Where do I come from and where I am today and why Occupationl Therapy is relevant

I come from a small north eastern town called Darjeeling in India. Nestled among the rolling mountains with the glistening Mt Kanchenjunga towering over the azure sky, Darjeeling fondly called “Queen of the Hills” provides a perfect gateway for those seeking to be in harmony with nature. This is the land of the muscatel flavored Darjeeling tea revered by connoisseurs across the globe. This is the land of the world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway where the century old miniature steam engine still chugs uphill vying for space with the fast disappearing Land Rovers. My parents came from two very different backgrounds. When I was young and growing up in my teens I was very confused, angry, and felt very out of place being born to parents with mixed-culture. My mother came from the Bengali race of people with Christianity being her religion. My father was Nepelese with Buddhism as his religion. We were then sent to a Roman Catholic School ( Loreto Convent-convent predominantly for Irish and English nuns)for our education. We spoke 4 different languages and developed four different religious belief systems. I conformed myself to being a mixed fruit- cake for lack of a better way of describing and identifying myself…..if you ask me now…….do you still feel those confused emotions???  Guess what my answer would be…………!!!!  No! That is my strength, my identity, my advantage, my good-fortune and where my understanding of diversity, tolerance, sensitivity, broad view of culture come from. In short, my three years of study has been a powerful tool in identifying my roots, my value- system, my beliefs, my underlying strengths and my uniqueness and what I can bring to people in my therapy session. I can easily relate to “The Maori Culture”, it’s many value systems, cultural systems, folklore, rituals and strong IWI and Whanau ties…………………in fact I cannot imagine myself before my study and the great meaning Occupational Therapy gives to each individual in respect to each one’s individuality, autonomy, spiritual belief and client-centered approach.

Aotearoa/New Zealand is a bicultural nation and as a health practitioner we have to take into consideration the bi-cultural heritage and understand and use these aspects of sociocultural context actively into our practice. Cultural competence and awareness is a prerequisite for us therapists to practice in a cultural savvy manner. This consists of both culture-specific skills and knowledge, and more generic attitudes, experience, beliefs and values and approaches to perceived difference; awareness of the potential impact of these on our  practice; and skills which equip a practitioner to work effectively with people who may come from different cultural dimension. The bicultural relationship between the Maori and the Pakeha has paved a way for social policy and healthcare. This is based on what many consider to be the nation’s founding document, te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi.

Retrieved on 29/07/2012 from: http://www.otboard.org.nz/Competence/CulturalCompetence.aspx

Hui has been a very significant part of my learning and I am immersed once again unto cultural contexts……Learning the CPR (and what it stands for; cooperation, partnership, rights and responsibilities) makes absolute sense as to how deeply we are cultural beings with its unique flavor. Studying Occupational therapy has been one of the best investments I have made for myself. There is very deep meaning attached to it and understanding cultural competencies is part of meeting that value and meaning. I have come to an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the spiritual value of life not just for me but for my clients who are unfortunate in many ways due to disability of mind and body. I have developed a deep sense of empathy, therapeutic use of self, professional expertise- yet develop rapport to therefor deliver a seamless, borderless intervention. Reading the latest  OT Insight (vol 33 no 5 july 2012), comments and views shared by Jane Huia Hopkirk and Linda H Wilson, my insight into bi-cultural values deepens.

 “ Ko nga pae tawhiti whaia kia tata, ko nga pae tata, whakamaua kia tina, - The potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today,” therefore we all have to take responsibility educating ourselves on our bi-cultural values and incorporate it within our practice.  It has been a journey from a caterpillar to a butterfly……a complete metamorphosis………. These values and beliefs were buried in my life, but learning and studying about it has helped me to recognize it and give it a name……and I wish to cultivate this learning further……….

Retrieved on 29/07/2012 from: http://www.riverarunsthroughit.com/2012/04/realizing-this-is-my-cocoon-to-eat.html

Most of our lecturers and teachers over the last three years have told us how we have changed and evolved. They have told us that we have changed in various ways and that we have grown. It wasn’t too obvious and apparent to me…..over the last years, except for the fact that I was older in age…………..but I believe just in the last few weeks of classes, I have felt this much more. We have been told that we will be leaving and we need to practice all that we have learnt…etc…..All the learning we have done in the past three years has slowly but surely come together and I feel confident that our learning has been comprehensive.