TGIF

Statue outside of Mackay Memorial Hospital

today
 



I have officially been in Taiwan for a week! It's crazy how fast this week has gone by and how many things I've had the opportunity to do in just 7 days. 3 weeks from right now I'll be boarding a plane on my way back to Seattle. 

This morning we an a Nosocomial Infection Control meeting with representatives of the hospital. So many of the infection precautions are similar here to back in the states. Even though the precautions are similar, some of the infectious diseases are different. After the meeting, we had a break so we were able to get some coffee and talk with each other:) Then I had chicken curry for lunch, it was delicious! After lunch we took the MRT train to Mackay Memorial Hospital. The hospital was named after a Canadian missionary who was a dentist and began this hospital in the 1800s. The staff at this hospital were so open and inviting us to tour their hospital and learn more about it. They gave us a tour of one of the general pediatric floors and then in the NICU. I haven't been in a NICU before so this was a first time for me. One of the babies was born at only 650 grams (1.43lbs). He is the smallest baby I have ever seen before. The nurses there were great at explaining each of the baby's conditions to our entire group. All of the staff there showed so much compassion for their patients and also to be employed as a nurse at this hospital. Compassion isn't something that can be taught throughout nursing school but it's rather a gift that you're born with and is an important characteristic for nurses to have.

Old fashioned dental chair where they would pull teeth out in open air. OUCH

One of my favorite things about Taiwan is the shopping. I should probably cut down on the amount of things I'm buying to make sure I can get it all back in the same suitcases I brought my stuff here in, but the deals are so great and I can't pass up all the unique items! On our way to the pediatric hospital today we stopped by a vendor in the transit station. They had a ton of shoes for only 200NT ($6 USD). The purchase of the day today were these little gems in the picture below. They are cream colored with glitter flats.

New shoes!

Tomorrow's an exciting day! We are going to the National Palace Museum and the Jade Market at night. Hoping to find some loose Jade to bring home and make some bracelets out of:)