Our adventures continued, as we
were able to volunteer at a local school by the doctor’s practice. This was
extremely different compared to our first day because we only saw children
today. I personally liked it better and thought it was more fulfilling because
we were able to help them at a young age. It was important for them to get help
at a younger age so that they wouldn’t experience eye problems later, and/or
get cataracts or other diseases at such a young age.
We saw so many students that needed
a high prescription at such a young age. It was sad to know that they didn’t
know any better, and that they had to struggle to see the board and do their
homework. To them, that was the best that would ever happen, and they had to
deal with it because they had no choice.
This is why this was the most rewarding because not only
could we help them in that moment, but essentially for the rest of their life.
Although, we weren’t able to see them use their glasses in class, I know that
they can now see better without getting headaches or sitting really close to
the board.
An obstacle that we had while with
the kids was the language barrier. I speak very broken Spanish, enough to get
around but not necessarily to convey specific messages and emotions. Some of
the kids were shy, not cooperative, or didn’t know their letters. This was an
issue because it made it hard for us to understand what they needed and what
they could and couldn’t see. They were all very smart, and were able to get
through life with what they had, but for us, we struggled to understand how
they were surviving. At the end, it ended up being a language and communication
barrier. We solved this by using picture charts with shapes and directions so
that they can use their hands or describe the picture to us. THIS HELPED A LOT!
Once we switched our charts from letters to shapes and directions, you could
see their eyes lit up and their facial language change. At first they were
really confused and didn’t know what to do, but after they felt more confident.
Overall, we were able to see about
100 students, of all ages while we were there at the school. We got to see them
during the school day, so they were excused from class. One thing I noticed was
that all the kids are the same around the World. All the kids goofed off with
there friends, had their cliques, and crushed on each other. That to me was
really cool to see because even though, we look different physically, inside we
are all the same people and do the similar things.
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