Blogs In the Key of Life: Day 2: Health

The theme for Tuesday was all health related, which was great because I got to utilize some fellow public health volunteers. Clare came from Eastern province and helped with field day games but first we had a discussion with a female doctor from the hospital. The girls got to ask her all kinds of questions about their bodies, female circumcision, sex, illness, disease, etc and they were much more active than I had thought they would be. But of course, as always, I tried to do way too many things at one time. Those of you who watched my Cribs video know that my house is, ahem, small to say the least. Knowing I would have 2-3 people staying with me this week, I had to do something to create a bit more space. I never bought a bed frame when I got to site, I just used the one that was already waiting in my bedroom. However, it was a bit too small for my mattress meaning I could never quite tuck my mosquito net in. Last week, I decided to get a new bed made, one with drawers underneath so that I would finally have a place to put my clothes. Sounds simple enough right? Wrong. First, the fundi (carpenter) changed the price on me. He told me he would have it ready by Sunday and when I went to pick it up, not only was it not ready but he was trying to charge me an extra 1500 shillings! We got all that taken care of and I told him I would be by to pick up the bed on Tuesday morning. I get there Tuesday and the drawers are on the wrong side of the bed! The way my room is situation, I really need to have the bed where it is so now my bed is sitting backwards in my room. Which, I guess I should feel lucky because it almost didn't fit in the room at all.

After this little fiasco, it was time to start the camp for the day. After the doctor's session, Clare began Field Day. The girls LOVED it! We played dizzy bat, jump rope, had a sack race, a balloon race, did limbo and musical chairs. Many of the girls had never played any of the games, save maybe jump rope, and they are all teenagers! Since it was all fairly new to them they really enjoyed playing and just being outside.

After lunch we had a session on basic first aid. Many of them do not know what to do when someone is choking or how to care for a basic burn or sprain. We stressed the importance of keeping your wounds clean since the doctor told me that morning a little girl will have to have her foot amputated because she burned it three weeks ago and her father had just been trying to treat it with herbal remedies so it turned gangerous. Not fun. After first aid training, we talked about peer pressure and I gave them scenarios with different situations. They then made a drama, song, or story about how the person in the scenario should handle the problem. I was really impressed with their creativity!

In the middle of all this, another PCV Andrea came from Eastern to help out on Wednesday. It hasn't rained in about a month here but of course the day I need to schlep to town to get visitors, it's pouring! We decided to beat the rain and stop off for a drink at one of the restaurants I like.

Pictures!!!!!!!!!!