Amy OT

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. 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:...

My neighbor has a 3 by 3 tin structure by the road where she makes and sells tortillas. You can hear her slapping the dough into a perfect circle, a technique all the woman know here. I’ve “helped” with the tortilla making a few times in my home & did not have the secret touch. She works by the open flame  in the daily 80-90 degree heat, making an equivalent of $1 for every 16 sold. So when she called me over to our barbed wire fence where our land meets and gifted me a tortilla with melted cheese this morning, you can imagine how immense this act of kindness felt. Tesoros de Dios is the only center of its kind here, providing services to children with severe disabilities. All to often our kiddos are out for weeks to months due to pneumonia, another surgery, becoming too fragile to travel, etc. The physical therapists do home visits to check up on these families and I’ve had the pleasure of going with.  I love these home visits because they show me more o...

Mothers gather together for a devotional at the end of the day before riding the program bus home.  This is Tesoros de Dios - the place I spend my days, Monday to Friday. It is not your typical school on any level but rather a conglomerate of programs for children with disabilities. It is a beacon of hope within the community, as the other special needs school in the country has stopped operating for the time being.   Here is the education building. It used to be a house, but has been transformed into a number of classrooms.  The first floor of this building is for palliative care, physical therapy, and a kitchen. The second floor holds offices where the program planning and administrative duties take place.  I had the privilege of riding a horse this week! And I had the chance to help with a horse therapy session. They engage in activities for core strengthening and eye-hand coordination. It was special to be a part of; the highlight of my week...