by Gabrielle Sinnott, History and Political Science, 2019
Since my freshman year at Daemen I
had the dream of interning in Thailand. I planned on going twice before, but
the plans always fell through, until the 2018 Fall semester came along. I had
meeting upon meeting with Ann Robinson, from Global Programs, about my desire
to go abroad and she was diligent in helping me get there. I recall Ann’s
conversation with me, “The Gilman Scholarship is due in two days, but you
should definitely try to apply!” and so, I did. Now for all of you who haven’t
applied for the Gilman International Scholarship before, it is not an easy
task. There are multiple essays and a strenuous application to fulfill, but I
was able to complete it a few hours before the deadline.
I remember the next day vividly
because of how disappointed I was with my essays. I even said to Ann, “Wow,
that was the worst essay I’ve ever written in my life.” But, she assured me
that it was fine and at least I was able to complete the application before the
deadline. And what happened next? I entirely forgot that I applied and
continued on with applying to local internships for the summer. A few months
later I received the news.
It was 6:30 in the evening and I
was at Daemen doing homework when I received the email for winning the Gilman
International Scholarship to study in Thailand for 8 weeks over the summer. I
was in shock. I didn’t believe it. I googled the email address to make sure it
wasn’t scam, then I called my mom, my friend, and emailed a few of my mentors.
It was an incredibly surreal moment. I never thought I would actually travel
to Thailand. It was just too much money as a first generation student who pays
for college, but it was possible.
So in May 2018 I packed my bags and
flew out to Chiang Mai, Thailand to pursue a public health internship in the
Nong Han Public Health Clinic. Sounds a bit weird, right? A History and
Political Science student heading to Thailand for the summer for an internship
not in her field? Makes no sense…
Well, even though I’m a History and
Political Science student, I also hold minors in Philosophy, Medical
Humanities, Global Studies, and Public History, and my future goals include
attending Graduate School to obtain a PhD in Medical Anthropology. This internship allowed me to observe a live
health clinic to study the role of the clinic in the community, ethics and
culture within the clinic.
The Nong Han Public Health Clinic
is a government funded clinic that’s a department of the San Sai Hospital located
right up the road. The Clinic serviced 14 districts and cared for roughly
20,000 patients, where other clinics in Chiang Mai cared for 4,000 to 5,000
patients.
As an Intern, I was able to attend
home visits to assess patients that were bedridden, paralyzed, or unable to
make it to the clinic, conduct general assessments on children, fill
prescriptions prescribed by the doctor, teach healthy and unhealthy habits to
elementary children, and participate in community lead events, such as a Dengue
Prevention parade or an Herbal Medicine Seminar.
While in Thailand, most of the
nurses in my clinic couldn’t speak English, which really impeded my ability to
obtain information. Thankfully, one nurse and at least one student from a rotating
group from Chiang Mai University spoke English, so I was able to somewhat
communicate. To better my communication skills, I practiced writing and
speaking Thai with my homestay mother and others within the clinic—one of the
hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I spent a lot of time writing and rewriting
the Thai alphabet and learning phrases to use in the clinic and in everyday
life, but eventually I was able to better communicate with the nurses and
people around me.
My time in Chiang Mai substantially
influenced my decision to continue pursuing a future in Anthropology. I
obtained so much information, not only about working in a Thai clinic, but also
about the Chiang Mai region, Buddhism, environmental sustainability,
linguistics, and the Northern Thai population and culture.
