As a future nurse, the Hansen's Disease Museum was very interesting to me. I was not familiar with Hansen's Disease up until watching the documentary on the train. I think that watching the film before visiting the museum helped me to understand and appreciate the museum more. Upon first entering the museum, I was overwhelmed by the amount of things that were EVERYWHERE. As I started to explore, I thought it was all very, very interesting. I had no idea how much that particular facility impacted medicine as we know it today. I was also very surprised at the fact that the last patients left the facility only a few months ago. The museum taught me about Hansen's Disease and the effects that it had on those who were infected. It was also like stepping into a time machine and going back into the 40's. It was so cool to see all of the different tools and pictures that they still had set up today. It was amazing to tour the same exact buildings that the patients lived in. It was awesome to read the stories of some of the facility's patients. I think it is amazing how far medicine has come from then to now, but in the same sense, it's amazing how many things are still used today, that started back then. The impression that this facility left on me was to be thankful. Healthcare workers put their lives in danger by taking care of people with a disease that they didn't know much about. Scientists and doctors dedicated their lives to studying this disease in order to try and find a cause and/or a cure. The facility kept it's doors open to these patients for as long as they wanted to stay, even after they had been cured and were given the option to leave. I would definitely recommend people visit this center. I think that it was an awesome educational experience and that it would even be enjoyable for I am thankful for all of those things today. I am also thankful that Hansen's Disease, though still prevalent, is no longer a mystery and can often be fought and cured with few lasting effects. Science is cool.
Visiting the Whitney Plantation was a very sad, yet humbling experience. It makes me absolutely sick to think about the fact that people ever owned other people, let alone the fact that they treated them so horribly. As we walked around the plantation, I felt a lot of different emotions, but I think sadness and anger were the most prevalent. It was so sad to read the quotes on the walls from the former slaves. It was sad to see the number of children who passed away before they were even given a chance. It was sad to see their living quarters and to hear what everyday life was like. I would definitely recommend people go and visit this plantation. In fact, I think everyone SHOULD go and visit this plantation. I think it would be an eye-opener for everyone. One word to describe this place is: WOW. We've been taught about slavery all through school, but this experience topped anything you could read from a book. It all became so real when we walked around the plantation. It is devastating and sickening the way that these people were treated. There is only one race: the human race. I wish the entire world could live out this belief and that we could all realize that we're in this together.
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