Volunteer Instructor Speaks About Teaching Experiences

Margery Hawkins, an instructor for the Bachelor of Science Nursing Program at Vancouver Community College, volunteered with the Bangladesh Health Project in the 2014 summer trimester and taught the Research course.  Pictured below with some of the Research students, Margery enjoyed her time in Bangladesh and was gracious enough to share some of the highlights from her trip.  She learned that not only did she contribute to the curriculum of the IUBAT Nursing program, but that her time in Bangladesh taught her some valuable lessons as well.  She writes:

“There is so much to say about this place, but I do not have the words or time.  All in all, I love it here!  There is a lot of opportunity in Bangladesh to enhance cultural sensitivity, forming liaisons and the like.  The Guest House is clean, fully equipped and safe, and the staff is friendly and helpful.  My only challenge is crossing the busy highway to campus, but there are patrol people to help.  I walk alone for about 15 minutes in order to reach campus and feel safe during my commute.  I’m enjoying the food at the Guest House, and we have bought some great bottled hot sauces at local stores to enhance flavours and reduce any monotony.  Furthermore, we are able to bring and prepare food to accompany our meals.  As for the classroom work, I love teaching the research course!  Teaching here usually means going with the flow and being flexible with teaching plans, which I sincerely enjoy. The students seem keen to learn, and are respectful. They are the highlight of my experience here. We have been to the local orphanage and have plans to visit School of Hope, BRAC, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), and the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, with more being added to the list.  Yes, this is truly a wonderful experience in so many ways.”

Thank you Margery, for your account of everyday life in Dhaka and giving our readers a glimpse of your semester overseas!  

Volunteer Faculty Recounts Experiences as a Student in Bangladesh

Audrey Ferguson, a volunteer faculty member for the Bangladesh Health Project, was featured on the website of the U.S. State Department for her experiences in Bangladesh as an international student. Audrey taught at IUBAT during the summer of 2014, but previously had travelled to Dhaka as part of her training through a U.S. State Department program called the ‘Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS)’. The CLS offers an fully-funded overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students, and in Audrey’s interview, she attributes her ability to adapt to a new environment and her flexibility and cultural competence partly to her experiences in Bangladesh.

Here, Audrey is pictured with fellow volunteer faculty, Jim Ofonda, along with staff nurses at the National Institute of Mental Health in Dhaka.

 Thank you for volunteering with the Project, Audrey, and best of luck with your future plans!

VCC Student Featured in BCNU Journal

Rhonda Bennett, a BScN student at Vancouver Community College, travelled to IUBAT with other VCC students this summer. She is featured in a BC Nurses Union Journal where she reflects upon what she learned about her own nursing practice, as well as what she observed in Bangladesh.

“The education and training that we receive is an invaluable resource that I was constantly reminded of while there,” she says, “Bangladesh is a country with a rich history and is extremely different from Canada so the cultural learning I received was wonderful.”

She further states of Bangladesh, “Although poverty is visible everywhere, so is a sense of determination and desire to grow.”