Anthropolog-e

life and stories from the perspective of n=1

[eyhuang]

“Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness” - Charlie Chaplin

[eyhuang]

Thoughts from the first semester of my MPH

Dear followers and my future self who revisits this,

Hello there! Long time no see, it’s been a while since we last reconnected. I’ve had a very full past few months in many aspects both inside and outside school life, and I suppose no surprise but my Master’s of Public Health has really taken over my life in many ways. Hard facts of epidemiology, soft skills like adaptability, it’s all permeating into conversations I’m having, my problem solving approach, and widening the lens through which I see the world. 

I started a sticky note on my Mac where I began to write down the things that resounded with me through my program. Things I found really pertinent, important reminders for myself. Things I would like to define myself by when wearing the “public health hat”. In spirit of the many self-reflective pieces we had to write in first semester, I thought this would be an appropriate tone for the blog post.  My objective being to write these down, and to see a few months down the road, or years later when I revisit this post whether or not I feel the same. This exercise has some precedent, where whenever I look back at old writings, I use it as an opportunity to remind myself where I came from, assess whether I like the direction I’m going particularly if it wasn’t where I saw myself, and what next steps should be. 

As of December 2016 here are some memorable quotes and thoughts:

- “Public health is concerned with community health outcomes that are sustainable, and health equity (meaning health for everybody, ensuring that people aren’t falling through the cracks) ” - this is the bread and butter, the ABCs. 

- “Scientist first” - in reference to, when first starting out tackling a problem, it is pretty well the mantra we’ve learned from day 1, that the first step is critically assess the available literature and gather evidence. Evidence-based practice is in the very foundations of public health work, and in particular, being able to differentiate between good and bad research. 

- As an addendum, understanding the power of evidence especially when the great majority of cash goes into one-on-one health as opposed to interventions at the population level, which public health is concerned with. Evidence can be influential, but it must be translated as well, hence another key skill of the public health professional being “knowledge broker”. This also brings up the tension that can exist between physicians and public health. 

- “We work for the denominator” - when describing again, that we are working to maintain the health of a collective population, which means ensuring preventative efforts, and understanding that being in “good health” does not only mean “lack of disease” - (WHO: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”) To address that state of health and how to get there...

- ...Public health work described as “social goals of health”, and “collective pursuits” - social determinants of health are becoming more and more recognized as something we need to address when talking about health. Still, in the general population if you ask what being in good health means, “physical fitness” and “healthy diet” are stated. While important, those are simply not the only things to look at, especially when looking at the structure within which we exist: 

Source: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/time-to-think-differently/trends/broader-determinants-health

Poor social support, poor work conditions, lack of employment opportunities, lack of sanitation and housing = poor health. These upstream factors absolutely need to be addressed, and more attention, advocacy, and funding being channeled this way. See what these three studies determined as the dominant, majority piece of the pie when it comes to an individual’s health:

Source: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/time-to-think-differently/trends/broader-determinants-health

- Re: direction - “What makes you differentiable, what is your skill/ niche?” - still trying to figure this out, but I have great interests in immigrant and mental health, as well as chronic disease (specifically Type II diabetes in the population). It is difficult still to narrow down, but part of the reason why I am doing so is that by committing, I can actually focus, and if I realize this isn’t it for me, I won’t doubt if it was because I didn’t put in enough effort and energy into it. 

- “Sometimes the manner of your work is such that you will do things that are not so fulfilling to the heart”, and “your success is often invisible, and lacks drama” - in speaking to how public health is often behind the scenes work, and oftentimes working on “wicked problems” (defined as “a social or cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve for as many as four reasons: incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these problems with other problems”). For example, instead of solving a problem, we may be working on how to reduce risk. And, often we will be working on the preventative end of a health issue, meaning again, if successful no one will in fact notice. 

- “Humans will behave how humans behave, and we have to stop being surprised by that” - in reference to resistance to change, and in particular making a point of having to build relationships with others. More understanding, particularly across cultures, and realizing that there are commonalities that can be better understood if we take the time and energy to.

A bit of personal reflection now: for the first time in a long time, I’m really feeling like I’m coming into my own. It is even more salient because not so long ago, I was in a state of much higher anxiety, uncertainty and disillusionment. I really feel the contrast and I can really say I am content. I remain humbled and very grateful for the blessings I receive, particularly the people in my life without whom I would not be where I am (special shoutout to my habibi, who is my dream man in every way and an incredible blessing). I continue to aspire that I can do good things with these hands, and make a difference for the better. 

[eyhuang]

We need something in our society that says there's some importance to heart, and authenticity.

Garry Shandling

[eyhuang]

Growing pains

Let me take you through my afternoon. 

Left work early, where the most useful thing I did all day was play central defender really well during staff soccer. Not that I was being unproductive intentionally, there was just ... nothing to do. 

Walked to the bus stop (where someone had taken it upon themselves - rudely - to scribble ‘Manila Express’ over the stop ID, reflecting the demographic of the area). The bus driver today was exceptionally enthusiastic, he actually turned off the automated stop announcements in favor of his own voice and personalized stop announcements. Not mad. 

Enter a bunch of transfers, train rides, fast-paced walking amongst commuters, more train rides, then a quieter walk home. 

It was during this last bit of the day that I started reflecting and ruminating - about upcoming applications I had to fill out, job prospects (/lack thereof), recent shadowing experiences with a family friend who’s a physician, my new long-distance relationship status, my likes and dislikes, the skills I have and don’t have.. basically, trying to figure out whether or not I’m “adulting” properly, if other 20somethings are still trying to figure it out too, and if I’m on par with them and these experiences, thoughts, fears, concerns, are all normal and so long as I keep moving, the universe will somehow work itself out. *breath* Is that too optimistic? (Rhetorical) (Or send me a message if you, whoever you are, HAVE THE ANSWERS) 

As of now, I can say the following (abridged, selected points that weren’t super personal):

- I am beginning to be more and more confident pursuing the career of a physician. I’m beginning to see what it can do on top of clinical work, which is a draw. I like the dynamic environment, I take an interest in all sorts of people, I like the challenge each case presents and the ability to exercise the ‘read people’ muscle. Emergency medicine is particularly of interest currently, but that was the most recent exposure I got, so that said, I am taking it with a grain of salt.  - I want to work closer to the end user of research. I can appreciate research, but currently am more involved with the theoretical bits, which is not my preference. Give me more practical work, more hands on and interaction and translation of research to bedside please. I have a colleague who definitely is fit for this kind of work though, and you can tell a difference between us. I am excited for him that he has found his calling, and I am also relieved (for many reasons) that these people exist - I will own at least one cat (99.9% certainty)  - I like working out and will always do so, currently most focused on aesthetics - Fake it till you make it does work - re: confidence, working on my self-consciousness etc.  - Networking is king. And not necessarily only during networking events. - Be grateful, be humble, show appreciation to others. I didn’t get to where I am solely on my own ability, there were many who lent a hand and I won’t forget it. 

Maybe in a few years I’ll look back on this and be a little embarrassed/humored, just like I am with older posts from older blogs. For now though, it helps getting thoughts down, and I am resolved to do self check-ins every once in a while to make sure I’m still good with myself. 

No good ending right now, just glad to be done writing this down and scratching it off the to-do list. The small things! 

[eyhuang]

I wrote for Verge magazine

Before I left for Teresina last summer, I applied and was accepted to be a guest contributor for Verge magazine. The article was published today and here's the link. 

They cut out some of the length to 'make it more focused', so if you're interested in the unabridged version, here it is:

Also, my brother has already informed me I use parentheses way too much, so yes I am aware. 

[eyhuang]

About Bhutan.

I just finished watching a feature documentary called 'Happy' (2011) directed by Roko Belic. Straight from its Wikipedia page, 'it explores human happiness through interviews with people from all walks of life in 14 different countries, weaving in the newest findings of positive psychology'. In my current society (e.g. big city, North America) and community (e.g. friends, classmates, age group) the pursuit of happiness is definitely extremely relevant and something that is being actively sought. Having this be such a prevalent thread of thought, it makes you think that this might, at least in part, be a result of years and years of things 'just being this way'.

In contrast, one of the cases that the documentary explored was that of the country Bhutan. 

Aside from incredible views, and being deemed 'kingdom of the clouds' (Lonely Planet), Bhutan is unique for its mix of tradition and culture which coexists along with modernity and technological advances. Most striking to me, was that they are the only country in the world to base its economy and country's growth on Gross National Happiness (GNH). This was an active choice made by the country's leader, Dragon King (boss title) Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in 1972 when beginning to shift the country into the modern ages. 

GNH still measures indicators of quality of life and social progress, but from a more holistic approach than a purely economic one. And GNH definitely holds weight in Bhutan's public policies, allocation of resources, and programs and jobs that are created. It attempts to balance environmental concerns, maintenance of culture, with development, into modern civilization, and ultimately take all these into consideration for the well-being of its citizens. For example, according to the documentary, 60% of Bhutan must remain forest, and furthermore there are schools and monasteries that will always be protected by the state (my understanding is that they can't be eradicated to make clearings for agriculture or livestock, for example. And also preserving cultural identity.). (Here's a picture of one of those monasteries, ps)

All that being said, it isn't an idea without flaws. One of its major criticisms is that there are no quantifiable ways of measuring GNH, and that due to its subjective nature, it is more susceptible to other influences and can be reported differently on a country-to-country basis, depending on their own vested interests. Furthermore, it then makes it difficult to look at trends over time and to see whether real advancements are being made. And on another note, it is a distracting concept that takes away from a long-standing human rights issue of ethnic discrimination against the Nepali minority living in the country. 

What's my final word? Bhutan, like other nations around the world, is not devoid of all problems, nor absolved of human rights crimes because they have come up with a novel idea. It doesn't make them 'worse' countries either, and I do commend that they didn't immediately turn and model their growth after civilized nations in the West. I believe preservation of culture is important, and that the goals Bhutan saw of balancing traditional with modern were commendable, as was creating a country whose growth would not come at the expense of the well-being of its citizens, nor fall into a trap of 'too fast too quick', giving its country a quick boost but dire consequences shortly thereafter. 

In a 2013 BBC article (one of the more recent I could find - would love to find some sort of study that lists out trends/results over the years), the current Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said he supported that 'economic growth is not the be-all and end-all of development', but should not distract from Bhutan's problems of chronic unemployment, poverty, corruption. I concur - Bhutan came through with a good idea, but without results, perhaps that isn't the solution and we need to modify or look a different direction. In the meanwhile, I hope the core ideas aren't forgotten, and that Bhutan policymaking can continue advancing with things like environmental consideration, sustainability in mind, and ulitmately serve to be another model for other developing countries to follow. 

Sources

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-23545641

http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2014/09/04/gross-national-happiness-a-bad-idea-whose-time-has-gone/

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/85/62/57/856257003904d54720652ba35c5ebf45.jpg

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bhutan/travel-tips-and-articles/77352

[eyhuang]

What we discussed over sugar snap peas.

This cat has changed names at least 3 times in its life (currently 'Champagne Papi'), and this blog has changed at least 4 (decent segue, don't front). Evidently I'm no longer in Brazil, hence the necessary change. Instead, I'm on winter break now and felt the need to write again... so here we are. 

It feels good to be home, and good to see old friends, especially your best friend since time (also she owns CP, so this cat picture was not completely random). What I didn't expect was that we'd converge on a very similar state of mind and life trajectory, after spending a substantial chunk of life apart (4 years, and important, formative, undergraduate years and experiences at different universities). Without going into too much detail, and there isn't too much right now anyhow since we literally only came up with this 1.5 hours ago, we started talking about creating something. Coming up with an idea that would have an impact and solve a problem that currently exists. Something productive, something progressive, something that would be innovative. Based on our experiences in life, education, and skills. 

That's all I'm going to share for now. Bowing out for the night to do some case readings, research, and old school pen-to-paper, since scribbling forcefully sometimes just helps the brain think more clearly - that's proven to be fact, look it up. 

[eyhuang]

The feeling of coming back home after a while away.

[eyhuang]

My last day of teaching was yesterday, and I'm glad there were smiles to commemorate instead of the tearsfest I predicted. In this photo I'm with a few of my students as well as the English professor who is absolutely one of the most radiant people I've ever met. I feel like in the past few weeks I've honestly gained such an appreciation for teaching and for teachers that go the extra bit for their students. It's a blessing (+1 for the cheesy/tacky tally, sorry not sorry) to see how much your presence means to them and how much you can affect an individual's life in such a relatively short amount of time. It would be wrong to take all the credit though. If it weren't for these guys' enthusiasm and genuine curiosity it wouldn't have been the same. I am amazed how bright they are, and it really motivates you to want to work even harder for them. Kind of a neat, positive feedback thing. I'm planning on staying in touch with these guys, and whether or not it's my place to, I really feel invested in how they turn out. Again, I'm lucky to have had this opportunity, it was worth the 24 hours in Sao Paolo airport, butting heads with AIESEC's administration, getting lost in Teresina without a means of communication, the 40 minute bus waits under the sun etc. Lived that shit, can laugh about it looking back, all's well that ends well and we move on. And in case anyone's wondering, t minus 19 hours till departure! Prazer, Teresina :)

[eyhuang]

With the Singaporean brotha, having a tourist moment.

Perhaps more photos to come later but with the computer being as slow as it is now, I had to be picky (and the phone app only uploads one  at a time). This photo was taken at the top of a longish stair climb, giving us a birds’ eye view of the city as the sun was going down. Like I mentioned before, favorite time of day. Temperature is perfect, everything looks beautiful in the sunset glow, and it makes you want to be all self-reflective and meditate-y. Or maybe just me.

This visit to the top was also after we had spent a busy afternoon at a local hospital, attending a party held for children with cancer. It was a unique opportunity, and one that I was jonesing to have but didn’t know if I’d be able to fit it in with my work schedule and my time here winding down. After the crazy excitement of it all, with us making new friends, embarrassing ourselves by dancing (all for the kids), and last big hugs and high fives, it was nice to have some quiet and open space to think about these kids. For example, it’s sobering to think that the party had to end 4:30 sharp because some of them had to go straight to chemo. And, some of the kids arrived in wheelchairs, or with IVs. The afternoon lent some perspective, and for me personally, gave me some more conviction that I could see myself in the field of medicine. I’ll leave it at that, more soul searching to be had and I don’t want to make this blog all about the internal struggles of a 20 something year old.

All in all, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity and for being given the chance to follow up with a longer trip and visit to other branches of the hospital on Friday. Doing this is definitely the way I wanted to go out, and for this reason and so many others, I’m feeling very, very fortunate right about now.

[eyhuang]

T minus 5...

I just spent my last weekend here in Teresina! Went to the zoo here, had Brazilian sushi (I was warned ahead of time it’s not the “same”. Got to the restaurant, saw that every roll had cream cheese in it), celebrated Teresina’s birthday at a public concert, and downloaded SO many phone apps, including this tumblr platform. Unfortunately the MacBook is on the fritz - thank you mama H for having the foresight to sign me up for a 3 year warranty, you know my luck with gadgets - and there are no apple outposts here, so I’ll have to wait until I’m home to get it checked out.

Plan for the last week? Well, not teaching Monday through Wednesday as our kids are in exams, so some more local exploring, reading and writing, and goodbye festivities will be had. Thursday will be the last day I teach (aka The Cryfest) Friday the last meeting, and then just like that, I’m outta here. Cue jumbled emotions!

[eyhuang]

Throwback to our first day in the classrooms of CEMTI Joao Henrique! From left to right, Fran the English professor (sweetness personified, she is always so radiant and all smiles it's incredible), Carlos Matheus the psychology student and Joao Henrique volunteer, Ilaria from Italy, Olya from Ukraine, and yours truly from Canada.

The interns and I aren't allowed cellphones or cameras on campus out of fairness to the students, so any photos from the classrooms were pulled from random Brazilian media sources as they crop up. Can't believe it's already been 3 weeks, time you crazy. 

[eyhuang]

Apologies in advance for the cheesy, overly peppy undertones in the text ahead: I already know this impromptu day trip is going to be a highlight of my time in Teresina. My favorite kind of day, exploring and frolicking outdoors and trying local food. My mood is best described by that of a dog coming back from a day at the cottage. 

PS Captions with more description if you hover!

[humansofnewyork]

Beginning tomorrow, I’ll be taking a 50 day trip in partnership with the United Nations, supported by the Secretary General’s MDG Advocacy Group. I’ll be posting portraits and stories from the trip on the blog. We’re calling it a ‘World Tour,’ because the trip will span over 25,000 miles and circumnavigate the globe. But since there are only ten countries on the itinerary, it would be rather foolish to claim that these portraits and stories somehow represent ‘the world,’ or humanity as a whole. The point of the trip is not to “say” anything about the world. But rather to visit some faraway places, and listen to as many people as possible. 

In addition to gathering portraits and stories, the purpose of the tour is to raise awareness for the Millennium Development Goals, which are pictured. The MDG’s are eight international development goals that every member state of the UN agreed we should accomplish by the year 2015. Basically: they’re stuff that everyone can agree the world needs. (More info can be found here: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/). So in addition to telling stories of individuals, we hope this trip may in some way help to inspire a global perspective, while bringing awareness to the challenges that we all need to tackle together. Hope you enjoy.

[eyhuang]

SHOUTOUT TO HONY FOR TAKING ON THIS KINDA PROJECT! 

While my project with AIESEC is not affiliated in any way to this, if you've been paying attention you'll surely notice the similarities... and given that HONY gets a ton more publicity than my page does, I am thuuu-rilled that the Goals are getting more exposure. Here's to traveling, teaching and learning. Get er done Brandon and co., best of luck out there from me to you all :)

[eyhuang]

IT RAINED!

I was told that almost never happens this time of year, but for 15 minutes yesterday, it was glorious. Always giddy about the small things.

[eyhuang]

Week 1: fun facts about Teresina, in bullets and photos

Hello folks! I'm not sure if it's the change of climate, diet, activity level, or a combination of all of these things, but I've recently come down sick and have been trying to manage that, so mea culpa for taking the easy way out with this post. At the same time, I bet this list consists of at least one thing you didn't know about my current city, so y'know, I don't feel so bad after all ;). And without further ado, now presenting 'fun facts about Teresina in bullets and photos': 

- Getting the Portuguese accent with its nuances and twangs down just might be impossible to do. Will continue to try however! - People here are on average way more open, enthusiastic and energetic than back home, so my 'tun up' endurance is getting worked on.  - No Orientals, so I get constant stares. And if anyone guesses, 99% of the time they will guess Japanese. 

- Stop signs can be optional!  - Lizards instead of squirrels - People here can DANCE. The most popular genre of dance and music is called "Forró".  - People here can DRINK. 

- Sharing alcohol (i.e. pouring some of your drink into your friend's cup) is common, but sharing other drinks (e.g. some soft drink or water) is weird and off-putting.  - Grandmothers here are like grandmothers anywhere: you will have never eaten enough food no matter how long you've been there.  - The 3 main career paths that students are encouraged into are law, medicine, engineering. You write an exam when you're 18 and based on percentile, you can enter into certain career streams at certain universities. Depending on the above, you may be competing against 29,999 others for 1 spot.  - 30 C is a good day in Teresina. 

- Coconut water sold on every corner. I already know I'm gonna miss that.  - "Puha" is a swear.  - Guarana is one of the most common types of soft drink here.  - Stray cats and dogs abound, and are much smaller sized than those found in North America. - One of the common sayings they have here is that 'Teresina is like an egg', referring to how 'small' the city is (N.B. the population is still like, a million people.) and how everybody eventually becomes acquainted with each other.  - 4 hours to the nearest body of water. - Equal hours of daylight and night! So stores here close around 6 pm, and it is pitch black by 7 pm. (Enter geography: Teresina is in Northeast Brazil, and is close to the Equator, hence the full force of the sun and the 12/12 hour split)

[eyhuang]

First meeting and Portuguese lesson with the Milenium project team! Interns from Italy, Ukraine, Singapore, UK, and project leaders from here in Teresina. Our meeting was held at the Metropolitan hotel, up on a balcony so we had a sweet view of the city from a bird's eye view. We discussed what we wanted to get out of the experience, how we could achieve these goals, what to expect from our students and the potential challenges we'll face:

Transportation: None of us are legally able to drive in Brazil (or anywhere in my case), meaning we'll be taking public transportation most of the time. For me, I have a hard time with directions as it is so this will be a small but real personal challenge for me. We've been told bus schedules aren't abided by, and the wait can take as long as 20-30 minutes on top of estimated time, and we've also been told that taxi drivers will not hesitate to bung the living daylights out of foreigners when it comes to fares, meaning the best option still comes down to the bus. 

Language barriers: the class will be taught in English, as we're taking over the class' English period. Luckily for me, English is my first language, but for the other interns and the students, it's a second or even third. This will make translating the significance of the goals a little bit difficult, as well as frustrating when you aren't able to get the exact thought you have in your head across.

Getting them to care: 16-18 year olds in Teresina have the same interests as other 16-18 year olds anywhere - they're not necessarily thinking about the global scale or its issues, nor can we rely on the novelty of us being foreigners for the entire 6 weeks of teaching. This will likely be the hardest challenge, being able to leave a lasting and actually meaningful impact. In short, making them care.

Project officially starts Monday, follow up meetings every Friday, and week 1 is Culture Week, where we'll get a chance to show and tell about our country, familiarize ourselves with the school and our students, and ease into becoming educators. Stay tuned.