Thursday, July 07, 2005
String Theory
One of the biggest hits with the kids so far has been bringing in a multicolored piece of string for the kids. I pointed to the colors and had them repeat after me in English, "Violet," "Yellow," "Red," etc. Then I cut off portions of the roll and made bracelets for them. They all wanted bracelets. Ms. Canh made a nice bracelet for me that I wear to school every day.
I have also started working part time at a school down the road called Morning Star. Unlike Peace Village, which is a boarding type school, Morning Star is a daycare center for young people with mental or physical disabilities. It is brand new and the director, Dr. Lam, a psychiatrist, is very pro active about getting the parents involved and training them in how to deal with the special needs of their children.
Peace Village parents tend to be very pro active as well. We had a new boy come to class today and his father and grandfather were there to make sure he was getting off to a good start. His mother was very sad to see him board, but the physical therapy at Peace Village should help, as he has both developmental disabilities and problems with motor control. Wei's mom is there every day and helps the staff out. Another student's sister is a regular and one little girl is carried in by her father every day.
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Brief personal note about my health. The finger is on the mend. My biggest problem is dealing with the heat. What I find most difficult is skin care, heat rashes are omnipresent. This is something that is not mentioned in most guide books with advice on going to tropical countries. They mention how to keep your insides in good order but not the "outsides." On the advice of one of the faculty at Marquette University College of Nursing http://www.mu.edu/nursing I am try to hunt up some corn starch. I would kill for a bottle of Gold Bond Powder! When I return to the States, I intend to write a section in the planning guide on skin care for my second job at the National Registration Center for Study Abroad, http://www.nrcsa.com
I have also started working part time at a school down the road called Morning Star. Unlike Peace Village, which is a boarding type school, Morning Star is a daycare center for young people with mental or physical disabilities. It is brand new and the director, Dr. Lam, a psychiatrist, is very pro active about getting the parents involved and training them in how to deal with the special needs of their children.
Peace Village parents tend to be very pro active as well. We had a new boy come to class today and his father and grandfather were there to make sure he was getting off to a good start. His mother was very sad to see him board, but the physical therapy at Peace Village should help, as he has both developmental disabilities and problems with motor control. Wei's mom is there every day and helps the staff out. Another student's sister is a regular and one little girl is carried in by her father every day.
*************
Brief personal note about my health. The finger is on the mend. My biggest problem is dealing with the heat. What I find most difficult is skin care, heat rashes are omnipresent. This is something that is not mentioned in most guide books with advice on going to tropical countries. They mention how to keep your insides in good order but not the "outsides." On the advice of one of the faculty at Marquette University College of Nursing http://www.mu.edu/nursing I am try to hunt up some corn starch. I would kill for a bottle of Gold Bond Powder! When I return to the States, I intend to write a section in the planning guide on skin care for my second job at the National Registration Center for Study Abroad, http://www.nrcsa.com