Cultural Blooper

2.19.09

Last week EC78 (the 78th PCV group to serve in the eastern Caribbean) had its first in-service training. This training is held two times over the course of our stay in St. Lucia. Anyhow, on our first day of IST our PC trainer had us share some of the cultural bloopers we as volunteers experienced during our first 6 months in St. Lucia. Some people shared experiences about getting on buses just after having a Lucian shower (getting caught in a torrential down pour without an umbrella) and having the driver curse under his breathe the whole way home; experiences of forgetting to open a meeting with a prayer; and stories of how accepting a crate of fruit from a male community member can make him think you are going to go to bed with him. There wasn’t much for me to contribute to the bloopers wall… until today, that is. In fact, my cultural blooper came with great consequence, and has lead to a doctor who has been seeing volunteers for 27 years no longer being willing to treat Peace Corps Volunteers!

Several months ago I went to see the doctor for the treatment of an ongoing headache I was having. It was my first doctor visit in St. Lucia, and a bizarre one, at that. First, the doctor asked me the details of my ailment; nothing out of the ordinary yet. Next, she proceeded to check my throat, eyes and nose; still nothing unusual. Things go a little strange when the doctor asked me to remove my shirt. With hesitation I did so, but I was very uncomfortable, and I was confused as to why she was asking me to do so. She pressed on my abdomen a little, then asked me to remove my bra, too. The request was met with no explanation as to why I should do so, I was given no cover, and it was obvious that she did not intend on leaving the room while I undressed. Naturally, I was shocked by the nature of her request, thus asked her to repeat herself, “You want me to remove my bra, too?,” I said with surprise in my voice. She confirmed, “Yes.” I feeling very uncomfortable with the request, as I had no understanding of why she was asking me to disrobe, so I asked her, “Why do you want me to remove my bra?” Clearly offended, she responded, “Well, I was just going to check your breast for you, but I don’t have to!” I told her “No, I don’t see that its necessary; I just have a headache!” I left the office that day feeling that the incident was mighty peculiar and I ran the scenario by one of my supervisors, whom is Lucian. She confirmed that the procedure was normal.

Nevertheless, my response to her turned out to be extremely offensive and led to her decision to no longer care for Peace Corps Volunteers, after 27 years of service! Apparently, it is uncommon for patients to question doctors in this culture, and in fact, it is viewed as a questioning of their expertise. It is normal for doctors to give you a complete physical for anything, no matter the ailment; this is actually better service than we get back home. Additionally it is not customary for female doctors to give a cover or leave the room for female clients.

This has been my largest cultural blooper, and I feel awful about it. I have decided to write the doctor an apology in regards to my misunderstanding. Also, I believe the next group of volunteers will be receiving a written notice titled, “What to Expect on Your First Doctors Visit!” Well… OOPS!