Hola, parents and friends!
This is Rakhi (Occupational Therapy Practitioner) and Allie H. (Occupational Therapy Student). Today was another great day of service at all of our sites!
Reporting from Daryl's house:
Today we worked with numerous kids with disabilities from the community. It was great to interact with the kids and to help them improve their daily occupations. We had a successful system working which included teams of six. We had two therapists (occupational therapy and speech therapy) along with a translator and three students. While this group of six was hard at work, the other three students played with the children who were waited to be seen. We read books to the children, talked with them, and more!
The therapy sessions went very well. The clients were able to learn a lot along with the students. The therapists were in charge, but the students were able to provide their feedback and step in a lot during the sessions. We also made sure to make the care plans simple and understandable for the clients and their parents/caretakers. We made sure to demonstrate and teach the parents/caregivers about the treatments so that they could be continued at home. Our goal was to help these individuals, while also providing sustainability in the care plan so that the children can continue to improve. It was a great opportunity as a students to be able to learn numerous new techniques and ideas for our future careers.
There were a variety of different clients today! We saw many children who were experiencing extreme spasticity. We worked on various techniques with these children such as using a warm wash cloth to help the children open their hands. We also helped another child with mobility by using a therapy ball on which to roll back and forth. This can help with feeling and awareness in the feet. Next, we helped a child with feeding techniques.
It was really amazing to engage with all of these different children! It was a long day of hard work, but well worth it. Helping these children was beneficial for them and to our education. We were able to evaluate, problem solve, make a plan, and provide the families with instructions to continue the therapy practices.
-Allie H.
Reporting from ABI:
This is my second year as a practitioner at ABI, where we have now served for three years. The residential facility has surely made remarkable improvements each year, and the love for the residents is obvious with a core group of staff and caregivers dedicated to giving each resident a fulfilling and meaningful life. This year, the facility has entrusted our group with attempting to problem solve some very sensitive subjects, and we are honored to have gained the respect and confidence of the staff at ABI in order to gain this trust. In addition to the facility being more candid regarding pre-existing issues, the expansion of the facility has presented new and different challenges. I have been impressed by the students' maturity and insight while helping to address our difficult issues. Some of my proudest moments from today were watching the students interact whole-heartedly with the residents and being at-the-ready with songs in Spanish, choosing appropriate interventions and grading interventions to resident abilities, and working through difficult challenges with grace in the company of older and more seasoned professionals. I look forward to working with all the students in class next year as they continue to develop their therapeutic skills and techniques.
-Rakhi
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
First Day of Service
Yo te cuido (I got your back), the highs, the lows, and everything in between for our first day of service.
The morning started off with students being shipped out to three different sites. Bright and early at 6:45 am, the students and therapists for Missionaries of the Highway loaded their van with wheelchairs and supplies. After them, the other 2 groups headed their separate ways, one to Daryl's Home and one to Abrigo Y Bienestar Integral (ABI) which was an hour and a half drive to Guatemala City.
Each site had its unique opportunities and challenges. The day was filled with emotional highs and lows as well as moments of concrete solutions and ambiguity. Those at Missionaries of the Highway pieced together wheelchairs to fit children's specific needs. They also collaborated with on-site therapists, teachers, and/or caregivers to problem solve and create strategies for improved participation and performance in daily living at home and school. There was one particular high moment for all the therapists and students at Missionaries of the Highway. It came about at the end of the day when a little boy had already received occupational therapy for fine motor skills and then needed his wheelchair adjusted. It was going on 4+ hours and he patiently endured the entire team of 9 working away on finishing final adjustments. Even though he was becoming tearful, sweaty, and tired at the end of the session, he drove away in his parent's pickup truck with windows rolled down and biggest smile on his face.
At ABI students were integrated into the site by observing staff conduct therapy, walk through the residents' daily routines, and develop an understanding of the needs of the facility, staff, and residents. Since Xavier's last experience at ABI, the facility has expanded and refined its services to its residents. They have done this through diversifying service into 3 separate sites including the ABI residential facility, the Annex (which is dedicated to sensory and educational needs), and the Independent Living Program. Learning the background of some of the residents was difficult to take in, but important to put everything in perspective. Students look forward to helping the site further develop their programming.
Through it all, it has been an adventurous first day! And through it all, yo te cuido ("I got your back"- our favorite saying). We are in this together and are excited for the next days of service.
Signing off:
Kathleen (Student)
Sara-Ruth (Occupational Therapist)
The morning started off with students being shipped out to three different sites. Bright and early at 6:45 am, the students and therapists for Missionaries of the Highway loaded their van with wheelchairs and supplies. After them, the other 2 groups headed their separate ways, one to Daryl's Home and one to Abrigo Y Bienestar Integral (ABI) which was an hour and a half drive to Guatemala City.
Each site had its unique opportunities and challenges. The day was filled with emotional highs and lows as well as moments of concrete solutions and ambiguity. Those at Missionaries of the Highway pieced together wheelchairs to fit children's specific needs. They also collaborated with on-site therapists, teachers, and/or caregivers to problem solve and create strategies for improved participation and performance in daily living at home and school. There was one particular high moment for all the therapists and students at Missionaries of the Highway. It came about at the end of the day when a little boy had already received occupational therapy for fine motor skills and then needed his wheelchair adjusted. It was going on 4+ hours and he patiently endured the entire team of 9 working away on finishing final adjustments. Even though he was becoming tearful, sweaty, and tired at the end of the session, he drove away in his parent's pickup truck with windows rolled down and biggest smile on his face.
At ABI students were integrated into the site by observing staff conduct therapy, walk through the residents' daily routines, and develop an understanding of the needs of the facility, staff, and residents. Since Xavier's last experience at ABI, the facility has expanded and refined its services to its residents. They have done this through diversifying service into 3 separate sites including the ABI residential facility, the Annex (which is dedicated to sensory and educational needs), and the Independent Living Program. Learning the background of some of the residents was difficult to take in, but important to put everything in perspective. Students look forward to helping the site further develop their programming.
Through it all, it has been an adventurous first day! And through it all, yo te cuido ("I got your back"- our favorite saying). We are in this together and are excited for the next days of service.
Signing off:
Kathleen (Student)
Sara-Ruth (Occupational Therapist)
Sunday, May 29, 2016
To Antigua We Go
The students began the morning going to a Catholic Mass. The music was most of our favorite part of the entire service as they were upbeat and more modernized than regular church hymns. It was an amazing cultural experience as today was the last big celebration for Corpus Christi here in Guatemala. The streets were covered in beautifully designed alfombras which are made of colored saw dust, parts of plants, and many flowers. After church the students had a nice breakfast at the hotel, thanked Fidel and Gloria from the Center of Global Education, and had a little celebration for Megan's 21st birthday! With cake at 10:00 am in Guatemala, she couldn't have had a bad day :)
The therapists then met the students at the hotel to do a quick transition into our second week here in Guatemala. The entire group then took three boats over to the other side of the lake. We were able to take a quick look at some of the shops right off the lake. We then took pick up trucks to an area outside of Santiago Atitlan. There was a mudslide here as a result of a hurricane about 10 years ago. It is still considered to be a sad area because so many people were displaced or killed by this major disaster. We then headed over to see the Peace Park. This was the site of the civil war massacre of 13 innocent people. There are memorials and many crosses found within here to remember these individuals. We then went to see a church where a Corpus Christi mass was finishing up. The central square was beautiful and we then went to see the decorations inside. Many local flowers and plants are used for decorations all around the church as well as statues dressed in traditional clothing.
We all then headed to Antigua on a three hour bus ride. The groups for the week split up into different cars or vans to be able to discuss an overview of the new week before beginning our service tomorrow. After an orientation, we made final preparations for our first day of service tomorrow at our three sites.
Allison (student)
The therapists then met the students at the hotel to do a quick transition into our second week here in Guatemala. The entire group then took three boats over to the other side of the lake. We were able to take a quick look at some of the shops right off the lake. We then took pick up trucks to an area outside of Santiago Atitlan. There was a mudslide here as a result of a hurricane about 10 years ago. It is still considered to be a sad area because so many people were displaced or killed by this major disaster. We then headed over to see the Peace Park. This was the site of the civil war massacre of 13 innocent people. There are memorials and many crosses found within here to remember these individuals. We then went to see a church where a Corpus Christi mass was finishing up. The central square was beautiful and we then went to see the decorations inside. Many local flowers and plants are used for decorations all around the church as well as statues dressed in traditional clothing.
We all then headed to Antigua on a three hour bus ride. The groups for the week split up into different cars or vans to be able to discuss an overview of the new week before beginning our service tomorrow. After an orientation, we made final preparations for our first day of service tomorrow at our three sites.
Allison (student)
First Week Mission Accomplished!
We experienced a great week of cultural and language learning. The Xavier student group is enthusiastic, creative, flexible and incredible supportive of one another. They have grown in their development of cultural competence through the many and varied experiences this week, from family life to Spanish conversations and cultural engagement. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with each student. Thank you for entrusting them with me for this incredibly enriching learning opportunity!
Diane
Associate Professor, Spanish
Diane
Associate Professor, Spanish
Goodbye Xela, Hello Panajachel, See you tomorrow Antigua
It's Allison and Sarah here! We began Saturday morning with our last breakfast at our host families. Also the last time we would hear 'buen provecho' from them when getting up from a meal. The families then walked us to the school where we said our goodbyes. It was a little emotional saying goodbye to the families as they allowed us to live with them for an entire week and did so much for us. We then got on our bus for a two hour bus ride to Lake Atitlan and the Panajachel area. We then went on two boats to cross the lake over into a village on the other side.
Immediately after getting off the boats, we hopped into the beds of pick up trucks. That was quite the local experience with bruises for all. We traveled into the highlands to learn about the solar filtration water systems at a local clinic. We then went to the homes of three families to see how the filtration system worked in their home. It was eye opening to see how the water filtration was helping each person in these families and to hear the families' personal stories.
We then traveled back to Panajachel by boat to explore the area's shops. The locals definitely got a lot of our money yesterday :) We finished the day with a relaxing dinner and reflection. We were all so excited for dinner because it was maybe the first time the entire week that they knew what they were eating (spaghetti!). Everyone ate an entire mountain sized portion and loved every bite! We reflected upon the first week of our trip with topics such as, what first comes to your head when thinking about the week and what advice could you give to future students going on the Guatemala trip. It was sad to say goodbye to our first week, but we are all excited about the week to come. Today was a big transition day for all.
Immediately after getting off the boats, we hopped into the beds of pick up trucks. That was quite the local experience with bruises for all. We traveled into the highlands to learn about the solar filtration water systems at a local clinic. We then went to the homes of three families to see how the filtration system worked in their home. It was eye opening to see how the water filtration was helping each person in these families and to hear the families' personal stories.
We then traveled back to Panajachel by boat to explore the area's shops. The locals definitely got a lot of our money yesterday :) We finished the day with a relaxing dinner and reflection. We were all so excited for dinner because it was maybe the first time the entire week that they knew what they were eating (spaghetti!). Everyone ate an entire mountain sized portion and loved every bite! We reflected upon the first week of our trip with topics such as, what first comes to your head when thinking about the week and what advice could you give to future students going on the Guatemala trip. It was sad to say goodbye to our first week, but we are all excited about the week to come. Today was a big transition day for all.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Hola from Allie L. and Allie D.!!!! Friday: Yesterday we began the day at the school. We had the opportunity to listen to a variety of speakers. The first speaker was a woman from The Office of Women of the Municipial of Quetzaltenango, an organization which empowers women who have been affected by violence and oppression. It was really awesome to hear about the opportunities they offer the women to participate in society such as workshops to help them learn skills and give them support. The second speaker was a man who works with the organization Innerchange, an organization which can be found around the world. They accompany individuals and communities in their journey through life. Our speaker helps many orphaned children who live on the street by listening to their stories and helping them turn towards education or a craft. The third speaker was a man who lost both hands in a work related accident. He gave his testimony and shared how having prosthetics has helped him continue providing for his family. After the speakers, our professora Diane had a surprise for us! We walked to a dance studio and learned how to salsa! We all let Leeah, Lauren, and Gloria take the lead and Sean had to juggle a lot of women! After, we all headed home to our home stays for lunch. The group then split up again and half went to learn to weave and the other half went to the Mayan sauna. We switched activities from what we did on Tuesday and you can look back to Katie and Sean's blog for a refresher! The group that went to the sauna had a unique experience because they got to meet Vanessa's (the woman's house where the sauna is) sister and nephew. The little boy has a developmental disability and has utilized FUNDABIEN which we had visited earlier. We were touched by her kind words and gratitude towards our profession. At the weaving co-op Megan and Sean decided that they were so talented that they were going to start their own shop. Look out for them on etsy ;) Afterwards both groups headed back to their home stays for the last night with their families! We think they were starting to feel bad for us because about half the group had Pizza Hut :) Sarah and Leeah tried on the Traje (traditional outfit of Mayan women) and went to a family party! It was a bittersweet night as we thanked and said goodbye to the families who took us in as their own.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Welcome to the Jungle
Blog Post for Thursday, May 26, 2016
Hola! Greetings from yours truly, Leeah and Lauren! We apologize for the delayed post as we were having technical difficulties with the internet connection! After eating another delicious breakfast made by our host families, we started the day heading to a special education school called Xelaju. The school offers education to several children with various disabilities from the area for individuals of all ages. The group brought along our singing skills and Spanish books and paired up into groups of 3 to assist the classrooms. The groups had a great time playing with the children in the classroom and out on the playgroud. We felt much more confident in our Spanish songs and books as the children loved hearing them and insisted on us repeating them over and over again. It is safe to say that we will probably be singing Pulgarcito in our sleep for the rest of the trip! In addition, our group was fortunate enough to bring along and donate various supplies to the school. Special thanks to Allison and Sarah for gathering and coordinating the supplies! With their help, we were able to donate coloring books for each student, crayons, pencils, pens, notebooks, and much more to the school!
After saying goodbye and giving our thanks to Xelaju, the group began their two hour journey to the coffee farm located in Santa Anita. When we arrived, we were welcomed by the director of the farm, Gloria, and served an authentic meal of chicken, vegetables, noodles, and of course, tortillas at the hotel on the farm.
After our stomachs were satisfied, we were led by a former guerrilla fighter, Julio, through the coffee farm learning about the logistics of planting, growing, cleaning, roasting, and grounding coffee. We braved through the battle with the mosquitos as we drenched ourselves with bug spray and got in touch with mother nature. Overall, our experience at the farm was definitely one for the books. The farm did not represent what one would think an average farm would look like. Walking for two hours, we trailed behind Julio as he took us up, down, and around what could be comparable to a jungle. The view was unexplainable and no picture could do its justice for how beautiful the scenery was... we may or may not be featured in the next Jurassic Park.
In addition, we were also able to take a brief tour of the village and a museum of the guerrilla fighters. During this time, Gloria humbly shared her story of being a guerrilla during the civil war. It was very moving to hear her experience of fighting for justice in Guatemala. To end our day at the farm, we were able to buy some of the local coffee. You could tell how excited we were as we cleaned out all the coffee off the shelves!
We are sad that today is our last day in Xela and with our host families, but are very blessed for the experiences and the people we have met! We are off to Panajachel tomorrow to explore Lake Atitlan. Check in on us tomorrow! Adios!
Hola! Greetings from yours truly, Leeah and Lauren! We apologize for the delayed post as we were having technical difficulties with the internet connection! After eating another delicious breakfast made by our host families, we started the day heading to a special education school called Xelaju. The school offers education to several children with various disabilities from the area for individuals of all ages. The group brought along our singing skills and Spanish books and paired up into groups of 3 to assist the classrooms. The groups had a great time playing with the children in the classroom and out on the playgroud. We felt much more confident in our Spanish songs and books as the children loved hearing them and insisted on us repeating them over and over again. It is safe to say that we will probably be singing Pulgarcito in our sleep for the rest of the trip! In addition, our group was fortunate enough to bring along and donate various supplies to the school. Special thanks to Allison and Sarah for gathering and coordinating the supplies! With their help, we were able to donate coloring books for each student, crayons, pencils, pens, notebooks, and much more to the school!
After saying goodbye and giving our thanks to Xelaju, the group began their two hour journey to the coffee farm located in Santa Anita. When we arrived, we were welcomed by the director of the farm, Gloria, and served an authentic meal of chicken, vegetables, noodles, and of course, tortillas at the hotel on the farm.
After our stomachs were satisfied, we were led by a former guerrilla fighter, Julio, through the coffee farm learning about the logistics of planting, growing, cleaning, roasting, and grounding coffee. We braved through the battle with the mosquitos as we drenched ourselves with bug spray and got in touch with mother nature. Overall, our experience at the farm was definitely one for the books. The farm did not represent what one would think an average farm would look like. Walking for two hours, we trailed behind Julio as he took us up, down, and around what could be comparable to a jungle. The view was unexplainable and no picture could do its justice for how beautiful the scenery was... we may or may not be featured in the next Jurassic Park.
In addition, we were also able to take a brief tour of the village and a museum of the guerrilla fighters. During this time, Gloria humbly shared her story of being a guerrilla during the civil war. It was very moving to hear her experience of fighting for justice in Guatemala. To end our day at the farm, we were able to buy some of the local coffee. You could tell how excited we were as we cleaned out all the coffee off the shelves!
We are sad that today is our last day in Xela and with our host families, but are very blessed for the experiences and the people we have met! We are off to Panajachel tomorrow to explore Lake Atitlan. Check in on us tomorrow! Adios!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)