I can’t believe my semester with Doctora Ana has come to an end! The opportunity to accompany her in the operating room and follow the progress of her patients has been incredible. Although waking up at 6:30am twice a week in addition to a full schedule of classes wasn’t always easy, I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and all that I’ve learned along the way. Ana has been an incredible person to shadow – she’s an amazing woman and her patients truly love and respect her. Thanks to Ana’s teachings and spending 11 hours a week in the hospital, my medical vocabulary has improved tremendously and my speaking and comprehension has certainly improved as well. It has also been rewarding to come home and share my experiences with my host family. In my time here, Ana and her patients have appeared on two news programs, which I’ve felt so lucky to be able to watch with my host family and know that I was a part of something special. Other students in my program have also taken an interest in my work with Ana, and it’s always exciting in class when someone asks me what I saw in the operating room on that day. I believe that the personal stories about my experiences that I have been able to share with friends and family (Spaniards and Americans) have made a difference by opening their eyes to the miracles of medicine and the importance of health care. While nothing will replace this experience, I look forward to continuing this work by participating on a medical volunteer trip to South America this winter. ...continue reading "¡Hasta Luego!"
Category: Commitment to Community
União de Mulheres Para o Melhoramento da Roupa-Suja
By hkbardo
As you may have read in my earlier posts, I had initially intended on volunteering with the organization Meninas Mães; however, upon arrival these plans unraveled for 
several reasons. Primarily, the organization is located Zona Norte (the North Zone of Rio), in the favela Complexo do Alemão, which was more recently pacified, and thus is significantly more dangerous than Rio’s other large favelas like Rocinha and Vidigal. In the past few weeks violence has escalated as the different drug trafficking factions fight over territory. The organization’s director emailed me informing that the organization is currently closed due to the heightened threats, so I had to seek out a new organization in one of the safer favelas in Zona Sur (the South Zone). Fortunately, an American woman getting her Master’s degree at my university came into my Community Development class to present the work she did for her dissertation, focused on violence against women and female empowerment. I spoke to her (Courtney) afterward and she offered to introduce me to one of the organizations she worked very closely with while volunteering and doing research. ...continue reading "União de Mulheres Para o Melhoramento da Roupa-Suja"
More than Numbers
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have begun helping Doctora Ana to write a research paper for the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics. In this role, I help her to compile research and patient information, in addition to helping her translate the paper in English once it has been completed. As the computer system in the hospital is a bit antiquated, we spend a lot of time going through archives of her patients to put together a comprehensive spreadsheet beginning with surgeries in the 90s up until last year. Although this is laborious task, it is so enjoyable to sit with her in the archives room and share laughs and learn more about her life. She discussed with me the "machismo" that she faced in the hospital and how hard she had to work to gain respect in her field as a woman, in which she is now one of the most well respected in the country. ...continue reading "More than Numbers"
Sshrishti
My classroom experience at Sshrishti is always an adventure, to say the least. Here is just one of my many stories about this wonderfully unpredictable place:
A few weeks ago, I was asked to cover one of the teacher’s classes. This is something that I’ve become fairly used to, although I was originally not sure I would be comfortable teaching by myself. However, this time, when the bell marking the end of English class rung out, the teacher was still mysteriously missing. Luckily, my Hindi stills are now solid enough that I was able to ask another teacher, “Ma’am kehan hai?” “Stationary class,” she replied, and then turned to begin the next period with her own class. As you might imagine, this answer did not really clear anything up, and I returned to the classroom perhaps even more confused than when I’d left it. I had no choice but to follow the students to the computer lab next door for computer class, which was totally fine with me, as I was excited to show them some ESL games online. I had decided to come prepared with these in order to combat the students’ tendency to play Minesweeper every time I turned my back. However, when I went to pull up the first game, the page wouldn’t work. The students started to chuckle and explained: “No internet, ma’am.” A computer lab without internet? That I certainly wasn’t expecting, and so I let them explore Paint, Word, Excel, etc. I kept peeking at the door throughout the class, sure that the teacher would return any minute… ...continue reading "Sshrishti"
Observing and Interacting with Brazilian Health Care: Beginning my Research
By nfiszer
Suddenly it is April, and I can't wrap my mind around the fact that I have already been in Brazil for two months. My experience so far has been a whirlwind, and I have come to love Brazil so much that it is difficult to imagine ever having to leave. Alongside some amazing cultural experiences and beautiful sights that I have come across since my last update, I have also had great exposure to the topic of my research here in Brazil, the Brazilian unified health system, SUS. Through initial background research and interviews, I have been able to outline my plans for my large-scale research project that is taking place in May. Most recently, I got to spend time in and get to know workers at local community health posts that serve all Brazilian citizens and serve as the basis of Brazilian health care. ...continue reading "Observing and Interacting with Brazilian Health Care: Beginning my Research"
Difficulties and Successes
By skatz14
My most recent volunteering experience was really different for me because I was the only volunteer in my classroom. It was the day before UCT’s spring break started, so the three other people who volunteer with me in my classroom could not attend, due to pre-break midterms and papers. Every classroom was really lacking in volunteers that day, so I learned what the schools must be like, since they tend to be so understaffed. Because I have around 15 students in my class, the beginning of the lesson was really difficult. SHAWCO aims to have a 3:1 ratio with students to teachers, so 15:1 seemed like the impossible. Eventually, I asked if one of the volunteers who had a much smaller 15-person 5th grade classroom could join me since it was too much, and she agreed. There was another volunteer in her class that day, so she was able to help me ...continue reading "Difficulties and Successes"
Ethiopian refugees in Cairo…why English?
By mashod93
As I am getting to know the students at the Oromo Center more, I am becoming more and more aware of their everyday lives (what they do and why). This considered when I think about what kind of vocab I should teach first in order for the conversations to be relevant to what they are doing. At first, everyone was new and there were never a guaranteed number of students that would show up each class, which made it hard to recognize any sort of pattern in each individual's lifestyle. I noticed they all play soccer every day at around the same time (timeliness is not hugely valued here culturally) and usually with the same people. It used to bother me that I did not know what each student did with his or her day and it bothered me that no one was conversational enough to explain what their lives were like to me. And that was the issue exactly. No one could communicate with me. And more importantly, they couldn't communicate with other refugees, even some from their own country. ...continue reading "Ethiopian refugees in Cairo…why English?"
sachets, sachets, sachets
By jamfanous
April 1st: Discuss any updates with your volunteer work/research, any challenges you have faced, and any accomplishments you are particularly proud of. Have there been any current international or domestic issue that have affected your volunteer work/research, has your work become more relevant or has it been overshadowed? What kind of impact do you think you are making on the local community and do you think that impact will have a lasting affect?
The Waste Management Project has made a lot of progress in the past weeks, we are hoping to have the project fully completed by the end of April.
This past month has been all about making connections with the community.
Firstly, in order to start a project in Ni Boii Town you must send a ‘letter of intent’ to various individuals in the community including: the chief/ traditional leader, metro education and health offices, metro assembly, the Community Directed Development Association as well as school administrators. It’s all a simple formality for everyone in community to be aware of our work and to give them the opportunity to object or ask any questions. ...continue reading "sachets, sachets, sachets"
Central de Movimentos Populares (CMP) on International Women’s Day
By hkbardo
Finally I am getting settled into Rio. Last Friday, after several days of orientation at the university, I was all excited for my first visit to Meninas Mães. However, of all days, the bus workers’ union decided to go on strike that day, leaving me with no way to get an hour across the city to my destination! Fortunately, after 6 months in Brazil I was already accustomed to this kind of uncontrollable occurrence, which inevitably changes one’s plans. Long story short, I was unable to begin my long-term volunteer work this week; however, I took the opportunity to volunteer with Rio de Janeiro’s Central de Movimentos Populares (CMP) on International Women’s Day on March 8th. ...continue reading "Central de Movimentos Populares (CMP) on International Women’s Day"
Pragmatism is key
By mashod93
Teaching at the Oromo center the past couple of weeks has posed some challenges for my fellow volunteer and I. We have been having a hard time dealing not only with the language barrier of the people of the Oromo region and us but also with the cultural differences. As we learned in our first week through our inter-cultural learning course, the western and eastern worlds hold very different values. Being from the west and leading a more monochronic lifestyle (very linear, valuing timeliness and order) than in the east, timeliness is something I am used to being able to depend on. The refugees at the Oromo center come from a very collectivist culture and lead a more polychronic lifestyle, which makes timeliness not a priority for them. While I try to respect our cultural differences and allow for everyday interferences in our schedule for the center, lateness is very frustrating when I already can only afford six hours a week. They are motivated students, but without work or families to keep them busy, I can imagine it is hard to pass up social time with friends. Being on time and making class a greater priority than football practice everyday is something the students and I are trying to work on. ...continue reading "Pragmatism is key"