The Running of the Bulls

Ok so maybe the running of the single bull but on my run home this morning there was a cow/bull running in front of me on the neighborhood street. This is something we see commonly here, cattle being herded, goats roaming around for food and dogs everywhere. It was funny, because I think the cow thought I was herding it so it kept running when normally they just walk slowly but it turned up a different street and I kept going. Not something you do everyday in the states, unless you work/live on a farm of course!

After breakfast I finished up the Nutrition Unit working on the food borne illnesses that a person can get from contaminated food. Makes me want to wash my hands really well after reading about Shigella and all the nasty bacterias! Over 60% of chicken and its juices contains Campylobacter so make sure you cook it well and wash your hands well after touching raw chicken!

For lunch today Coco make Green Curry which was pretty good. Not sure I've had it before but I enjoyed it. After lunch I went to the mesita (a little table) where the kids like to hang out and we read some books with the kiddos. I also had a tickling fest with Lisy one of the younger girls.

This afternoon I went to Batey Isabel and Sharon came with me just to see what it was like. I didn't do much today because they had 2 facilitator women, plus the nurse and the Korean nurse Sarah. Today is Sarah's last day before heading back to Korea so I let her do the vaccinations and stuff since she's been there 2 years and I figured she would like to get to do stuff her last day. I did look in a little 10 month old boy's ear and he had otitis externa. Brian, you should be proud! :) He was crying so hard because his poor little ear hurt. Dr. Garcia then saw the patient and asked what I thought he had. To examen the baby, instead of using his otoscope he smelled his ear. Talk about rural medicine! They brought us Orange Fanta to drink while we were there which is so nice because these people with so little are always so giving!

After leaving we returned to the orphanage where I played with some kids again before dinner. Arianni, one of the twins, was standing on the patio wall and jumping out to me. She kept telling me to move further back and she would jump to my arms, like a little kid does off the side of the pool. Then out came her sister, Ari, who wanted to participate although she was a little more scared and I couldn't go quite as far away for her. They are so crazy and daring here!

We went to the mesita again and read some more books. Well, they just flip through the books and "read". Arianni was reading a book about chickens and she was saying, this little one wanted to go to church but he couldn't because he was dirty, she turned the page and said and this little bitty one wanted to go to school but he couldn't. She was too funny!

After dinner it was free night with the kids so again I played with them. I went out to the playground for a little bit and they have been vaccinating in the public schools this week so Yessica, an 11 year old girl, was telling me that her arm hurt and was swollen from her shot today. I told her it would be better in a few days and better than getting tetanus but had to explain to her what that was because she had no clue what her shot was for. I pushed some of the 10-12 year old girls on the swings. There were four of them going at once, and just needed starter pushes. The two swings on the ends are close to trees so two of the girls were swinging half way into the tree limbs!

After this I went back over to the patio because it started getting dark. I was tickling Carmelo for a while and he was too funny. He'd lift his arm up for a split second and I'd try to tickle him real quick. Then he started walking around with his arms up in the air and I would try to tickle him but then pick him up and hold him upside down by his knees and tickle his inner knees! This went on for a while, until Lisy again came up and wanted tickled! Later I played with Merry, the mentally handicapped little girl and she was wanting me to do what I had done with Carmelo and at one point was jumping off a step and counting 1,2,3 (which is big for her!) and jumping like I had done with the little girls earlier. It is amazing the progress she has made and how much she understands but just cannot speak.

After parting from the kids, some of us went up to Coco's apartment for popcorn that she made on the stove top. It was pretty tasty! We just sat around and chatted for a while until time to come back to our rooms to call it a night.

Tomorrow I'll be at the orphanage all day working on a health care slideshow to show the teams what the hospital, rehab center, and drug rehab center look like along with giving them a taste of what the DR's health system is like. I'll also probably start another unit and get moving on that one! We get to go for pizza again tomorrow night so that is exciting!

Hope everyone is doing well. Looks like it is getting chilly there, at least at night! Think of me if you feel cold, know that I'm sweating constantly but enjoying it! :) Miss you all! I'll try to download my pictures tomorrow but couldn't get them to go yesterday either! Sorry but maybe tomorrow if everyone is gone and off the internet the speed will be a little better!