Hello again!

I´m back to site after almost two weeks away. It’s actually refreshing to be back. It’s not quite home yet, but it’s a place I can call mine. I´m still looking for a house or apartment to rent, as I still live with my host family. I´ve a couple leads, we´ll see where they go.

My psychology course has been taking up a lot of my time. I knew it would be a lot of work, since it’s a condensed 7 week course rather than 4 month semester course. I do feel bad that I´ve missed work to study, but right now I don´t have many projects up and running, so I´m not actually missing much.

it´s interesting though. Some of the basic concepts I’ve learned I´ve been able to loosely apply to my observations here. Some of the lack of discipline of the children, the position of women in society etc etc.

Not a whole lot to report. The situation in Honduras is fairly heated still. The exiled president or ex president (depends on who you talk too) is here in Nicaragua today staging his re-entrance to Honduras from the northern Nicaraguan city of Estelí. Our boarders have heightened security, and there’s talk of potential armed conflict between protesters, armies, and the two political sides (those who supported the coup, and those who don’t). I doubt anything serious will happen, but nonetheless peacecorps has us on alert, and keeps us regularly posted on any new events (by e'mail, lucky for me I have internet access here!)

Any who I hear its raining in Maine still, although that sounds wonderfully refreshing. I actually sweat through a pair of pants the other day; I didn’t even realize that was possible...)

Adios!

Hello All!

Not much to report since writing last. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster as of late, moral going through the roof, and then bottoming out. Mainly the frustrations have been revolving around language right now. We just had a 4 day language workshop, and I realized that I've taught myself many things wrong, and now need to unlearn, and re-learn certain things.

So I had a talk with someone the other day about world outlook. I was explaining how some of the people in my town have small world views (can you blame them; they don’t have the luxury of travel). We got onto the topic of people I know who really like learning about the world, they read national geographic, watch the news etc etc, but really have no interest in traveling. The lady, with whom I was talking, said that the world would be a more peaceful one if people would be interested in knowing more about the world than their own little bubble. Yes I know Americans sometimes we can think and act like we are the center of the world (we actually are in some ways I guess) but it seemed that she was saying that because people don't have interest in traveling, are ignorant and uninformed. I was rather insulted (although just a few years ago I would have said the same thing). Just because someone isn't interested in travel doesn't make them more ignorant than anyone else. I know plenty of people who travel and aren't any better than those that do. I think if someone has smelled the smells, eaten the food etc etc, maybe have a clearer image of a certain place but that doesn’t make them more informed. For example, I've traveled to a variety of countries, but that doesn’t mean that I know anything about the people their. She seemed to be blaming Americans for purposely choosing not to travel, and to stay ignorant of the rest of the world. (Is that a bad thing?)
I guess being from the US travel really is more of a luxury for us than those in Europe. We don't have access to cheap travel, or lots of cultures all clustered together. I was rather put out (you all know how I get sometimes...) Conversations like this constantly re-confirm my "Americanness" which is something I wasn't really conscious of before my service here. And ya know what, its pretty good to be an American.

Oh here is an NGO that works in my site

http://www.amoshealthandhope.org/Health_for_all/Home.html

I've only met with them a couple of times, but I really like their ideas about international aid. They don't give handouts. They give information And trainings. For example their working on bringing down midwives from the US to train midwives here. This knowledge is 100 times more valuable than handing out new equipment that may or may not be used. They also have some nice pictures on their website which are worth checking out.

That’s all for them moment!

Yesterday was a rather exicting day. I went to one of the healthposts in one of the outlying comunities. Normally this is rather boring. I give a talk about the influenza, and nutrition to the people waiting for their appointments, and talk with the locals (when they can understand me!). We had a guy come in with a pretty deep accidental machette cut, and I was able to asist with the cleaning-closing of the wound. I was a little whoosy,but it was a good experience none-theless. The poor man had to walk quite aways to get to the health post. His friend, who accompanied him, didn´t know to put pressure on the wound, so he lost quite a bit of blood. If we hadn´t been at the health post that day (they´re not staffed everyday we dont have the resources for that) I don´t know what he would have done. The community is somewhat isolated and transport sporatic.

After the nurses taught me how to give injections, and when I arrived back in town to the health center, I was able to observe-give basic assistance, to a birth!

The birthing proccess in life, is terrifying, and beautiful all at once. The young mother, (20 with her second child, the first by ceaserian) had a difficult time because the baby had his arm up around his head. But it was amazing to see the proccess, (definately not anything I want to go through anytime soon) but I never quite understood the sacrafice a mother has to make, physically, mentally, etc etc in the pregnancy proccess. Its something I knew about, but didnt quite understand.

any how, thats all for now!


Hazel

So incase anyone was worrying, The over throwing of the Honduran government isn´t effecting us here. I just recieved a few e-mails from people, so I want to make sure you all know, everything here is fine! It seems that the problems in honduras stem from the president wanting to change the constitution, and hold new elections. I´m not sure of the details and what not, but heres an article on the BBC about it if you all are interested. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8123126.stm

I took a few pictures at the preschool where I did a teeth brushing lesson last week, and here they are!

So I´m starting to be comfortable with my spanish and am thinking more about working on specific projects. Its hard though, because at the moment all my counterparts are pre-occupied with the H1N1 pig-flu so they don´t have time to work with me on new projects at the moment. These are some ideas
1. ´pregnant club´(sounds better in spanish) to work with pregnant adolscents about their reproductive rights, how the body works, nutrition pre,during, and post natal, and about family planning
2. have a mini soccer leauge with the youth health promotors of teams of6-8 people, since the soccer playing area in the park is small, teams are small
3.start a women´s fitness group (I´m way out of shape, and there seems to be interest)
4.work on reproductive health in the schools.
5. we actually have a school for children with ´different abilities´as they put it here, so I could do something with them maybe, as well as do a workshop with the teachers of the public schools about learning disabilities etc.
5. I´d like to do some family building stuff too, like once every two months, have an activity where families can come in, and work on a project togther aka trust building , empathy, respect. I don´t know how well that´ll work in the culture here, since they days are so busy for everyone, and the time is very divided between the genders. (remeber machisimoism?)

Well I really have to narrow it down to 2, or 3 projects, and work hard on them, and get it right, rather than have a lot of small projects half-assed. We´ll see what happens.

It looks like I may be picking up an online psychology course for July and August. One of my counter parts seems excited about this, but I had to make sure he knows that just beacuse I´ve taken classes in the field, I am not a lisenced clincian, and therefore will not be givig out mental health advice.

I´ll be completing my first three months here in site middle of next month. I feel I have basic understanding of the community, and will be able to start working on more effective, and interesting projects.

Wish me luck!
Hazel

Teaching in schools, and other thoughts.

Hello all!

So I´ve started working in the schools this month. Last week I gave a class to the second graders about oral hygine. I didn´t know this, but I guess whenever an outside person comes into the class, doesnt matter if your nicaraguan or not, they give the kids food. I didn´t know this, nor do I have the money to do so, so I didnt give any to them. I´ll have to go back and appolagize, I was wondering why they all looked so dissapointed when I left.

Well I´ve discovered how fun little kids can be for 30 mins.anything I do is completely hilarious (I can be funny!) and the teachers thus far have been really supportive. this morning I taught in the third section of the second grade, and they kids were really involved (although a bit rowdy, discipline is different here), but were engaged, and taking notes, and copying my pictures (which are actually quite clever if i do say so)...

So yesterday I went to one of the outlying communities with a Doctora, a nurse, and a community health worker to visit with a new mother and her 5 day old child, to register him with the government, and examine the mother and child. The little boy ended up being extremely yellow, eyes and all. So the doctors told the mother that she needed to go to the health center for a more throurough examination. She refused. the nurses instisted, but she still refused. We could have given her a ride, and there was potential free overnight housing, but yet she still woundn´t come. I can understand that is scary, and inconvient to leave your home, and go to somewhere new and far away, but really this is your kids life here! I wanted to yell at her and say, yes its inconvient, but so is having a dead, or chronically ill child. But its not my place to say anything I feel. I come from a completely different experience, different culture, and language.

So I work also with youth promotors, but we´re in a motivational slump. Anyone know how to motivate a group of 20 highschoolers?

Hazel

ok these are photos of one of the health posts in one of the outlying communities. In the main town, where I live, we have the health center. It has a small emergency room, a dentist´s office, a room for labor and delivery etc etc. Work is going well, my spanish is still improving. Well I dont really have much to say for now. In the near future I´ll sit down and write a real post.