Gratitude At It's Finest

First day of clinic

Upon arriving in Korat, our group dove right in and began working with both the Thai nursing students and the community. While working in clinic and providing health assessments in designated villages, our group quickly realized that the "Thai way" varies greatly from that of many other cultures.  The primary aspect of the Thai culture that immediately stood out, was the level of gratitude expressed by all in the community.  

Gratitude is defined as "readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness."  Throughout our first week in the community, I found myself astonished at the level of gratitude expressed by the residents of the villages.  The people of our community were both ready to have their health assessed and eager to learn about ways to modify their lifestyle choices.  After completing community visits with residents who own very little and struggle to provide enough food to feed their families from week to week, many villagers would offer us food, drinks, and gifts to show their appreciation.  Others offered to teach us their occupations, such as dyeing silk and making rice noodles to sell at market.  

Learning the silk dyeing process

Thai Nursing faculty- Nar learning to make rice noodles

I found myself surprised at these heart warming gestures, as in the United States this is not always common practice.  I hope to be able to embody this aspect of the "Thai way" into my daily life back home, and look forward to our second week working with the people of Thailand.