The end of the novel was very open ended and vague. After a long description of the ceremony and tradition that the Twiv Neeb performs, we were left with no answer as to whether Lia would be saved and her soul would be found. While I was disappointed that there was not a concrete answerContinue reading Chapter 19th and Book Overview
Unnatural Causes: Becoming American
This weeks documentary episode “Becoming American” discusses immigrants and their experience coming to America. It introduces the idea that immigrants may be healthier than US citizens and when they arrive in the US, but after spending time here, their health quickly declines. In the words of the documentary, the health that immigrants arrive to theContinue reading Unnatural Causes: Becoming American
Chapters 17 & 18
Chapter 17 continues to discuss the Lee’s experience with their daughters devastating medical state. Again, it reiterates the extent that the Lee’s are disappointed with the medical system in America. I thought the chapter summarized the novel perfectly on page 253 when it said, “director of MCMC’s Family Practice Residency Program, once told me thatContinue reading Chapters 17 & 18
Unnatural Causes: Place Matters
This documentary episode titled, “Place Matters” focused on environmental determinants of health and how important the location of where one lives is to an individual’s health outcomes. The video touched on a lot of the same ideas as the textbook such as access to resources such as healthy food, safe housing, desirable establishments, walkability ofContinue reading Unnatural Causes: Place Matters
Chapters 15 & 16
Chapter 15 gives us insight into Lia and her families life years after she is released from the hospital. When Lia left the hospital, the doctors were convinced that she had little time left to live, however, in this chapter we see her life years later where she is still alive, contrary to the doctorsContinue reading Chapters 15 & 16
Chapters 13 & 14
Chapter 13 continues to tell the details of Lia’s story and experience in the hospital. More specifically, it discusses her final days in the hospital and how they are addressing her medical condition. The chapter also discusses death and how the Hmong people address someone in their culture dying. I thought the tradition of bringingContinue reading Chapters 13 & 14
Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and in Wealth
Why are we as a society allowing something as important as someone’s life be determine by class? This documentary episode dives into multiple different storylines that show trends in poverty level and health. The main idea that I took away from the anecdotes told was that people’s health conditions are not coincidence, they are aContinue reading Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and in Wealth
Chapters 11 and 12
Chapter 11 was eye opening and eventful. Lia experienced another seizure, but it was more serious and life threatening than the ones she had in the past. I thought that after reading about Lia´s seizures over and over again, I would become used it, but this chapter was upsetting. Her seizure lasted 2 hours whichContinue reading Chapters 11 and 12
Chapter 9 and 10
Chapter 9 discusses Lia’s homecoming and the traditional celebration that came with it. The main Hmong tradition discussed is animal sacrifice, in this particular case, sacrificing a cow. They sacrifice the cow because it is a “sacred act performed with “respect and reverence’” and to Lia’s benefit, it will “bolster her health”. The importance ofContinue reading Chapter 9 and 10
Field Trip Blog Post
In lieu of the field trip to the Valentine Museum, I attended the “Inclusive Excellence” lecture on campus. The overarching idea that we discussed that stuck with me when leaving the lecture was “What is it like to be me? And, what is it like to be you?” There were many different groups on campusContinue reading Field Trip Blog Post
