Knowing about myself....through others

I asked my two bestest friends a few months ago, how they would describe me. It was an interesting and an eye-opening discussion. This was a reciprocal discussion and wasn't completely self-absorbed😛

Three things my friend would say about it are that

I am passionate person: When it comes to a hobby , a cause I am interested in, they would say they can see my face glow. my friends often hear a lot about it. To give you a few examples, I am passionate about global work and local volunteering work I do. I dont know how many times my friends heard about the trip I've gone to; First Nations reserve, Haiti, Mexico and the fantastic experiences and the work I did with such a diverse community. 

 So my friend would say that yeah, I put myself out there and passionate about my studies, my hobbies, and volunteer work...but I also take the chance to take a break and listen to them. I know when it is appropriate to sit back and listen. I am usually the friend they first come to when they are in an adverse situation. Just a few months ago my friend.. was distraught about a family circumstanc and I lend them an ear. 

Lastly, they consider me to be a perceptive individual. This quality was something that was not new to me and I knew well in fact that it has helped me in my personal life by building strong relationships with those around me; being a supportive friend. When I leapt into a new environment at Haiti, One of the biggest challenges she faced was communicating with patients and make connections with them, navigate my daily life in Haiti.
When you try to have a conservation with someone who doesn’t speak your language you learn how to communicate non-verbally quite well. I was paying more attention to nonverbal cues people there gave me, body language, facial expressions, interpret their voice. I guess I learned to put in an extra effort to show my kindness and willingness to care. I believe that this has helped me demonstrate empathy and show compassionI became more mindful of my own actions, as I had to be sensitive to cultural differences in order to avoid acting in a way that'll make them uncomfortable.

Through this manner, I place value on relating to people. I try to question to seek deeper understanding of this person rather than accepting things at face value and I truly believe that this strength of mine can go a long way in my professional career, because it is crucial to be attentive to your patients, allow them to be more forthcoming. I guess I am more confident as I would be interacting directly with patients in the upcoming months.