Importance Of Values In My Life

The values that resonate in my life are showing kindness, honesty, dignity, respect, hard work, dedication, being compassionate and valuing relationships. These values are embedded subconsciously through observing my grandparents, family, and friends. I spent 23 years of my life living with my parents and grandparents. My grandparents hailed to Mumbai from rural part of Maharashtra (state in India). My grandfather was a teacher and moved to Mumbai (India)to provide better opportunities for his children and brothers Growing up, even though my grandparents’ house was small, their hearts were big. My grandmother cooked for 40-50 people without a sigh. I feel connected and compassionate when I work with older adults as they remind me of my …show more content…
The impact of socioeconomic status on accessibility to health care, lifestyle, occupations, and basic amenities (food and shelter) is huge. I was born into a Hindu-Shimpi family; we are considered as lower caste in the Indian society. Since childhood, I was taught to be frugal and share with others. As a young girl, I was always fascinated by Barbie dolls and I wished I could have a Barbie doll like some of my other friends. My father used to work 12 hours shift to pay for my brother and my tuition. While my mother cooked, took care of us and my ailing grandparents. The middle class values of sharing, being frugal, honesty, being ambitious and aspire for a better life has been the driving force in my life. My father believed that through hard work we can achieve higher accomplishments. Had my parents not saved every single penny; I wouldn’t be able to get the best …show more content…
I had an experience working with a non-profit organization for homeless children in India. My heart would ache to observe these kids begging on the streets for food and money. Some of these kids never had an opportunity to go to a school or receive basic education. I worked closely with the educators and social worker to enroll these kids at a local school and provide housing at a local orphanage. Furthermore, my role as an occupational therapist was to assess these kids for learning disability, post-traumatic stress disorder, mental and/or physical disability, and provide interventions to help them succeed in their life. Some of these children had been through physical abuse resulting in head injury or difficulty walking due to broken bones. I provided therapy intervention to help them with walking using a mobility device or cognitive interventions to address impaired attention, sequencing, and memory. Most instances, these children would feel socially isolated and anxious. The social worker and myself would collaborate to provide training on life skills, social training and emotional support to these children. In my experience of working with these underprivileged children and looking at their happy smiling faces even in the worst of the situation has instilled a sense of resilience and positive attitude towards life. I aim to be optimist and positive