Thailand Inspiration

Jessica Schuster - Ohio State

V:50 I:4 Experiences

      Five years ago I went through an unexpected and life-changing event that nearly cost me my life, and since that day I have achieved goals beyond which I ever thought I could. I went to college to become a veterinary technician and follow my dream to one day become a veterinarian, I traveled with every chance I had to places all around the world, and took hold of all the opportunities I could. I’ve been snorkeling in the Caribbean, horseback riding through the jungle, and swam with dolphins. I’ve scaled the Mayan Ruins, gone cave tubing, and witnessed rare and exotic creatures. I’ve had more amazing experiences than I could ever tell you in one paper, all because I made one simple promise to myself when this all began five years ago - to never let any opportunity slip through my fingers that I would later regret, because I see everyday as a chance to become more than I was yesterday. And everyday to me, especially after nearly losing all of my chances, is another possibility to live life to its fullest.

            Little did I know, that dream I had since I could remember – the dream to one day become a veterinarian – would indeed one day become more of a prospect than a figment of my imagination. Almost exactly two years ago today, I walked through the doors of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the most nervous I’d ever been in all my life, to present myself as a potential future colleague. Also little did I know that one of my first professors at this college would later become more of a friend and a mentor, who I would travel with all the way on the other side of the world, to offer me more once-in-a-lifetime experiences. So now this brings me to my most recent journey, one of many more I hope, that has offered me so much more than I ever imagined possible – my trip to Thailand.

            It’s not easy to limit a voyage such as this one to a single paper, as I’m sure I could write a whole novel on the experience, but as I ponder this I realize that our journey together could simply be described by three words: Acceptance, Compassion, Inspiration. These three qualities, at least for me, were the largest and most powerful aspects of this trip. I will therefore describe how each one impacted me individually.

Acceptance:

            When we first arrived in Chiang Mai, we were automatically welcomed with open arms. Everyone from the pleasant doctors, to the enthusiastic veterinary students, to the patient locals, and all the way down to the courteous drivers, accepted our presence as if not doing so were out of the question. What surprised me initially was that every Thai person we met attempted to speak our language, before we could even introduce ourselves. Granted, English is taught to the Thai people as a second language more so than in some other countries, but this simple act of kindness automatically warmed my heart. Most of the veterinary students we spoke to, even those that we spent many of our nights out with, admitted to never speaking to an American before. Their English was great, I assured them, but they were humble about their errors. I told them that I wished I could speak to them in Thai as they spoke to me in English. I was actually embarrassed that they could communicate so well to me in my first language, and I could barely say hello and thank you to them in Thai, even though I was the one in their home country.

But regardless, time after time, we were accepted, embraced even, by everyone we encountered. One especially touching moment I must share with you was when one of the veterinary students came up to us and offered us his hand to shake. Baffled, we asked him why he greeted us this way, since this is not a normal Thai custom. He said he knew that was how we greeted each other, and wanted to do the same to make us feel comfortable. How incredible! Surely, if Thai students came to America, most Americans would not greet them with praised hands and a bow, let alone speak to them in their language. These acts of acceptance alone gave me a new perspective on the Thai Culture in general. The Thai people are not just kind and welcoming, they are educated in traditions other than their own, and attempt to integrate them into their lives for the comfort of others.

Not only did they try to understand our customs and utilize them with us, they also invited us to partake in their customs as well. The veterinary students gave us a tour of downtown, introduced us to food we had never had and traditions we had never took part in. They even invited us to a disco tech, as well as their New Years Eve party, all the while showing us the highest level of hospitality. They insisted on driving us home from the disco tech, for example, despite our argument that we could just as easily take a taxi. They also walked us home from the New Years Eve party, even though they would be missing the end of their own party. Even the other veterinary students at the party welcomed us, explaining what events were occurring, how their games were played, and what was being said. They danced with us, laughed with us, and asked us our names. You would think, not knowing the language, we would have felt awkward or bored with the event, but we had more fun than we would have ever thought.

The devotion the Thai people have to human interaction, and how much they value spending time together, without any distractions from what’s happening in their outside world, is starkly different than what I was used to. This realization made it that much harder for me to say goodbye to them, and I’m not ashamed to say that I was brought to tears when our two closest and new lifelong friends came to the airport to see us off. To be told you are loved by someone you had only known for a week is another thing I had never felt the effects of before, and for me to respond with ‘I love you too’ was just as unexpected. Leaving them, and the Thai Culture in general, was harder than I would have ever thought it was going to be. It just shows how much a short excursion like this can impact you as a human being.

Compassion:

            In a way, the life style and demeanor of the Thai people I just described with their acceptance of us directly ties to the compassion I want to describe next. As compassionate as they were with us, and each other, I want to focus on the compassion they share with their animals. The first veterinary cases we shared as a class in Thailand were at a small dairy farm. My first impression of the situation was how friendly the cattle were. They came right up to us, and we were able to go in with them, with no fear of being trampled or attacked. The owner seemed to have complete control over the herd with verbal commands and gestures, and the patients we worked on stayed surprisingly still during the procedures, just with the owner being there. Unbeknown to me, this would be an indicator of the exponentially deep human-animal bond we would later see between the elephants and their Mahouts. It wasn’t just that there was an obvious bond between the owner and her cattle; there was a deeper understanding between them as well. They were patient with each other, and understood what the other wanted without being able to communicate through words.

            When we worked with the macaques, we were able to get a real sense of how medicine was done in Thailand. When we arrived, the doctors gave us our tasks to be done, and then the patient was literally in our hands. It was a bit nerve-wracking, though just as empowering, to be trusted with the life of the patient so readily and without question. Not only did the doctors empower us, but they also showed us their passion for teaching by readily guiding us when we needed it, and challenging us just as frequently. I was equally surprised by their trust as I was by our ability to take on the unforeseen tasks with an equal amount of passion and trust in each other. We took control of what needed to be done, and worked together in ways that would have never happened under any other circumstances. Sometimes, being put under the pressure of a large responsibility is what you need to prove to yourself what you are capable of. And what’s more, I didn’t feel like I was being pressured to prove myself to the doctors. I was just doing what needed to be done. The compassion the doctors had for the care of the animals, as well as for our learning, was amazing. And, once again, the patience we experienced all throughout the trip was reflected in the doctor’s teaching methods as they instilled confidence in us in a unique way I had never experienced before. The most defined moment of this was when the doctor at the retired elephant sanctuary asked us our opinion about the individual case we had treated. In my specific case, I had an elephant that had many issues, one of which was an abscess on her elbow that had been there for 15 years! He was frustrated at this, and rightfully so, and wanted to know what I would do. At first, I thought he was challenging me, but as I watched his expression as I told him that debriding the wound and applying a vacuum seemed to help some of the chronic wounds I had seen in clinics, I could tell he wasn’t just challenging me - he was genuinely interested in what I had to say. Not only was he interested, but I also think he took what I said to heart and sincerely considered the option. I had never had a doctor treat me like that before, and I realized we both respected each other equally.

            Finally, the most extraordinary part of the trip in my opinion was the interaction between the Mahouts, their elephants, and us. I think the first time I came to the realization of the true bond between the Mahouts and their elephants was when we visited the surrogate mother elephants and the orphan babies they cared for. There was a two-month old baby there, who I know you won’t forget, and the bond I witnessed between him and his Mahout was the strongest I had ever seen. The baby followed him this way and that, and you could just tell by the smile on the Mahout’s face, and the complete and utter joy of them both, that their happiness and love for each other was exponential. This kind of interaction was seen, again and again, as I observed Mahout’s and their elephants – the way they tenderly touched each other, and listened to each other’s body language and sounds, which was all they could communicate with. There was another Mahout we saw, and he was with his elephant that was in Musth. I was curious as to how the Mahout could be interacting with him so closely, since elephants in Musth were isolated from everyone during this time. The doctor told me that certain bonds, such as the one we watched, were strong enough to overcome even the physiologic changes the elephant was under. I was fascinated that a bond between a man and his elephant could be so strong, but by the end of the trip it would no longer come as a surprise me.

The compassion of a Mahout for his elephant, and I wholly believe vice versa, made me wonder if this was how these men were able to devote their lives to them. Day in and day out caring for these creatures – feeding them, bathing them, treating their wounds that seemed to take an eternity to heal, and most of all loving them – was a lifelong devotion, and made me fall in love with their faithfulness. Another elephant I had helped treat stepped on a landmine, and had to have extensive treatments done every day by her Mahout. I saw the patience involved with this, as well as the willfulness to make their companion well again, and never once did they even consider giving up. They demonstrated complete and total loyalty to their elephants, without thinking twice about it. It was at this time that I began to realize why euthanasia wasn’t a common consideration in Thailand, as it isn’t for some clients in America. It’s heart-breaking to give up on your best friend, especially when you’ve devoted your life to taking care of and protecting them. Giving them all you can is an instinct, not a second thought.

Inspiration:

            So you see, acceptance and compassion were intimately related in this trip, and both acted together to inspire me. In fact, the whole experience inspired me. Between the Thai Culture in general, and how eternally accepting the Thai people are to perfect strangers, and the endless connection between them and their animals, I came back to America feeling inspired to do more with my career choice, as well as my decisions as a person. Seeing how much the Thai people do, sometimes in circumstances when they have so little, made me realize that we often take for granted all that we have to work with here in the states. There are a great deal of resources that are available to us, and we often either overlook their usefulness or overuse them to the point of wastefulness. Finding a balance between the two is important to maximize our skills as veterinarians. In addition, taking the time to teach other with patience, and allow others to improve while we do the same, is imperative. I want to be like the doctor at the retired elephant sanctuary. I want to take as much from my students as they take from me. I want us to both learn from each other and work together to reach a common goal. This mindset will surely make us better veterinarians. If we continue to follow the values we have learned on this voyage, and develop a deeper respect for each other and the world around us, we will be more successful as veterinarians than we ever imagined. Through all my journeys in this life, both good and bad, I realized that having results that are better than you imagined is a simple result of putting in what you want to take out, and my goal is continue to do just that. This experience was not just life changing. It will play a monumental part in how I continue down this road I have chosen for myself, and will positively impact my future as I work towards becoming a veterinarian, as well as an advocate, that will speak for all those creatures that can’t speak for themselves.