D-I-E CHINA

D-I-E China

1.DESCRIBE
I’m doing my internship at one of the best hospitals here in Shanghai. One week my three classmates and I were at the operation department, where we had an opportunity to see breast surgeries. The operation room was full of doctors and nurses. They spoke loudly, laughed their own jokes, but they didn’t take contact to patient at all. I saw tears and fear in the patient’s eyes because nobody didn’t tell her what’s going on. She just lied quiet on the operation table. The patient was awake during the whole operation. I felt very bad inside of me, because I thought why nobody spoke with the patient. They didn’t tell her what they were going to do or didn’t even hold her hand. I think that the breast surgery can be very traumatic for the patient.

2. INTERPRET
In this department, the doctors are doing many breast surgeries during one day. When one patient is ready, next patient is waiting her/his operation behind the operation room’s door- and of course, alone. Alone and no one takes any contact to her/him. I think that the reason for that is that there is too much work and too many other patients. Doctors and nurses seem to be so busy all the time that they ”just do their work”, and that’s it. In China it is more common that the patients are left on their own, but I think in Finland it’s different. In Finland the nurses and doctors give more attention for the patients and they are trying to figure out what might be the patients real feelings and thoughts. The work here is more repetitive. Even though the situation seemed bad for me, I think that people here in China are okay with the lack of attention because there are just too many people here.

3. EVALUATE
I think this experience in the operation room will make me a better nurse in the future. I hope, that all the patients around me can feel safe and in good hands. I felt bad because I saw the fear and tears in the patient’s eyes. She was so scared. I felt that i was the only one who noticed that. It’s hard to say what would I feel if I waw a Chinese person in this case. Maybe I would like to be treated like in Finland. I saw a motto at one department that said ”What ever you do, do it for the patient”. I think it’s also good for everyone who are working as a nurse or a doctor.

D-I-E China

1. DESCRIBE
I think the most confusing and different thing to me in China has been people's lack of privacy. I have noticed this especially in public places (e.g. hospitals, metro, public toilets). I have observed many nursing procedures where the staff hasn't covered patient's private parts from others or they have been leaving patient's private documents and files on the table for everyone to look at. One time I saw an unknown man reading trough other patient's health records at the nursing station. Metro's are not any different from this because I have seen numerous times people reading random people's text messages behind their shoulders. Chinese people also tend to use public toilets without closing the door. I have been photographed so many times at metro and hospital that I have lost count. No one has ever asked me a permission to take photos of me so I have found these situations very uncomfortable.

2. INTERPRET
For me as a Finnish person, the sense of privacy and personal space is very important so I found all these situations very strange. I think Chinese people are somewhat used to the lack of privacy because there are so many people living in Shanghai. Also they just might not care enough to take care of everyone's privacy because of the constant rush and crowds in China. People seem to hurry from place to another constantly and the pace of the nursing procedures is very quick. I have started to think that maybe Chinese people don't value privacy as much as Finnish people. 

3. EVALUATE
I think that these kinds of situations are a part of normal day for Chinese people. They are more used to sharing everything with others because I guess they have no other choice when this country is so overpopulated. Maybe the positive outlook on this could be that at least this could help the Chinese value more the meaning of team work and sharing. On the negative side, everyone deserves to have privacy when needed. I don't think it's okay to leave the curtains open at someone's bedside when the nursing staff is for example cleaning the catheter or turning the patient (who's wearing a gown with an open back and bare bum) when there are 10 other patients and their family members sharing the same room.

Nevertheless, I have really enjoyed doing my internship in China. It has been an extremely eye-opening experience to see Chinese culture. Hopefully I have a chance to visit it again some day in the future.

Letter home: Suvi Lankila, Terhi Laitinen, Laura Mustanoja & Hanna Saukko

.        In what country and University are you studying?

We are studying at the Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Shanghai, China.

In what Study program are you studying at Centria?

Our study program is nursing.

What are the courses like at the host University?

We have three different courses on every Friday: Chinese herbs, spoken Chinese and Taiji. During other weekdays we are training at Renji Hospital.

Describe the study culture / nursing culture?

We haven't noticed any major differences in the study culture in China, because the main reason for us to be here is internship, so we haven't really paid attention to that. We know that the Chinese students usually do long days at school and also invest in self-learning. 

Nursing culture in China is very different to Finnish one. There are lots of patients staying in the same room (even up to 10) so all the nurses, doctors and family members crowd the rooms even more. We have paid attention, that usually nurses or doctors do everything in groups. Aseptics is not as high as in European countries. 

What is your study group like?

We don't have a study group. We usually stay in a group of 4 at the hospital when following the nurses at the wards. Sometimes they ask us to divide ourselves in pairs.

Please describe what the everyday life is like in your host country? What do you like in particular?

       China is a very beautiful country and there is lots of things to see and experience in Shanghai. Food is great, especially when you are brave enough to try new tastes and cuisines. The weather is quite warm already (+28C). It is a shame that our SUMHS campus is so far away from the city centre, because it usually takes about an hour to get from campus to Renji hospital. It is very important to have enough time to travel around because the metro is packed full everyday, especially during the rush hours. Chinese people have no sense or personal space, so they push you into the metro car with force.

What has been challenging? Why?

It's challenging to go to grocery store, because most of the time there is no English translation for the products and food and all the stuff is very different and unknown to us. In the beginning, it took some time to get used to using squatting toilets because in many places they don't have normal sitting toilets. Also the internet is extremely slow and keeps cutting out.

What has been the highlight of your exchange so far?

The highlights of our trips were a hike in the Yellow Mountains in Huangshan and visiting the chocolate factory in Shanghai.

Describe - Interpret - Evaluate

1. DESCRIBE: Think of one episode that has left you confused or that you think was strange/different. Describe the object or situation in concrete, observable terms. What happened in the interaction? What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the moment?

Making this task seemed rather difficult as Danish behavior is very close to Finns. However, one thing has been different in comparison to how Finns communicate. During the conversation one may touch someones shoulder or back for a moment. Another student came to talk to me and touched my shoulder. She greeted me at the same time. It felt a little bit strange. Because in Finland we usually have our own personal space and we dont touch each other during the conversation.

2. INTERPRET: Think of possible explanations (interpretations) for what you observed or experienced. From your cultural perspective, try to explain why you think this situation or experience occurred? Try to find at least 3 different interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations?  

I think that a person just wanted to be friendly because we were both students. it can also be a habit to touching someone's shoulder or arm when talking or making a point. Maybe Danes are more open than the Finns. In Denmark touching during conversations is a sign of intimacy, so if you are very close with someone so maybe she think that we are good friends. I think also that personal space depends on how well you know the person. And I had been discussing with her several times before.

3. EVALUATE: Evaluate what you observed or experienced. What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the situation? Consider how you might feel if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs?

First it felt a little strange, but when I thought of it I realized that she wanted to be just kind. I also heard from other students similar experiences and I thought it was fine. If I had been a Danish I think it would have been more familiar to me. On the other hand, if I had not known this person, it would still have seemed strange. I red that touching during conversations is a sign of intimacy, so if you are very close with someone, it is normal, otherwise it can be construed as insincere, invasive or out of place.  

 Pictures from the lake called Søndersø.

D-I-E, Spain [Assignment2]

Universidad Pontifica Comillas, Madrid

1.     Think of one episode that has left you confused or that you think was strange/different. Describe the object or situation in concrete, observable terms. What happened in the interaction? What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the moment?

ð     My stay in Madrid for 4 months had been great, but their visa process got me confused. Here’s the story: Anybody staying in Spain for more than 90 days should acquire visa or make the registration in immigration office. It was easier for the EU students, as they could just send documents and get registered. Me, as non-EU citizen it was so difficult. Before going to Spain, I contacted with Spanish Embassy in Finland, and they said that I won’t need any visa as I had valid Finnish Resident Permit, and I could simply register as an EU-students after the arrival in Spain. When I went for the registration, people in immigration office said I should have had visa from Finland or my home country, Nepal. Even I showed them the email conversation with Embassy, they simply denied and even showed me the "rule-book". It was a shock, at that moment I felt like: “what am I gonna do now?”. Neither I had Visa, nor they agreed to register my documents. After numerous attempts in different places, a personnel in another department took  the documents and said he’d send it to right place for registration, 3 months went by but never got the decision.

2.     INTERPRET: Think of possible explanations (interpretations) for what you observed or experienced. From your cultural perspective, try to explain why you think this situation or experience occurred? Try to find at least 3 different interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations?  

ð    One thing is for sure, either people in Embassy had no idea at all or the people in immigration were wrong. There had to be some provision for such students coming from outside of the Europe as Madrid is one of the highest student-accepting cities. Moreover, almost no one speaks English in the offices, everytime I had to go to registration office, I had to ask someone from my university or friend to go with me. Also the language-barrier made it very difficult. Whenever I had to say something, it had to go through someone else’s interpretation and vice-versa.

3.      EVALUATE: Evaluate what you observed or experienced. What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the situation? Consider how you might feel if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs?

ð    I felt so bad that I had to live in Spain for more than 1 month without any visa or documentation. I don't know if I should call it legal or Illegal stay. Even people at international office in University, tried to help at the fullest but were unable.

               They felt so bad about the situation and worried that might occur in future again.

D-I-E South Korea

1. DESCRIBE: Think of one episode that has left you confused or that you think was strange/different. Describe the object or situation in concrete, observable terms. What happened in the interaction? What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the moment?

Once, we faced such a problem that during a group work with Koreans, they preferred to use their mother language, not English. First it was confusing and felt a little bit offended, because we couldn't follow the progress of our work and understand what is going on. Sometimes they were explaining us something, when they saw our sight full of misunderstanding. After some time, we started to remind that we don't speak Korean and also would like to participate in this work. They apologized, but after a while they could start again and we had to remind once more.  

2. INTERPRET: Think of possible explanations (interpretations) for what you observed or experienced. From your cultural perspective, try to explain why you think this situation or experience occurred? Try to find at least 3 different interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations?  

In our opinion, the reason of such situation is lack of confidence in English skills and that it is easier for them to speak in their mother language. From our cultural and personal perspective, this was quite impolitely and disappointing. But we think that it can be acceptable since we can improve our basic Korean language skills and lead to better understanding of Korean culture. We knew before that Koreans don't have good English skills and are quite shy to speak it, so we were prepared for such situations. 

3. EVALUATE: Evaluate what you observed or experienced. What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the situation? Consider how you might feel if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs?

During this situation, we had a negative feeling of discomfort and incomprehension. We would feel comfortable if we were a member of host culture, because this language is naturally easier to speak in. So, we can understand why they behave like this and accepted it.     

Introduction - Diego Villegas

La Rochelle, France.

My name is Diego, I am 24 years old. I am currently studying business administration and soon I will be doing my exchange at La Rochelle Business School in France. My expectations according to the university are great, because I hope that the level of demand is greater than what I am now accustomed to. This is because I would like to be able to experience the different ways of working in different countries and cultures. According to my friends; French students in Centria university, the way of studies and the rhythm the have in France is different to the one's in the educational system here in Finland. But the way of working and doing things it's similar to what I was used to in my home country, Mexico. 

I previously had the opportunity to live in France and learn about the culture and way of living in different parts of the country, for this reason I am looking to pay more attention to the details of daily life in French society, especially when doing business. I am also interested in my knowledge of the French language and to improve the relationships I have with old friends who live in the country and who are in the same line of studies as me. On the other hand, as I mentioned in my motivational letter to make my exchange. Before studying business administration, I studied international relations, and the topic of multiculturalism in different countries has always been of my interests, now more focused on doing business or working in a multicultural markets.

I believe my life and time in France will be pleasant, and it will be great to be back to a country that gave me so much years ago. I go there with a different vision and perspective. La Rochelle is a unknown place for me but I believe is going to be peaceful and interesting. 

The idea that La Rochelle is a city with a big population of students motivate me to open in an easier way to the new life there. Is not always easy when there are not people with similar ideas, backgrounds or lifestyles, but the student aspect make everything a lot easier.