A FIRST-PERSON NARRATIVE: WALKING TO SCHOOL

DESI’s First-Person Narrative:
It occurred to me about how the W-shaped model can be applied to situations outside of ethnic and cultural boundaries. My example is a car accident that left my brother in a coma for two weeks. When he came to, the doctor discovered that Ryan was paralyzed from the waist down. When I heard the news I was filled with tears, fear, and shock. I could not believe my outgoing brother would never walk again or have children. I had a hard time looking at him in the hospital without crying or feeling angry. Why him? What if he had not driven that night? What if it was me who was driving?

My family and I learned to use humor to get through the most difficult three months Ryan was in the hospital. We sat in the Intensive Care Unit and joked with all our visitors, and I even joked with Ryan a lot about things that could only be funny to the two of us. I tried to cheer him up, and cheer myself up in return. To get through it, I took everything in like a sponge, absorbing any knowledge of Ryan’s injury and the situation. I researched paralysis and became an “expert” on the subject. My parents looked to me for information and advice. It was really a more positive way for me to handle my beloved brother’s devastating situation.

Through the months that I spent visiting the hospital, it became a second home for me. It was not only a place to visit Ryan, but also where I visited family and friends, a study hall, and a place to eat. I soon blended right in with all the staff there. I knew many people—their names, their hobbies, their quirks—including the doctors, nurses, therapists, and cafeteria staff (as well as others by face). When Ryan was transferred to a rehabilitation clinic, I went back to school and spent more time on campus.

Coming back to school was so difficult. I no longer felt like I belonged there. Everyone had continued their lives as before, while I had undergone a major life-changing event. My whole outlook on life changed. It was as if my eyes were finally opened for the first time and I took a long hard look at my life priorities. On the way to class I thought about the blessing that existed in being able to WALK there, while everyone around me was stressed out about their homework assignments, social life, and dating life ... and the matters I used to think were very important became less important. To be able to walk with my two legs matters to me now, and to have a healthy body matters to me ... to have my beloved parents and brother to talk to matters to me. Everything pales by comparison. And to think, my experience in all this was just as a sister.

INTERACTIVE PROBES
(Ask yourself and probe your classmates’ reactions)
(NOTE: See “Chapter 5 Class Handouts” for a printable form containing these questions.)

1. What are your feelings and reactions to this story?

2. To what extent can you relate to Desi’s story and experience? Do you have a similar story to share?

3. Do you find the W-Shaped Adjustment Model useful in interpreting and understanding the story? How so?

4. Thinking of your own life transition or transformation stories and the stories of others, if you could make some changes to the W-Shaped Adjustment Model, what would you recommend?

FURTHER APPLICATION PROBES

Let’s apply some Chapter 5 concepts to these stories:

1. When Desi first learned of her brother’s accident, she describes her feelings as “tears, fear, and shock.” According to the ABC’s of culture shock, she is describing the ____________ dimension of disorientation, which includes feelings of anxiety, bewilderment, and confusion.
    a. affective
    b. adaptation
    c. acculturation
    d. alienation

2. Desi eventually becomes quite comfortable in the hospital environment, becoming familiar with many hospital employees, and using the hospital as a place to eat, study, and visit others. This describes the aspect of ______________ adjustment, which refers to the ability to fit in and execute appropriate and effective interactions in a new cultural environment.
    a. assimilation
    b. sociocultural
    c. psychological
    d. voluntary

4. Desi’s U.S. school experience and her U.S. hospital experience indicate that one can still experience culture shock even though _______________ factors, such as language and values, are very small.
    a. affective
    b. enculturation
    c. cultural distance
    d. cultural display rules

5. When Desi first returned to school after her brother’s accident, what stage of the W-shaped adjustment model was she in?
    a. Hostility
    b. In-sync adjustment
    c. Reentry culture shock
    d. Resocialiation

6. In the final paragraph, Desi describes her feelings and thoughts upon returning to school. According to the description of three types of returnees in Chapter 5, what type of returnee does Desi seem to be?
    a. Alienated returnee
    b. Resocialized returnee
    c. Proactive returnee