Congwen Wang's blog

Learning Languages – My Reflection

The Butterflies of Our Mind

I was first introduced to “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” when I was searching information about consciousness disorders. The book was written by Jean-Dominique Bauby, a patient with locked-in syndrome. Then the chief editor of French Elle, Bauby suffered the condition caused by a massive stroke. Only able to turn his head and blink his left eye, he was “imprisoned inside his own body” (4). To me, it sounds like the worst nightmare one can possibly experience – even worse than a complete loss of consciousness. I cannot imagine how claustrophobic it would feel, unable to give response to the outer world when I could still feel everything around me.

Fat on the Belly: Whose Business?

Deep fried chicken, hamburger, ice cream, cake… After eating in America for seven months, I found myself in a body weight crisis for the first time in my life. Before coming to America, I’ve never worried about my body weight or diet – though my appetite seemed to be a bit better than most other women, my body weight stayed relatively stable. “You are just like everyone from your dad’s family, staying thin even when eating a lot.” My mom always commented. But this time, even my dad’s chromosomes can’t save me from picking up fat on my belly.

    “Is he still there, somewhere we can’t reach?” For many people whose loved ones are in a vegetative state, this might be one of the most asked questions. For doctors and researchers studying human consciousness, this is always a hard question to answer. Thanks to the development in methods of neuroimaging, we are now able to detect awareness in some patients who used to be thought of having no consciousness. Furthermore, these advanced techniques also indicate revision in medical terminology and the care of those patients in a vegetative state.