Over the past year or so, I have developed a strong desire to broaden my scope as an occupational therapist. I have sought out various blogs and groups to learn new concepts, techniques, and stay current research and literature coming out. In addition to that, I have been extremely drawn to expand my knowledge of OT to outside of the United States. I find myself immensely interested in learning about how OT operates in different countries and drawn to bringing OT to places that do not have it yet.
Let's rewind for a minute. Last October, I spent 2 weeks in Ibarra, Ecuador volunteering at CRECER, an outpatient OT clinic. CRECER stands for Centro de Rehabilitación, Educación, Capacitación, Estudios y Recursos, Inc. It was an absolutely amazing experience and really changed my professional path. After my volunteer work was done, I spent a week galavanting in the Galápagos Islands with Ray. We went diving with hammerhead sharks, hung out with marine iguanas and marveled at the sheer size of the Galápagos tortoises. One day we decided to ride our bikes up the volcano to go visit the El Chato Tortoise Reserve. Needless to say, it was all uphill and was quite the trek. While at the reserve, we ran into another couple who had also made the trek on bikes. We got to talking since we were the only people who were crazy enough to ride bikes up there. We decided to all ride back together and then enjoyed lunch together. We got to talking and came to find out that they were medical students at a university in Manta, Ecuador. Ever wonder where manta rays get there name? At one point, my profession came up and to my surprise, they had never heard of OT before. I was shocked. They were med students and have never heard of OT? I briefly explained what I did and they said that their community desperately needed this kind of service. They explained that many children have disabilities or are diagnosed with a disorder, but that there are no services for these children. Unexpectedly, it became my mission to promote OT to those areas that do not have it.
Now fast forward to this past summer. Originally, Iceland was just a vacation for Ray and I. I don't remember how it actually came up, but at one point we thought, "Do they have OT there?" This question lead me to browse the World Federation of Occupational Therapists website. I found that Iceland was a member and then decided to reach out to the Icelandic delegate. I informed her of my visit and asked if I could potentially meet up with any OTs while I am there. I wasn't sure sure if she would respond or if anything would come of this, but I figured it was worth a shot. Fortunately for me, she wrote back and provided me some contacts. Here is a brief recount of my experiences:
On Monday November 14, 2016 I went on my first visit to BUGL, a child and adolescent psychiatric department. I met with two therapists there and learned all about their facility. It was quite interesting since they deal mainly with older children and very different cases than what I see. Although there were differences in what our treatments looked like, it was quite interesting to see familiar text books on their bookshelves. I loved hearing about their practice and sharing information about mine. I even learned about a treatment technique that I had never heard about before. I'm definitely going to do some research into this treatment technique. Both therapists were so nice and genuinely appreciative to have me there. I really enjoyed seeing all the resources that they had to offer the children, from the arts and crafts room, to the music room to the neat outdoor playground area. Overall, it was a wonderful experience! I was really glad to have had the opportunity to go there and was looking forward to what the rest of the week had in store.
The next morning, I was up before the sun, in order to visit, Æfingastöðin, an outpatient pediatric center specializing in habilitation and rehabilitation for children and young people with abnormal movements and development. Here I met a bunch of awesome OTs who were all curious to exchange assessment, treatment and theoretical ideas. There is an amazing team of therapists that work here! And the facility is great too!! I got to watch a session and also learned about a couple of new assessments that they use. I even got to chat with a physiotherapist who does hippothereapy, so cool! I absolutely loved my morning here and was sad when my visit was over. But alas, I had a flight to catch which I could miss.
The flight took us up to Akureyri, magical town on the northern coast, which was about a 30 minute flight from the regional airport of Reykjavik. You may be asking why Akureyri? Well, there is only one university in Iceland that teaches occupational therapy, the University of Akureyri or Háskólinn á Akureyri. We were greeted and picked up at the airport by one of the OT faculty members from the university and were lucky enough to get the chance to stay with her and her husband at their house. More about our experience in the town later, but I'm keeping it just OT here.
On Wednesday I met up with a school-based OT and hung out at the school Íþróttamiõstöõ for the morning. Ironically, I ended up attending this school on International Day, where the entire school was celebrating all the countries of the world. Every class was busy finishing up posters and games about various countries, as well as putting the final touches on their songs and dances to be performed for the staff and parents. Immediately upon entering the school, I was overwhelmed by a cheerful and joyous energy. The staff was genuinely happy and extremely welcoming towards me. The children were elated and loved showing off their work. A few of them even got a kick speaking in English with me. We walked around school, seeing the library, the playground, and popping into various classrooms.
Here is a picture looking at the school from the playground.
They actually have a viking ship on their playground too!
Here were some of the posters that the students made.
This is a representation of all the nationalities living in Iceland.
A little bit later, I got the privilege to visit a woodshop class. There were about 5 boys about 8 years of age making all sorts of wonderful things: toys, rope, baskets, and their favorite, weapons. Each boy excitedly showed me what he had been working on.
Here are some of the toys they made. They each had a little string attached to a moving piece so when you would pull the string, the piece would pop out of the top or a face would appear into the hole cut in the wood. Very creative!
Next, I watched a few of them make some rope, which was fascinating. They started with a small piece of string, folded it in half a few times and then connected it to an electric screwdriver-type thing, which twisted it a bunch of times. They them removed it, folded it again and twisted it up again and again. The finished product is above. They even gave it to me as a gift from their class! I love it and am absolutely amazed at the work that went into making it.
One boy was making a toy car out of wood and some recycled cans. He had an elaborate plan and made sure to explain every complex detail. I loved that they used recycled goods too!
Here is one of the baskets that they were making, pretty neat! I even got the chance to shoot a handmade bow and arrow.
After woodshop, we headed to the cafeteria for lunch. We walked into a large room with a bunch of tables and chairs. First thing, I noticed was the amazing view. The cafeteria had a 180 degree view of the mountains. And since it had been snowing all night and morning, everything was covered by a blanket of fresh snow. It was absolutely stunning! Next thing I noticed was that the staff ate right along side with the students. And not only were they sitting together, but everyone was eating what the school provided. This is definitely not like anything I have ever seen in the states! The teachers and staff never eat with their students (at least at the schools I have been) and they never would eat the food provided to the students. I was a little weary eating "school lunches" since the food provided for the students in the states is, how should I put it, pretty gross. But when in Rome... I picked up a piece of fried fish, boiled potatoes and some salad. I couldn't believe it, it was actually good. No, scratch that. It wasn't just good, it might have been one of the best pieces of fish I have ever had. I was happily surprised. Besides the food being awesome, I also had some great conversations with some of the staff. It was a lovely lunch! I can not speak highly enough about my experience at this school. I could have stayed there all day! Below are the views from the cafeteria.
In the afternoon, I met up with Ray and we headed over to the university. Everything related to OT had been amazing so far, but this was definitely the icing on the cake. I met up with some other faculty members and got to meet some students while they were on break from class. I got to see some of the classrooms, as well as the lab/ clinical rooms. I must admit that the views from this campus were way better than the views from the buildings at USC.
If you couldn't tell already, I absolutely love my profession! But something about being here, the place where OT begins in Iceland was something that I can't even explain. I was truly honored to be welcomed in to the university and to connect with the staff and OTs-to-be.
So what is the bigger picture? While at BUGL, I noticed numerous large world maps all throughout the facility. I asked why they had so many maps and the OT responded, "It's about the bigger picture!" I was delighted. I remember thinking, "That's it! It is about the bigger picture". It was then that this global passion for OT solidified and I knew what I was doing was exactly what I was destined to do. I wholeheartedly thank everyone that I met for taking the time to chat with me. I hope you know that these experiences have made an significant impact on me and will be something that I will remember forever.
