nursing school). Through this program we were able to visit Kagoshima University's nursing facilities and learn about the culture of nursing in Japan. We were also able to share differences in nursing in both the US and in South Korea. While learning about cultural differences in nursing was AMAZING, there were also some bigger lessons I took away from this trip of a lifetime.

In this post, I will share my top 3 takeaways from visiting Japan.

1. Southern Hospitality ain't got nothin' on Japanese Hospitality

Honestly, it's true. We're all from the South around here and know good 'ole country folk when we meet them, but I have never felt as welcomed as I did while visiting Japan. As soon as we stepped off the plane and into the connector upon arrival, we were greeted with an assembly line of airport staff of all sorts, greeting us in Japanese and bowing to each one of us. You could say I felt famous (and may have teared up a little). On the other hand, on the way back from Japan we flew into Detroit. While going through customs, an older Japanese man waited in front of me to be called to scan his passport. The desk cleared open and the worker yelled "HELLO!? I'M OPEN!!! THIS IS AMERICA HERE!" The Japanese man quickly went to the desk and the worker said "HEY! WHAT WERE YOU DOING, LOOKING AT THE STARS OR SOMETHING?! THIS IS AMERICA, YOU CAN'T DO THAT AROUND HERE." The difference in the two greetings was unnerving to say the least.

The entire trip, we continually felt welcomed. Anytime we needed help (which was a lot) someone was always willing to stop what they were doing to help us figure things out. It is seriously scary and completely uncomfortable to be the outsider, but it helps when everyone is gracious and kind.

Americans could do so much better at this. ALL people are God's people. At least that's how I see it.

2. Language Barriers SUCK, Try to Remember That

Every single day in Japan, we faced issues with language barriers. A lot of the Japanese people know basic English but still have trouble communicating. At the end of our first full day in Japan after meeting so many students, professors, doctors, etc. I remember laying down in the hotel room bed and feeling like bursting into tears. Not being able to communicate with them or understand what they were trying to say to me (even when it was in English) was extremely exhausting, embarrassing, and made me feel ignorant. This feeling was consistent throughout all six of us students from the U.S. as we reflected on our trip.

The takeaway from this is taking that feeling I felt and applying it to the foreigners who are visiting or living in the United States who don't speak English. This can obviously apply in everyday life but also specifically applies to those of us who work in the healthcare field. I have had MANY patients who do not speak much English. I can't imagine being sick/having a sick child and dealing with a language barrier at the same time, especially with medical terms thrown in the mix. I would probably break down and cry every single day.

As a nurse (and as a person), I hope to be more culturally sensitive since I have gotten a little taste of this overwhelming feeling.

3. "I Envy You"

I heard this over and over during my trip. Throughout my time there, I made so many good friends, even if we could only communicate through our google translate apps. We all added each other on Facebook and Instagram. The next time I would see them, they told me they wanted to come to the US, they envied me, they were jealous of my life, and so on... In my mind I was like "No way, I'm jealous of your life!" But they didn't understand. They dream of coming to America. They dream of having the "perfect life". Little do they know life in America is far from perfect. The whole trip I found things that the Japanese did that Americans should do. But when they said this to me, I had to take a step back and look at it from their perspective. We do have a good life. All of us. The Americans, the Japanese, the South Koreans.. They are just different ways of life. We can ALL learn from each other.

I wish we could all swallow our pride a bit and admit that we are NOT perfect. Then look to each other for ways to better ourselves. We have so much to learn from each other and we should always strive to be better. Individually and as a whole. I pray that I never lose sight of this and continually work on myself.

That's a Wrap!

I could literally go on for days, but I would not put y'all through that! Thanks so much for reading this long post! I hope it was half as meaningful to you as this trip was to me.

Also, here are a select few pictures from Japan. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will be happy to answer!

XOXO,
Brooklin Adams

They surprised me with a cake on my birthday! YUM!

The sweetest nurse EVER. Laura and I spent the day following her around to get a true experience of a Japanese nurse. Her perspective of American nursing was one I'll never forget. It really bothered me. I have taken an oath for myself to never be the nurse she described. If you want to know what she said, ask in the comments!

City Park full of "illuminations" as they called it. Stays up all year around, so neat!

While visiting the volcano, for lunch we made pizza's! We made our own pizza ovens with Lava Rock!

My pizza... It took so long to build the oven that I was SO hungry by the time it was done. So I remember it tasting pretty good. At this point in the trip I was craving American food and this was close enough for me!