Our first international nursing conference: Chiang Mai, Thailand.

摘要

The aim of this article is to share and describe our experience in attending an international nursing conference. The conference, 'Health Promotion Evidence, Practice and Policy', was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand on 20-22 October 2004. This conference provided us with an opportunity to explore health promotion evidence in diverse contexts. It also enabled us to dialogue about health promotion practices for the encouragement of healthy lifestyles. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to learn and travel to a different country while simultaneously experiencing an unfamiliar culture and society.We, along with three other colleagues, represented the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing in Honolulu, Hawaii. We were fortunate to be a part of such a distinguished group and found the opportunity rewarding both personally and professionally. Dr. John Casken, Director of International Affairs and Relations at the University, encouraged us to submit abstracts and also assisted us in developing our presentations.On 12 October 2004, the New York Times's Science Times featured an article regarding the avian flu. We thought, 'Do we really want to go?' We were having some real reservations about leaving the United States. We decided we were going regardless and realized we would regret not going out of fear of the unknown.