research continued

full speed ahead...that has been the name of the game for the past few weeks. i have hit the street, so to speak, in search of older adults to participate in my research study, and much to my surprise, have accumulated 329 completed surveys. i know this number because i have also entered the data from each survey into excel spreadsheets...and i believe that i can look forward to double entry of data to ensure accuracy...joy.

but i had not imagined the absolute, sheer delight of actually accomplishing what i set out to do. having 'conversed' electronically with some of my downs fellowship colleagues, i feel i can consider and describe myself only as an imposter, in a clinician and researcher sense. so novice at both, so unfamiliar and tentative. both roles seem so...adult. and i refuse to accept myself as an adult most of the time! but i think i have long been launched into this realm, though kicking, screaming, and in denial. and so, i find myself in china along with this internal struggle. i can introduce myself as a nurse, and it's true...but i have yet to embrace the true scope of this role, though i speak with my colleagues here about what an awesome privilege, and responsibility, we have as nurses, to spend time with people when they feel at their most vulnerable.

and so, i have posted some images from a recent research outing, in a community i call "yuelu foothill" since the neighborhood is located near yuelu mountain. as you can see, i was feasting my eyes on the entire surroundings, in addition to the participants who agreed to complete the survey. you'll notice i finally got my paws on an adorable child, with whom i seriously considered absconding, despite the certain legal and diplomatic repercussions that would cause. and, i also had to giggle when i remembered that, upon asking my brother and sister what they would like for me to bring home for them from china, they responded with what they did not want as gifts, namely: avian flu, SARS, animals...and babies. so. there you have it, my plan was thwarted.

this week i have found myself in front of a classroom, full of health professionals, professors, and students, as an english teacher. my colleague and research angel, feng hui, was responsible for planning a training session, and she invited me to be a guest lecturer for medical english classes. being rather unfamiliar with the art of teaching, and pitifully unaware of english grammar, i'm not sure what help i can be. but the students are cheerful, respectful, and their english is excellent already, so we can have discussions. today's topics included everything to do with toileting (i'll be intentionally vague here for those who are not intimately involved in health care and may be wary of all this description entails). much to my surprise, i'm actually enjoying myself. i finally have a skill (though being an american, it's difficult to not speak english) that people are interested in and can use in their professions. i hope i can one way feel the same as a nurse practitioner.