WCPT專集 - "2"

“Two”, that’s right, just two. A natural number, if you are talking about mathematics. It could mean anything, from statistic figures to a quantifier or even a ranking that everyone wants to surpass in a contest. However, after the amazing last week of my summer vacation, it has been radically redefined and given the meaning of the times my heart leaped out! And exactly what was the thing that perturbed my heart, leaving it bouncing back and forth? It was the very touching moments I experienced during the exciting WCPT-AWP&ACPT congress when I was a crew.

As everyone worked their tails off for the preparation of the congress, the time sneaked closer and closer. And finally the grandest WCPT-AWP&ACPT arrived. I was fortunate enough to join this event as a staff. Luckily, distributed to the conference team. The scale of this event was beyond my mind, with a thousand people coming from more than thirty nations. The congress was scheduled for two days and thousands of research papers were to be presented. There would be no exaggeration at all if I referred to this event as the palace of knowledge!

Being in the conference team, I could listen to researchers from several regions of the world presenting the results derived from years of hard work. The most unforgettable and inspiring speech I could recall was given by an Australian- American, Ms. Nobel. She is a physical therapist specialized in women health, and abundant with forty-five years of experience. The topic she had was about teaching pregnant women exercise before and after birth. No more than five minutes, I was already astonished by the things she had said. Her claim of making women doing exercise as soon as they could after giving birth was beyond my thoughts and even against the traditional concepts deeply rooted in Taiwan.

She later continued to persuade us into believing this modern idea with some important evidences. She praised postpartum exercise with the benefits of preventing incontinence in the later ages of life, and also many reasons like getting postpartum women back into good shape without losing the proprioception of their abdomens. Ms. Nobel even pointed out a thrilling fact that the current medical care for labor in most countries are outdated. The over-protecting care to the mother giving birth is actually harmful. She stood for the natural way, saying that only when in natural positions like standing or squatting can the pelvic floor muscle activate spontaneously, thus can the labor complete smoothly.

It was truly a fascinating and inspiring speech. The impact I had was so deep that I felt something inside me, some ideas, sprouting and starting to form! Had I not joined the congress, I would never received such a shock of knowledge. The very speech of my first international conference inspired me, and that was the first beating moment!

The next day, I was off duty so I could enjoy the congress as a keen physical therapy student. I walked in several conference rooms to listen to different topics of research. Some of it familiar and some very creative in the field of physical therapy. Lunch time came and I walked back to the lobby to eat. I turned back my head and had a glimpse of my teacher, Ms. Chen, the congress’s secretary director. For the past few days, l had seen her trotting back and forth the hallway restlessly and putting so many efforts into this grand event. I was once again in the same congress deeply touched by the efforts my teacher made to hold such a meaningful congress in our field of physical therapy, and the promotion of Taiwan to the world!

Without a doubt, it was an unforgettable two-day memory with two sentimental moments. My appreciation to having attended this international event is just beyond description. For the friends I made whether they are from Taiwan or abroad. We all worked side by side, exchanged ideas, and of course had plenty of fun. And the efforts my teacher exerted affected my heart as well as setting up a role model for me to follow. All of these factors had stirred inside me and gradually turned into the force of my mental growth. I’m sure now, in the following years I’ve found a goal to aim for. And I will be fully prepared next time for a more magnificent congress!

(作者係大學部 PT100學生)