What OTs really are...

"We're activity analysts."

This is a phrase a fellow OT at the rehab clinic always said. Behind all the fancy words that describe us as "therapeutic" and "holistic" etc. Whether you graduated with a BSc or an MSc in OT, at the very heart of our profession, we are Activity Analysts!

Much of my placements have been about breaking things down into the smaller steps which has led me to really appreciate our skills in activity analysis. I am a pretty detailed oriented person in my own everyday life, so applying a more critical mind to looking at other's occupations comes naturally to me. But beyond looking at the details, we need to know where to focus our activity analysis on before looking deeper to discover the how's and then seek to understand the why's behind an activity... And this takes a lot more brain power than it does visual acuity. We've got to use that OT lens of ours! Which leads me to this quote:

Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen, but to think what nobody has yet thought about what which everybody sees --Arthur Schopenhauer

I couldn't agree more!

Farewell to Fearless Dragon, my running family

"When you want to find some motivation...
... for running,
             ... for doing stretches,
                             ... for achieving your goals,
Or at times when you feel as though you are losing yourself, you can think of us."

The Fearless Dragon (猛龍隊): 看不見，聽不到，跑得好，做得到!

Last group photo with The Fearless Dragon (猛龍隊) running group at Hammer Hill sports ground in our running gear! 

Kid, get down on my level!

It was my first time helping out with this small sensory integration group for children ages 6-8. They had moved onto a table top activity where they were given a worksheet that was entirely in Cantonese. While I can converse in Cantonese just fine, my reading and writing are only at an elementary school level. I was watching a pair of boys going over their worksheet when one of them turned to me, asking me what to do:

Boy: What do we do now?
G (me): Keep reading the worksheet to see what it says.
B: (Continues to read and stumbles on a word) Do you know this?
G: Nope. Keep reading, what do you think it is?
B: (Shocked) You don't know this word?!
G: Nope.
B: (Still shocked) Have you gone to university?!
G: Yup. I have gone to university...
B: Then how come you don't know these words?!?! (Stares at me like O_O)
G: (Smiles and urges him to continue to discuss the activity at hand with his partner)

(Dialogue translated from Cantonese of course)

Children are so simple. They presume that anyone older than them would know more than them. Little do they know that I learn from them each and every day! =D Of course, he is still young and probably can't imagine studying entirely in any language other than Chinese.

That boy is a funny kid. I was so amused at how frank he was with me, but he probably didn't understand why I was smiling. I wasn't offended by any means, rather I found our conversation quite interesting. Working with kids makes me laugh so much, both with them and at myself. I think the ability to laugh at oneself and not be so serious all the time can be hard to develop as we're working towards adulthood and being working professionals. I'm happy that I've found a way to do that: working with children. =)

Who is Your Family? And Who Are You?

I met a local OT student who was volunteering at the Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital during my placement time there. We got to know each other throughout the span of the 2 weeks before I left and making this friend has been such a blessing. I truly feel blessed to have met her during the struggles I had with my placement experience there. Having studied abroad for several years, she understood how it felt to be away from home and trying to learn and adapt to a new cultural setting. She's been such a great listener and of course, it's great to be able to talk about our hopes and dreams as soon-to-be new grad OTs.

Since I left the placement and she has started her own placement term, it's been hard to find time to meet up so I have been joining her at her fellowship group. Since I've been to my friends' Catholic and Christian fellowships, I don't feel too strange joining in on my new friend's group. It's a nice way to spend my evenings after placement, and I've come to think that if religion is such a big part of my friends' lives, getting to know a little bit about what that entails is a way of getting to know my friends better.

The other night, the discussion consisted of a two part question: Who is your family? And who are you?

My first 10K as a Guide Runner

The weather was beautiful, the course was scenic and our smiles were bright! 

I ran my first 10K as a guide runner this past Sunday with 猛龍隊 (The Fearless Dragon) running team at the Town Health 25th anniversary 10K charity run. This experience of training with visually impaired runners and local volunteers in Hong Kong has been heartwarming, and they've made me feel like part of their family.

Left to right: Me and my partner running our last K at Hong Kong Science Park (香港科學園) with a fellow Fearless Dragon runner cheering us on.

As a person who has always run alone, running with a visually impaired partner has been given a twist to the idea of running as a "team". I have to be alert about our surroundings and describe possible obstacles, uneven ground, or nearby spectacles or activities that my vision has allowed me to take for granted. While at the same time, I am part of a team, pulling my own weight in the race and encouraging my teammate as the race progresses.

I had only ran with my partner once at a practice before this race. We just never came to the same practices after that. But not a problem! We ran together, we walked together and took water breaks together. Left, right, left, right. Almost there! Last K! And we finished the 10K together. =)

Funny, Familiar, Forgotten Feelings

Hong Kong is a long way from home. A 16 hour direct flight away and 12 hours ahead from what's familiar to me. Even so, I've been able to find some familiar and forgotten feelings despite my rough start to my Hong Kong placement experience. So no, maybe it hasn't been so "funny", but I hope someone gets the song reference.

You are Here. (Almost to the Big Buddha!)