Sam Simpson visited IUBAT during the fall trimester 2011. She writes, “Since volunteering in the Nursing Program, I have had Bangladesh ‘under my skin’. I suspect that it will remain there for the rest of my life. The sheer number of people, how hard they work, the poverty, the noise, the climate and the pollution all made indelible impressions. And the nursing students took a chunk of my heart and continue to inspire me with their spirit and determination.
It is challenging to compare my experience in Bangladesh with my incredibly comfortable life in rural British Columbia. How does my experience there inform my life here? How can I integrate these diametrically opposed realities? Several months after my return, I gave two presentations to friends and neighbours and the general public. Organizing these helped me to focus on the important parts of my time at IUBAT. Presenting my slide shows has not resolved my dilemma of cultural/economic adjustment but has certainly assisted me. And the modest Canadian dollar donations to the Bangladesh Health Project will translate into many more taka!”