a speaking engagement


medical stuff has never been of any interest to me.

During our pre-school graduation, we were made to walk to the middle of the stage and proudly say what we dream of becoming when we grow up. There was the usual programme and awarding, together with a song and dance presentation. I can vividly remember the stage background was that of the big shoe house and that one by one, we eagerly waited for our turn to be in front of the microphone stand. Graduation is almost always a proud moment for everyone. I can recall most of my classmates if not all had almost the same answers on what they want to be when they grow up.

I want to be a nurse, says one tall girl, who I remember to sport straight long hair. I want to be a doctor, says one bully boy in our batch. Further on, there were three more kids who had the same dream of becoming a doctor. If my memory serves me right, I think we were about 30 graduating pre-schoolers and more than half of the batch wanted to be either a nurse or a doctor. Others answered they wanted to be teachers, engineers and even a priest for one . When it was about my turn, the girl in front of me hesitantly said in a low pitched tone -- I want to be a scientist. Beforehand, I knew what I was going to say, as we were told about this a week before graduation as well as in our rehearsals.

So when I was in front of the microphone, I excitedly and proudly shouted -- when I grow up, I want to be a COWBOY!!!

Be it in utter amazement or in undeniable shock, I was standing in front of parents who either had their jaws dropped or eyebrows raised. I had a glimpse of my dad giving that okay thumb sign while nodding his head and beside him was my mom sporting a bemused smile with eyes getting bigger as her lips spread wider. I knew for sure I had a unique answer but was confused about the mixed reactions it drew. Cowboys are always portrayed as the "good guys" in movies as opposed to Indians -- this answer should have been explained if we were given the opportunity at that time. From that day on, I knew for certain that I didn't have any interest at all in any medical field, even if my parents had encouraged me to study medicine so I can find a cure for my being hemophilic.

I went on to study architecture as there were no courses offered for one to be a cowboy.

When I visited Mandaue a couple of weeks ago, I bumped into our good neighbor Tynie. She invited me to be a lecturer for her PT class, to which I was not able to say no. Tynie gave me a book on physical therapy, which I read a week before the scheduled date. I never expected to find myself studying a medical book, much more understanding the medical terms and stuff. But I have to -- since I would not want to shame myself. So last week, I found myself speaking in front of medical students and a couple of medical faculty members. Actually, they were physical therapists from the Cebu Institute of Medicine. I wore a clean white polo which blended with the white uniform medical students wear.

I delivered my insights, through an architect's point of view, on how to go about creating a physical therapy center.

For a little over an hour, I was standing on a platform, microphone in hand, talking about architectural processes needed in a medical facility. Lecturing about the factors to consider, components in construction, area computations, planning stages, designing phases and all other architectural stuff -- from plumbing and lighting, to the materials and even the decor. There was a good exchange of questions and answers after the lecture, which I definitely learned a lot from. I know I don't have enough knowledge in physical therapy, but I have had personal experiences in going through physical therapy itself. My studies in architecture sure did come in handy, all the insights coming out of my mouth were all stocked knowledge and based on a few experiences in the industry.

I may never have like the medical stuff, but for once, I have tried to understand it in order to come up with a good hour of lecture. It was a fulfilling speaking engagement.


final dose:
thanks to tynie for the opportunity and for the token as well
thanks also to the PT department of CIM for the free lunch

 

posted by A.Cortes on 5:02 AM under ,

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