Can I just start this post by informing the world that I'm pretty sure I helped one of mi amigas ancianas take a dump today? Just another day with the oldies. Bed pans are the best, right? ha. not. Please don't be too jealous of my ultra glamorous life.
Besides the constant talk of poo, it was mis cumpleaños ayer! As you all know and surely celebrated, despite my absence. p.s. I expect a super extravaganza once I grace you with my presence in a couple days. Está bien? Si. I actually thought I was going to get away with only a select few knowing it was my birthdays. JOKES. I came back from placement to balloons and my name on sticky notes around the door. If it had been anyone but Lily I wouldn't have been pleased...but I love her more than anything ever, so all was forgiven. Until I got sung to by everyone at lunch. Como, I still love Lily, plus I got cake. YUM. My second birthday present came in the form of the city tour for all the newbies. So the house was nice and peaceful for a few hours. Me gusta. Virginia came late and ruined the surprise that Laura, Ann, Devin, and Kat were taking me out to dinner in the nicer zone later that night, but está bien, because I still appreciated it. It was nice to get out of the house and away from the constant people everywhere for a while, and just kinda change up our usual schedule. They ended up taking me to a nice Italian restaurant that looked a lot like somewhere in the United States, which seems like it would be normal, but no está verdad. As weird as it felt to be among the richer Guatemalans, it was a super nice dinner...even though some people are suffering today. But who knows that might not be from the food. It's hard to tell. Overall it was a solid birthday spent in Guatemala. I'm going to be sad to leave all the women who sang me happy birthday at the nursing home, the staff here that excitedly hugged me, and the good friends who treated me to a birthday dinner. Muchas Gracias!
At placement, Ann and I got invited to spend the rest of the week down in the physical therapy area where we bring some of the ladies in the morning. It's been a nice change since we still get to see all the women, and get to interact with the nurses. Let me just tell you, the physical therapists are waaaaay nicer and more welcoming than the nursing home nurses. We've been working with Debby, who speaks English really well, so that's been less mentally draining than the last three weeks as well. Although it's funny, because more people can speak at least limited English down there so Ann and I have had to censor what we say since we've gotten so used to people just not understanding a word we say. Como, oops. But it's been a lot of fun since some of the physical therapists want to learn English so we sort of teach each other things, and they welcome our help in general. It's also been cool seeing what goes on when we drop the ladies off for physical therapy. Debby informed us that the hospital has to give physical therapy treatments to 190 women in three hours. That seems doable. She used to work in the private hospital in the area, and apparently it's crazy different. What a difference a little money makes, right? Apparently, they don't have enough time to treat everyone so they get shortened treatments, rather than the one on one time they really need, but the therapists do the best they can with what they have that's for sure.
Ann and I were supposed to conduct a class today, but instead a marimba band came in and played a concert for those in physical therapy. Muy awesome. The girls that played were super good and the patients got so into it! Cecilia, one of the ladies I talk to on the regz, danced like a kid, it was so great. Apparently her father was from the area that the marimba band came from so it reminded her of him and brought her to tears. So presh. I love her. I love them all. I'm going to cry on Friday when I leave them for good. Thanks for changing my life, ladies.
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