First off, here's the link to the article written about us in Guayaquil:
Today we went to a different community a little farther down
the mountainside from where we were yesterday.
Charity stayed at the hotel because she wasn’t feeling well. Unfortunately, when we got to the village, the
Medical Clinic bus parked right in the volleyball court, so we had to take down
the net L. Brittney, Matt, Mike, Sarah, Anna and Emilee
went to the school we’ve been going to for the past couple days. They taught 4th and 5th
grade, and the students were all very excited to see what they were going to be
taught. They received the
anti-parasitics and fluoride treatments, and were given a lecture on nutrition
and first aid.
A second group (which included Rally, James, Mandy, Mykenna and Chelsea) went to a new school and taught preschool-age kids, 2nd grade, and 6th grade. For the younger kids the group had to adjust their teaching style. They enjoyed singing lots of songs! For the 6th graders, the group taught the kids CPR and it went really well. They weren’t able to do fluoride or parasite treatments because the students had been given the treatments 2 months ago. This school did not have as much money as the other school we went to, and they didn’t have any uniforms. There was also a reporter there that talked to some of the group.
Teaching at the school...
Singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in English
Paige, Liz, Beka, Greg and Melina stayed with the bus in the little community and helped set up the mobile clinic and waited for people in the community to come. The weather was a bit overcast when they started, but pretty soon it started to rain. And then pour. And then let up a bit. And then pour some more. So there were not as many patients as there might have been. But the group had a great time playing with a little boy that was there with his grandmother, and talking to the others that had come. Some of the women kept asking Liz if she could see. Liz was confused until she realized that they were asking that because she had blue eyes. The only blue eyes they had ever seen were eyes with cataracts, so they thought Liz was blind! Some of the members of the community cooked chunks of pork over a fire outside for our lunch, and it was so delicious, along with a plate of salad, popcorn, choclo, bread, and our choice of fruit.
Taking Hemoglobins
Greg stirring our lunch
Nothing better than fresh meat cooked over an outdoor fire!
When the other two groups came back from the schools, we all helped with those that continued to trickle in, despite the rain, to get a medical and dental check up. A group of us went to teach hand and dental hygiene to a preschool, and a little girl that Paige was holding in her lap fell asleep during the lesson. Paige didn’t look too upset. We learned the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” in Kechua (the language spoken by the indigenous people here). The words are as follows:
Uma (head)
Shigra (shoulder)
Cunguri (knee)
Chaqui (toe/foot?)
Navi (eye)
Rinjee (ear)
Shimi (mouth)
Singa (nose)
Afterwards, we had a great time with the kids in the community, figuring out how to say stuff in Kechua, and it started to get really confusing because there was English, Spanish, and Kechua being spoken all over the place. Here are a few basics in Kechua:
Alipunja (good morning)
Kayakama (goodbye)
Pae (thank you)
Ari (yes)
Na (no)
Ima shooti kakangee? (What’s your name?)
Ima shata kangee? (How are you?)
Aleejah (good)
Shun (1)
Ishkay (2)
Kimsa (3)
Chusku (4)
Picha (5)
Sookta (6)
Kanchees (7)
Boosak (8)
Iskun (9)
Choonga (10)
Singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Kechua
Our Kechua "teachers"
This evening we had a health fair, and it almost all went great. However, there were a ton of children in the nursery, and Beka and Melina were soon swamped. Here is the story in Melina’s own words:
Nightmare in the Nursery
Once upon a time two very excited nursing students were going to help in a health fair for the people of Otavalo, Ecuador. The excited nursing students' names were Melina and Rebekah. They couldn't wait to be able to be with the kids, because they both loved kids so much. They arrived and set up the nursery and then the kids started arriving. They arrived and little by little the number of the kids in the nursery grew. Mothers happily passed their babies to Rebekah and Melina and went off to their various classes. Little did Melina and Rebekah know that what seemed like a fun and great opportunity to play with little children would turn into a movie....not a fun movie...a very very scary movie. One that you never want to watch again.
The class began to fill with babies. Babies that needed to be held...babies that cried for their mom...babies that ate crayons if you let them out of your sight for two seconds...also babies that fall on their heads. Add 5-7 year old children that don't listen + crazy baby party and you have yourself one giant mess....Melina and Rebekah were feeling slightly overwhelmed at this point and tried to call for help. Help arrived when Chelsea came. One little 11 month old started crying so Chelsea took her to try to get her to sleep. One little boy that had been crying fell asleep in Rebekah's arm. Melina was left to fend for herself against the crazy little monsters. (Yes...they were monsters disguised as cute children) Meanwhile, nina #1 urinates all over the floor, nino #2 was peeling off all the paper on the crayons and throwing it on the floor, nino #3 was eating the crayons, nino #4 falls on his head and starts crying, nino #5 sees "mami" and starts screaming again, nino #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 all want to go to the bathroom, while nino #13-25 all are trying to escape.... Keep in mind that there is ONE Spanish speaker and two occupied "English-Only Speaking" helpers...and it's a mad house.
Sarah finally came to the rescue and entertained the kids with a little "Duck, Duck, Goose" so Melina and Rebekah could focus on the little kids. Suddenly one mom comes looking for her baby. Her baby is no where to be found. Melina doesn't even remember the little baby. Mom and Melina start having a panic attack and start running around like lunatics. Too bad Melina didn't remember this lady's little baby was the baby Chelsea had taken out of the room to try to get to sleep. Mom finds baby...Melina's and Mom's heart starts again...and Melina apologizes and runs back to the nursery to find even more disaster. Rebekah starts going delirious and yelling out things like "si me dan los crayoles, te doy pasta" What she wanted to say is "Si me traen los crayolas, te voy a dar pasta de dientes." Meanwhile Melina goes searching for mom of baby that peed everywhere...long story short... After what seemed like the longest few hours of their lives...Melina & Rebekah waited anxiously for every mother to get their little precious child...and take them far far away back to their homes....
And Melina and Rebekah died shortly after....
But were brought back to life by sandwiches and juice provided by the ward.... The End.
Taking blood pressures and blood sugars
Teaching different classes
The nursery...
CPR class
One more day in Otavalo and then on our way to Mindo!
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