Hello,
So I had such an awesome time at the fiesta that I just wanted to make one more quick note before going to bed. The fiesta was wonderful. We had an excellent dinner and wonderful company. Afterwards there was corn cake and coffee. And of course music. then there was a little awards ceremony, but funny awards. I got the "Survivor Stomach Award" for Outstanding scholarship in Oral Rehydration Therapy. There were many other fun ones having to do with needing a bag of rice, or dropping your cake and eating it too. Then we had a conga line out to the garage to find a pinata. This was awesome. And this pinata move side to side instead of up and down which made it much harder. With being spun around and then voices calling from all over and a moving pinata, we had some great laughs. Linda wandered the most and ended up the farthest away, but once she found the pinata, she grabbed hold of it with one hand and just kept hitting it. Then there was candy for all and bracelets. It was altogether a wonderful time. I then had to say goodbye to everyone and came back to the house as I leave very early.
See you soon,
Teresa
Friday, August 12, 2011
Last Week in Guatemala
Hello all,
So this was my last week and today is my last day. Tomorrow morning I leave for the US to join the rest of my family in Denver. So what has been going here during this week?
Monday- Well this morning it was the full group together in the morning. We checked in on what all of the different groups were doing. I do not currently remember what we talked about, but it had something to do with Guatemala of course. Then in the afternoon was Spanish class which I like.
Tuesday- In the morning we went to Hermano Pedro. Today was very interesting because this week there is a team from the US here to do cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. One of the kids that I have been working with was able to receive her surgery today. Not all of them who need it will be able as you have to weigh at least 10 lbs to have the surgery. In the afternoon it was Spanish class. My teacher and I walked to La Merced, which is a very large and old church. It is connected with the ruins of its monastery. We went to visit the ruins first as there was a funeral finishing up in the church. I got some amazing pictures from the top of the building. Afterward we went in the church, which was gorgeous, but I did not really take pictures because there was Eucharistic Adoration going on at the time. Afterwards we walked back and had an enjoyable rest of class. That evening I was working on my part of our groups presentation to show Nancie tomorrow.
Wednesday- In the morning we went to Hermano Pedro. Today and yesterday there were some many parents visiting their children, which was amazing. However, only one parent can visit at a time for only two separate hours. Another child got surgery today, and another will tomorrow. Today the head nurse asked me to help feed some of the kids in one of the back rooms, which they are there because they are more severe. I really felt that this showed that we had gained their trust to help with this. We then went and showed the draft of our presentation to Nancie, who thought it was very good, which relieved us all. In the afternoon we went for our large group meeting. We had a very interesting guest speaker and then watched a very serious hour movie called “Killer’s Paradise” about all of the murders of women and how it is rising and they are not being investigated at all. This evening I worked on my final Spanish homework and then on editing our presentation.
Thursday-This morning was back to our large group for a final lecture. We kind of wrapped up everything we had discussed and learned and pushed the thought forward. I then rode back on my last chicken bus, which now seem like such a normal way to travel. Just stand on the side of the road where you know the bus you want goes by and get on the very full bus. In the afternoon it was my last Spanish class. We spent the first two hours just talking, which was great. After a break we looked at my homework(which I did great on) and then talked for the rest. I had a wonderful Spanish teacher. After we were all done, we had a small Spanish graduation. We each got diplomas, a bag and cake. It was really great. Then after dinner I went to meet with my group to finish up our presentation and make sure we all knew who was saying what.
Friday(today)- So this morning my small group went for one last time to Hermano Pedro to the Infant Nutrition Unit. It was a bittersweet morning. It was good to be at Hermano Pedro, but sad to say goodbye to the children that I had been working and playing with for the past month. Though today we did have a different experience, with being allowed to take the kids outside on a little patio for about 10 minutes. It was hard to say goodbye to the nurses and the children. Afterwards, I met with Nancie for a little bit and then went to pick up all of my laundry, which I had a lot. Everything clean for packing. Then we had lunch and started giving nervous about presentations. After lunch the group got together at the NAPA-OT office for dour presentations. My group was to go last. All of the presentations were very interesting and well done. It was great to learn all about what the other groups had been doing and had found out. Then we all did online surveys for the program. Erin and I then went to get a delicious looking cake to give to our family from us and Linda as a thank you present. We came back and I packed up all of my stuff in about 30 minutes. Now we have only about 20 minutes until the fiesta. I am sure the rest of the night is going to be really fun and probably the next time I am online I will be in the USA. I am getting picked up to go to the airport at 6am in the morning tomorrow.
Hasta luego,
Teresa
Sunday, August 7, 2011
New Friends and Last Weekend
Hello all,
So I had kind of give you a heads up on some of what was going to happen with my last post, so now I will update you and give you more fun details. So starting with Thursday, in the morning I went to Hermano Pedro with half of the small group. Hermano Pedro was celebrating 25 years of having the nutrition unit, which is where I am at. When we got there at 8am like normal, most all of the children had already been fed and the place was decorated for a party (which would be in the afternoon). At 10am, there was a mass in the chapel to celebrate, and I was able to go and take one of the older children with me. It was a very good experience. There were people from all of the different units at the hospital there, not just staff but patients too. After that, we had lunch from 12 to 2 with the group of students from the university of San Carlos which is the only university that has a just OT program. There were about 22 students that came (which is most of them) and they were from first year to third year. The program is an undergrad program, but for I think all they also studied psychology. During lunch I got to talk a lot (in spanish) with two of the students, both in their third year (last year). It was interesting to find out how different OT is here and the program and they were interested in finding out about OT in the US. There are not many OTs in Guatemala, as evidenced by only one school with small class sizes, but there are OT jobs, but you don't have to be an OT to necessarily do some of the jobs labeled OT. It was overall a good experience. Then after that I went to Spanish class, and my Spanish teacher and I walked to the San Fransisco church because I was looking for the perfect gift for my dad, which I found. I was able to go inside the church, which was gorgeous and to see the tomb of Santo Hermano Pedro. He is known for many miracles and it is said that if you knock three times on his tomb, he will wake up and you can petition him for a favor. It was a good trip, and then we went back and of course studied more spanish. Later on that night I walked in the park with Andy (another student at our homestay) to get pictures of the Cathedral at night because he left this morning.
Friday--- This was our long fieldtrip day. We started out at 8:30am and drove about 2ish or more hours away (yes those fun car rides around and up and down in the mountains, plus near the end our van was having slight issues with front brakes, such an exciting trip). I do not remember the name of the town we went to, but we went out to a rural area to visit with an ambulatory team, which for many people is their primary health care. They visit areas about once or twice a month. They have vitamins, vaccines and some very basic medicine. It was very interesting. We then went and had lunch in a park in a town. Rachel and Nicole had packed us all lunches. It was a nice time. We then went and visited a health post in that town, which would be the next step up the ladder from the ambulatory teams, and before going to the municipal capital for the hospital. We came back in the afternoon and had a little bit of time before the majority of us went to have dinner at "The Children's Restaurant" , which is part of an organization called T.E.S.S. Unlimited. Tess, who I know from her connected work at Hermano Pedro tries to find children with cleft palates or cleft lips and get them the surgery or help they need. With the restaurant, the children get classes in cooking and in English so that they will hopefully have better job opportunities when they grow up. The children are the chefs and the servers, though have they adult supervision. It was a fantastic experience.
Weekend--- Saturday morning I did not really do much except finish up my observation and rest some. Then had Italian food with my friend Adrenne and then we did a little shopping and negotiating. Then a group of us went to Pastores or Boot Town, as there are so many shops with boots or other items made out of real leather for good prices. I just looked and helped shop with a friend, sorry no cowboy boots for anyone. Came back, did a little more shopping, and sat in the park for a little bit before meeting Erin. While there I met a new friend, Maria, who is from Guatemala City, she is slightly older and was visiting for the day. We talked for a while and she told me if I ever wanted to visit Guatemala City I could stay with her and she would take me around. I told her that unfortunately I was leaving the next Saturday and would not be around. Erin came and I showed her where San Fransisco was. Later on, I went to Pollo Campero (their big name fried chicken restaurant) with Andy for food. During dinner the futbol (soccer) game was on TV with Guatemala playing, who is apparently really bad. We managed to see them score a gol, which ended up being the only gol and they won the game. The excitement was great and there were many firecrackers set off and then later fireworks. We then walked to the park which ended up being a great idea. In the park we met one of the other Spanish teachers from Tecun Uman, who Andy knew, and we chatted with him for a while, and made a new friend there. Then there was a live concert of different singers going on in the park. It had something to do with this weekend every year lots of people from El Salvador come and visit Antigua. While listening to the music we ran into Veronica and Vincent (host mom and dad) and stayed with them. We then all walked back together at about 11pm. It was a great night.
Sunday--I went to mass at the Cathedral this morning and then toured with a guide the ruins of the old Cathedral that was destroyed with the town many years ago in an earthquake. At 11am I got to talk with Joe, which was very exciting. For lunch, Erin and I went and ate at McDonalds to say we did, though it looks very different and I have pictures. oh and there is a story about it being haunted. Then we walked around some and did some more browsing and shopping. (for all that I go shopping I do not buy much each time, as I am looking for perfect gifts). I met with my small group to discuss and work on our final project, and then did some more wandering around and browsing with Adrenne. Overall this was a fantastic couple of days. Sorry this was so long, but lots of good stuff happened. Now for the last week and I still have several things I want to do.
Hasta Luego,
Teresa
So I had kind of give you a heads up on some of what was going to happen with my last post, so now I will update you and give you more fun details. So starting with Thursday, in the morning I went to Hermano Pedro with half of the small group. Hermano Pedro was celebrating 25 years of having the nutrition unit, which is where I am at. When we got there at 8am like normal, most all of the children had already been fed and the place was decorated for a party (which would be in the afternoon). At 10am, there was a mass in the chapel to celebrate, and I was able to go and take one of the older children with me. It was a very good experience. There were people from all of the different units at the hospital there, not just staff but patients too. After that, we had lunch from 12 to 2 with the group of students from the university of San Carlos which is the only university that has a just OT program. There were about 22 students that came (which is most of them) and they were from first year to third year. The program is an undergrad program, but for I think all they also studied psychology. During lunch I got to talk a lot (in spanish) with two of the students, both in their third year (last year). It was interesting to find out how different OT is here and the program and they were interested in finding out about OT in the US. There are not many OTs in Guatemala, as evidenced by only one school with small class sizes, but there are OT jobs, but you don't have to be an OT to necessarily do some of the jobs labeled OT. It was overall a good experience. Then after that I went to Spanish class, and my Spanish teacher and I walked to the San Fransisco church because I was looking for the perfect gift for my dad, which I found. I was able to go inside the church, which was gorgeous and to see the tomb of Santo Hermano Pedro. He is known for many miracles and it is said that if you knock three times on his tomb, he will wake up and you can petition him for a favor. It was a good trip, and then we went back and of course studied more spanish. Later on that night I walked in the park with Andy (another student at our homestay) to get pictures of the Cathedral at night because he left this morning.
Friday--- This was our long fieldtrip day. We started out at 8:30am and drove about 2ish or more hours away (yes those fun car rides around and up and down in the mountains, plus near the end our van was having slight issues with front brakes, such an exciting trip). I do not remember the name of the town we went to, but we went out to a rural area to visit with an ambulatory team, which for many people is their primary health care. They visit areas about once or twice a month. They have vitamins, vaccines and some very basic medicine. It was very interesting. We then went and had lunch in a park in a town. Rachel and Nicole had packed us all lunches. It was a nice time. We then went and visited a health post in that town, which would be the next step up the ladder from the ambulatory teams, and before going to the municipal capital for the hospital. We came back in the afternoon and had a little bit of time before the majority of us went to have dinner at "The Children's Restaurant" , which is part of an organization called T.E.S.S. Unlimited. Tess, who I know from her connected work at Hermano Pedro tries to find children with cleft palates or cleft lips and get them the surgery or help they need. With the restaurant, the children get classes in cooking and in English so that they will hopefully have better job opportunities when they grow up. The children are the chefs and the servers, though have they adult supervision. It was a fantastic experience.
Weekend--- Saturday morning I did not really do much except finish up my observation and rest some. Then had Italian food with my friend Adrenne and then we did a little shopping and negotiating. Then a group of us went to Pastores or Boot Town, as there are so many shops with boots or other items made out of real leather for good prices. I just looked and helped shop with a friend, sorry no cowboy boots for anyone. Came back, did a little more shopping, and sat in the park for a little bit before meeting Erin. While there I met a new friend, Maria, who is from Guatemala City, she is slightly older and was visiting for the day. We talked for a while and she told me if I ever wanted to visit Guatemala City I could stay with her and she would take me around. I told her that unfortunately I was leaving the next Saturday and would not be around. Erin came and I showed her where San Fransisco was. Later on, I went to Pollo Campero (their big name fried chicken restaurant) with Andy for food. During dinner the futbol (soccer) game was on TV with Guatemala playing, who is apparently really bad. We managed to see them score a gol, which ended up being the only gol and they won the game. The excitement was great and there were many firecrackers set off and then later fireworks. We then walked to the park which ended up being a great idea. In the park we met one of the other Spanish teachers from Tecun Uman, who Andy knew, and we chatted with him for a while, and made a new friend there. Then there was a live concert of different singers going on in the park. It had something to do with this weekend every year lots of people from El Salvador come and visit Antigua. While listening to the music we ran into Veronica and Vincent (host mom and dad) and stayed with them. We then all walked back together at about 11pm. It was a great night.
Sunday--I went to mass at the Cathedral this morning and then toured with a guide the ruins of the old Cathedral that was destroyed with the town many years ago in an earthquake. At 11am I got to talk with Joe, which was very exciting. For lunch, Erin and I went and ate at McDonalds to say we did, though it looks very different and I have pictures. oh and there is a story about it being haunted. Then we walked around some and did some more browsing and shopping. (for all that I go shopping I do not buy much each time, as I am looking for perfect gifts). I met with my small group to discuss and work on our final project, and then did some more wandering around and browsing with Adrenne. Overall this was a fantastic couple of days. Sorry this was so long, but lots of good stuff happened. Now for the last week and I still have several things I want to do.
Hasta Luego,
Teresa
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Lake Atitlan and more
Hello all,
Sorry I am getting behind on my posting but there is just so much going on here, so little time, I like to sleep and internet is iffy sometimes. So this past weekend I went with most of our group to Lake Atitlan. It is a beautiful lake and it was an amazing trip, with a few bumps, but I will get to that later.
So the group of 11 left for the Lake at 8am on Saturday. We traveled in a large van and the trip took about 2 hours. However the ride was a bit of a roller coaster as we traveled through the mountains. We arrived at the hotel and dropped off our stuff and then we were off for a boat tour of the lake to visit two different villages. There are many different villages around the lake. There are also mountains and three volcanoes surrounding the lake. The villages are really built into the mountains. (Yes I have pictures that I will put up sometime).
The boat trip on the way to the first village was very fun. We took lots of photos having a fun time. The plan was to go to the first village (San Pedro?) for lunch. However that did not work out so well as our professor accidentally remembered the wrong village. It turned out okay though because we walked around a little bit and then got Chocobananas, which are frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and nuts. It was very tasty and nice on a hot day. We then walked back down to the dock and got back in the boat to head to the other village, Santiago Atitlan. This was a very interesting town. The first thing we did was find a "guide" to take us to see Maximon which is a statue of a cigar smoking, rum-swilling deity (there are different theories as to who he was). You have to have a guide to see it because the house he is in changes each year. We each had to pay 2Q to go into the house. This was one of the starngest/creepiest experiences. First the trip was of course up hill though so back alleys. We get there and the statue does have a cigar in its mouth. There were Christmas lights up, candles lit and on the floor, some thinks they saw a Menorah, and a figure of Jesus. In addition, in the background there was music that sounded like "Santa Clause is coming to town", and whatever was playing the music was dying, as the music was creepily high pitched. But it was a fun experience. We then went and visited the church, where in 1981 the priest was murdered. the church is very different and is a Catholic church with a Mayan feel. We then went and had a nice lunch.
The boat ride back was very fun/crazy. I was sitting in the second row of seats. The day had turned gloomy and the water was rough. The front of the boat went up in the air several times and slammed back down. We also got some water splash, but not too much. The back of the boat apparently had a much calmer ride and took video of us. When we got back to Panajachel (the town our hotel was in) and we went to put our stuff away and then set out for exploring the market. I shared a room with Adrienne and we had a fun time shopping around. She helped teach me how to negotiate prices because you should never take the first price offered and you have to learn how not to be too interested in anything. I had a fun time and bought gifts for four different people while there. That night we had dinner at a cool restaurant, though there were definitely mostly gringos there. There was also a fun band that played all different types of music. It was a great day except the fact that I was developing a cold and cough. We went back to the hotel and Adrienne and I watched the last 20 minutes of Harry Potter number 3 in Spanish before going to sleep. (by this point I was not feeling good at all)
On Sunday we did not have to leave the hotel until 11am. I ended up just staying in the room and resting until 10 when we went out for breakfast. Adrienne and a couple of other people went to swim in the lake. At this point I was feeling horrible with a bad cough, sore throat, stuffy head and nose, and probably a slight fever. We left at 11 to see Mayan ruins on our way back. I mostly stayed in the back to myself and rested. The Mayan ruins were cool, and really old. I have some pictures but I was kind of just feeling out of it that day. We stopped in Chimaltenango on the way back for lunch. We ate in a mall, and let me say that it was like a culture shock in reserve because malls are very similar. I ate at a fried chicken place that is very popular in Guatemala. Once we got back I just rested for the rest of the day.
I think my host family is going to think that I get sick easily. In my defense, it is the rainy/winter season here. The temperature and weather had been changing. Luckily I was feeling better on Monday though still a cough and stuffy nose (apparently I couldn't taste the food at breakfast). We had group class in the morning, which was good and then Spanish in the afternoon, which I had a hard time focusing at. Tuesday I felt a little better and went with my group to Hermano Pedro in the morning. I got to work with one little girl for a good portion of the time, which was really nice. I also got to try the AIMS, which is an assessment. The afternoon was back at Spanish. Oh and both Monday and Tuesday it rained pretty hard but luckily it was mostly during Spanish class. Today we were with the big group both morning and afternoon. It was a good day, and we learned a lot. Tomorrow we get to have lunch with OT students from a university in Guatemala City, it is the only university with OT students in Guatemala. It sounds very exciting. In addition, Hermano Pedro is celebrating their anniversary tomorrow so it will be different there also. Then in the afternoon, if it is nice my Spanish teacher and I will be going for a walk during class so she can show me a church and I can look for something. It should be a good day. Friday we have a fieldtrip all day, with going to different rural villages I believe. (Oh and I am still stuffed but have less cough and am overall feeling very good).
Thank you all for staying with me and I will write more later,
Teresa
Sorry I am getting behind on my posting but there is just so much going on here, so little time, I like to sleep and internet is iffy sometimes. So this past weekend I went with most of our group to Lake Atitlan. It is a beautiful lake and it was an amazing trip, with a few bumps, but I will get to that later.
So the group of 11 left for the Lake at 8am on Saturday. We traveled in a large van and the trip took about 2 hours. However the ride was a bit of a roller coaster as we traveled through the mountains. We arrived at the hotel and dropped off our stuff and then we were off for a boat tour of the lake to visit two different villages. There are many different villages around the lake. There are also mountains and three volcanoes surrounding the lake. The villages are really built into the mountains. (Yes I have pictures that I will put up sometime).
The boat trip on the way to the first village was very fun. We took lots of photos having a fun time. The plan was to go to the first village (San Pedro?) for lunch. However that did not work out so well as our professor accidentally remembered the wrong village. It turned out okay though because we walked around a little bit and then got Chocobananas, which are frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and nuts. It was very tasty and nice on a hot day. We then walked back down to the dock and got back in the boat to head to the other village, Santiago Atitlan. This was a very interesting town. The first thing we did was find a "guide" to take us to see Maximon which is a statue of a cigar smoking, rum-swilling deity (there are different theories as to who he was). You have to have a guide to see it because the house he is in changes each year. We each had to pay 2Q to go into the house. This was one of the starngest/creepiest experiences. First the trip was of course up hill though so back alleys. We get there and the statue does have a cigar in its mouth. There were Christmas lights up, candles lit and on the floor, some thinks they saw a Menorah, and a figure of Jesus. In addition, in the background there was music that sounded like "Santa Clause is coming to town", and whatever was playing the music was dying, as the music was creepily high pitched. But it was a fun experience. We then went and visited the church, where in 1981 the priest was murdered. the church is very different and is a Catholic church with a Mayan feel. We then went and had a nice lunch.
The boat ride back was very fun/crazy. I was sitting in the second row of seats. The day had turned gloomy and the water was rough. The front of the boat went up in the air several times and slammed back down. We also got some water splash, but not too much. The back of the boat apparently had a much calmer ride and took video of us. When we got back to Panajachel (the town our hotel was in) and we went to put our stuff away and then set out for exploring the market. I shared a room with Adrienne and we had a fun time shopping around. She helped teach me how to negotiate prices because you should never take the first price offered and you have to learn how not to be too interested in anything. I had a fun time and bought gifts for four different people while there. That night we had dinner at a cool restaurant, though there were definitely mostly gringos there. There was also a fun band that played all different types of music. It was a great day except the fact that I was developing a cold and cough. We went back to the hotel and Adrienne and I watched the last 20 minutes of Harry Potter number 3 in Spanish before going to sleep. (by this point I was not feeling good at all)
On Sunday we did not have to leave the hotel until 11am. I ended up just staying in the room and resting until 10 when we went out for breakfast. Adrienne and a couple of other people went to swim in the lake. At this point I was feeling horrible with a bad cough, sore throat, stuffy head and nose, and probably a slight fever. We left at 11 to see Mayan ruins on our way back. I mostly stayed in the back to myself and rested. The Mayan ruins were cool, and really old. I have some pictures but I was kind of just feeling out of it that day. We stopped in Chimaltenango on the way back for lunch. We ate in a mall, and let me say that it was like a culture shock in reserve because malls are very similar. I ate at a fried chicken place that is very popular in Guatemala. Once we got back I just rested for the rest of the day.
I think my host family is going to think that I get sick easily. In my defense, it is the rainy/winter season here. The temperature and weather had been changing. Luckily I was feeling better on Monday though still a cough and stuffy nose (apparently I couldn't taste the food at breakfast). We had group class in the morning, which was good and then Spanish in the afternoon, which I had a hard time focusing at. Tuesday I felt a little better and went with my group to Hermano Pedro in the morning. I got to work with one little girl for a good portion of the time, which was really nice. I also got to try the AIMS, which is an assessment. The afternoon was back at Spanish. Oh and both Monday and Tuesday it rained pretty hard but luckily it was mostly during Spanish class. Today we were with the big group both morning and afternoon. It was a good day, and we learned a lot. Tomorrow we get to have lunch with OT students from a university in Guatemala City, it is the only university with OT students in Guatemala. It sounds very exciting. In addition, Hermano Pedro is celebrating their anniversary tomorrow so it will be different there also. Then in the afternoon, if it is nice my Spanish teacher and I will be going for a walk during class so she can show me a church and I can look for something. It should be a good day. Friday we have a fieldtrip all day, with going to different rural villages I believe. (Oh and I am still stuffed but have less cough and am overall feeling very good).
Thank you all for staying with me and I will write more later,
Teresa
Friday, July 29, 2011
Week two in Guatemala
Hello all,
So I have gotten some complaints about not posting on my blog recently. While I am glad that you are so interested, let me tell you about what my week has been like so you can understand while I did not feel like spending my free time blogging everything. My schedule for this last week of school stuff is laid out below. Monday through Friday the schedule is configured in mornings and afternoons. We generally meet three times for large group, three times for specific group- me pediatrics, and three afternoons for spanish and every Thursday we have an extra guest lecture. On and on fridays we have a fieldtrip. Breakfast is at 7am, lunch at 1pm and dinner at 7pm. I try and wake up at 6:30 everyday and go to bed between 9:45 and 10:30 on weekdays.
First of all Spanish, I think I have been doing pretty well with this class. I really love the one on one style. We generally just have a conversation for the first part, then do some sort of activity such as reading or something and then work on some grammar. during this time we will normally break back out into conversation over something that came up. Second, large groups, I have found these very interesting, though most of the stuff is more anthropology focused instead of OT and that is a little harder. I have been learning so much about Guatemala, and it is all so fascinating, if a lot of it sad. It has been really interesting to focus on home human rights and health is so interconnected. Third, my pediatrics group at Hermano Pedro. I am really enjoying this and learning a lot. The second week is much easier than the first because I am more used to it and have grown in confidence. For example, today I fed two little babies with pretty significant cleft palates with only a little trouble. This is something I had not done before but had seen the others feeding there children on previous days while I was feeding other kids. It was an amazing experience. And also just being there with the kids, being able to put some of my skills to use and see how I can help them develop is great. I really like my group.
Fourth, the guest lecture last night was great. He was from FAFG, which is the Forensic Anthropology Foundation in Guatemala. For anyone who watches "Bones", yes like that. There are four different areas in this foundation though, the forensic anthropologists, forensics archeologists, forensic genetics and unidentified persons area. While really fascinating to learn all about it, the reason it came about was from sadness. It came about to try and find and identify the 40,000 people that disappeared during the civil war and those persons unidentified in mass graves. They now also work with the prosecutor's office for some crimes and with identifying with mass disasters. The whole process of how it works is very fascinating and when I come back I can talk more about it with anyone who wants to know more. I took lots of notes.
Fifth, the fieldtrip of today. While we were gone for a long time it was a great fieldtrip. We went to Comalapa, which was about 1hour 20ish minutes away by bus. Let me first just say that the last bit up the mountain on very narrow curving roads was crazy, especially seeing that they have two different statues of Mary on the journey for safe traveling. The first place we went was to visit this "green" school that is being built by a group. When I say green building, i mean to the next level green. This building is built out of trash, tires, recyclables, mud, and cement. (with some other things but those are the important things). It was amazing, and this school was built into the hill with the group having to dig it out. The trash came from that the guy in charge had built a park before with the connection of some government or group or something. There was a charge to get into the park that those rich could pay but poor couldn't. To even this out, the poor could collect trash off the roads or just bring a bag of trash for entrance into the park in order to help clean up and properly dispose of trash. At the park they built thing out of the trash. They are now building a new school with this. I will try to put up pictures soon on facebook so you can see what i am talking about. We then went to visit a Curandera, which she is a natural healer in this Mayan population within an area of Comalapa. It was very interesting. We then visited and learned about MayaWorks, which is a cooperation of Mayan women in the area of artisans or weavers. They sell fair trade with the United States to make money and understand more about woman in this machismo society. I think you can look up more about it on MayaWorks.org . We then came back on the crazy ride, though I think I said wrong before, we were not in buses but in vans, but it was still stomach upsetting enough. We got back at 7:20ish and got home for late dinner. I then finished my observation I had to do for Hermano Pedro group and am using my free time tonight to write this blog:). I hope you all enjoy it. Tomorrow morning most of the group leaves at 8am to go to Lake Atitlan for the weekend and we will come back Sunday at like 4 or 5. It sounds like a very promising weekend. I will fill you in when I get back.
Hasta luego,
Teresa
So I have gotten some complaints about not posting on my blog recently. While I am glad that you are so interested, let me tell you about what my week has been like so you can understand while I did not feel like spending my free time blogging everything. My schedule for this last week of school stuff is laid out below. Monday through Friday the schedule is configured in mornings and afternoons. We generally meet three times for large group, three times for specific group- me pediatrics, and three afternoons for spanish and every Thursday we have an extra guest lecture. On and on fridays we have a fieldtrip. Breakfast is at 7am, lunch at 1pm and dinner at 7pm. I try and wake up at 6:30 everyday and go to bed between 9:45 and 10:30 on weekdays.
First of all Spanish, I think I have been doing pretty well with this class. I really love the one on one style. We generally just have a conversation for the first part, then do some sort of activity such as reading or something and then work on some grammar. during this time we will normally break back out into conversation over something that came up. Second, large groups, I have found these very interesting, though most of the stuff is more anthropology focused instead of OT and that is a little harder. I have been learning so much about Guatemala, and it is all so fascinating, if a lot of it sad. It has been really interesting to focus on home human rights and health is so interconnected. Third, my pediatrics group at Hermano Pedro. I am really enjoying this and learning a lot. The second week is much easier than the first because I am more used to it and have grown in confidence. For example, today I fed two little babies with pretty significant cleft palates with only a little trouble. This is something I had not done before but had seen the others feeding there children on previous days while I was feeding other kids. It was an amazing experience. And also just being there with the kids, being able to put some of my skills to use and see how I can help them develop is great. I really like my group.
Fourth, the guest lecture last night was great. He was from FAFG, which is the Forensic Anthropology Foundation in Guatemala. For anyone who watches "Bones", yes like that. There are four different areas in this foundation though, the forensic anthropologists, forensics archeologists, forensic genetics and unidentified persons area. While really fascinating to learn all about it, the reason it came about was from sadness. It came about to try and find and identify the 40,000 people that disappeared during the civil war and those persons unidentified in mass graves. They now also work with the prosecutor's office for some crimes and with identifying with mass disasters. The whole process of how it works is very fascinating and when I come back I can talk more about it with anyone who wants to know more. I took lots of notes.
Fifth, the fieldtrip of today. While we were gone for a long time it was a great fieldtrip. We went to Comalapa, which was about 1hour 20ish minutes away by bus. Let me first just say that the last bit up the mountain on very narrow curving roads was crazy, especially seeing that they have two different statues of Mary on the journey for safe traveling. The first place we went was to visit this "green" school that is being built by a group. When I say green building, i mean to the next level green. This building is built out of trash, tires, recyclables, mud, and cement. (with some other things but those are the important things). It was amazing, and this school was built into the hill with the group having to dig it out. The trash came from that the guy in charge had built a park before with the connection of some government or group or something. There was a charge to get into the park that those rich could pay but poor couldn't. To even this out, the poor could collect trash off the roads or just bring a bag of trash for entrance into the park in order to help clean up and properly dispose of trash. At the park they built thing out of the trash. They are now building a new school with this. I will try to put up pictures soon on facebook so you can see what i am talking about. We then went to visit a Curandera, which she is a natural healer in this Mayan population within an area of Comalapa. It was very interesting. We then visited and learned about MayaWorks, which is a cooperation of Mayan women in the area of artisans or weavers. They sell fair trade with the United States to make money and understand more about woman in this machismo society. I think you can look up more about it on MayaWorks.org . We then came back on the crazy ride, though I think I said wrong before, we were not in buses but in vans, but it was still stomach upsetting enough. We got back at 7:20ish and got home for late dinner. I then finished my observation I had to do for Hermano Pedro group and am using my free time tonight to write this blog:). I hope you all enjoy it. Tomorrow morning most of the group leaves at 8am to go to Lake Atitlan for the weekend and we will come back Sunday at like 4 or 5. It sounds like a very promising weekend. I will fill you in when I get back.
Hasta luego,
Teresa
Week 2 | July 25 | July 26 | July 27 | July 28 | July 29 |
a.m. wake up at 6:30 breakfast at 7am Lunch is at one | 1) Check-in 2) Impacts of Violence on Health 3) Health, Risk, Development, and Human Rights 9-12pm but 20 minutes each way on but | Focused Area Groups- Hermano Pedro 8-11:30am takes 15 minutes to walk each way | Focused Area Groups This week I was sick with nausea and was told to stay home | 1) Political Economy of Disease 2) ORT 3) Medical syncretism And then tour of common hope, we got home right at 1 | Focused Area Groups 8-11am takes 15 minutes to walk each way and today we had to have lunch at 12:30 and leave at 12:50 and took a tuk tuk |
p.m dinner at 7, try to sleep by 10 and homework most days | Spanish 2-5 | Spanish 2-5 | 1) Guest lecture: PAHO 2) Case Study: Primary Care Delivery, Elder adults 2-5:30 and then bus | Spanish 2-5 5:30-7:30, Guest lecture: FAFG | Field Visit: Comalapa - Kaqchikel Curandera, MayaWorks from 1 to 7:20pm |
Monday, July 25, 2011
Fiesta de Antigua
Hello all,
So today is the national holiday or whatever of Antigua. They had lots of stuff going on all day; in fact part of it was over this last weekend too. My professors allowed us to start class late in order to watch part of the parade this morning. It was really great and very interesting. I took some videos of one of the marching bands. I will probably not get more photos up until this weekend. As it is, I am writing this in word because the internet is having issues. In the parade, there is a Miss Antigua, who is the niece of my Spanish teacher. So after watching part of the parade, we all got on a bus to ride to the building where we have class. But as it is a holiday today, the building we normally have class in was closed, even though the professors had asked last week. So we got off the bus halfway and just walked back. We ended up having class in the hotel that is serving as the field school office currently. Class was pretty good, but my host dad said he was sorry we had to have class on this holiday. The rest of the day was regular. Came back and had lunch, a special lunch that the entire family cooked, then went to Spanish class for three hours. Afterwards my peds group met for about an hour and a half to discuss everything and articles. I came back, had dinner and am now writing this blog. I need to do my Spanish homework and maybe read some for Wednesday. Otherwise I am going to bed early.
Adios,
Teresa
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Fieldtrips and more
hello all,
So I know I still need to write about some of the things that have happened in the past couple of days, but first I want to start with today. A group of us went on the field trip to another town to see Mayan people and learn some about their culture. I will be posting pictures up on facebook. First we learned all about their different clothes that they wear. Then we got to learn about the wedding traditions through a couple of our group getting to act it out. That was very interesting. Then after that we were able to look around at all of their different crafts they have made from blankets, scarves, table runners, purses, bags, aprons, pot holders to jewelry and much more. I bought myself a beautiful multicolor blanket that was hand made and a gift for mom. Then we got to try some of their traditional food and we each got to help make a tortilla. Mine turned out pretty well, it was hard for us not to have them stick to our hands. I also tried some fresh black coffee, which I very strongly dislike. then we got to try crushing coffee beans, which takes a lot of work and I got two little blisters. It was overall a very fun experience. Oh and this morning I went to mass in the Cathedral, it was very nice but I need to sit closer and read the readings ahead of time to better understand.
Yesterday we took a short trip to the "Cross on the Hill". It is an old cross up on the hill with a fabulous view of Antigua. I took lots of pictures of the view, which included some very nice pictures of one of the Volcanoes. Otherwise a good portion of yesterday was spent doing homework and relaxing. We did go out to dinner at a nice restaurant. After dinner we tried to find a club to go to and dance, but the one we went in was so cram packed it was ridiculous. And the other one we went to did not have good music so most of us, including me, just went back home.
On Friday the entire group went on a field trip to Chimaltenango to visit two different hospitals. We first visited the national hospital there (there are several for all different areas). It was very different than any hospital in the US. You did not hear any beeping, any machines because there are not really any. drips are by gravity. They can only do basic surgeries. If you need any special surgery or something you have to pay at a private place or you don't get it. They have a small blood bank at the hospital. They do have a newer building for maternity because it was donated by the government of South Korea. but there was still not any of the technology we have. And there were several women to one large room. The second place we visited was a private NGO (non government operated) and there were not really any people around because they said the people come in the late afternoon and leave in the morning usually. It was kind of a sketchy place but also not really any technology. The guy who gave us a tour at the first place said that only private hospitals in Guatemala city can you see hospitals like ones in the US. It was a learning experience.
Well I will tell you more about Hermano Pedro and other things later. For now I am going to try and put pictures on facebook.
adios,
Teresa
So I know I still need to write about some of the things that have happened in the past couple of days, but first I want to start with today. A group of us went on the field trip to another town to see Mayan people and learn some about their culture. I will be posting pictures up on facebook. First we learned all about their different clothes that they wear. Then we got to learn about the wedding traditions through a couple of our group getting to act it out. That was very interesting. Then after that we were able to look around at all of their different crafts they have made from blankets, scarves, table runners, purses, bags, aprons, pot holders to jewelry and much more. I bought myself a beautiful multicolor blanket that was hand made and a gift for mom. Then we got to try some of their traditional food and we each got to help make a tortilla. Mine turned out pretty well, it was hard for us not to have them stick to our hands. I also tried some fresh black coffee, which I very strongly dislike. then we got to try crushing coffee beans, which takes a lot of work and I got two little blisters. It was overall a very fun experience. Oh and this morning I went to mass in the Cathedral, it was very nice but I need to sit closer and read the readings ahead of time to better understand.
Yesterday we took a short trip to the "Cross on the Hill". It is an old cross up on the hill with a fabulous view of Antigua. I took lots of pictures of the view, which included some very nice pictures of one of the Volcanoes. Otherwise a good portion of yesterday was spent doing homework and relaxing. We did go out to dinner at a nice restaurant. After dinner we tried to find a club to go to and dance, but the one we went in was so cram packed it was ridiculous. And the other one we went to did not have good music so most of us, including me, just went back home.
On Friday the entire group went on a field trip to Chimaltenango to visit two different hospitals. We first visited the national hospital there (there are several for all different areas). It was very different than any hospital in the US. You did not hear any beeping, any machines because there are not really any. drips are by gravity. They can only do basic surgeries. If you need any special surgery or something you have to pay at a private place or you don't get it. They have a small blood bank at the hospital. They do have a newer building for maternity because it was donated by the government of South Korea. but there was still not any of the technology we have. And there were several women to one large room. The second place we visited was a private NGO (non government operated) and there were not really any people around because they said the people come in the late afternoon and leave in the morning usually. It was kind of a sketchy place but also not really any technology. The guy who gave us a tour at the first place said that only private hospitals in Guatemala city can you see hospitals like ones in the US. It was a learning experience.
Well I will tell you more about Hermano Pedro and other things later. For now I am going to try and put pictures on facebook.
adios,
Teresa
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