Nicaragua is beautiful. Just gorgeous. It's a hidden gem and I'm so grateful for the chance to live life here for a time. We all get different seasons in our lives that we can only live once. Somehow it's taken 2 months for me to figure that out. Whatever season you're in, I encourage you to enjoy it and find something good in each day.
Being a listening ear and extra set of hands seems more valuable than trying to implement new ways of doing things. A lot of my suggestions are based on a more controlled situation with consistency. For instance, some kiddos have goals of becoming more independent in dressing. Others have goals for toileting, feeding themselves, or using more functional language. In each of these situations, my instinct is to create a schedule or protocol to be used at home. Lots of repetition in a predictable manner with reinforcers would be ideal. Tracking behaviors throughout the week would help to adapt each plan. But reading and writing is not a given here, details are not our forte, and trying to replicate what I would do in the States just isn't fruitful.
Tattered bridge that people walk over daily
Volcan Masaya
La Playa
Let me brag about the people here: they are so patient. They're patient with my Spanish. Patient when there's no water. Patient when the WiFi or power go out. They are eager to serve each other and quick to meet the needs of others. I feel so selfish here over and over again. There's a community mindset vs. individualism and it's amazing to be a part of. People's schedules are fluid and family comes first. If someone has a need, they meet it without keeping score. Wow... the love runs deep.
Clinically, I'm seeing: Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome, Autism, Spina bifida, Microcephaly, Hydrocephalus, seizure disorders, learning disorders, and syndromes I've never heard of before (Wolf-Hirschhorn and Williams syndrome). I'm out of my element and learning lots.
How do you train a child to put their head through the shirt hole when they're 10 and all their life they've just done the arm holes? How do you tell a mother of six that for her son with Down's Syndrome to speak more, she and all his siblings need to stop anticipating his every need? Similarly, how do you put a child on a potty training schedule when their caregiver has to man a booth outside to provide for the family? Context is a beautiful thing. When the basic necessities are not a guarantee, education levels are low, and caring for others is highly valued, how do you promote independence? So we thank God for another day and do what we can.
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