Pursuit of Happiness

Project 1: The Ice Breaker

Pursuit of Happiness

by Dewi Erita

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Dewi Erita. I am a college student at Universitas Indonesia, Faculty of Public Health. Today I’m going to talk about myself. Aristotle said that knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. If I can add that “knowing each other can make us feel like family”, right?

I was born and grown up in Bandung. Some people realize that I’m Sundanese from my accent when I speak Bahasa Indonesia. That might be correct. My parents came from West Sumatera. In my nuclear family, I am the first child. I have four siblings.

My first college is in health polytechnic, midwifery department. I learned Anatomy, Physiology, Pregnancy, Labour, and Child Care subject. In the first year, as a student, I did Health Basic Clinical Practice in Hospital. I still remembered several patients when I was in emergency room. There was woman came in weakness condition. Actually, she drank baygon, an anti mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches product. She was trying to suicide. Another patient, teenager, came with unconscious condition. Then about several hours, his heart stopped beating. In my second and third year, I did midwifery practice in Primary Health Care. As a student, I practiced how to help mother for giving birth. The great moment was when I saw big smile in woman who become mother after 9 months pregnant. I feel happy.

After graduate, I worked as a midwife. I was not enjoyed. I decided to resign. I was trying to find the job in another place. I applied for midwife job in many places in Bandung. I did selection then I failed. Then, I went to the other cities such as Sukabumi, Yogyakarta, Madiun, Depok, and Jakarta. I still haven’t got job.

When I was unemployed, I did many things such as joining writing club, following seminar, doing volunteer activity, and so on. I have many times to do my hobbies but I almost have no money. I keep trying to find the job whatever it is. Finally, I found it. I worked in famous boutique. After that, I moved and worked as a therapist. I feel bored.

I started asking myself about what my purpose of life, what I really want in this life. I just want to be useful for many people. I am interested in health so I decided to continue my study in public health. I am learning as a student again, meet great people, and went abroad. I am really happy.

Pursuit happiness is not easy. When I desperate and tired, I start to dwell on this statement:

“When you feel tired, run slowly, but don’t stop, just keep on running. Keep running to pursuit happiness.”

Thank you

Depok, May 24^th 2017

(This draft has been presented in UI Toastmasters Club on May 24th, 2017) 

Health for Us

Health for Us

by Dewi Erita

I woke up this morning, got out of bed, drank a glass of water, and went to the bathroom where I used the toilet, washed my hands, brushed my teeth, and took a bath. After I was ready to go, I walked out my door into the crisp clean air. I walked through the small way to the UI station and passed the forest. I got at LBI Depok about 20 minutes walking. I paid little attention to the “no smoking” signs at the entrance. I continued to step on the stairs until 4^th floor. I arrived safely in my well-ventilated class and got ready to learn English for Academic Purposes (EAP). It wasn’t a very eventful morning, but then it’s all in a morning’s work can explain health (Riegelman, 2010).

Hand washing largely eliminate the transmission of common bacterial disease, which so often killed the baby, toddler, and young people for centuries. Teeth brushing have made impact on our teeth and gums that is for dental health of children and adults. Walking as the role of exercise can reduce at least half in hearth disease. The physical environment such as improvement in quality of the air we breathe both outdoors and indoors is good for lung (Riegelman, 2010). Then, what is health?

In the past, health concern is about communicable disease such as common cold, pneumonia, measles, mumps, pertussis, typhoid, diarrhea and anything about physical health. Currently, health doesn’t only about physical thing. Based on WHO (1948), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. So, what affects health?

Health is affected by environment, lifestyle, medical care, and heredity. As we know that physician is to cure patient, nurse is to care patient, dentist is to cure teeth and gums, pharmacist is to provide drugs. All of that profession take care of  person individually. So, what does profession take care about many people? That is public health. What is public health?

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized community effort (Winslow, 1920). Public health work for population  health.

To conclude, there are several things that we are supposed to practice. Doing regular exercise such as sports, jogging, walking, and bicycling; hand washing after using toilet and before eating; teeth brushing twice a day; and avoid smoking. Health is a simple thing that we practice to do it everyday.

Depok, May 19th 2017

References:

Riegelman, R.K., 2010. Public health 101: healthy people - healthy populations. Jones & Bartlett Learning, Canada.

WHO, 1948. WHO Definition of Health [WWW Document]. URL http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html (accessed 1.6.17).

Winslow, C.E.A., 1920. The Untilled Fields of Public Health.

(This draft has been presented in EAP class at LBI UI Depok on May 20th, 2017)

Great Lives of Avicenna

Great Lives of Avicenna

by Dewi Erita

Hero is someone who is respected for doing something that has an effect for many people. Each person have their hero or heroin. However, there are agreement and disagreement about definition of real hero. For me, The Sheikh al-Ra’is Sharaf al-Mulk Abu ‘Ali al-Husayn ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali Ibn Sina is a hero. His life-story remains ill-documented. Yet, we can learn through his works.

Firstly, Ibn Sina or Avicenna (980-1037) was Persian Philosopher and Scientist. His most famous works are on philosophy and medicine. He is as the inventor of a medical encyclopedia, The Canon of Medicine, which became a reference source for medical studies in the universities in Europe until the end of the seventeenth century.

Secondly, Ibn Sina was educator. He taught on a practical level. Problems that faced is about truth, goodness, the nature of the world, the meaning of knowledge and human nature, and  so on. He wrote educational theory that practiced himself. For instance, there is chapter upbringing infants in his book.

Thirdly, he was a poet. His book, which is entitled Al Urjuzah Fi Al Tibb, is considered as a poetic summary of “The Book of Healing”. Structure and rhythm of poem aid transmitting and memorizing scientific and medical knowledge. Fourthly, UNESCO commemorated his birthday in 1980 for the 1000^th birth anniversary. This agency established Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science in 2002.

In conclusion, scientist are supposed to learn knowledge comprehensively. Learning medicine and society is one package. Doing practical thing and writing new knowledge is good for many people. So that, we can invent something that can be long-lasting.

                                                           

Depok, March 13^th, 2017

Reference:

http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/ibn-sinas-canon-medicine

accessed March 13^th, 2017 22.00