Hola from the Public Health Stations! Today we had another very busy (but fun!) day. We started our morning visiting the health station in San Antonio where we worked yesterday. We were very excited to see a few familiar faces who returned for more therapy suggestions today. For one client, we were able to use the top of a platform walker to make a sock aide so that this man could put on his own socks, which is something he had never done before! After our morning of therapy, our site treated us to a traditional Guatemalan dish called pepian, which is chicken and rice covered in a teriyaki sauce. We also drank a traditional beverage made of rice, milk, and cinnamon sugar. We were pleasantly surprised because the mayor joined us for lunch!

After lunch, we visited Amor del Nino, a home that houses children, primarily infants and children under the age of four. This was a lot of fun, as we were able to play (and according to Mary, snuggle) with the children for a few hours. From the children’s home, we visited a local university where students are studying physical and occupational therapy. It was really interesting to see their facility and the differences in the school settings. While on our tour, we were permitted to observe a portion of a sign language class, and it was interesting to see how the Guatemalan sign language is different from American sign language. The therapy students that we visited then joined us for dinner, where we were able to talk about our programs and the similarities and differences between them. Overall, we learned a lot more about therapy techniques, but also the cultural differences between Americans and Guatemalans. We’d consider it a great day!

Adios amigos!

Ashley Luffred (OTS) and Mary Zbacnik (OTS)