As far as the end of this past week, it went well. Wednesday we did the sunset hike like I had mentioned but it was cloudy so we didn't get to see the sunset. However, it was a great hike because I stayed in my jeans and sweatshirt and was perfectly fine. It was breezy and like fall weather. I love it! And not to mention the view is beautiful!
Here is the view with me and Dad from the previous week!
We met with Coco Wednesday night to discuss the next 6 weeks. I'll be in Monte Cristi 5/6 weeks working with health teams. One of the big weeks, where we will have 400 volunteers split between two locations, I'll move to Jaibon to do clinics there like I did in January. Sadly though, I'll be away from my roommates most of that time. Heather left today and I won't be in the same location as her for 6 weeks!!! but I still get Christine for 2 more weeks until she leaves me for 4 weeks!!! Christine, Heather, me and Bryson during parents week in Manzanillo!
However, we'll be so busy that we probably wouldn't see each other anyway! It will be fun doing clinics and getting to work with medical professionals and students!
Thursday it was misty in the morning so we were unsure of the school status. However, it was Day of the Student across the country which meant no class anyway, just parties all day long. So, we called the principal, found out there were students and headed to school. We got a ride in since the roads were so muddy! We hung out with the students, fewer than normal, and the groups did coloring and bracelet making with the students. They enjoyed a break from the teaching I think!
For the afternoon session we did an activity with the orphanage kids since the school wasn't having class again. I sat down and played cards with Arianni. It was hilarious! We were playing war but she won every hand because she is only 3 and doesn't know her numbers! Then, we played Go Fish, but she had to show me her cards and I had to show her mine to ask! How fun! She just likes to pretend like she is playing. She was giggling the whole time because she kept "winning"! I played some Old Maid with Jenny and Heather and hung out with other kids off and on as well.
Dan was a dentist here this week that did some work on some of the kids at the orphanage on Thursday instead of teaching. In the morning after returning from school, I helped hold a flashlight for him while he did some work on Freddy. Freddy who is about 11 or 12, was moaning and whining the whole time. They hate dental work here! The kids get so scared and are in a trance when they are lying on the benches. In the afternoon, I went up again to check in on him and Bryson and they brought up Luis Alberto who is 5. He had 2 teeth extracted this fall so as soon as he saw the bench and the equipment he started bawling huge puppy dog tears! I put him in my lap and then we sat him in the chair. Dan started by counting his fingers, and then counting his teeth. Everytime he'd put the little mirror in his mouth he'd freak out! But we gave him a big mirror so he could watch what was happening and when Dan wasn't trying to count, Luis Alberto would smile a big grin at himself in the mirror! So adorable! Dan decided to just clean his teeth and put flouride on to try to make it a positive experience and then in a couple of weeks when more dentists come, they can extract his rotten teeth and maybe he will go in less scared!
Thursday evening was a free evening with the kids. I don't remember what I did! Hehe.
Friday morning I ran to the salt flats with a couple of volunteers. The group wanted to go take sunrise pictures and I always like to have people to run with so we headed out while some others walked. It was a nice jog, always refreshing!
Friday is the free day for volunteers. We headed around Monte Cristi showing them the English Institute, the clock tower, and the Cuban museum and then headed back to the orphanage. We had lunch out in town and headed to the beach. It was overcast and windy so I stayed in my shorts and sweatshirt but everyone else swam. It was cool at one point there were about 20 people trying to ride a wave at the same time. Such a cool sight. It was a relaxing afternoon!
We came back and had free time with the kids again and dinner. After dinner a huge game of Knock-Out started, with about 10 people playing at some point, maybe more. I played a few rounds but got annoyed because Domingo kept knocking my ball way far away and I'm lazy! :) I spent some time just hanging out and talking with Carolina and Nicol. They are the two oldest girls at the orphanage, probably 17 and 18. I love just spending time with them because they aren't little like the other kids that most volunteers cling to, and it takes a little more to get to know them. However, I enjoy spending time with them and I know they enjoy getting to know the long-term volunteers because it is a more valuable relationship than what the one week volunteers get to experience. I also was very excited last night because they are friends with Rich who just arrived and I was so anxious for them to see him but didn't want to ruin the surprise so I didn't tell them.
I started feeling a little sick to my stomach so I laid down a little bit before closing, went to closing and then fell asleep around 9:30. I'm feeling better today, just think I was dehydrated from running and not drinking enough since it has been cooler this week!
I'm waiting the last afternoon flight to arrive, about 30 minutes, and then I'll be headed back to Monte Cristi! Last week of calmness before the storm and all the clinic craziness begins!
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