The time in Vietnam has passed very fast and my time in the exchange is going to end this week. I wouldn’t believe. The flight home came as fast as coming to Vietnam for the first time. At the same time I feel excited to go back home but at the same time I also feel I will miss my time here. I don’t know why, but at the moment I feel a bit empty and I have given my best effort for this exchange.
My last practice has been at the ICU department at the Bach Mai hospital. Everything is new for me because I have no experience about critical nursing and of course the protocol and the equipement is different in some points. I still think I have done quite good; I have been observing a lot because sometimes you don’t have any practical job to do and some days I can do more like take blood samples and feeding the patients. Here in Vietnam practicing in hospital is very different than in Finland. My vietnamese friend and a english speaking nurse student has been a huge help for me here. Most of the nurses don’t speak english so you might guess how hard it is to understand or even do anything when we don’t understand each other.
Blood goup testing
Big gas bottles on the hospitals’ yard.
On my freetime I have gone around Hanoi and Vietnam. I have had time to travel also which is very nice. The latest I visited Phu quoc and Halong bay. Places were different but both beautiful.
Small beach bar in a quiet beach in Phu quoc.
Beautiful view from Monkey island in Halong bay.
The best view in Vietnam. 1kilometer high in Cat ba islands national park.
I think the biggest difference between Finlands’ and Vietnam practice is that in Finland everything feels organized, as a student I know what happens at the same week and month, in the practice there is someone professional to guide me. I think that exchange student who goes to Vietnam, has to be mentally orientated and very very independent, there will be a lot of cases when things won’t work as you wish so you need a looong nerves. I think the time here has also tought me a lot more calmness, I can cope with the unknown and I have learned to laugh (in my mind) to some situations that haven’t gone so well at first. But everything will be handled, it just takes more time usually.
Many kilometers long mosaic wall in Hanoi.
I hope I didn’t sound too rough but I know what I’m talking about. In my case I have done a lot of practical stuff in the practicies and also observed. I feel the biggest lesson here and in an exchange is not the practical stuff, it’s the things that happens inside, mentally. Vietnam is not an easy case, but when you handle it, you can be very proud of yourself. You have time to do practical things in Finland but nurses’ profession is a lot more and I really recommend Vietnam. Are you ready!
Henna
Comments