Reflecting on the Week of Conferences

I posted earlier in the week about multicultural competence and language.  There is a lot more that I got out of this week than that, however.  I learned a lot about sexual violence as it is in different countries and the challenges that people in other countries face and how it differs from the US.  For instance, I was in a session put on by the Rwanda Women's Network and their Polyclinic of Hope.  They use a holistic approach, using medical care, therapy, group dialogue, theatre, and community work to help with the healing process of people who face domestic violence.  I thought learning about the community focus was very great to hear about.  The efforts in Rwanda were much newer than in the U.S. because of the recent genocide, and the Rwanda Women's Network was started in 1994, whereas many of the modern shelters in the U.S. opened in the 1960s and 1970s.

It is really easy to get caught up thinking about things only from the perspective of being in the U.S.  It was truly an eye-opener.  There were many other sessions that opened my eyes to how places all over the world face the same challenges but in very different ways.  I had renewed interest in doing the work I previously had been with women's shelters (or to volunteer again when I have time).

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In other unrelated news, I have a phone interview with a company called Epic for a corporate trainer position.  Epic is a company that is a leader in the world for healthcare software systems.  I would potentially train employees and clients on the software applications.  My phone interview is on Wednesday, and if I am chosen to move forward in the process, I would do a skills assessment and on-campus interview.  Healthcare has always been an interest of mine, and being able to combine my teaching skills with my interest in healthcare would be another really great thing for me to do.  Plus, the company seems really great to work for, and I was very interested in working for them before I pursued higher education.  However, it would be in Wisconsin, which was not one of the places I had hoped to move after graduation.

It does seem like a stark contrast to what I was previously talking about with working with women's shelters, but in many ways I think I just want to educate others about things I care about, such as sexual violence, health, and technology.  While the corporate trainer position would not allow me to educate on sexual violence, I would be able to do other things I care about.  We'll see what happens.