Three weeks have passed, and I really can’t believe it. Usually my days are filled with what I can do competing with what I need to do. Books to read, movies, homework to finish, grocery shopping, talking to friends, making dinner, exercising, enjoying Honduran coffee, working at the clinic, and building relationships all vie for my time and occasionally a beautiful symphony occurs when two are united.
Speaking of relationships, sometimes I amaze myself with the way my heart views things. For some reason I didn’t consider building relationships with the Honduran people when I was planning what I wanted to gain from this trip. I’m not quite sure what I was thinking other than the goal of my trip, to see if I could use Physical Therapy in a developing country, which quickly developed into seeing if I could live in a foreign country. People have asked me, “How do you like the people?” but I don’t think I’ve actually reflected on that question or how important it is until now. Did I forget what I learned in Swaziland about the importance of relationships? But the hope of this trip—as with all others—is to have my perspective changed and redeemed, so I have been learning that if nothing else.
The language itself is still very difficult. While at Teletón I often am not engaged in conversation (and the conversations that are happening are extremely fast), and I find it very hard to follow what’s being said. When they slow down and talk directly to me I am more capable, but it’s difficult to talk to patients because they don’t realize they need to talk slower. I am continually growing in the language but have reached a new point where I understand enough to realize how much I don’t know.
At Teletón this week:
o One of the therapists was sick, so there was one therapist to about 10 patients at a time. Admittedly she is only with each patient for a little bit, but she did a great job of handling the numbers. Because of this I got to help with a couple patient’s exercises again this week.
o A boy came in with hypotonia (low tone) where the muscles of the body are unusually weak. Not all of his muscles were weak though because his calf muscles were about the size of my fist or a softball. I think that since the rest of his muscles were weak, his calves had taken the job of walking solely on themselves. He looked like he had sprinter or soccer player calves and was probably only 7-years-old.
o Teletón received new regulations from the government as did every other medical facility in Honduras. I do not know if the other clinics abide by the regulations or if there’s even much accountability, but it was nice to see Teletón working hard.
o I asked about why I rarely saw them use ice, and one of the therapists said that they use ice for inflammation only and use heat for the chronic problems.
o I was told yesterday that the doctor at Teletón heard that I’m a PT student and wants to talk to me next week.
Everyday I have a little notebook in which I write down my daily schedule at Teletón and also write down new Spanish words to look up later. I have quite a list going especially with a lot of medical words. For example, subir is to raise and apoplejía is a stoke/epilepsy.
I continue to need prayer for discipline, strength, an open heart, open ears and a loving perspective. I see things about myself—habits and perspectives—that I recognize are unhealthy and unloving and would change if I had the power, but this is why I ask for prayer. I long for myself to be redeemed and transformed.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:5-11
~Bennett
No comments:
Post a Comment