I went with one of the physical therapists to one of the primary schools today to give a few charlas about the Chagas disease. As with previous charlas I've been asked to go to, I semi expected to help out with the presentation...little did I know that I was to give the entire presentation! Luckily, I brought along a flip chart charla that was already prepared so my part was easy.
I hadn't had a great experience in delivering charlas in schools when I was in Chinandega during Practicum week and almost swore off giving them altogether because the children were rude, didn't listen, and I lost my voice afterwards because I screamed the entire time. The professor wasn't there, so that added to the chaos as well.
Back to today. I had one of the health center staff with me, the profes stayed in the classroom, and of course we enticed the students with cookies and soda if they listened (I'm not a fan of this kind of snack, especially as a health promoter; I'd prefer to give them some jocotes or other fruit and some natural frescos to wash them down with). After a brief introduction, I was on my way and gave the quick presentation.
In the first class, we had about 43 students. They all paid attention, for the most part (I told them if they didn't listen, profe wouldn't give them their treats), and they all participated when I asked questions. At the end of the presentation, I asked if they had questions about what we had just talked about, but they were more interested in who I was!
It seems as though I was the first gringa from the United States they had ever met! I signed autographs for them (seriously!), got my pictures taken with them and was translating their names to English. I felt like a celebrity and it turned my thoughts about working in schools completely around! I even got some gifts to take home, too :)
Por todo lo especial que eres para mi...siempre cuanto conmigo. ¡Gracias por tu amistad!
You are always special to me...always with me. Thank you for your friendship!
De: Belen, Para: Carolina
Hola Karolina T, K, M [Te Kiero Mucho]. Recuerdese de mi. -Gaby
Hi Carli. I, L, Y [I Love You]. Remember me. -Gaby
My friend
I wanted a picture of them to take with me; this pretty much sums the craziness up!
The second class was a little smaller, only 40 students, but they were just as good of an audience. They asked questions, too, but I wasn't bombarded as much as the first class; mostly questions about my favorite soccer team in Spain (I luckily said Barcelona and was instantly among amigos) and in the world--gotta go with CA Boca Juniors!
The most popular questions were: Where am I from? How old am I? Do I have a husband? Do I have kids? I told them the truth and added that I do not have plans to start a family until I am at least 30. The girls were very intrigued by that. I told them they can go to school, go to university and enjoy life before settling down; it's not required that as soon as they are done with school they need to have kids. I told them to remember that and they all gave me big hugs, because the recess bell had rung.
I talked to the profes after the presentations and offered to come back in the future to give more presentations to the students about personal hygiene, self esteem, and other themes that are important to the youth in our town. Walking back to the Centro de Salud after that, I was walking with my head a little higher and feeling really great!
Now...the low. When I came to Jalapa for the first time for my site visit, the doña I live with was making food and was walking around town; very mobile and active. She had some problems with her left foot, moving slowly and limping a little bit, but with some medication she was doing fine.
Since I have come back in the past few weeks, she has progressively been getting slower. We have a woman who comes and cleans the house and makes food every day from about 7:30 in the morning till about 5 in the afternoon. I think she's a housekeeper/care giver (just in case)/errand runner for the family. She has definitely been a big help, because the grandsons (ages 10 and 15) sure do know how to dirty up a house in only a matter of hours.
The past few days, the doña has been moving less and less. Going only from the bedroom to the couch in the living room or even the bathroom; if that. She has been in her bedroom the majority of the time. She told me that she has high blood pressure and her left hand and foot have been ridiculously swollen and warm to the touch for a while and got rapidly worse in such a short time. Last night, doña, the grandsons, one of the other renters (who is practically part of the family; she acts as an older sister to the boys) and the doctor that lives around the corner of the block from us were all awake at 3:30 in the morning to care for her. I wanted to help, but with the language barrier and all of the bodies working, I felt as if I would be more of a nuisance than of assistance, so I stayed in my room. They all stayed up until about 4:45 and everyone was sleeping when I left for the Centro de Salud this morning at about 7:30.
I am hoping that they can get everything figured out and she can recover quickly. I also don't want to be a burden on the family. In the worst case scenario, which I'm definitely praying against, it's better to be among family members and loved ones; I don't want to be added stress to them and let them all be together for support. I mentioned this to the "sister" and the oldest grandon and they said not to worry about it. However, I have options. One of the nurses that I work with at the hospital has a room that I am able to rent out, for a price equal or a little less than what I'm paying now (C$1000/month; about $42 dollars) and it is closer to the Centro de Salud. Also, the new head of the hospital, is currently living with my colega but will be moving to her own house very shortly and will be living by herself. She prefers to live with someone, and the rent, again, would be a little less than I'm paying now and is also closer to the Centro de Salud.
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