Why did you decide to travel abroad with Gap Medics in Thailand?
Andre: I think it is important to go around the world to observe new cultures and meet new people. This helps you by broadening your horizons, escaping from the 'rat race.'
When you explore the world, you may find out something interesting that you wouldn't have had the chance to come across. I decided to travel to Thailand with Gap Medics because my dream is to become a doctor.
Such experience will give me the experience of playing a role in the healthcare system. Working in a hopsital let me know what I should be expecting when I finish my university and actually go into it.
Moreover, I have never been to to Thailand, so it would be interesting for me to go. Especially since I was traveling on my own to Thailand, this trip taught me to be independent and become mature.
I was a very shy person, I failed every speaking exam and don't have many friends. Whenever I meet someone I don't know, I can barely speak. However after this trip, I gained confidence. Before I went on this trip, I set myself a goal.
I will get someone's Facebook and be friends with them. It sounds a bit silly but it actually helped me gain my confidence and now I have more friends. Nowadays whenever I think back, why was I so shy? I laugh and think that I was such a silly person.
If you could go back and do something differently, what would it be?
Andre: I so want to go back again and stay with my friends that I have met from that trip. We had such a great time. All that experience had a significant impact on my life and I will never forget that trip.
I always chat with my friends (I even got one of the staff's Facebook) and I always said that I wanted to go back and do this all again. I wish that there were a rewind button for me to go back. If I could go back again, I would stay longer, I would be more active, and be a more spontaneous person.
I reached my goal, but I think I can achieve more because I only know some of them well. Despite staying for a longer period, I would also like to go to a different hospital and work in different department.
I think Gap Medics has done this very well, as they will arrange students to get different experiences. I can't really think of anything that I want to change because it was such a fantastic trip. If I could go back again, I would definitely go again and do all the things that I want to and not regret anything.
What was the most interesting cultural difference you encountered?
Andre: The most interesting cultural difference is of course the language. The food there was different and it was so delicious. The people there were so nice and kind. I always think that languages are a very interesting thing.
It keeps you close with someone but far away from others (if you know what I mean). As a Chinese person, I traveled to Thailand without any knowledge about the Thai language, Fortunately, the staff there spoke English and the participants there spoke English as well.
Some of the hospital staff didn't speak very good English but they tried and answered every single question that we asked. One of the staff members from Gap Medics taught us the Thai language every night when we were there.
We learned how to greet, one thing that is so different from China. We learned some basic Thai language and we could go and impress the staff in the hospital. It was a very interesting subject and it was fun learning the language.
I can now say some basic Thai and this thanks to one of the staff members in Gap Medics. After I went back to school, I taught my friends the Thai language.
Tell me about one person you met.
Andre: There were so many nice people there. It is really difficult to choose one person to talk about as all of them were so nice. If I could I wish to talk about all of them because every single one of them is unique.
But if you really need me to think about the most memorable person, it would be a girl that I met on the trip, a fellow participant from UK. I won't say her name as this is private.
She is memorable for me because she brought me joy. She was the one who made me talk to other people and got me my Facebook friends (so I didn't complete my objective by myself). She was the one that made me an active person instead of passive and shy.
She encouraged me to try new things. At the start of the trip, I wasn't really talking to anyone apart from her because she was so nice. She introduced me to the other participants because she had been there for a week already, so she know the people there better than me.
I got a lot of things out of the trip because of her. I was a bit upset because I heard some bad news from my parents. I was trying to hide my unhappiness, and no one knew except for her.
She noticed that I was acting happy. She talked to me and she comforted me. I felt a lot better after talking with her. She taught me so much and I really thanked her. Her existence gave me courage and motivation.
Without her, I wouldn't be the person that I am today. If she is reading this, I just want to say: Thank you very much for everything that you have given me and I will never forget you. I MISS YOU!
What was the best moment of the entire trip?
Andre: The whole trip was just amazing. I enjoyed every single second on the trip. It is the best trip I have ever been to. In this question, I am allowed to say more than one so I am going to talk about a few. Working in the department of general surgery, the best moment was to watch a surgery in the operation room. I think this was a rare chance which I wouldn't get any where else. I saw a lot of operations.
For example, a removal of the cancer tumor, break down of the kidney stones, joint replacement, and treatment for broken bones. The most interesting one was the c-section surgery. I remembered when we walked into the operation, we asked what surgery it was.
The staff wasn't sure what it was called in English. He told us to look and a baby came out of the woman's uterus. "Oh! C-section," we screamed. I remembered it so well and it sticks in my mind. As I am writing this response, I still remember it. The awe that we all had when we saw the baby come out.
It was so cute and it was so touching. It made me think about how I was born from my mother's uterus. I chuckled. This surgery touched my heart and strengthened my dream of becoming a successful doctor. We also went to patient's ward and visited the patients. Some of the patients were so badly hurt.
I thought they would be screaming and moaning, but instead, they were so calm and so kind when we went there to see them. I know that they are suffering from a lot of pain, I can feel that from their body where they were hurt. I have broken a bone and had a serious infection as well, so I know how it feels.
I remember I was screaming so loud that the person next to me in the hospital was complaining. I think that the people in Thailand are so brave. Another moment that I want to talk about is the time that I spent with my friends there. We went to markets, towns, and we had a lot of nights out.
The moments we were together made me so happy and it just cheers me up a lot. No matter what we were doing, every moment that we spent together was just great. I was so delighted to be with them all the time. My friends were so encouraging. They encouraged me to try new things and to make new steps in life. I would say that the best part of the trip is to meet such nice friends.