Posted on November 21, 2014
Source: Jamin Addae
Hi everyone, I am Jamin Addae, a physician from Ghana and an MPH student at Hopkins. I am currently working with Sisters Together and Reaching (STAR) as an HIV and HCV counsellor. Initially, I was a little apprehensive about working with all these new people who were of different cultures than I am used to. I used to ask myself “What if I don’t ask the right questions? What if my comments come off differently than I intended? Will I ever get used to all these new experiences?”
However, in the mist of all this doubt, my desire to help the community and the subtle yearn to explore my new environment and take in the culture motivated me to face the challenge. Generation Tomorrow offers me the opportunity to reach out to the inner parts of Baltimore where my daily commuting would not have taken me.
I have not yet achieved amazing things yet at STAR due to scheduling circumstances. However, my interaction with all the wonderful people there on my first day made me feel very comfortable and welcome. I am looking forward to immersing myself fully in all of STAR’s activities and creating a special bond with my clients there.
One thing I learned during my Generation Tomorrow training as a counsellor was to actively listen whilst paying attention to non-verbal cues even though it could be very tempting to interrupt and make my opinion known. Since I started practicing this, I have become a better listener and hope to use this skill beyond Generation Tomorrow.
