Sara Jackson, a long-time volunteer with the BHP, wrote to us and reflected about her recent visit to IUBAT. Sara is a volunteer at home, as our return volunteer recognition liaison since 2013, and abroad, serving as visiting nursing faculty and student support when at IUBAT. She has also lent her expertise to the Sajida Organization (an NGO health-organization in Bangladesh) for the purposes of homecare program development. When she is not overseas, Sara is a Licensed Practical Nurse in Vancouver, and has culled her vast clinical experience from a variety of settings, spending the last 15 years working with HIV/AIDS and co-occurring disorders, including palliative care. She is presently employed as a clinical research associate with the BC Centre on Drug Use, and is also an ESL teacher to internationally educated nurses.
We have asked Sara to detail her first trip to Dhaka so that it truly illustrates the transformation and the extent of the change that the Program has undergone. She writes:
“My first trip to Bangladesh was in 2014. I volunteered with the Project as visiting faculty and worked alongside a critical care nurse from the US, two Canadian nurse educators, and a retired orthopedic surgeon. At that time, fourth-year BSN students from Vancouver Community College spent a six-week practicum in Dhaka studying community and global health. We were all hosted at the IUBAT guesthouse. In addition, a most wonderful American poet from Louisiana, Dorie LaRue, shared the space while she was volunteering with the English faculty. Dorie later published a book of poetry about her experience in Bangladesh entitled, ‘Mad Rains’. It’s a wonderful read. I was fortunate to have shared many Dhaka adventures with Dorie.
The IUBAT campus is in Uttara, a model town in the suburbs of Dhaka. The campus was more modern than I imagined. All classes are taught in English and the senior students had a good command of the language. I instructed first and second-year students in bedside nursing skills and vital signs in the Nursing Lab and theory in one of the bright classrooms. The VCC and IUBAT students studied and mentored each other.
The ‘Soul Train’ during Eid
Dr. Nazmul Huda from Dhaka provided us with plenty of opportunities to visit various healthcare facilities, including a weekend trip to his family home near Barisal in the south. The road trip alone was like watching a non-stop National Geographic documentary. It is difficult to put into words the scenes of humanity witnessed. Dr. Huda also arranged a paddle wheeler excursion on a restored vessel down the Mehgna River. We were able to spend some time away from Dhaka, the chaos capital of the world, at the tea plantation area of Sylhet, as well as Rajshahi, the mango capital of Bangladesh. Rajashi is a lush, green, and agricultural area uring the monsoon season. It is located on the Padma River and is surprisingly quiet. There are many ancient Hindu temples and mosques close by. What a dream to experience such a place.”
Thank you Sara, for painting such a rich picture of your first glimpse of Bangladesh and of the BScN Program at IUBAT. Sara’s account will be continued in the next post, where she recounts her 2017 visit.
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