Have you ever felt like you are exactly where you are supposed to be? Maybe it’s the scenery, maybe it’s the food, maybe it’s the company, maybe it’s the work but this is where I need to be right now. In Mangamba, Cameroon traveling around to villages teaching children about malaria, first aid, and HIV/AIDS. Sometimes I think about where I am and what I’m doing here and at times it doesn’t even seem real. So let me fill you in on our game plan for while we’re here. We will be visiting schools and other community areas where we will hold a sort of day camp with different groups, each learning about a different health topic through different activities. I was on the malaria “team” and helped develop the teaching activities which include a story, question/answer and (my personal favorite) malaria tag.
When we arrived at the first school where we did our teaching I was a bit intimidated by the number of small, eager faces looking at us. Once we introduced ourselves and began our activities, all of my anxiety about not speaking French and being “just a nursing student” disappeared completely. As we told our story about “Raissa” the mosquito, I went into camp-mode where it’s all about keeping the kids engaged and learning…even if it’s at the expense of your self-respect. These kids probably think I’m crazy—but if they know three ways to prevent malaria, it was worth it. Malaria tag was a huge success in reinforcing that you need to go to the doctor and take medicine when you get sick with malaria. Kids loved the “doctor” props—but the “mosquito” headbands take the cake as a group favorite, and I must agree. They’re adorable. (And don’t worry, there are pictures but I’ll have to get them from other people’s cameras)
When we arrived at the first school where we did our teaching I was a bit intimidated by the number of small, eager faces looking at us. Once we introduced ourselves and began our activities, all of my anxiety about not speaking French and being “just a nursing student” disappeared completely. As we told our story about “Raissa” the mosquito, I went into camp-mode where it’s all about keeping the kids engaged and learning…even if it’s at the expense of your self-respect. These kids probably think I’m crazy—but if they know three ways to prevent malaria, it was worth it. Malaria tag was a huge success in reinforcing that you need to go to the doctor and take medicine when you get sick with malaria. Kids loved the “doctor” props—but the “mosquito” headbands take the cake as a group favorite, and I must agree. They’re adorable. (And don’t worry, there are pictures but I’ll have to get them from other people’s cameras)
One of the younger girls in one of the classes today was totally enamored with the color of my skin. She was probably about five years old and lived in a very remote village called Muyuka. During the tag game she ever so sweetly held onto my hand and carefully inspected it. She ran her hand along my skin, marveling at the fair color and freckles which probably looks very strange to her. In this moment, the whole world stood still: it was just me and this little girl sharing in exploration. I pondered what a beautiful gift it is to be human while she probably contemplated how odd I looked.
In summary, I love it here, I love people and I love nursing. My world is complete.
Absolutely fascinating! What a blessing <3
ReplyDelete