met an elderly patient that was receiving help. I was assigned to sit by him. I just sat with him, listened to
his stories, and kept him company. Even though I couldn't understand most of the things he was saying, I
could hear in his voice an air of sadness and loss, the transparent look in his eye made me feel the sense of
the void he was feeling internally. Slowly I put together the pieces, he had lost his wife in an accident, and
was now did not have much reason to live. I don't know how long it was, but I stayed with him, and tried to
show him my understanding and desire to support him. By sharing feelings and being empathetic I think is
one of the most meaningful ways to make strong connections with others, and this idea that I came to hold
in Japan is one that I carry with me always.

But nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. In the middle of my exchange program
in Japan, I was immersed in the March 11, 2011 earthquake. In those dangerous moments, I willed myself
to keep steady. Walking around the streets of Shinjuku I was struck by the level of calm that was
maintained by the people. Going out to the local food stores I was very surprised to see stores were mostly
cleared of all pertinent food supplies, a clear indicator that people were getting ready for the worst. To me it
was a display of maintaining composure and doing the most within one’s ability to make best of a troubling
situation. It really instilled in me a similar feeling as I no longer felt any extravagant fear and just accepted
things for what they were and wanting to not allow it to negatively affect me.

On the night before my flight back to the U.S., I reflected on all these experiences and had the
conscious realization that I was leaving with a different flow of thought. I grew to discover that all of my
life experiences – from my time in Japan to my family life to my college studies – have shaped what I
define to be harmony and its key importance in leading a fulfilling life. I feel that I have a clearer
perception of myself and moreover, I see harmony as the foundation for the life I want to build as a doctor
and a human being.

Work Cited:
Benedict, Ruth. Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1989. Print.

Yukichi Fukuzawa, David Dilworth. An Outline of a Theory of Civlization. New York: Columbia
University Press, 2009. Print.

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