Growing up as the only child, I can vividly recall some of the difficult times my parents and I (mostly my parents) had to endure while living in the Philippines. We lived a modest lifestyle in Manila while both my parents worked as teachers in the public school system. In the Philippines, there is no designated neighborhood park for each community district; rather there is a centralize park where my parents would take me to every two to three weeks. However, that suddenly stopped when our family's financial condition turned for the worst during the mid-1970s embargo on oil and gas. Prices for rent, goods, and services skyrocketed, and my parents began to scramble for money just to put food on the table and to find alternative ways to pay
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To my parent's dismay, they could not get hired as teachers. Instead, my mother found work in the old Dole Cannery as a packer, while my father worked at a pig slaughterhouse. They had given up their lives for me so that I could receive a better life and education along with a roof over my head. Although a neighborhood park was nearby, we as a family could not enjoy it together due to my parents varying work schedule. One of the main reasons why I value any precious time I have with my parents. As a bedside nurse, I can empathize that the experience of not being near your loved one, especially during an illness, can inflict emotional toll for both the patient and their loved ones. In the Pacific Islander culture, various family members often congregate around their sick relative, thus as a nurse, I've learned to accept and respect this cultural belief, and I often accommodate this practice to some extent. However, in a case where two patients share a room, I also need to protect the genuine interest of the other patient by providing them a safe and quiet environment for healing thereby learning another skill, …show more content…
That is when I decided to enlist in the military with the hopes of being able to use the GI Bill. My original plan was to only to join for six years, but as time passed by, six years turned into 12 years, and 12 years turned into 21 years. During my 21 years in the military, I've enjoyed the luxury of learning and earning a degree in various trades, as a surveyor, an architectural draftsman, a paramedic and finally as an associate degree registered nurse; taking advantage of the Army's old slogan, "Be all that you can be." The military taught me to strive for the best, however, after 21 years of not earning a Bachelor Degree, I was asked to retire early, learning the hard way in the importance of achieving a higher-level education. Consequently, this is one of the main reasons why I am back in school trying to earn my Bachelor Degree in Nursing. Being a member of the military also came with a price. I have experienced my share of long deployments, sometimes to a combat zone, taking me away from the safety of my family for months at a time. While deployed, I have seen some of my colleagues get physically injured in combat and seen others experience emotional scars after watching the horrors of war unfold in front of them. During these combat deployments, a strong bond of friendship and camaraderie often forms. Some may willingly risk their lives so that I, or the
To my parent's dismay, they could not get hired as teachers. Instead, my mother found work in the old Dole Cannery as a packer, while my father worked at a pig slaughterhouse. They had given up their lives for me so that I could receive a better life and education along with a roof over my head. Although a neighborhood park was nearby, we as a family could not enjoy it together due to my parents varying work schedule. One of the main reasons why I value any precious time I have with my parents. As a bedside nurse, I can empathize that the experience of not being near your loved one, especially during an illness, can inflict emotional toll for both the patient and their loved ones. In the Pacific Islander culture, various family members often congregate around their sick relative, thus as a nurse, I've learned to accept and respect this cultural belief, and I often accommodate this practice to some extent. However, in a case where two patients share a room, I also need to protect the genuine interest of the other patient by providing them a safe and quiet environment for healing thereby learning another skill, …show more content…
That is when I decided to enlist in the military with the hopes of being able to use the GI Bill. My original plan was to only to join for six years, but as time passed by, six years turned into 12 years, and 12 years turned into 21 years. During my 21 years in the military, I've enjoyed the luxury of learning and earning a degree in various trades, as a surveyor, an architectural draftsman, a paramedic and finally as an associate degree registered nurse; taking advantage of the Army's old slogan, "Be all that you can be." The military taught me to strive for the best, however, after 21 years of not earning a Bachelor Degree, I was asked to retire early, learning the hard way in the importance of achieving a higher-level education. Consequently, this is one of the main reasons why I am back in school trying to earn my Bachelor Degree in Nursing. Being a member of the military also came with a price. I have experienced my share of long deployments, sometimes to a combat zone, taking me away from the safety of my family for months at a time. While deployed, I have seen some of my colleagues get physically injured in combat and seen others experience emotional scars after watching the horrors of war unfold in front of them. During these combat deployments, a strong bond of friendship and camaraderie often forms. Some may willingly risk their lives so that I, or the