New Experiences Posted on January 17th, 2012 by

For the last week and a half, I have been teaching English to students that come to the mission for classes.  I teach 10 year olds in the morning and I have 12-15 year olds in the afternoon.  It has been a wonderful experience and I have definitely bonded with the kids, but today, I( got to try something different.  I went with the healthcare team for the day.

I spent the morning in the clinic.  To start my day there, I worked with the pediatric nurse taking infants/toddlers heights, weights, and head measurments.  We also looked at their developmental progress- checking to see if they can vocalize syllyables, track objects, and such.  Next, I had the special opportunity to see an ultrasound done.  This woman was 19 years old and 20 weeks pregnant with her 3rd child.  She found out today that it was going to be another boy!  It was so amazing to see the baby move around (it hiccupped!) and to hear his heartbeat.  His heartbeat was at 145 beats per minute, which we were told is totally normal. 

After the clinic, we all got to go out and try ceviche for lunch.  Ceviche is raw fish soaked in lime juice in a pile of onions, corn, and yuka.  It is a Peruvian specialty, and it was definitely interesting.

After siesta, I got to go on home visits.  It was quite the experience to walk around Chimbote and see the environments that my students come from.  It gave me a whole new perspective on teaching and I think I will definitely be able to relate to the kids better now.  One of the families homes that we stopped at was 1 tiny room in which 6 people slept.  This room had only one bed and there was trash all over the floor.  When we asked, they said that they had lived there for 14 years. It was such an eye opening experience to see how these people live in comparison to my life.  I know that there are so many things that I will not be taking for granted anymore. 

That was my day of new experiences and it is definitely one day that I will not forget!

-Caroline

 


2 Comments

  1. Lois Hendrickson says:

    Ah Caroline, new experiences will stay with you and your classmates for a lifetime. Thanks for painting such a vivid picture of life at the mission and in Chimbote. Love reading the blog and getting everyone’s perspectives. Joel and Lois

  2. Cary Lofquist says:

    Thank you so much for the descriptive travelogue! We especially enjoy hearing details about the unique foods, what it’s like in Chimbote and your living and working conditions. Thank you for taking the time to keep in touch with your American dear ones.