Common themes across cultures
This was my first time visiting Mongolia, and I was not sure what to expect. I spent some time getting educated on Mongolia’s history, the local traditions and a cursory review of some of the basic words that I could use to show respect before I made the trip. However, as is the case with any new country I visit, nothing I read could have prepared me properly for the experience. The Mongolian people were very welcoming. We interacted most with the medical team members of our partner hospital and they were all curious about the US and asked many questions about our health care system.
We all took advantage of what little down time we had in taking care of patients or lecturing by asking each other questions about daily life, work and home responsibilities, and how we each navigated family responsibilities and dealing with the stressors of being in the health care system. There were many common themes between all of us. One example was how to juggle the responsibilities of parenting while engaging in a highly time-demanding profession. While culture, language, and many other aspects of life are different across countries, the stressors and daily responsibilities are amazingly similar and I find this to be the case with most countries I have visited for medical education and skill exchange trips.