Student Takeover!

 Today’s student takeover is brought to you by Maryam H., Kendall R., and Sofia A.!

From Sofia — Once again, the construction team arrived at Batey Papita. Some were tired, yet others were excited, with it being their first time working construction there. The team was getting ready to spend the day painting the Church inside and out. Throughout the day many curious children came up to us while we were working, wanting to see what we were doing. While classic 80s music was playing, bonds were being formed with kids all around the Batey. By the end of the day, both the inside and outside of the church were covered in a new coat of paint, bringing the church back to life. 

    While the construction team was hard at work, the med clinic was on the grind helping around 140 patients to make sense of their medical conditions. 

From Maryam — After patients had taken “bug juice” (an oral medicine that helps to kill parasites in the body) and had their weight recorded, the first station in the clinic was blood pressure. It was my second day working at the blood pressure station so I was already acquainted with using a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer, as well as speaking in Spanish to let the patients know their pressure and asking basic questions. As the day went on, I had given out Frozen styled stickers to the kids I would see in the clinic, and in doing so I became close friends with two 7 year old girls, Emeili and Julissa, who ended up waving goodbye as we left on the bus. 

From Kendall — While handing out shoes, hygiene products, and food boxes, I became more knowledgeable about patients' lifestyles and needs, seeing the impact we were making first hand. While handing needed items out, I also gave Emilio, who is the head honcho of the med clinic, all of the medicines he would hand out to the patients. This helped me learn more Spanish, and furthered my knowledge and friendships with the patients. Emilio was very helpful and happy, spreading that energy all throughout the med clinic. Overall, the med clinic today was super successful, providing aid to the people who need it the most.