One of the benefits of living in forest of Manuel Antonio are the animal sightings. From our front porch today we saw spider monkeys running across ropes set up by a local community organization and a sloth slowly making its way down a tree. The animals are amazing to watch! The spider monkeys are especially cool because they jump from branch to tree and line to line, often with babies on their backs. They are very quick so it is difficult to capture good photos, but I hope you enjoy these!
Thursday was my first day at the Primary School in El Cocal, Costa Rica. The school is small (3 classrooms plus a GVI specific classroom) and the younger and older students alternate morning and afternoons every other day. The community is definitely in need, and seem to respond well to GVI and reach out for more programs. For example, a volunteer recently started an Adult English class. Less an hour after posting a sign on Thursday about the new schedule for these classes, two parents inquired about more information. Also, the kids are eager to spend time with the volunteers.
Today, we started planning for the two weeks of summer vacation that begins on Monday. We planned a mix of Arts and Crafts, Sports and English games for a variety of age levels. After brainstorming the activities, preparing a schedule for each day of the week, and making a shopping list of needed materials, the volunteers diligently wrote detailed lesson plans for every activity. I’m excited to see how the kids at Damas, another nearby town, react to our programming!
Part of becoming full-time GVI Staff members was completing an Emergency First Responders course. I have to say that I really enjoyed learning the material and I’m very glad that I now have some skills I can put into action should an emergency arise. To complete this course we read a book of material including important definitions, understanding the cycle of care, AB-CABS, and learning secondary care techniques such as Injury and Illness Assessment and First Aid. In case you didn’t know, AB-CABS stands for Assess Scene, Airway Open?, Barriers, Breathing Normally?, Chest Compressions, Airway Open, Breathing for Patient, Serious Bleeding, Spinal Injury and Shock. We also watched a detailed film that included hands on practice. To more fully engage with the material we named our CPR practice mannequin Arthur. By the end of our training, we could successfully increase Arthur’s chances of recovery by administering CPR until help arrived.
This course also taught me the importance of being an informed citizen who can help others with a little training. In a medical emergency, every second counts. If you feel ready for the important challenge of being a Good Samaritan who can make the difference in a patient’s life, consider becoming a certified Emergency First Responder.
