Days 15-18- Resort and Homeward Bound!!!

So much has happened! Unfortunately we didn’t have internet for a couple days so I wanted to apologize for the delayed response to all your concerns for my safety. On Monday morning we packed our bags and headed to a church to present our final charla (information) presentations in Spanish to a large group of promotoras (ladies that provide treatment to children with disabilities). There was approximately 50 people at the presentation and they were all very grateful for the information. We all improved a great deal in presenting in espanol this time around and it was awesome to see.

We then headed for the 2 hour drive Sosua Beach where our resort was. ILAC informed us that it was going against their recommendation to go, that they would prefer if we stayed inland in Santiago another night before heading to the beach. Our leaders decided that they would let us go anyway and we were able to make it safely. It rained the majority of the day but it did not stop us from having fun. We all immediately went to our rooms and put on our bikinis to get into the outdoor pool. We got rained on almost the entire 3 hours that we were out thereJ It was definitely a fun memory…we were all so ready for a break and some fun that we ignored the weather. We then had dinner at the resort and got beautiful. It was so refreshing to put on make-up again although I am really missing my straightenerJ. We danced and had a few drinks together as this was an all inclusive stay. We had a blast together.

Debra and I were officially the troublemakers of the tripJ I say that partially joking but mostly not. It was so tempting and difficult not to go out to the beach when we had been so anxious. We had been instructed not to even step a foot onto the beach due to the hurricane weather. Debra and I don’t get to see the beach often and thought we’d ‘test the waters out’. J We didn’t actually go into the ocean because we were nervous and a security guard caught us. He was really nice and laughed when Debra tried to argue that we were okay out there, but he still escorted us back.

That night I didn’t sleep at all because the Hurricane Irene was so loud. I was also kind of nervous because I had never been in a hurricane before, so of course I woke up to a couple dreams of being swept away by it. The next day, we set up appointments for massages and to get our nails done. It was $13 US for an hour massage, and about $20 for me to get acrylic nails and my toenails painted. It was so cheap that I definitely pampered myself. The lady who did my nails was so nice and spent 2 long hours doing my nails! It was okay to be inside though because Hurricane Julio wasn’t letting up and it rained the m we allajority of the time we were there.

We then went to the beach because the sun came out. We were so excited to see Dominican children in the ocean jumping in the waves. But as soon as we got close to the ocean, one of our leaders told us we  could only go into the water up to knee level…I don’t consider myself a defiant person, but we were all irritated with that. Supposedly a ‘red flag’ indicates that the water is not safe to enter. We were all anxious to get into the water since it was our second day and still hadn’t been able to enjoy it. After a short while, another leader felt bad for us and told us we could go in if we were smart but no further than above our waist. It was fun to be able to join the Dominican kids who were trying to get us to the entire time we were at knee level.

The last day was absolutely beautiful outside. We woke up at 7:30 and were out at the beach by 9:30am. We had so much fun learning to body surf the waves. Although we applied sunscreen a couple times between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, we got friedJ Today we look tan but it is still a little bit painful. It was a complete blast and the salt water cleared my sinuses out along with a little bit of my rash haha. Can’t wait to be at the ocean again.

Now we are all at the Dominican Republic airport waiting to get home but our flights have been delayed and changed. Hopefully if everything goes according to plan from here on out, I will arrive in Omaha between 10-10:30pm. Justin is flying in around 9:45pm so he will probably beat me. CANNOT WAIT TO SEE HIM AND MY FAMILY!!! Thank you all so much for keeping up with my blog. It means a lot to me, and all the notes and comments helped make being away from home much easier. I hope you’ve enjoyed following me on this amazing journey and can’t wait to show you all pictures…I officially took around 350J And I’m taking a few others from friends who took great pictures. Take care and hope to see you all soon!

Love,

Heather

Days 16-18- Resort and Homeward Bound!!!

So much has happened! Unfortunately we didn’t have internet for a couple days so I wanted to apologize for the delayed response to all your concerns for my safety. On Monday morning we packed our bags and headed to a church to present our final charla (information) presentations in Spanish to a large group of promotoras (ladies that provide treatment to children with disabilities). There was approximately 50 people at the presentation and they were all very grateful for the information. We all improved a great deal in presenting in espanol this time around and it was awesome to see.

We then headed for the 2 hour drive Sosua Beach where our resort was. ILAC informed us that it was going against their recommendation to go, that they would prefer if we stayed inland in Santiago another night before heading to the beach. Our leaders decided that they would let us go anyway and we were able to make it safely. It rained the majority of the day but it did not stop us from having fun. We all immediately went to our rooms and put on our bikinis to get into the outdoor pool. We got rained on almost the entire 3 hours that we were out thereJ It was definitely a fun memory…we were all so ready for a break and some fun that we ignored the weather. We then had dinner at the resort and got beautiful. It was so refreshing to put on make-up again although I am really missing my straightenerJ. We danced and had a few drinks together as this was an all inclusive stay. We had a blast together.

Debra and I were officially the troublemakers of the tripJ I say that partially joking but mostly not. It was so tempting and difficult not to go out to the beach when we had been so anxious. We had been instructed not to even step a foot onto the beach due to the hurricane weather. Debra and I don’t get to see the beach often and thought we’d ‘test the waters out’. J We didn’t actually go into the ocean because we were nervous and a security guard caught us. He was really nice and laughed when Debra tried to argue that we were okay out there, but he still escorted us back.

That night I didn’t sleep at all because the Hurricane Irene was so loud. I was also kind of nervous because I had never been in a hurricane before, so of course I woke up to a couple dreams of being swept away by it. The next day, we set up appointments for massages and to get our nails done. It was $13 US for an hour massage, and about $20 for me to get acrylic nails and my toenails painted. It was so cheap that I definitely pampered myself. The lady who did my nails was so nice and spent 2 long hours doing my nails! It was okay to be inside though because Hurricane Julio wasn’t letting up and it rained the m we allajority of the time we were there.

We then went to the beach because the sun came out. We were so excited to see Dominican children in the ocean jumping in the waves. But as soon as we got close to the ocean, one of our leaders told us we  could only go into the water up to knee level…I don’t consider myself a defiant person, but we were all irritated with that. Supposedly a ‘red flag’ indicates that the water is not safe to enter. We were all anxious to get into the water since it was our second day and still hadn’t been able to enjoy it. After a short while, another leader felt bad for us and told us we could go in if we were smart but no further than above our waist. It was fun to be able to join the Dominican kids who were trying to get us to the entire time we were at knee level.

The last day was absolutely beautiful outside. We woke up at 7:30 and were out at the beach by 9:30am. We had so much fun learning to body surf the waves. Although we applied sunscreen a couple times between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, we got friedJ Today we look tan but it is still a little bit painful. It was a complete blast and the salt water cleared my sinuses out along with a little bit of my rash haha. Can’t wait to be at the ocean again.

Now we are all at the Dominican Republic airport waiting to get home but our flights have been delayed and changed. Hopefully if everything goes according to plan from here on out, I will arrive in Omaha between 10-10:30pm. Justin is flying in around 9:45pm so he will probably beat me. CANNOT WAIT TO SEE HIM AND MY FAMILY!!! Thank you all so much for keeping up with my blog. It means a lot to me, and all the notes and comments helped make being away from home much easier. I hope you’ve enjoyed following me on this amazing journey and can’t wait to show you all pictures…I officially took around 350J And I’m taking a few others from friends who took great pictures. Take care and hope to see you all soon!

Love,

Heather

Day 13-14: Santo Domingo

Saturday morning we were able to sleep in an extra hour and then put make-up and dresses on!!! We were all commenting on how much fun it was to actually get pretty and feel good about appearances again:) Santo Domingo is the capitol of the Dominican Republic and it was a 3 hour drive from Santiago. Once we got there, we took our things up to our hostel. There were 3 rooms with about 8 beds per room. Thank goodness we didn't sleep there long because we could feel every spring in those mattresses.

We then went on a tour around Santo Domingo and learned a lot about their country. Highlights were bartering, having lunch and dinner together, as well as dancing afterwards. I bought an awesome bracelet that I am just in love with. I told myself I wouldn't spend over $20 for it so I offered it to them and they accepted! Successful first attempt at bartering! We were so excited to have a change from the usual rice beans and entrees we’ve been having at ILAC. The food was marvelous and the majority of us had our own pizzasJ It still is so crazy how much attention we get walking around…usually unwanted. I’m not sure if I mentioned that the Dominican’s way of getting our attention is to hiss at us. We got very good at shaking our fingers and took a picture of us all doing so. We also had a tour of some of the interesting places…we saw a beautiful church, where Columbus lived, and where many of Santo Domingo’s heroes were buried. I’m horrible with my memory so you may have to ask one of my classmates for that info.

Dancing was quite the experience as well. Apparently in the Dominican culture, it isn’t uncommon to go out around 12:30am. Guess what time our curfew was…12:30am. Boo!! We were all so shocked when we went to go dancing and NO ONE was around! We wanted to learn all the different dances and engage in the full experience and we were going to be dancing with ourselves. We also learned that there was some rationale behind our curfew…apparently the streets get very dangerous after 12:30 as people are drinking and the area in general isn’t very safe. High theft and assault are much greater at this time so it probably ended up being a blessing even though we were disappointed. It was really funny though, because the  DJ started playing American music thinking we would be more likely to dance and instead we requested Dominican music because it has a really awesome beat and really makes you want to. The best part was that some Dominican men would start to come into the dance, see a bunch of American gringas dancing and WALK OUT!!! Haha Americans tend to dance a little crazier, therefore, we are convinced we scared off a decent number of men. Some men decided to brave it out and started to ask us to dance. I learned the Bachata and parts of the Merenge dance. One of the guys told me I needed to move my hips more and I told him I was too focused on getting my feet to cooperate! They were all really nice and gave us all a run for our money. My dancing buddies also informed me that  needed to quit trying to lead and follow. I informed them that in the US, our men typically do not know how to dance so we get very good at becoming the leader…(right, Justin) J He’s a great dancer, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely had to initiate teaching him to dance and drag his shy little booty out of his comfort zone. I LOVE HIM!!

Speaking of my novio, the homesickness is definitely starting to settle in as this has been such a long period of time I’ve went without being in close contact with my family or siblings. I miss my family so much and cannot wait to get home. Apparently Hurricane Ilene is trying to rain on our parade and will be hitting sometime on Thursday close to where we will be staying for the next 3 days. We’re all hoping that it either changes directions or gets blocked by the mountains because this could cause not only some danger to us, but worse…DELAY OUR FLIGHTS HOME!!! Haha we’re all so anxious to see our loved ones and have some good American food like Burger King that we really don’t want to have to wait longer than we have toJ

We just finished our reflection for the weekend and presented our case studies to the group. We each chose an individual we worked with and created a presentation together regarding their impairments, function, interventions, and comparison to how their status may have been significantly different had they been in the US. It was very interesting and each group did a great job.  I’m going to attempt to Skype Justin for a second time today and head off to bed! Thanks for reading and buenos noches!

Day 12- Last day at homes of families and orphanage

Buenos dia! (Good day!) FINALLY I was able to skype my mother last night! SOOO good to talk with her, and I even saw my aunt Virginia for awhile too! Soooo good to hear her voice and catch up! I'm getting a little homesick for sure!

You all are hopefully aware that we walk miles everyday in EXTREMELY hot weather...therefore, we tend to have rashes show up on random parts of our body. As of right now, my friends and I have rashes on our behinds and they HURT!!! It doesn't exactly look cute either ha:)

But anyway, we woke up early as always today and headed to our last sessions in the Dominican Republic. It was bittersweet as we were excited to almost be done with the hard parts and closer to the relaxing part! It was also our last day at Conani, the orphanage, which was more sad...

The kids we saw today were functioning pretty well and we pretty much just went in to offer more advanced needs. One little guy cried almost the entire session as he was scared of strangers, but we had him laughing and dancing at the end:) He even waved goodbye. We then went to Conani and I immediately took my favorite little man with hydrocephalus out of his crib. We rocked and I sang to him. He didn't cry when I took him out this time and even smiled quite a bit. He LOVES to get kisses...my friends told me I was brave because kissing kids in the Domincan Republic is always a health concern due to the diseases and germs. From my perspective I felt that I didn't have a choice. I couldn't keep myself from kissing him because he is absolutely the most precious thing ever! I know that sounds so clique, but it was the absolute truth. He kept reaching up and touching my face and even shook his little booty a bit when some music came on:) One of my friends wanted to hold him too, so I handed him over and as soon as he realized it wasn't me he cried...I know that shouldn't make me feel good but it kind of did. Because I realized that he knew who I was and we really did have an attachment...one of my professors mentioned today that we definitely bonded and it was very obvious. LOVES IT!!! When I put him back before we left I teared up because he started to cry. I went back to give him one last kiss and tell him to keep being strong and he calmed...when I walked away he started to cry again and I teared up. I will miss my little guy and always remember him!

We came back to ILAC and were challenged by the Dominican workers to a volleyball game. It was SO FUN!!! They are hilarious and we (the Gringas) won!!!! Even better when a bunch of American girls beat a bunch of tough Dominicans;)

We have to pack tonight for tomorrow since we will be leaving for Santo Domingo in the morning. We will be staying there tomorrow night and coming back on Sunday. Therefore, the next blog will be postponed. We will be staying in a hostel which I hear is pretty much like a room of bunkbeds and one bathroom for the whole "hotel". Should be interesting! But i'll be able to tell that story later! Until then, have a great weekend and see you soon!

Day 11

Today was a good day! We rode for an hour to our first house and worked with 3 kids again. One little guy with microcephaly which means "small head". He was so stinkin' cute but cried almost the entire session. It was totally a behavior though because as soon as mom rescued him from us, he stopped crying:) He did let me hold him at the end and started to fall asleep, but he was trying pretty hard to get upset and fight the sleep. So precious. The mom was 15 years old, which means she was 13 when she had him...so sad.

Our ride back to ILAC for lunch was a little interesting. Lesley, Debra and I were in the backseat of a "taxi", more like a car that could break down at any second, and I got the privilege of sitting next to a Dominican man. He tried talking to us a few times and then started to say inappropriate things to us. I shook my finger at him (don't laugh, it's what we're told to do) and told him no. He asked for our numbers, if we had boyfriends, and a few other inappropriate comments but I won't go into full detail of them. Debra and I are now laughing at what he said at the end of our convo in desperation. When I told him I had a boyfriend he said, "but I love you!" in ENGLISH!!! I said," no. no mas!" (no more) and he replied, "I'm sorry, I love you!" LOL it was so hard to stay serious because it's pretty funny that the little English this guy knew was I love you. haha. We then ignored him until he got off:)

We then went to Conani, the orphanage, again today. We're all gotten so much more comfortable there and are better able to work with the kids as we now know what they like and how to better interact with them. For instance, we're aware of the biters, hitters, and children that will take your hand and walk you until you drop:) Today, I asked if I could take the little guy with hydrocephalus out of his crib. In case you don't remember him, he is a little baby boy that has a head the size of a watermelon. He's absolutely the most precious thing ever and doesn't get to be out of his crib for long due to his condition. I was informed that he has a stage 3 ulcer on the back of his head because he has so much weight on his head and pressure sores form when pressure relief is not adequate. This happens to people who are not able to move or feel for themselves when they need to adjust the weight in  their body. Stage 3 is pretty dangerous which makes me incredibly sad. I am in LOVE with this little guy. I had to have a supervisor watch me since he is medically fragile. I took him out of his crib and sat with him in a chair. He cried at first because it was a lot of movement for him and I'm sure he was wondering what in the world was going on.
I pulled out my singing skills from this summer and sang to him. It was amazing to watch him calm down and he even was reaching towards my face. It was the most precious thing ever. I know it sounds sappy but it literally melted my heart. I also learned that apparently a real estate lady had come to visit and wanted to adopt him, however, his prognosis is so bad that they don't think he will live until then....BROKE MY HEART!!! He is such a sweetie and so young...so not fair. He would be able to live a great life with a caring women who could support him financially...:( I'm sure I'll be a wreck tomorrow when I have to say goodbye to him since it will be our last time at the orphanage...but I'll talk about that when the time comes:)
My day has been great and we're all heading out for servesas now:) So hope you are all having a great night and I'll be back soon! :)

Day 10

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say a quick thanks for all of you that take time to read my blog. I spend a lot of time writing them, so I appreciate all the little messages and comments you’re sending me! Your support and encouragement mean the world to me, so muchas gracias!

Today we were on our way to see kids and one of our instructors fell into a deep hole up to her knee and scraped her leg up pretty bad. I was right behind her when she did it, and she passed out from shock after pulling it out of the hole. It was pretty scary, but a guy pulled over and drove her to our site. His name was Angel…coincidence? God is constantly doing little things here and it’s amazing to see how He’s working.

We saw 3 children today. For some reason I feel that my Spanish is regressing. It was the hardest thing EVER for me to even think of simple words in Spanish, and my fellow students and I have decided that this is because our brains are so full that they have reached their max capacity. Any new words that we are taught are literally going in one ear and out the other…so I’m going to wait until my brain recovers to attempt learning more Spanish. J

The internet is down again tonight so my blog will be a little late. I attempted skyping my mother today but her skype wasn’t working. It seems that in the rare case that our internet is working that something else tends to go wrong. Oh technologyJ.  We also got the opportunity to go to San Fueres which means 100 fires. This place has quite the history. Apparently it started out very small and was considered a slum with prostitutes and gangs running it. It has grown immensely and community groups have fought government to make some major changes. A stunning fact we learned is that there are 500,000 people living there and only 250 are employed. Employment and health are the two biggest issues this town is dealing with. Many of the people make a living by going through dumps and trying to find plastic or glass bottles to sell. This determines if they are able to provide for their families and are more than not going hungry. It was definitely a crazy experience and as some of us mentioned in the reflection today, we feel as though we are looking through a window even though were there. It seems so unreal that people live like this every day, fighting just to put a meal on the table. We climbed to the top of the highest spot in the city and were able to look out over the entire town. It was unbelieveable to see the conditions these people are living in…it literally breaks your heart.

Something that I’ve been dealing with is the guilty feeling that I have been so blessed to have been born to an amazing family in the land of many opportunities. One of my friends made the comment today that she felt guilty for buying ice cream after we visited there because she didn’t need it, and these families didn’t even have enough for a small meal. I have now come to a realization…notice I didn’t say conclusion. This is because I don’t know that I’ll ever feel that I am completely right or will ever fully understand why they were born into these circumstances and not me.  I’ve came to the realization that God has a plan and a purpose for us all. We are born into certain families, given certain opportunities, and embedded with different desires all to meet our purpose. I don’t think that it is fair to feel guilty for what we have been blessed with just because we have seen others who were not given the same things. What is important is that we show others God’s love and do our best to follow God’s will. I believe that I am in the Dominican Republic for a reason…I am here to serve. I will never be able to feed all the hungry people, teach all the parents how to better care for their child’s special needs, or give any of them a better life, but I am able to use the gifts that God has given me to share with others. I am doing my part by doing the best that I can do address each and every parent concern about their child. I am becoming a better person by seeing our world in a different perspective that I know will change me for the rest of my life. To me, this is what it is all about. Yes I’ve been frustrated many times already, yes I’ve cried and felt so hopeless that I’ve questioned my presence here, but I’ve also learned a lot about myself and another culture. It’s a great experience and I am so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to grow as a person and touch a few lives. Thank you all who have supported me emotionally or financially. Your prayers have helped me get through this thus far. I remind myself everyday how much God loves each and every one of us. He does care about our every desire, tear, and moment. And that is all for my feelings todayJ

Thanks for reading! BUENOS NOCHES!

Day 9

Today we went to Conani in the morning again. I am warming up to the situation and felt that today went much easier. One kid always sets up a stereo during the day and cranks his Spanish music. It’s so amazing! He’s a great dancer even though he is unable to stand independently and can barely walk with support. A bunch of us grabbed kids today and danced around with them. They LOVED IT! And it was so neat to see that dance doesn’t create a barrier…dance is something that we can all partake in and enjoy in every culture. Here, the people dance completely with their hips. We like to dance with our whole bodies and they find that pretty funnyJ

We also took colorful sheets and got a group of 4-5 of us to swing the kids in. We have to be very cautious when swinging them, however, because they are so severely sensory deprived. They can become over-stimulated very easily. We watch for this by watching the color of their skin, their eye movement, pupil size, and easily recognizable signs such as sweating, crying, or vomiting. The kids LOVED it though and it is truly amazing to hear their laughs.

After Conani, we went to the marketplace where we could go shopping and get gifts. It was a blast, everything is so much cheaper here! I got gifts for my family and Justin along with a few things for myselfJ I couldn’t resist! McKenna and I snuck out to a McDonalds closeby and shared a chicken nugget meal…it was heaven in a sack, seriously. It tasted so much better than any McDonalds I have ever had. People were laughing at us…Americans getting American food in their country. A little boy kept begging for food so I gave him some fries and he followed us for a long ways…we were told not to give them anything or they would do that. Learned my lesson. As we were all getting ready to leave I realized I had set my camelback water bottle down in the marketplace somewhere while I was looking at stuff. I wanted to go back and get it, so Megan and Kenna went with me. I was successful and the lady pointed at me when I got there because she recognized me and had my water bottle in a safe place. So sweet!

Then our luck got even better and it started down pouring right as we left to go get on the guaguas. We walked quite a ways through the rain and were completely soaked by the time we got in a guagua. Then for lunch, we got baked potato with guacamole. Did I mention we got French fries yesterday and pancakes for breakfast this morning?!? It’s been amazing! I also had Doritos from Tina yesterday and it was nothing short of amazing. It’s so funny how we take such small things for granted, and then when we have to go without we are SOOO EXCITED when we get it again! I’m missing my American food that’s for sure.

The rest of the afternoon we’ve spend working on case studies, notes, and our blogs. We’ll be doing Zumba again tonight and most likely crash early. I’m trying to figure out how to upload pictures so hopefully it works! Hope you are all doing well!

Day 8

Yesterday was an off day for me. I think I’m still trying to soak in everything from the weekend still because we haven’t had down time to process everything that we have experienced. It takes a toll that you don’t realize until you start crying out of nowhere. That is our cue that we need to talk and let some emotions out. Debra and I went on a walk before our reflection with the group to discuss some frustrations and things on our minds. Then during the group reflection we were both in tears and didn’t know why!?

It’s odd not having control of our emotions. We left the group to go for a walk and just let the tears out instead of fighting them for the rest of the reflection. It was really good for the both of us as we are 2 of the most sensitive girls in the groupJ We did Zumba at night which was a lot of fun and we were all drenched by the end. One of our instructors suggested going to a place close by to have a Presidente, alcoholic beverage, for fun. A group of us went and it was a good, relaxing time to just spend with each other. We laughed so much and it was a great stress relief after the intense weekend.

Today we saw 3 kids that were VERY involved. One child had autism and would inflict self-stimulating behaviors such as hitting her head when she would become upset and she was unable to walk without losing her balance. The second child we saw was very spastic in his arms, legs, and trunk. I instructed the mother how to perform infant massage to her child, and we also demonstrated some positioning to help break up his tone. The last child was the most spastic child we have seen yet. It was unbelievable how much this little guy had going on. We instructed the mom on different sensory techniques that may help to calm him and facilitate his head control while also offering positions to break up his spasticity. They were so grateful for all we had to offer them, but Les, Deb and I were definitely exhausted after the sessions.

We tend to do a lot of walking between houses of the kids we see. Today one of the houses we walked to required that we walk over a bridge that felt as though it would break. It was probably 12 feet high and the promotora informed us that we had to go one at a time. We all made it across safely even though it felt like the boards were about to break under our feet with each stepJ We didn’t get back to the ILAC center til 1 although we typically get back at 12:30. Unfortunately, our internet hasn’t been working. It didn’t work at all last night and we had no power yesterday so it was fairly frustrating. We don’t have a lot of free time, so the free time that we do have is very valuable to talk to our families. It is a constant reminder that we have no control over ANYTHING.

We went to Conani (the orphanage) again today and it was harder for us. I worked with a couple babies who were 2 years old on being on their tummies. I wasn’t their favorite person for doing that but they did very well once they realized I wasn’t letting them out of it. I’ve turned into quite the meanie after working with kids all summerJ We also got sheets and used it as a swing for the kids who are left in their cribs the majority of the day. It was amazing to see them laugh, even the ones who didn’t speak.

Today was very draining, no lie. I’m literally exhausted and could fall asleep for days I think. It’s only 7:30 and I’m contemplating going to bed after I write this. It’s a whole new kind of tired, and just when I think I can’t go on, I somehow find energy from my friends and we push forward. It’s important to keep reminding myself that I’m here for a reason and making a difference just by spending time with these kids. We’re definitely being tested now as we’re all getting tired and the excitement is wearing off. Lea told us a great metaphor story today that re-energized us. “There are 3 kinds of people in this world, carrots, eggs, and coffee beans. We are all put under pressure at some point which resembles a boiling pot of water. Once we are put in a stressful position, some people are like carrots…they start out hard and become really soft. Others are like eggs and start out really soft and come out hard. Then there are the coffee beans who spread their goodness, impacting the whole pot of water.” I hope that I can be a coffee bean. It’s super frustrating right now without the time we would like or internet available to talk to our loved ones. But we are all here for a reason and I know God is using us each in many ways. PUSH FORWARD!!!

Day 7: a wrap-up of the weekend

HOLA!! Just got back from the campo and we are exhausted. I hope this makes sense, but I am planning to take a much needed nap after lunch. Since I didn’t explain in my last blog, we left Friday after working with the kids in the morning for the campo. My best way to explain the campo is the slum, the place on all the movies where people sleep in one bedroom houses, use outhouses, and poor buckets of water over their heads for showers. I’ll get to that part in just a moment, it’s the most exciting part yetJ

Friday we saw 3 kids in the morning. My last blog was pretty emotionally charged and I have to say I broke down Friday. We saw a kid that was 14 years old and diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. It is such a sad disease. This little guy was sitting lying sideways in his wheelchair seat and has absolutely no muscle in his body. His skin looked like it was covering bones literally although his head and face looked normal for his age. His body was so distorted that his arms and legs were permanently stuck in his position of comfort. We were unable to stretch his arms or legs at all due to the severity of the contractures. All we could offer this parent for advice was alternate positions of comfort considering he didn’t have much longer to live. The mother reported that she had a daughter who was diagnosed with the same disease but had passed away when she was 14.

I fought tears the whole session. It is so unfair not only that this kid is unable to do anything for himself and wouldn’t have a long life, but I felt sick for the mother. I cannot imagine losing one child and knowing that at any moment, your other child was also going to die. Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease so this is not uncommon for multiple children of parents who are carriers to be born with this. I left in tears. Once again, it is such a helpless feeling...

Friday afternoon we all came back to the ILAC center for lunch and headed out to the campo! It was about a 45 minute drive and we knew we were in for ‘roughing it’ when we got there. Many of the houses looked like they were barely standing. The children all came running when the bus full of Americanas pulled into their town. They latched onto us all and were overly eager to carry our water bottles and luggage for us. We were later informed that we could not let the children carry our water bottles because it was possible for us to get cholera by allowing them to do so. By the end of Saturday I gave up on refusing to let them carry it for meJ

I’m only going to highlight on certain parts or this blog will be PAGES! McKenna was my roommate and we stayed in the same bed. We stayed with an older lady who cared for her little granddaughter because they mother had been killed somehow. This little girl’s name was Alicia and was one of my favorites. No matter where I was she would always find me and grab my hand. I have tons of pictures with herJ McKenna and I were offered 2 beds, their best beds, for the night. Being the girls that we are, Kenna and I wanted to stay in the same bed, and we also didn’t want the grandmother and her granddaughter to sleep on the floor. We somehow managed to communicate that we would prefer to sleep in the same bed. We didn’t technically have a room; we had a bed with a mosquito net and a curtain (see-through by the way) around the bed which was our room.

We then were introduced to our shower and toilet. Culture shock just doesn’t do our experience justice.  It was more like a fish out of water experience. The bathroom is open to the outside but they put a shirt up as a curtain for us, they are aware Americanos like their privacyJ It was a a mix of cement and dirt and we were to use jugs with water to pour over ourselves. We showered at night the second night and found it pretty comical. McKenna held up a towel and a flashlight while I showered and then I did the same for her. The water was freezing cold and we were trying our hardest not to sound like it. We didn’t want to offend the lady as we knew how valuable water was and how much hard work it was to get it there. Our toilet was a slightly raised hole in the ground and in an outhouse. The smell was indescribable so I’ll leave that to your imagination…Kenna and I got good at breathing through our mouths and hovering.

We didn’t get any sleep the first night. There was no air in the room and we were too hot to sleep. It didn’t help that dogs were barking all night, roosters crowing at 4 in the morning, and motorcycles revving their engines all night right outside our house. The next morning we were up bright and early to start working at the clinic. The clinic was a church that we used to treat whatever patients had health concerns for 4 hours. Debra was my partner and we saw approximately 7 patients during this time. It was so frustrating and difficult to communicate to find out what was the problem, and then to explain the therapy to them. We did a lot of demonstration and laughing because someone was always confused. It was a great experience though and the people were so grateful. Later in the afternoon we gave our charla, which means “chat” in English to the promotoras. I presented with Katie regarding infant development, and did I mention it was in Spanish? Yes, we read a good 7 pages of information in Spanish. Very interesting and our brains were fried when we were done. The promotoras had us do dances between each presentation which was a lot of fun! We taught them the hokey pokey and the chicken dance and they LOVED IT!

We went for a walk around the town after dinner with all the ninos (children) and our DiDi, our hostess. McKenna and I went back to our house and about 15 children followed us. The group kept making comments that the children were attracted to me because I literally always had at least 2 kids following me everywhere. We played dominos with the family and all the others for a couple hours and gave the family pictures of us with our families as a gift. They loved it and showed us pictures of other American visitors they had and wondered if we knew themJ We tried to explain that the US was very large, but they continued showing us pictures, just certain that we would know someone. Alicia taught me some hand clapping games. I got pretty good by the end, and the kids started calling me muy rapida (very fast) because I could slap their hands fast before they could move them away.

Another cultural experience I had was holding a baby who was 2 months old. They wanted us to hold their baby because it is like an honor their. I also got in trouble in doing soJ Apparently according to their culture, babies sit up, crawl, and walk at a certain age, but NOT before. Well, being the little therapist that I am, I sat the baby up to see what his head control was like, and very quickly they took the baby away from me. I was so confused but had no idea what I was doing was unacceptable. They gave me the baby later and acted like nothing was wrong so I assumed it wasn’t too serious.

That night we slept much better because we were so tired. This morning our alarm didn’t go off so McKenna and I made it to breakfast a little late. We then headed back and today is a relaxation day. I wrote my note from seeing kids last Friday and just had lunch. I was able to have a Skype date with Justin and I’m missing him pretty badly as well as my family! I was showing the kids pictures of my family and my novio (boyfriend) and they thought it was pretty funny I had a boyfriend. They also kept telling me how beautiful my family and I were. I am going to miss them and the experience. It was most definitely life-changing. These kids literally have nothing as well as their families but they are so proud regardless. They gave us things even though it cost them so much. I’ve never met people who are more hospitable and giving. It was a nice reminder that we don’t need nice things and lots of money to be happy. I can’t wait to show you all pictures but for now I am off for a much needed nap! Talk to you tomorrow!

Day 5- CONANI!!

Today was an early start again, but the cooks forgot about our breakfast so we ended up starting the day late. It took us 15 minutes to catch a guagua since it was their rush hour. We then walked about a mile to meet up with the promotora and then a mile back to the guaguas before we even saw a kid. Great work-out to start the morning off:)
We saw 3 children: one who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and two other children with Down Syndrome. Two of the mothers told us that we were welcome back whenever we wanted and another one even teared up because she was so grateful for our time and recommendations.

We then all had dinner together at a restaurant and the food was muy excelente! After this, we headed to Conani, the children's orphanage. Although this is referred to as an orphanage, the children are rarely actually adopted because they have severe disabilities. We’ve been preparing not only physically, but mentally for this experience and NOTHING compares to being here and experiencing it firsthand. We walked in and immediately started taking the children/infants out of their cribs to play. One little girl’s head is the size of a watermelon because she has hydrocephalus. Most of the other children had such horrible contractures that their legs and arms were in unbelievable distortions. We are unable to even stretch these parts because often it would require tendon releases and other extensive surgeries to correct. It's truly heartbreaking.

Okay, here’s your warning…I'm about ready to discuss some of my emotions and feelings, so if you don't care to hear all about that, don't have to read on.

For those of you who know me very well, you know that I’m very sensitive and emotional. Seeing the children today at Conani left me with a weird feeling. We've been preparing for this experience for quite some time now and in doing so I almost feel that I've numbed myself. What we saw today was devastating. These children have such a low quality of life and I wonder if what we’re doing is actually helping. Are we actually helping these children? What happens when we leave?

I went into this experience so excited to help, make a difference, and impact the lives of those who have had a pretty rough life. I most definitely have left this experience humbled. These children and their carers are doing what they have to in order to survive. Carers are feeding them, bathing them, and changing their pants..the basics. They do not have time to stretch these kids to prevent the severe contractures or interact with them to show them love. They don't have time to hold each of these kids to give them the attention they need and crave in order to develop the way God intended. As I put several kids back into their cribs today, they latched onto me so tight that I literally had to pull their little arms and legs off of me and walk away. It was really tough watching them cry and reach for me through the bars of their cribs while all I could do was blow kisses. How heart-wrenching!?...and on top of that, i haven't shed a tear. Does that make me insensitive? I feel that I have numbed myself to the point where I'm not allowing myself to feel emotions as a way to cope with everything. This will probably change by the time I leave if not within the next few days, but it's a very unlike myself.

. I have been so incredibly blessed and yet I find myself complaining and irritated with the littlest things. It has truly forced me to re-evaluate the things that are important in my life as well as the things and people I take for granted. We all want to make a difference and feel good about what we've accomplished for the day. These kids mean so much to me already, and honestly, I don't know how much help I'm actually providing. I can love on these kids while I'm here, but when we leave.they will go back to their everyday lives of only receiving basic cares. Is that really impacting their lives and making a difference? It’s really a struggle for me as I think about how helpless we really are. I have very high hopes of helping others and impacting their lives in a positive way, but when reality hits and I realize that what I’m doing may not create a lasting impression, that’s hard to swallow. I know God wants me here and that I am doing His will, but it’s hard not to think about the reality of these childrens’ circumstances and prognosis regardless.

On a lighter note, I’m officially up to 12 mosquito bites but no malaria yet! J Sorry for the book  but thanks for reading. :) Buenos noches!

Day 4

Today has been very interesting!! I already had written my blog for the day but my computer died and I lost the whole thing. Therefore, this note is going to be a shortened version because I’m muy cansada (very tired). I am sitting in a large open room with some of my classmates and our teacher to finish our notes from the day. Well turns out we had some visitors…rats!!!!!!! We saw it from a distance and were alarmed but didn’t panic just yet, we were trying not to be girls. Well the rat snuck over to us while we weren’t paying attention and I thought I saw something move by my feet so I gasped.  My teacher told me to quit over-reacting, and it was sitting right by her feet. She is pregnant by the way, and she took off running with her laptop while it was still plugged into the wall. Funniest thing ever! I was so concerned trying to get on top of something that I almost missed seeing everyone else act like the bunch of girls we apparently are underneath our touch exteriorsJ

So back to the occupational therapy side of our day. I saw my first 3 kids today with Lesley and Debra. It went really well and we were so excited to try and give the promotoras information and the parents. It’s always interesting trying to get our point across in espanolJ The word of the day for me is “ayudar” which means “help.”

We then went to the Miriam Sisters Museum. If any of you like to read, their story is very interesting about Dominican culture during Trujillo’s reign. He was a dictator and killed all those who opposed him, killing over 30,000 people. The sisters started the revolution against him and were assassinated a few years before he was assassinated. Check it out!

We finished the day with Spanish class, reflection, and finishing notes. We hope to be able to join Zumba tomorrow night! We will be visiting the orphanage tomorrow after treating kids so we’re all really excited although we’re getting tired from going nonstop! It’s a blast though and helps us sleep through the nightJ Oh and another highlight of the day, the ILAC center provided us with soda today!! HOLY DELICIOUSNESS!! It’s funny how we take things for granted in the US and the simplest things make up so happy here! Appreciating and loving life. But I have a lot of things to do before I can go to bed and we have to be up at 6:30 tomorrow morning so I’m going to say Buenos noches!!

Day 3

Today was MUCH more exciting! My body is starting to adjust to the enviromental change because my headache is subsiding and my body is starting to act normal again. We started the day by going on a scavenger hunt. We took the guagua (a van that crams up to 25 people on it) into the city for 25 pesos . These rides are always interesting...I sat next to the open door and the cobradora (guy who takes your money and tells you where to sit) stands in the open door hanging onto the roof. We fit 25 people into the van and let's just say we were rather cozy, practically on top of each other. Good thing the Dominican people are so friendly:) Surprisingly we didn't get into any wrecks yet...car accidents are common as there are no lines in the road and rarely traffic signals. Motorcycles go wherever they like, the sidewalks, between cars. Debra and I made our own little music today with the inspiration of the car horns going off. They are definitely horn happy here and for all of you that are scared to drive in Omaha, you should see this chaos:)

We are all in groups of thress, Lesley and Debra are in my group, and our team leader is Dawn. Our challenge was to use Espanol to communicate with people on the streets in order to complete ascavenger hunt. A couple of the tasks involved finding a specific popsicle and asking how much it was and bartering for fruit. The popsicles (SkimIce) were delicious especially with the sweat literally dripping down my back. We didn't follow the directions exactly as we didn't barter for the fruit...we were a little nervous and not exactly sure how to do it:)

Today we also visited the sites where we will be working and let me tell you what, I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT!!! The children we saw melted my heart and they were very fascinated with us. A little fyi, the Dominicans LOVE our lighter skin hair texture. They call us "rubias" which means blondeeven though we aren't all blonde because ours is finer and smoother. Needless to say, we get a lot of attention and tt's very interesting. We literally walked up the streets and everyone stared and tried to get our attention. It makes us feel extra special but is an odd feeling.

We had another Spanish class when we returned and then all went as a group to get frozen yogurt and ice cream. We're improving on our skills in flagging down guaguas! A cobradora literally grabbed my leg and turned me sideways this time to make room for a mother and her 6 year old son (I asked the little guy how old he was in espanol btw) :). The frozen yogurt was great after we figured out how to order in espanol.
When we got back to the ILAC center, where we're staying, a party was going on. There was a band playing and people dancing all over. We've discovered that they dance very differently than us...it's ALL in the hips. Considering I LOVE to dance, a Dominican lady noticed i was interested and grabbed my hand, taking me right out to the floor. It was so fun and I tried my best to salsa and merenge with her:) It is so interesting to be immersed in another culture. Everyone was dancing regardless if they were good at it. The experience was so refreshing because EVERYONE was laughing, dancing and so welcoming!

Katie and I are now getting ready to study the charla which is a presentation we will be giving to the women (pomodoras) who care for children with disabilities in espanol. This document is 41 pages long and each group of 2 has to present a section. Our section is dealing with the development of children. I am fairly comfortable with this area considering I worked in pediatrics all summer. I am so excited to start working with the children and their families. The excitement helps me get up in the mornings along with some help from the roosters:)
Buenos noches!! (Good night!) :)

Day 2: Orientation

Last night was an adjustment...some roosters felt the need to wake us up at 4 am:) We started the day by going out into the city and exchanging our money for pesos. Motorcyclists were driving EVERYWHERE and without helmets! And we're under strict instructions not to pet the random dogs in the area considering they are not treated as pets here. If we were to pet them, they would follow us in packs and create problems so we all had to try our best not to give them some lovin'. The food was interesting today and I gave it a shot but it definitely wasn't my type of comida:)
We also had our first Spanish class today. YIKES! Definitely won't be fluent anytime soon, but we all know about enough to get have a simple conversation. I'm so excited for tomorrow because we will be going into  Santiago to see the site where we will be working. We will all go to the orphanage a few times/week which will be a highlight I'm sure.
Justin and I were able to have our first Skype date in different countries today:) It was great to see his face and hear his voice! He is impressed that I drank 5 25-oz bottles of water today...and without any flavor! Trying to keep myself hydrated but I have been struggling with a headache all day. But I'm off to the shower and am going to try to get to bed early because I've been struggling to stay awake today. Turns out 4 hours/night isn't doing me justice. Goodnight!

Day 1: We made it!!!!!!!!!

We woke up at 4:10am to make it to the airport in time, traveled to Chicago, and then Miami. In Miami we ran into a little mechanical issue. A plane was stalled in our gate and we ended up waiting an hour and a half after we had landed waiting to get off. We then had to run to our next gate, grab a quick banana for dinner, and barely make it to our connecting flight to Santiago. Unfortunately our luggage was left behind so we’ve been mooching toothbrushes, clothing, and other toiletries. Good thing we’re all closeJ

10:30pm:

We’ve finally arrived to Santiago!! The girls in the group include Lesley Holmes, Christina Martin, Debra Zagozda, Lea Schneider, Emily Friel, McKenna Simpson, Katie Berry, Joelle Johnson, Megan Geyer, Michelle, and 4 OT professionals or professors. Our group piled into a small bus and traveled to the ILAC center where we will be staying for the next 3 weeks.
First impression: not what I was expecting! The ILAC center is beautiful and open to the outdoors. Yes, we’re sleeping in bunk beds with mosquito nets, but I can honestly say the heat/humidity is not as bad as in Springfield! We had dinner together in the cafeteria of mashed potatoes, fish, fruit, and bread. Exhausted at the moment and breakfast is at 8:00am! Loving it so far and SOOOO excited to be here!