Today in Birmingham we went to the Children’s Hospital. The Children’s Hospital is also connected to the women’s hospital. We learned about many similarities and differences between the hospital and the healthcare system. It was a great way to start the day. We learned many things and were able to introduce the importance of inclusivity and research the topic it has within schools and hospitals. 

I was able to learn many things to bring back into my future classroom. It made me reflect on the person I want to be. I am excited to go back to the United States and share all of the information I have learned. I will bring back the idea that we need to have more diversity and be more inclusive when it comes to students’ languages. One of the teachers who spoke to us before our dinner was very inspiring. She was very open about how she puts many unpaid hours into her job. She realizes that she is making a difference in many people’s lives and that is what is keeping her going. This inspired me that even after a bad day, it is worth it. That I can be the reason that someone smiles, and keep me on a positive path. 

In the hospital, I was able to connect what we were learning to our research project. When we were touring around the hospital I noticed that there was a school for children in the hospital that are not able to go to public school. It is a safer and more convenient way for students to still get an education. They were able to make sure everyone has a fair chance and continue their education while in the hospital. Another thing that I noticed was that there were different churches for different beliefs. This makes the hospital show its inclusivity and how it brings in all different beliefs within the hospital. This is an amazing thing and bringing this to more hospitals and raising awareness on how greatly this can impact

WAITS was an amazing thing to learn about and how they handle it in Birmingham. I was interested in how everything is all connected. Everyone had an important part and was able to bring everything together to learn more about domestic abuse. It was interesting to have all people that experience all different kinds of domestic abuse. They are able to support every person even if they do not fit in a certain support system they will find them another one. I appreciate the ones that had their own rooms and all shared a kitchen and living area. This gives them a way to all interact and heal together. Another important thing was how it was all connected. All of the systems that fit all different categories of domestic abuse are connected. In comparison to the United States, all of the different categories of domestic abuse are available but are not connected to each other. It is amazing that we have these opportunities and abilities to support domestic abuse. 

The dinner at Chaophraya was very good. I have never had a family-style dinner at a Thai restaurant. My table and I enjoyed all the food and had a great time. Before the dinner, we had guest speakers that were very passionate about their jobs. They were all able to open up and tell us how diverse their schools are. One of the teachers even shared that 20 out of 25 students speak English as their second language. This was a fact that will stick with me about the area. I will always know and remember how people with different beliefs will feel included. This will bring out better outcomes in hospitals inclusivity. 

Overall, another day in Birmingham we had an amazing day. The hospital was a great trip and very informative. Walking through the hospital and hearing all of the information that they were willing to share brightened my day. They were so passionate about what they did. They are saving lives every day and learning how the healthcare system is in the United States compared to Birmingham is very interesting. We learned that they have free healthcare although it is not easily accessible. They explained how they select what field they want to specialize in. In the United States, nursing students pick what they want to specialize in after they do their clinicals. In Birmingham, they pick what they want to specialize in before going to University. This is interesting to me because it gets the nurses into the field that they want to be in.