clinic

In the clinic there are very often guardians who come in without the patient. Sometimes that is ok…the seizures are controlled and it is for a refill of medication. But the patient should come in about every other appointment so we can see that the medication isn’t having adverse side effects. Of course often the guardian comes in and the patient has been having seizures and they left them at home…if it is because they have run out of meds that is one thing…but often they seem to think that we can just give meds and it will work…maybe the traditional healers can do that but doctors from the west like to see and examine their patients…

volunteer

put up at the guest house for those who are interested in getting out of the hospital for a little while (as most are medical students)

puzzles

Since last week I’ve been teaching and at the end of the day I have 30 minutes (at least) of extra time. I don’t know what I’m forgetting to teach or if the kids are getting faster (and maybe smarter) but I have used it to have puzzle time…the kids love it. they seem to always pick the same ones—we have a big round globe floor puzzle and I have just found a map of Africa…I think we are going to need more puzzle time actually. So I sat down with some of the puzzles that the kids never get out…hundred pieces—one is a soccer team on a bus, another is Simba and Mufasa from the Lion King…I am trying to get the strategy of putting the straight edge pieces together for a frame—lining up the straight ones isn’t in their sphere of puzzle solving…and then putting like colors together to see if the pieces fit. Slowly slowly we are getting there. Pang’ono pang’one ndi mtolo.

writing

here are samples of our writing in class...i asked for at least 4 sentances:


Noel was siwning he saw the shakes weated to eat him. He run in the water. He was thing abou he eat what. I will eat coconut.

Noce important time they are the waman. The waman was swiming. He so two shek. She ran on the lake. And sit bown and he start think was think the will eat what.

Kondwani he went to the lake. Kondwani he start swimming. Kondwani he saw the shakes. Kondwani get out of the water. Kondwani sit down and then think about the food. I can eat these coconut.


He went for a swim in the lake and swam. He saw a litle land end then he went to the land. He sat on the land. He saw two shark a round the litle land.

A man was swming and. He saw shaks and he ran away. He sat on the sand he thik what will i eat I will eat this coconut.

Thokozani was swimming. Then he saw some shake. then he wanted to eat some fruit.

Trevor he was in the watre. He went away in he saw the shacs. he went out into watre And he was thinking adawt the food, he sayd I eat that he stadap (stand up) and he take that froot and he ran away fram the stone.


aaaa I Will go to the Sand. What can I eat? oh I can eat this food. wen it will go in the water, then this will fite me? oKay I will go back home, to eat coconut. but How can I go home it iS Steal (still) night I will Sleep here I will go back toomolo (tomorrow). I am Kod (cold) I will back home I am kod I can go home I can a jezeer and will not came again.

James was swimming in the lake and he saw two shak and he went out of the lake. And he whant on sand. The tree is on sand. And he thiked (thinked) what can I eat. And he saw some coconut. And he eat it.

A story of Adam: What is your name? My name is Adam. What are you doing? I want a coconut.

Lions

Lions are hunters. They wait near water holes. Other animals drink carefully. They know lions may be near.

zebra

Zebras gallop across the plains. They graze on grasses. Water holes dot the plains. Zebras stop to drink at them.

hangman

In class we now play hangman…I think that soon we will try to have the kids pick words but so far it has just been me…I picked words that were around the room (days of the week, months of the year, spelling words) and then threw in a couple of ones like rainbow and the Netherlands (we had talked about it that day). They love it and are relatively well behaved while we play…I was thinking of trying “heads up, seven up” but with only 10 in the class I would have to change the numbers…and I really don’t see it working but I also remember loving to play. We’ll see.