This morning we were told by the front deskman at our hostel that we should visit the area of Çeşme, and go to the local beach. So after getting directions from him...we were off! We thought we had a thorough understanding of where we were going, successfully completing the first leg of the journey, taking the metro. However, upon exiting the metro station we could not locate the bus stop.
Luckily we were able to ask a girl, who although spoke little English, understood the word bus and pointed "100 meters." We had been expecting a station where you walk in and purchase a ticket taking you to the destination of your choosing. We discovered instead a bus stop such as the one in front of the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh where the 10A drives past and you just hop on, supposedly knowing where you are going. We had no idea what number bus to take or where to get off.
We happened to mention Çeşme to three Turkish individuals approximately our age and they adopted us saying "we are going where you are, follow us." When our bus came, they instructed us to get on; when we arrived at our stop, they signaled us to get off. Thinking we had arrived at our destination, we asked the direction of the beach. They giggled and pointed to another bus we had to get on, this one was to take us the rest of the way to Çeşme.
At this point, we were certain we finally knew where we were to go, but yet again this proved not to be the case. The hour long bus ride did not have one definite stop, once again we had to chose where to get off. Mateusz used "swimming arms" to show that we intended to go to the beach and the attendant on the bus informed us he would alert us when to get off. Once our stop arrived, we exited the bus to yet again find we were not on the beach. For the second time we were adopted, this time by three girls who were probably preteen age. They spoke no English at all, but were able to communicate through nodding and gesturing they would indeed show us where the beach was as it was not far away. Upon setting sight on the sand and water I could not have been happier as this difficult journey had resulted in our arrival at the final proper destination.
Luckily we were able to ask a girl, who although spoke little English, understood the word bus and pointed "100 meters." We had been expecting a station where you walk in and purchase a ticket taking you to the destination of your choosing. We discovered instead a bus stop such as the one in front of the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh where the 10A drives past and you just hop on, supposedly knowing where you are going. We had no idea what number bus to take or where to get off.
We happened to mention Çeşme to three Turkish individuals approximately our age and they adopted us saying "we are going where you are, follow us." When our bus came, they instructed us to get on; when we arrived at our stop, they signaled us to get off. Thinking we had arrived at our destination, we asked the direction of the beach. They giggled and pointed to another bus we had to get on, this one was to take us the rest of the way to Çeşme.
At this point, we were certain we finally knew where we were to go, but yet again this proved not to be the case. The hour long bus ride did not have one definite stop, once again we had to chose where to get off. Mateusz used "swimming arms" to show that we intended to go to the beach and the attendant on the bus informed us he would alert us when to get off. Once our stop arrived, we exited the bus to yet again find we were not on the beach. For the second time we were adopted, this time by three girls who were probably preteen age. They spoke no English at all, but were able to communicate through nodding and gesturing they would indeed show us where the beach was as it was not far away. Upon setting sight on the sand and water I could not have been happier as this difficult journey had resulted in our arrival at the final proper destination.
This experience of being led blindly, by several people along the way, through an unknown country, communicating not always by English (or even words at all) was quite nerve-wracking. Mateusz and I were time and time again putting our faith in people we had just met to point us in the right direction. Compared to yesterday, however, at no time did I feel outcast or entirely uncomfortable with the situation. All of these people collectively would smile at us as if to say "don't worry, trust us and we will get you there." Now, we were not being naive tourists willing to go wherever these people wanted...there were signs and signals along the way that ensured we were being guided correctly. |
PReminiscing upon how out of sorts I felt when trying to connect with people yesterday, I realize that I myself could be guilty of causing other people to feel as if they are a part of one of these two experiences. As a pharmacist, it is my job to be sure that my patients understand their medications, why they are taking them, how to take them, and in layman's terms how they work. If I am not able to provide that service to them, I am no better than the Turkish people yesterday who may have been able to help me but replied "No English," and walked away. They may indeed have had knowledge of the language, or could even attempt to help through gestures and body language, but did not have the time nor desire to be sure Mateusz and I knew where we were going and how to get there. However, if I want to truly provide patient care and complete medication understanding, I will take the time with each patient to discuss, gesture, draw, do whatever type of communication needs to be done to be sure my patients are able to answer the Indian Health Service medication counseling questions:
1. What did your prescriber tell you this medication is for?
2. How did your prescriber tell you to take this medication?
3. What did your prescriber tell you to expect?
(and I also believe pharmacists should explain a bit how the medication works as well).
In this way, I will be using the knowledge I possess to help direct my patients to their destination of better health outcomes.
(Additional pictures from throughout our day today have been added to the Photo Gallery)
1. What did your prescriber tell you this medication is for?
2. How did your prescriber tell you to take this medication?
3. What did your prescriber tell you to expect?
(and I also believe pharmacists should explain a bit how the medication works as well).
In this way, I will be using the knowledge I possess to help direct my patients to their destination of better health outcomes.
(Additional pictures from throughout our day today have been added to the Photo Gallery)