Great Expectations

Yesterday was good and hard.
We started our day hearing from several of the staff on the history of New Day and the different parts to it--English school, foster home, factory, formula project, and pearl house (for the elderly). Then we were taken on a tour of the factory and foster home. While heading to the factory, I was able to chat a bit with Karen, who with her husband and another Chinese couple had started New Day. She told me the last Speech Pathologist they had here was worked to death...I swallowed hard. There are many needs here.
In the afternoon, I was handed a therapy schedule! I was thinking I would be sharing my supplies and chatting with the special education teacher and PTA. They had a very delayed 2-yr-old come to be assessed by me! And she had feeding issues! I was quite stretched. The little one appeared burned on the jaw line and Doc Jean thought maybe she had fetal alcohol syndrome too. She suggested she a barium swallow test or be scoped. I just don't know what resources they have for that kind of testing.
I brought out some oral motor tools, and we had her working at drinking from a straw, but needless to say I was an emotional wreck afterwards. They had asked for the straw therapy kit because a speech pathologist had been here in January and suggested it. Here I had assumed they requested it because they were on top of oral motor therapy. Yikes. I was honest about my lack of knowledge and experience, but I felt their expectation and thus disappointment.
I was pretty sad. Sad for this little one, burned and so delayed. Sad I couldn't be a better help to her and to the staff here. But I hold on to the fact that I am here for a reason--if to just bring these supplies and encourage them. I did enjoy talking thru an interpreter to the foster mom to show her how she can be more verbal with this little one explaining how she could talk about what she is doing and what her foster child is doing in order to encourage any vocal attempts. I showed her how to label and read books. Kids do a lot of TV watching.
Wendy--the Special Ed teacher, is from the Virginia! Went to JMU and I like her a lot. She homeschools her children and is only at New Day once a week. I teased with her that I felt way more comfortable chatting with her about homeschooling and curriculum! She said she is considered an expert here too and has been stretched with the training and assessment she has been asked to do. I am thankful for her honesty and compassion on that. She has done an incredible job with doing some assessments and writing up goals for each of the children.
Last night, we took a walk in the village. The cars and bicycles will run you down if you are not careful! So, walking with Jean's little ones and even Sarah made for a nervous time. The people seem happy to see us, and Sarah even had her picture taken by a woman in a store. The market area is wild. Meats on tables to be cut, carts of vegetables/melons, people cooking on big grills or pots on the side of the road. The park was busy with children and adults playing cards. I have seen similar scenes in Guyana. Sarah was a bit shocked at the animal parts they eat and the flies on them...so Sarah and I had to remind each other to be careful with our facial expressions! I am quite impressed with Sarah's faith and comfortablity here. She is running around constantly with Bethany and Julie and so eager to learn and practice her Chinese. When she worked with the babies in the afternoon, she had the nannies help her with her Chinese. I heard from another team member that she was wonderful with the babies! We did hear that one of them has Hand Foot Mouth Disease and that concern our team some. But the Doc seems to be more concerned about other infectious things she is seeing....so please think of us on that. We are all feeling well and very thankful.
One of the staff's little girls had a bad seizure last night and Jean rushed back from the village. She spent a good deal of time with the little one--she was having the seizure and her dad tried to catch her and ended up falling on her. Jean sent her to the hospital.
Today, I am scheduled to observe and work with some nonverbal children.
Thank you for your prayers, and please continue: the expectations, the intensity of the needs, the fatigue...I am still not getting a good night sleep, but thankfully Sarah is!