We had a group of West African nurses visiting, working on their graduate studies; and because we were all nurses, naturally we talked about nursing. One African nurse looked at me and said, “Why do you put your elderly away, locked up in buildings, and not look after them yourselves?”
I felt guilty, ashamed and embarrassed by this challenge to my culture. Continue reading
I was speaking with my class of primarily East Indian students, Registered Nurses in their own country, studying in Canada and hoping to become nurses here. We were talking about cultural differences between our worldly realities.
I asked my students how they felt in Vancouver, being from another country and culture, what their experience was like. One male student responded by saying, “I expected to see all white people, like you, that I would stand out, be noticeably different. But most days I see less white people and more people from everywhere else. I was surprised, but I feel as if I blended in right away. I didn’t feel as different as I expected I would.”
- Lou in Vancouver