Reflections of My Trip to China as a Delegate in the Ambassador-to-Ambassador Program – October 2007
Traveling to China with 40 orthodontists was the experience of a lifetime. After all, how many opportunities do you have to climb the Great Wall of China while discussing flossing?
The dentistry and orthodontics were surprisingly modern with a traditional Chinese medicine twist. They would use modern digital radiography coupled with acupuncture and herb tea for infections. There are 400 dental schools in China right now and just as the economy has grown, the number of private dental clinics is expected to sky-rocket in the next few years.
The students at the dental schools I visited were eager to hear of new techniques and technologies in the field. They are very eager to learn and just as eager to teach others. The dental school in Guilin was so appreciative of my lecture on TMJ treatment, they applauded non stop and served us native food delicacies like deep fried scorpions. The goal of this trip was to share knowledge and exchange ideas with my Chinese counterparts and dental students. Just as they learned of our cutting edge techniques and technologies, I better understood the way “low tech” items such as tea, herbs and dried insects can be used in treatment.
During my trip, I had time to visit Hong Kong, Bejing, Guilin, and Shanghai. Along the way, I made several new friends, including an older couple from Mongolia who was sitting on a bench at the Forbidden City putting their arms around me for a picture and an elderly man with birds attached to his long pole for fishing on the Li River. Everyone I met was open and friendly. Another impression was the contrast between modern buildings and old, historic ones. These buildings seemed to be a physical reminder of the increasing dichotomy in China – becoming an economic power while holding on to their historical role in the world. While they plan and build for the Olympics with fantastic structures, the traffic is at a stand-still and many people still bike to get around the cities.
One of my favorite places we visited was the elementary school in Guilin. Amazingly, you could transplant those kids to the U.S. as they were acting just like our own elementary school students. Their bright smiles and appreciative demeanor would not be soon forgotten and made me realize that we are all very similar even if we live in different parts of the world!
I can't wait to return........
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