Friday, January 9, 2009

A day to catch up!

Susan and I have a day off as the teachers had an all day workshop and the children were not having school. I needed this day. I am catching up on email and my documentation. I am also going to be able to unpack finally. Beatrice and Brittany are visiting me right now. They are watching the discovery channel on tv while I work. I am processing what has happened this week so far and can't quite get a grasp on it yet. The needs are so great and varied. I just answered an email from a medical team that is coming in February about what they might need to do when they are here. I wrote about the need for medicals, vision tests, hearing tests, and added in - can we check for worms? Some of the children are so small for their age. Sometimes I am wondering if the reading problems come from vision and hearing problems. They want to go into the community to do home visits with mom's with infants - so Beatrice is going to help me find the babies in San Mateo. She told me some are in the way back and warned me that I might break the planks. I told her I was working on the weight! Such honesty!

I need to work with the parents on positive discipline methods and communciation with their children without cussing and threatening. The children get "lashings" and I have seen them hit in the head by their parents. The parents care and want their children to do good in school and behave. They love their children so I think I can help some with maybe introducing another way. The school already is maverick (did I really use that word?) :o) in not allowing physical discipline of the children at the school by the teachers.

There is a social work caseload of nine open cases after the first week, let alone the smaller incidents that I can't even keep track of. I am also the nurse so I have cleaned a lot of cuts! See susan's blog for her medical mission! There is also a need to work with the 11+ children about sex education, HIV prevention, and setting goals for themselves that do not involve babies at an early age - sounds like Mississippi...

I am doing good on my eating habits. Trying not eat fried foods, beef, or pork. I have laid off the rum - actually only had one rum drink in a week. Eating oatmeal in the morning - not eggs! Eating rice and beans and the only fat is in the beans or the tortillas. I eat what is served at lunch at school but Rosalie is such a great cook you cannot resist her banana bread or flan. That is the only sweet stuff I eat. Walking every day to the school and back has got to help. So signing off - miss you all. Kim

4 comments:

  1. Hey. No mention of the bites. Are you better. I worry about you = but you sound very happy. So, rest and do all you can every day. I love you.

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  2. She is happy, Lori. It is incredible how much they love Kim here, and depend on her. It has been great fun being here and working with her. (the bites look much better!)

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  3. glad you finally had a day off. hope your bites are better.

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  4. how do they whip their kids if they don't have a Wal-Mart? I thought that was the only place to whip your kids.

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