Going to a different country or area of ​​the world can open anyone's eyes to see how culture has a huge impact on the understanding and practices of healthcare that seem be so common in other areas of the world. When a person lives in one country their whole life, that person may not realize how different the life they live is from that of someone in a foreign country. If a person will receive care from someone with a different cultural background, they should be expected to receive care that respects their culture. The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, having such a diverse variety of students, has its own definition of cultural competence which states “communicating effectively and comfortably across cultures with patients of different backgrounds, taking into account aspects of trust in order to adopt mutually acceptable objectives and measures”. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine Dettwyler, the question of culture and healthcare is very prevalent. Katherine Dettwyler herself travels to West Africa as an anthropologist and her horizons broaden when during her research she comes into contact with how culture impacts healthcare and daily life. Some cultural differences may not seem like they can act as a barrier but within countries language can make or break a relationship. In Mali, where all of Katherine Dettwyler's research takes place, language is a pretty important thing for them. The people of Mali immediately believe that any toubabou, white person, can only speak English, which quickly surprised them when they discovered that the Dettwyler actually spoke Bambara, their native language. Being able to speak their language made it easier... middle of paper... to become malnourished. Medicine-related topics are influenced by culture in all areas of the world due to wide cultural diversity. Having a narrow mindedness and not being able to look at a situation from another person's point of view can interfere with many situations in life. Culture varies from person to person, province to province and country to country. It's important to make changes to be able to make changes to things like healthcare to accommodate someone because of their culture. Cultural differences will be evident in all hospital environments, no matter where you travel, so being aware of this will go a long way in ensuring your treatment is carried out correctly and culturally competent. While healthcare may seem like the most important place where culture is sensitive, as Dettwyler sees during her time in Mali, culture influences all aspects of life.