Tuesday, November 20, 2012
A day in the life of Dahnika the Health Education teacher. I woke up at 7:00 this morning, had breakfast and got ready for school. We, my host mother, host cousin and myself, left for school at 8:00. It was a chilly, but pleasant morning and by 8:20 we had arrived at school. This allowed me 10 minutes or so to prepare my materials and to prepare myself mentally for five lectures. My first two lessons, from 8:30-9:15 and from 9:25-10:10 were with sixth grade classes. We discussed the role of the circulatory system and the benefits of exercise. The third and fourth lessons, from 10:25-11:10 and 11:25- 12:10, were again about the circulatory system and exercise, but for seventh graders. After these first four lessons, my partner offered me some candy, an apple and some cinnamon bread. I gladly took it and we ate laughing that we would need energy for our "overly active" eighth grade class during the sixth lecture.
After a brief snack, I left for the other wing of the school where students in kindergarten through fourth grade have classes. I collected names of all of the students who will participate in our talent show which will be on December 7th. The students were all excited to participate and were full of questions. After answering all of their questions, I received a phone call from Peace Corps informing me that my project (for HIV/AIDS prevention) was approved and that I needed to print and fax forms signed by myself and the director of the school. This was good news, but it left me with the task of printing, tracking down the director and then faxing documents. With twenty minutes until my final lesson of the day, I decided to relax and read a little Jane Eyre in the cafeteria. My final lesson went well, and I was happy for the school day to be over.
At 2:00 I walked from the school to the mayor's office with my partner. At the mayor's office, I was able to print the documents which needed mine and the school director's signatures. After this, I went home to get my computer for a later meeting at the health center. From home, I went to school to have the documents signed and then back to the mayor's office to fax them. I spoke with the mayor for a bit about Hurricane Sandy (and how luckily, it didn't affect Kansas) and my plans when I return to America.
I arrived at the health center at 3:30 just in time to say goodbye to the doctor and meet with my partner Natalia, a nurse. We are currently working on a project to purchase a copy machine, cordless telephones, and organizational materials for the health center. After working on the budget for a bit, we decided to pack up and save it for another day. Next, Natalia reminded me of why I love working with her and why I love my village so much. She asked me to stay for another year and I told her that I needed to return to the States to start school (because I'm getting old :)). She said that I will be a wonderful doctor and that I should, "work with children because all of the children in the village love me" and that I've "really improved the village and made a difference". I can't really explain how much this meant to me. I wanted to say something kind in return but, being overcome with emotions, all I could say was "thank you, I love working with you". Hopefully, she knows how much this meant to me, and maybe in the future I can explain it to her a little bit better.
After leaving the health center, I went home and then went on a walk. On the days that I don't run, I like to walk through the village and listen to an episode of This American Life and reflect on my day. It was the perfect end to a stressful, yet rejuvenating day. When I'm having a hard day, I will always remember Natalia's kind words. The work that I've done in my village is important, but not nearly as important as the bonds that I have made with these wonderful people.
