Weekend Adventures

This weekend was full of lots of fun and exploring. This place is growing on me quickly. I just love it!

I never get sick of this view!

Saturday morning I got to Skype with some of my wonderful family! So wonderful to hear their voices and get caught up on all the good news! (Side note to share some of the good news: My precious baby niece (ish) got a cochlear implant this week and will soon get to hear her parents voices for the first time. How badly I wish I could be there to watch this! My eyes are swelling up with tears just thinking about it. The many blessings in life that we take for granted!) After that I got to chat with my lovely Emily Jayne. (Side note: Isn't she beautiful!) Lots of catching up to be done with so many people!

My new friend Donna and I went to the Guatemalan market to find me some cheap and warm clothes and were completely successful! After lots of digging, I now have 3 long-sleeved shirts, 1 sweater and 2 pairs of pants for the small price of 70Q (~$9). Looks like the negotiating skills I learned in Beijing are paying off two-fold in Guatemala :) Next we hopped on the chicken bus and headed to the nearby town of Pastores which is lined with boot shops... literally 7 per block per side of the street. I had heard a rumor that you could get good boots for a great price, so I wanted to check it out for my dad and Tyler. Another side note: Sorry guys, no boots for you. Your gringo feet are too big and no one could quite decide the transfer of US sizing to Guatemalan.

Lots of impressive and intricate work!

These are the ones I picked for my Dad. They are SO his style ;)

 Then we met up with our other new (Canadian, eh Matt) friend Hannah and did a little market shopping. She is just the sweetest. Literally. She was the only one in the house smart enough to pack chocolate, so she has been my saving grace!

Saturday night was full of music and salsa dancing to celebrate the TEFL graduates from Maximo Nivel.

After a late night of fun, Donna and I woke up before sunrise to hike the beautiful volcano Pacaya at 5:30 am.

Sunrise from the balcony!

The large volcano is called Agua because it has a lake on the top from a collapse. The one behind with smoke coming out is the volcano which is still active: Fuego. I forget the name of the other one.

We climbed the mountain next to Pacaya (about an hour and a half up) and as we rounded the corner near the summit we could see where the lava had spilled down after the eruption.

Pacaya

It erupted over 2000 years ago but is still toasty!

We hiked up a bit further where there were hot spots for us to roast marshmallows :)

She's so cute!

Of course I couldn't just watch. I wanted to get in on the roasting action!

A little gooey

Pretty sure the bottom of my shoes were melting.

A little bit of life attempting to sprout after such a long time.

The "natural taxi" of the women who sold goods near the top.

Such a wonderful weekend in Guatemala. A rich culture and country full of beauty.

Challenges and Triumph: Week 1 at Los Gozosos

Roaming around a foreign country alone is difficult, especially when the language spoken is not your native. This difficulty is multiplied exponentially when you add in attempting to teach at a school for children with disabilities. I wish more than anything that I had a more extensive vocabulario de Espanol… but I have been doing what I can despite this challenge. Each day this week, I had the opportunity to help in every classroom: first, second, third and fourth. The children are absolutely precious, and there is so much to be done for them. The teachers and caregivers are truly angels in their ability to emanate patience in all interactions with the children. Patience is the first and most important aspect of my volunteering and teaching experience. I can only hope that the children have just as much patience for me as I try to have for them. Each child craves constant attention which is just not possible between the teacher and me. This many times results in behavioral outbursts followed by slight chaos (for example, Racael spit in my face today and then proceeded to throw the pencil sharpeners behind the bookshelf. It is a constant challenge to explain how lessons are important, when to them they are writing a letter over and over and don’t care why). The children are at varying levels of developmental abilities in each of the classrooms. This was initially frustrating for me to watch; however, after I thought about it I realized that this is reflective of every American classroom as well. Not all children are equal in ability. I have a completely new respect for the work of teachers in their ability to problem-solve and adjust lessons appropriately. From a therapeutic standpoint, I find myself always wanting to spend extra time with each child to address a myriad of difficulties, but many times the time simply does not exist. Principle Lizeth and I are working together to create a schedule that may allow some individual time for each child as well as time for specific therapeutic interventions rather than simply classroom guidance. Many times the classroom activities are far above the appropriate level of some children and well below the level for others. Along with the varying levels of executive functioning, for some children there exist physical disabilities along with learning disabilities. Individualized care is so important, but the hands simply do not exist to provide it. This challenges us all to create lessons and therapeutic interventions which are do-able. All of the very generous donations will come in handy for this! I gave away my first piece of equipment yesterday: the yoga mat. Thank you to whoever donated this! It went to a very needing and grateful home. Gabriel and his father were overjoyed and said, “Thank you to God for the angels who continue to look over us.” The story of Gabriel…

Gabriel presents with what appears to be cerebral palsy; however, his dad explains that he was diagnosed with a dysfunction of the spinal cord. Gabriel is 14 and in the first grade, though he is a quick learner and hard worker. My understanding of him being in the first grade is that he has never attended school; therefore, although he has an understanding of material far above this level, he still needs to learn some of the basic material taught in this grade. Most challenges for Gabriel are physical, as cognitively his is able to communicate, learn and problem solve. He has spent the majority of his life in a wheelchair, which becomes quickly more obvious as I ask to remove him and place him on a mat on my first day at Los Gozosos. His legs are contracted at 90 degrees of knee flexion, which appears to be fixed. He told me that he has never spent time standing up, even in a supported position. I quickly moved to create a home exercise program which he is in charge of but requires the help of his father to complete. Gabriel’s mother passed away unexpectedly last year, so his father is the sole provider and caregiver for Gabriel and his sister Mirna. Mirna is also a student at Los Gozosos, and she is deaf. Gabriel’s father expressed wanting to provide therapy for Gabriel but not knowing how or what to do. The program was reviewed with Gabriel and given to one of the world race participants who said she would translate it for me. The premise of this program is to allow him time out of his chair to complete stretching and strengthening including scapular, shoulder, elbow, wrist, trunk, neck, pelvis, knees and ankles. Each of these are joints which we move on a regular basis through everyday activities; however, when confined to a wheelchair, many remain unused… hence his contractures. Gabriel said he enjoyed the exercises and is thankful for his new yoga mat on which to do them. I am hoping that these home exercises as well as the work I do with him at the school with allow him to regain motion and strength which will in turn grant him more independence and function to complete everyday activities. He is such a sweet little boy. He asked his father (an IT employee at the local bible seminary) to help him create the video which I have linked below. I have no doubt that with his continued hard work and perseverance Gabriel will continue to inspire those around him and accomplish great things.

The girls from the world race who went to visit his house took a couple pictures, and so I share them with you :)

Gabriel and his sister Mirna. This is a power wheelchair which is a better option for him, but unfortunately it cannot be transported to the school, so he uses a manual one there.

Lindsey from the world race working with Gabriel on the exercises I gave her to show his father. We'll continue to work on these during sessions at school. Thank you again for the yoga mat!

Watch Gabriel's Video Here

Lessons from a chicken bus

My first week here has quickly come and gone. I have seen and experienced so much, and there is still so much to do. I am trying to drink in as much Guatemalan culture as possible while still spending an ample amount of time at the orphanage. This leads to late nights and early mornings… which, mixed with this freezing weather we’ve been having, has led to a bit of a cold. Not to deter me in the slightest, however haha. I’m not sure why, but I thought that it would be fairly warm here (80s) and didn’t think to pack too warm of clothes. I fit all of my things in my carry-bag, so it only amounts to a couple pairs of capris, a couple skirts and a couple pairs of shorts with a handful of t-shirts. Last minute I decided to throw in 2 long sleeves and a windbreaker, all of which have been lifesavers. It rains almost every afternoon, which I had expected. However, when it rains it cools down SIGNIFICANTLY… this I had not expected. Needless to say, this weekend I’m going to head to the market to find myself some pants and a sweater. I saw a few locals wearing winter coats today… I’m sure they think I’m a fool every time I get on the chicken bus.

Speaking of the chicken bus, that has been full of adventures in and of itself. I never knew so many people could fit into a school bus! On my first day, I was warned to stay within the first couple seats, otherwise you inevitably get pushed to the back and have to struggle to get off the bus. You didn’t have to tell me twice… I am a front-rower every day (as are the other 3 people who share my seat). Human sardines. It’s only 5Q each way, however, which amounts to less than $1 for an hour ride, so I can’t complain too much :)

Each morning I walk about a mile to a street where the buses pass heading to Chimal and various other towns. The buses roll slowly around the corner while a man leans out the door shouting the destination. Once you hear your town, you quickly jog to the door and jump on… sometimes they stop, sometimes they don’t. Lesson 1: Pay attention and wave your arms so they know you want on. Lesson 2: While on the first step, ask the driver if he’s going where you want to go for sure (for me, this is Alameda). Lesson 3: Only take buses with men shouting, “Chimal y Parramos.” Lesson 3 was more difficultly learned. On Wednesday, I followed lesson 1 and lesson 2 flailing my arms and shouting, “ALAMEDA!”. However, the driver hesistated when I said, “Alameda,” and then followed with “ahhh, si Alameda, si.” For future reference, this is clue number 1 that the bus does indeed NOT go to Alameda haha. My surroundings out the window quickly became unfamiliar and after an hour I was the only person left on the bus. We were in the middle of a large town and the man started shouting, “Antigua”… uhh, this means I’m headed back to where I came from, and I never passed my stop. He spotted my confusion in the overhead mirror and told me that I should get off the bus. I argued a bit about the fact that this was NOT Alameda, but to no avail. Whelp, time to ask someone where I am and where I need to go. A kind lady in a bakery was patient enough to sit through my string of broken-Spanish questions and gave me directions for a tuk-tuk (aka the Reliant Robin of Guatemala for those of you who watch Top Gear). My ride this morning ended up costing much more than it should have (a whopping $3 more because I let the tuk-tuk driver over-charge me. I just needed to get to the orphanage and didn’t feel like arguing.) Too much excitement before 8:00 am. Thank goodness I know enough Spanish to get me by, or I would have been having a heart attack. I also now know that I do not need to return to Chimal. It’s a bit more rough than my beautiful Antigua. It was probably good for me to see it though. 

One of the fierce machines

The tuk-tuks move so fast!

The Guatemalan Reliant Robin. Careful around corners!

 Anyway… back to my lessons from the chicken bus. Lesson #4: If you squeeze in tight enough, it is possible to sit hovered in the aisle and not fall to the floor. This means spanning approximately 9 persons across. Lesson #5: You are not a local. You will never be a local. Nothing makes me feel more like Godzilla than entering a small school bus packed with petite Guatemalans. Lesson #6: This may look like a school bus, but the driver works for NASCAR; this is a race, not a ride. The faster they drive, the more people they pick up. The more people they pick up, the more money they make. Lesson #7: Hold onto the handlebar provided. Similar to the Scrambler, those on the inside get squished around corners and they do not appreciate full body weight. An irritated abuelita explained this to me as I unknowingly crushed her on a sharp mountain curve; inconsiderate Godzilla. Lesson #8: Those purple spots on your knees are just bruises. These seats weren’t made for people above 5’2”. Your growing hair from not shaving in the freezing shower should quickly cover them; do not worry. Lesson #9: Do not breathe upon exiting the bus. The plume of black smoke is sure to kill you. I discovered this when I blew my nose and it looked as though I had been working in a coal mine. Lesson #10: This is an equal opportunity ride. All are allowed with the appropriate amount of quetzals… gringos, chickens, large rolls of fresh cow hide, etc. WARNING: Do not ride if you suffer from claustrophobia, motion sickness, or a keen sense of smell. Do ride, however, if you suffer from a small bank account like myself. You wouldn’t get the full cultural experience without riding the chicken bus. Despite my complaints, I actually don’t mind it. It’s much better than the mutatus of Uganda.

The bus terminal behind the market

Eyes open at all times or you will be run over!

Do not be deceived by the lack of persons on this bus. It filled up, we were just early. My new friend Donna is thrilled for her first experience in Pastores!

My view for 2 hours/day.

#42: Live in another country

Last summer I decided to write myself a bucket list of different things I would like to do and different places I would like to see. It’s not a list that truly dictates much in my decision-making, but rather I just found it helpful to make my goals a little more tangible by writing them down. It includes things like visiting the Great Pyramid of Giza, taking piano lessons, learning to drive a manual transmission, and building my dream home. In fact, #82 was “Start a Blog,” so I’ve been able to check off another :)

Yesterday I arrived in Antigua, Guatemala which will be my home for the next month and a half. I’m not entirely certain what constitutes “living” in another country, but as far as my bucket list goes, this may be as far as I come to meeting #42. I am so excited for this incredible journey which lies ahead of me! As part of my last semester in school we are to create a professional rotation for which Creighton gives us full autonomy. For my rotation I will be completing 6 weeks at Los Gozosos, an orphanage for children with disabilities in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. I am living in Antigua and will be taking the “chicken bus” to work each morning. I am so looking forward to how this opportunity will allow me to grow in my cultural competency and allow me to better understand what having a disability means in other (specifically 3^rd world) countries. I have spent the last 3 years studying occupational therapy which is a profession centered around problem-solving, habilitation and rehabilitation, allowing persons to function successfully in their environments by arming them with various tools and techniques. It is important that these tools and techniques be culturally-appropriate and feasible to integrate, both monetarily and temporally. I am so looking forward to the challenge of helping to create an OT program for the orphanage which meets all of these criteria. Many times in third world countries, such as Guatemala, children with disabilities are secluded to the home or are given up to an orphanage. Choosing to give the child to an orphanage is sometimes a difficult but necessary decision because the cost of raising a child with disabilities is exponentially more than raising a typically-developing child… especially in a country without laws protecting and providing for them. The caregivers at these orphanages are truly angels, as they sacrifice and work hard to care for these children on a daily basis. I’m hoping to understand the ins and outs of this relationship and discover if there are ways for me to integrate techniques I’ve learned into what they’re currently doing to make their job more effective and efficient. It is obvious that they care for and love these children deeply, and I cannot wait to be a part of this small community of giving!

I had the weekend off to explore some of the city and get comfortable with my surroundings before jumping right into my placement. I am having a quick orientation tomorrow and will then head the 45 minute ride to Chimaltenango. When I arrived yesterday there was no one at my house, so I set out to explore the city on my own; however, I met some girls from Canada last night and we did a little more exploring together today. They are so incredibly sweet and all of the people that I have met have been nothing but wonderful. I’m getting pushed to practice my Spanish which is great for me. I’m considering taking some native speaking courses while I’m here (check another thing off the bucket list! Haha) but haven’t fully decided. Just sharing some pictures with you that I took today from around town. It is historic and beautiful, as are the people. May I quickly become like a local! Thank you all for your  continued support and prayers. I know my mother is already irritated because I didn’t check my global phone service before leaving, assuming it would automatically work… and it doesn’t. Oh well! Another disconnect from the U.S. can’t be all bad :) Sorry, Mom!

View from the 2nd story of the house.

Listening to some incredible music

Beautiful architecture

I want to keep all the babies!!

Main street of my new home

I took a hike overlooking the city: Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross)

Hundreds of miles and meeting Big Benny

This summer, my best friend and I made the mistake of thinking that we could move to different cities. We now understand that after Guatemala and Denver (Omaha for her) we will never live apart. Ever. We both had separately incredible summers, hers in Portland and mine in Phoenix; however, we still missed each other a lot. We spent pretty much 24/7 together for 3 years and somehow never got sick of each other! No real or significant fights (except that one time some medicine made her crazy but that’s a whole other story…). I am so blessed to have her in my life! 

Anyway… we were too poor to visit each other in our new 12 week homes but decided that we would meet up following fieldwork to caravan home. I packed up my condo into my tiny car and drove the ten hours from Phoenix to Salt Lake City. It was such a beautiful drive, but definitely not a quick one. A large span of the journey was via 2-lane highway and through or near the many state and national parks of Arizona and Utah: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and many more. Gorgeous, winding roads cut through mountains and painted landscape; all this beauty allowed me to average about 40.3 miles per hour! At the same time, she was making her way to SLC from Portland. Alas, we met in the Motel 6 parking lot and it was like the final scene of Wife Swap (a horrible guilty pleasure): each of us running with open arms haha. We settled into our luxurious hotel room (so classy it even had a beer bottle opener attached to the sink) and then headed to get some food. I had done my research  to find the best burger in Salt Lake which brought us to Lucky 13. This incredible joint is where we met Big Benny. Oh. My. Goodness. It was a leaning tower of heaven loaded down with 28 ounces of succulent beef, juicy maple bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, tomatoes, lettuce and Lucky 13 sauce. We, of course, had to wash it down with two large glasses of a Utah-brewed IPA. The 10 pounds I had gained this summer quickly became 15, but this was a meal I will never forget. Quite the reunion! 

The next day consisted of 14 hours driving on I-80E, copious amounts of road construction, serenading via walkie-talkies, and eventual arrival in Omaha. We quickly went back to our beautiful neighborhood of Dundee to have a drink at our favorite bars with some friends. Omaha is our homaha.

A sunrise over Park City, UT

A storm brewing in Utah

You'll notice I stopped taking pictures once I hit Nebraska...

THE Mayo

When people hear the word Mayo they typically think of 1 of 2 things:

1. God’s gift to a submarine sandwich or
2. World-renown medicine

This summer I have come to love both (well, actually… I always loved #1). Everyone loves mayonnaise; this is something I’ve been saying for years. I may be the only child whose mother allowed her to eat plain mayo sandwiches (the reason for my congestive heart failure at the age of 16); however, I now have a respect for this ethereal condiment. My best friend and roommate is a living testament to the power of mayo. She claimed she didn’t like it until I reassured her she did… but just didn’t know it; she has now seen the light. It’s completely horrible and entirely heavenly. Yum. (DISCLAIMER: As a healthcare professional, I am in no way endorsing the regular use of mayo. I am, however, willing to admit it is entirely delectable, and no sandwich is the same without it.)

Now that that’s covered, #2. This summer I had the opportunity to complete my clinical rotation at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. For years the Mayo Clinic has inspired hope and contributed to health and well-being by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research. I can honestly say that my rotation here was one of the best experiences of my life. I had always heard of Mayo and knew that it was supposedly one of the top hospitals in the country, and thus, world. However, I never knew why. After this summer, however, I could never imagine receiving healthcare anywhere else. It truly is a one-of-a-kind institution full of caring professionals. Everyone who works there loves their job, from the sanitation and grounds crew to the world-class surgeons. Each profession and discipline respects and trusts each other, and this is immensely obvious to the patients. The care that patients receive is exceptional. Physicians, therapists, cafeteria workers, and everyone else take the time to listen and understand. Each is only a phone call or page away, both of which are always quick to be answered. This environment makes you want to be the best at what you do, no matter what that might be. Each is respected for his/her area of expertise, and communication up and down the chain is superb. Needless to say, this was 12 weeks I will never forget.

As part of the logistics of our clinical rotations, we are each assigned a clinical instructor (CI). An incredible therapist by the name of Michele Cernich was mine. Michele is hands-down the best CI I have had. She is very gracious and patient, and most importantly for a student, she is able to give constructive feedback in a tactful and understandable manner. Michele pushed me to use my clinical reasoning by not always simply answering my questions; rather, she helped guide me to the appropriate information as necessary. She is good at probing me to look further and research for answers. She always listened to my concerns and asked for my feedback. She was very good at making me aware of her and Mayo’s expectations for my performance. She is incredibly knowledgeable about OT and healthcare as a whole. Her colleagues and patients each recognize this and respect her greatly for it. I have learned so much from her this semester, both through observation of her technique and by being lucky enough to work alongside her. Along with her professionalism and clinical skills, she has an incredible personality which draws people to her. She is light-hearted and funny, which puts everyone at ease and allows patients to feel comfortable around her. She is one of the reasons that patients say, “Mayo is the only place I will go for my healthcare.” May I someday be able to emulate this incredible compassion, drive, competence and joy for occupational therapy. I could not have asked for a better experience. Mayo has indeed exceeded my expectations and helped me to grow in ways I didn’t know possible. No matter where I go and what I do, may I always keep with me the “Spirit of the Clinic” and remember that “The Needs of the Patient Come First.” This means committing myself to education, research, quality, and, most importantly, mutual respect.

“The spirit of the Clinic, into which is incorporated the desire to aid those who are suffering, the desire to advance in medical education by research, by diligent observation, and by the application of knowledge gained from others and, most of all, the desire to pass on to others the scientific candle this spirit has lighted.“  William J. Mayo, M.D.