So the days continue ticking away faster and faster. Already my first week in El Salvador is complete. Since the last time I blogged not a whole lot exciting has happened, but I´ll try to keep you up to speed.
I´ve still been helping out with English classes and working in the clinic in CISNA. So far I have met several challenges. It has been difficult to communicate the necessities of what should be done especially for the health of CISNA and have the directors and teachers understand that we are coming from a postition of love for the kids and are trying to help them, not trying to change their ways of doing things from an arrogant American perspective. For example, today Lauren, Teddy, and I taught our first health class to some of the teachers and directors. It began well, but soon turned into a rant about how they did not have enough supplies and how though our suggestions were heeded they could not be implemented. This was pretty frustrating, but I was able to take command and communicate to them that it was their responsability to look out for the health of the kids, to set examples of servant leadership, and to assert authority to get things done. They seemed to shutup after that hahahah.
Anyways, I have met several boys at CISNA who I have begun to hang out with when I go. One of them, Carlos, I met sitting near the clinic all alone. He had been punched in the head and had to get stitches. He was crying when I met him. I got to talk to him and hear his story. He had been abandoned by his parents, hadn´t heard from them since he entered the orphanage and felt that know one loves him. I got to show him love and give him a hug and just talk to him. That was awesome, and even if I came to El Salvador for that one experience it was all worth it.
Additionally, I have been able to build some relationships with the boys in the house and have been able to exchange stories with them. This has also made the trip worth it.
For awhile, though, I have been feeling burdened just for the brokeness, the poverty, and seeming hopelessness. I have hope though that things will improve and that the work that I and the other interns do this summer will make a difference not only in others´ lives, but in our own as well.
Other than that, life has been tranquilo...peaceful. We even got to go to the beach for the day on Saturday and rest. We Americans are also growing closer which has been awesome! Love you all and talk to you soon...PS TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY!! YIKES I´m gonna be an old man!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
And so it begins...
I´ve now been in El Salvador for 3 days and I´m already tired. The days are definitely busy, but I love the work that I am doing. I am living in a house with 13 youth from El Salvador, one staff person, and 3 other interns. Spanish has definitely been helpful here in trying to get to know the boys. I have met all of them and have begun to build some relationships with them, but it has been a little difficult with the language and the busy schedules. Every day, I have been waking upt 5 or 530 when the boys are getting ready for school. I then go to a meeting with all of the youth of the house and then with all of the staff. After this I have been teaching English or going to their soccer practice. In the afternoon, I have been going to CISNA and am currently working in the medical clinic. That has been quite interesting.
I am working with another one of the interns named Lauren in the clinic. She is in nursing school and already has some clinical practice so she´s been very helpful. We were set up the first day to go around assessing all of the facilities to observe any health risks and places where infection and contamination can come in. It was quite overwhelming because many of the most basic needs were not met. There were open food containers everywhere, standing water, mold, dirt, not even chlorox was used to clean the tables but only dirty water from the faucets. Tomorrow we are suppose to go over our findings with 2 of the directors of the center so that will be a task. Additionally, today we got to use some skills in caring for a boy with an infected leg. A glass bottle fell and cut him. Thanks to previous experience (an ingrown toenail) we knew to use betadine and hot water. It´s been a little awkward trying to tell the nurses and doctors there what to do because we don´t want to come off as arrogant Americans, but some of the practices that they do here are not the best haha.
Other than that, a lot of rice and beans and mosquitos. Alright, gotta run. See you in a few days.
I am working with another one of the interns named Lauren in the clinic. She is in nursing school and already has some clinical practice so she´s been very helpful. We were set up the first day to go around assessing all of the facilities to observe any health risks and places where infection and contamination can come in. It was quite overwhelming because many of the most basic needs were not met. There were open food containers everywhere, standing water, mold, dirt, not even chlorox was used to clean the tables but only dirty water from the faucets. Tomorrow we are suppose to go over our findings with 2 of the directors of the center so that will be a task. Additionally, today we got to use some skills in caring for a boy with an infected leg. A glass bottle fell and cut him. Thanks to previous experience (an ingrown toenail) we knew to use betadine and hot water. It´s been a little awkward trying to tell the nurses and doctors there what to do because we don´t want to come off as arrogant Americans, but some of the practices that they do here are not the best haha.
Other than that, a lot of rice and beans and mosquitos. Alright, gotta run. See you in a few days.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
