By: Willa

Identity Portfolio

My Family Tree

My Life’s Achievement ! “Lu  Bing,”  my  name  boomed  out  from  the  microphone.  My  stomach  gave  a  slight  flip-­‐flop  as  I  anxiously  took  a  deep  breath  and  stood  up  from  the  front  row.  Waves  of  emotions  and  thoughts  crossed  my  mind.  What  if  I  trip  when  I  walk  up  the  stairs?  What  if  I’m  not  even  supposed  to  be  here?  My  stomach  felt  more  and  more  heavy  like  thousands  of  fluttering  butterflies  swarming  everywhere.  No,  no,  no!  I  am  supposed  to  be  in  the  Great  Hall  of  People,  in  Beijing,  and  receive  the  Florence  Nightingale  Medal  from  the  Chairman  of  China!  Everything  will  be  perfect...  I  thought  confidently,  sashaying  upstage  with  my  head  poised  high  and  shoulders  back.     With  each  step  I  took,  the  beaming  chairman  seemed  to  come  closer.  From  barely  a  meter  away,  his  gelled  inky  black  hair  seemed  to  be  turning  vaguely  silver-­‐gray  at  the  edges.  His  warm  chocolate-­‐colored  eyes  behind  those  thick  black  glasses  seemed  to  bore  into  mine.  Taking  a  swift  glance  out  at  the  crowd  of  audience,  I  recognized  several  major  officials  gawking  up  at  me  with  their  curious  eyes,  and  distinguish  their  barely  audible  murmuring.  Inhaling  the  intoxicating  fragrance  of  my  Chanel  5  perfume,  my  knees  felt  like  jelly.  The  blinding  spotlights  gleaming  onto  me  didn’t  make  me  feel  any  better.  My    mouth  tasted  dry  and  my  lips  were  chapped.  I  knew  I  should’ve  applied  my  cherry-­‐flavored  good  lucky  Chapstick!  My  eyes  automatically  squeezed  shut;  I  wiped  my  sweaty  palms  onto  my  knee-­‐length  skirt,    and  took  one  final  deep  breath.  Here  I  go.     My  heart  skipped  a  beat  as  the  reassuringly  cool  metal  surface  touched  the  tip  of  my  fingers  and  soon  placed  itself  onto  my  clammy  hand.  Thunderous  applauding,  roars  of  the  crowd,  and  camera  flashlights  snapping.  Chairman  Jiang  Zhe  Ming  congratulated  me,  and  extended  his  hand.  Without  hesitating,  I  gratefully  slipped  my  hand  in  his  and  shook.  Our  eyes  interlocked  for  just  a  few  seconds,  but  I  could  tell  that  he  appeared  to  be  proud  of  me.  The  butterflies  in  my  stomach  instantly  flew  away,  a  thrilled  smile  immediately  stretched  across  my  face.  Pride,  that’s  all  I  could  think  of.  All  those  years  of  hard  work  finally  paid  off  today.  Tears  of  pure  happiness  stung  the  back  of  my  eyes.  My  whole  life  devotion  to  my  nursing  career  could  not  be  described  in  words.  

Interview Q and A Questions  for  Grandma:  

• How  did  this  impact  your  life?  • Do  you  regret  any  decisions  you  have  made?  • Were  anyone  else  watching  or  supporting  you?  • Did  your  actions  affect  anyone  else?  Like  ME  or  your  family?  • What  caused  this  event  to  happen?  • What  is  your  strongest  memory  of  this  event?  • What  kind  of  feelings  did  you  have  when  the  medal  was  placed  into  your  

hands?  • Was  there  always  a  role  model  that  you  looked  up  to  OR  did  you  just  do  

what  you  felt  like  was  right?  • Did  you  gain  or  loose  anything?  If  so  what?  • What  happened  after  the  event?  • What  did  medal  giver  say  to  you?  

Answers  from  Grandma:• Getting  the  Nightingale  Medal  didn’t  impact  my  life  too  much  because  I  was  

already  a  superintendent/  chief  director  of  the  nursing  department  in  Shanghai  Number  6  Hospital.  But  it  still  makes  me  feel  good  to  be  recognized  and  an  example  for  all  the  young  health  care  workers.

• I  don’t  regret  any  decisions  I  made  throughout  this  experience  and  am  very  proud  of  myself  because  this  Nightingale  Medal  is  the  highest  recognition  a  nurse  can  get.  This  medal  is  only  given  out  every  two  years  to  fifty  nurses  all  around  the  world,  it  has  brought  honor  to  me,  China,  and  our  nursing  community.  

• People  who  were  watching  and  supporting  me  were  Jiang  Zhe  Ming-­‐  president  of  China,  my  whole  family,  Shanghai  Nursing  Association,  doctors  around  the  world,  and  other  Chinese  citizens  since  the  ceremony  was  played  on  TV  later.  

• I  think  achieving  this  medal  has  made  my  family  more  proud  of  me,  and  devote  themselves  more  to  health  care.  

• I  think  getting  this  medal  happened  because  I  served  and  saved  many  patients  in  Shanghai  and  mountain  areas  in  Guizhou  with  care  and  knowledge.  

• The  most  memorable  moment  was  when  Jiang  Zhe  Ming  handed  the  medal  into  my  hands.  I  had  a  wave  of  strong  emotions.  

• I  felt  like  after  all  those  years,  I  deserved  this  medal.  • When  I  was  in  nursing  school,  the  American  teachers  taught  us  to  look  up  to  

Florence  Nightingale.  So  for  my  whole  life,  I  treated  all  my  patients  well  just  like  Florence.  Sometimes  when  I  was  going  through  difficulties,  I  thought  about  what  Florence  would  do,  and  tried  to  do  the  right  thing.  

• The  first  day  I  went  to  nursing  school,  they  taught  us  about  nurse  ethics.  The  American  teachers  told  us  all  about  Florence  Nightingale,  and  told  us  to  look  up  to  her,  so  from  then  on,  my  whole  life  I  did  what  I  thought  Florence  would  do.  

• I  earned  more  honor  and  respect  than  ever,  and  became  a  teacher  in  nursing  school.  But  what  I  lost  was  the  time  for  my  family,  because  I  was  so  busy  taking  care  of  my  patients,  educating  the  young  nurses.  I  devoted  more  of  my  time  to  my  career  that’s  why  I  had  limited  time  for  my  family.  

• After  the  event,  all  the  major  chinese  newspapers  interviewed  me,  and  the  ceremony  was  played  on  CCTV  1  and  other  important  news  channels.  Everyone  was  talking  about  this  event.  

• Jiang  Zhe  Ming-­‐  president  of  China  congratulated  me  first,  and  told  me  that  I  had  set  an  example  for  all  chinese  people.  

5  General  Questions:  • How  old  were  you  when  you  got  the  medal?  • Did  you  say  anything  when  you  got  the  medal?  • Who  shook  your  hand  and  gave  you  the  medal?  • What  kind  of  outfit  were  you  wearing  then?  • Were  any  important  people  at  the  ceremony?  • What  was  the  exact  date  and  time  you  got  the  medal?  

5  General  Answers:  • 65• No  one  could  talk  when  we  got  the  medal• Jiang  Zhe  Ming-­‐  president  of  China  • A  navy  blue  blouse  and  a  navy  blue  skirt  • President  of  China,  and  all  the  officials• 1997  September  2nd,  around  2:00  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  

5  Specific  Questions:  • What  was  the  first  thought  that  popped  into  your  head?  • How  did  the  audience  react  when  you  got  the  medal?  (applause?)• Where  did  the  ceremony  take  place/  what  were  your  surroundings  like?  • Who  was  in  the  audience?  Were  your  family  and  friends  there?    • Did  any  of  your  other  colleagues  get  the  medal  too?  Any  strangers?  

5  Specific  Questions:  • The  first  thing  that  popped  into  my  head  was  ‘There’s  nothing  to  regret  in  

my  life’  • The  audience  applauded  really  loud  and  cheered  for  me• This  event  took  place  at  Great  Hall  of  the  People,  Beijing,  China• The  Red  Cross  Shanghai  branch  and  many  more  chinese  officials  were  in  the  

audience.  None  of  my  family  or  friends  went,  but  they  watched  me  on  TV.  • There  were  four  other  nurses  from  different  provinces  that  also  received  the  

medal

Research Notes• Medal  is  for  excellence  in  nursing• For  female  nurses  only,  until  1912,  they  gave  it  out  to  both  gender• Voluntary  nurses  for  the  red  cross  institution• Honor  nurses  in  time  of  war  or  difficulties• Helped  exceptional  devotion  to  the  wounded,  sick,  or  disabled  • A  civilian  victims  of  a  conflict  or  disaster  • Given  out  every  two  years  to  nurses  all  around  the  world• International  Committee  of  the  Red  Cross  • Highest  international  distinction  that  can  be  awarded  to  a  nurse• Occasion  of  International  Nurses  Day  is  on  Florence  Nightingale’s  Birthday  

(May  12)  to  honor  her• ICRC  medal  looks  back  at  100  years  of  nursing  excellence  from  all  around  the  

world  

EpilogueThis  story  was  based  on  my  Grandma,  Lu  Bing’s,  personal  experience.  I  wrote  this  story  for  a  Humanities  project,  but  I  think  it’s  worth  it  because  now  my  Grandma’s  own  story  can  be  told  again.  It  was  September  2nd  1997,  around  two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  she  received  the  Florence  Nightingale  Medal  in  The  Great  Hall  of  People,  Beijing,  China.  The  Florence  Nightingale  Medal  is  a  medal  given  out  by  the  International  Red  Cross  Institution  every  two  years  to  fifty  nurses  around  the  world  for  excellence  in  nursing.  Even  after  all  these  years  later,  my  Grandma  still  clearly  remembers  the  moment  when  she  received  the  medal.  Right  now,  she’s  living  in  Shanghai,  China.

Bibliography "Florence  Nightingale  Medal."  Wikipedia.  Wikimedia  Foundation,  17  Oct.  2012.  Web.  06  Nov.  2012.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale_Medal>.

"International  Committee  of  the  Red  Cross."  Wikipedia.  Wikimedia  Foundation,  11  May  2012.  Web.  06  Nov.  2012.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Committee_of_the_Red_Cross>.

"Medals  and  Badges."  British  Red  Cross.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  06  Nov.  2012.  <http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-­‐us/Who-­‐we-­‐are/Museum-­‐and-­‐archives/Collections/Medals-­‐and-­‐badges>.

"Florence  Nightingale  Medal."  Florence  Nightingale  Medal.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  06  Nov.  2012.  <http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/5qmkdb.htm>.

"Florence  Nightingale  Medal:  2009  Recipients."  Florence  Nightingale  Medal:  2009  Recipients.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  06  Nov.  2012.  <http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/florence-­‐nightingale-­‐medal-­‐nominations-­‐120509.htm>.

"Florence  Nightingale  Medal:  2009  Recipients."  Florence  Nightingale  Medal:  2009  Recipients.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  06  Nov.  2012.  <http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/florence-­‐nightingale-­‐medal-­‐nominations-­‐120509.htm>.

"Florence  Nightingale  Medal:  A  Century  of  Nursing  Excellence."  Florence  Nightingale  Medal:  A  Century  of  Nursing  Excellence.  N.p.,  n.d.  Web.  06  Nov.  2012.  <http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/photo-­‐gallery/2012/nightingale-­‐award-­‐centennial-­‐photo-­‐gallery-­‐2012-­‐05-­‐12.htm>.

Reflection Working  on  this  project,  I  found  out  most  of  my  family  member’s  names,  birthdays,  place  of  birth,  where  they  live  now,  and  a  historical  event  they  went  through.  The  most  interesting  experience  I  found  was  my  Grandma  receiving  the  Nightingale  Medal.  Looking  at  all  those  significant  events  my  family  members  experienced,  I  feel  really  proud.  I  thought  doing  this  project  was  really  important  because  now  we  know  more  about  our  family  and  can  tell  their  stories  to  our  kids.  I  enjoyed  the  project  overall,  but  what  stood  out  to  me  the  most  was  writing  the  actual  historical  narrative  because  it  was  a  fun  experience  playing  around  with  new  sentences.  At  first,  I  was  unable  to  interview  my  Grandma  because  she  was  so  busy  all  the  time,  but  I  overcame  it  by  booking  a  time  for  her  to  come  over  for  a  face-­‐to-­‐face  interview.  Just  a  few  days  ago,  I  read  my  personal  narrative  from  September,  and  found  many  careless  grammar  mistakes.  I  think  I  improved  a  lot  as  a  writing  after  getting  suggestions  from  Ms.  Bui,  my  family,  and  friends.  To  future  students,  I  would  advice  you  to  listen  to  your  teacher  and  follow  each  step  they  tell  you,  this  might  not  seem  like  much  but  it’s  a  lot!