Changing American nurses' perspectives of Turkish culture through travel and dialog.

A group of registered nurses in the graduate nursing program at Lubbock Christian University and their instructor traveled to Turkey in 2008 and, through personal contact and dialog, changed their perspectives about the country and its people. As nursing educators we teach our students about cultural diversity and expect them to provide nursing care accordingly. The real test comes when they experience being in a foreign country and seeing its people in ordinary situations. In such sett ings, we oft en are unable to communicate because we don't know the language or understand the customs, religion, or beliefs. We didn't go to Turkey to practice nursing. No, we went observe, to learn, and simply to be in the experience. However, there was nothing simple about any of it. It is not easy describing the emotions evoked by being immersed in an Islamic culture. It is even somewhat mystifying to experience our own internal changes of perspective. My own knowledge about Turkey, Muslims, and the Islamic faith was limited to what I had heard and read in the media. I purposely did not att empt to educate myself before our trip in 2007, because experience has oft en been my best teacher. I did carry with me some doubt and skepticism-even a bit of suspicion. Our guides Att ila, Hadi, and Resul were three young Turkish men who were attending a university in our home town of Lubbock, Texas. "We want you to see another culture and another religion in practice." This was Att ila's simple explanation. It turned out to be this and so much more. Our trip to Turkey was less about health care and more about people- learning about people but also, and more importantly, learning from them. There was a strong focus on dialog, which simply stated is communication in order to understand. It is being interested in other people and their culture, country, way of life, and certainly their beliefs. The irony of dialog is that it can supersede language. Dialog serves as the key to the door that lies between us as people and as countries. Clarity comes as we realize that emotions, responses, and feelings share common ground. We saw how similar we are-probably more similar than we are different. AN AWE-INSPIRING JOURNEY THROUGH TURKEY Our journey began in Istanbul, the only city in the world that spans two continents (Europe and Asia), divided by the Bosporus Strait. We traveled to Izmir, where we had lunch with our sponsors in an outdoor restaurant on the shore of the beautiful Aegean Sea. We communicated with smiles, touches, and hugs, as well as through the interpreters. Our travels took us to Cappadocia where we climbed into ancient cone-shaped stone houses. We then went farther south to the land of Abraham at Urfa, about 10 miles from the Syrian border. We sat on tiny stools and had tea in a unique store where we bought lovely scarves. Our 11-day experience in Turkey changed our lives forever. The beauty of the country, the kindness of the people, and the uniqueness of the culture contributed to a rich experience in this land of ancient history. Graduate Nurses Respond to Their Experience in Turkey Three of the graduate students who went on the 2008 trip responded to a survey about their knowledge and beliefs about the people, culture, and religion of Turkey before and aft er the trip, and how their own nursing practice would be influenced by the experience. Describe Your Knowledge of Islam Before the Trip * I had very litt le knowledge of Muslims. I only knew what I heard in the media. We studied various beliefs in high school but I still knew very litt le about the Islamic faith. * I was worried about safety and being so close to Syria and Iraq. I guess I had stereotyped all Muslims as being filled with hate. I grew up Catholic and feel at a disadvantage in regards to knowledge about most religions. * Limited knowledge. I had negative att itude towards Muslims-not trusting. …