Working in a Multicultural Setting

Question: Discuss about theWorking in a Multicultural Setting. Answer: Description Working in a culturally diverse community can be harrowing and exciting in equal measure. As an aspiring nursing practitioner, I have always had a keen interest in volunteering during emergency services and sporting activities. During my last volunteer program as the first aider for a local marathon, I had an encounter with a Kenyan male diabetic marathoner. He spoke in a dialect I had never heard of which I later discovered was Swahili. He kept yelling at for water, or so I thought, but he was asking me to contact his coach who was near the finishing line. It took me a few wrong turns to figure out that I needed an interpreter to help the athlete. Diabetic marathoners are a high risk of developing hypoglycemia compared to individuals with normal sugar levels. Feelings Kenya produces world class marathoners. It is always exciting to watch them run for kilometers and dash towards the finishing line as if nothing happened. It was a once in lifetime opportunity to work so closely with world class athletes. I was excited the whole time until the athlete yelled at me in his local dialect. I felt somewhat embarrassed, but it did deter me from racing myself to the finishing line to fetch his couch. Confusion reigned supreme when the couch notified us that the athlete quickly needed food (something sugary) quickly to up-regulate the blood sugar levels. I offered cake and biscuits, but the athlete declined, insisting that he preferred mursik (locally prepared Kenyan milk). Evaluation Dietary behaviors are dissimilar in different cultures. I should have figured that out sooner. I ought to have thought of involving a close person in discussing the athlete's dietary prevalences before offering cakes and biscuits. This ought to have taken precedence right from the start. Analysis I had mixed feelings about the whole situation. I was more excited that embarrassed even after being yelled at. This was a plus for me in many ways. It formed the basis of my career. It made decide choose the career path that I have already taken. I made up my mind to undertake a diploma in nursing and learn about the management of diabetes and many other conditions. It also made me develop an interest in learning other cultures to position myself to work in a multilingual and multicultural set up in future. Conclusion My lack of proficiency in Swahili made me look like an amateur before the athlete. I will say that is a bad day at the office. However, I seek to learn from the events of that day to aid me make better judgments in future as I serve while enjoying a rare spectacle of athletes in person during sporting events. Action I promised myself to start private lessons under the supervision of the interpreter during my free time. Besides learning the local language, I also intend to dedicate some time and find out more about their culture, their food, healthcare seeking behaviors and any other information that will aid me to serve Swahili speaking athletes better in the future.