Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

          Yesterday and today focused on shoes: measuring kids for shoes, finding shoes for kids, finding the right shoes for kids, and tracking who needs new shoes for next year.  Honestly, that whole process to way less time than I thought!

Abby and Gabrielle waiting to walk

Gabrielle's checking out the street

          I had anticipated measuring for shoes to take 1-2 days and then finding shoes for our walkers at least a whole day.  Finding the right shoes for our walkers could have taken anyway from one day to a week, depending on what was on hand in the depot.  Well, everything was done in a day and half.  Nothing in Haiti goes that smoothly.  Nothing.  With Abby's help, we were able to get all the kids measured for new school and P.E. shoes in just a couple of hours.  This morning we found walking shoes that fit the kids perfectly in about 45 minutes.  We were even able to take the two girls, Gabrielle and Sandra (more about them later), on their first walk in the neighborhood.  Then, we had to head over to Chedner's to measure a couple of his kids for shoes.  I typed up the list of kids and their needs and sent it off to Soles4Souls earlier this afternoon.  Project done in less than 36 hours.  Dang. we're good!

Our Walkers

          I think I mentioned in an earlier post that we had five kids who needed to walk daily in the neighborhood as part of their therapy.  Our first foray out did not go so well because the kids didn't have good enough shoes.  Today, however, we were able to take out the two girls in the walking group: Gabrielle and Sandra.  Gabrielle walks fine; she just needs the stimulation of getting outside the compound walls, learning to follow some social rules, and being forced to keep going when she doesn't necessarily want to push herself.

Sandra

Sandra and Lauren

          Sandra is the one who needs to walk so that she doesn't lose the ability to do so.  I'v learned a bit more of Sandra's story in the few days I've been here.  Her mother brought her to Notre Maison/St. Joe's back in November.  Sandra is nine years old, and up until she was eight, she was a regular girl talking, laughing, running around playing, feeding herself, etc.  Then she started having seizures.  And she lost the ability to do all of those things.  Her mother could no longer care for her, so Sandra was brought to us.  She still suffers from seizures when we run out of the medicine that she needs, which we are out of right now.  Sandra was a trooper on her first day out, making it all the way around the block.  When we go back, I took her into the therapy room for some stretching and a massage.  She was so tired that she fell asleep during her back rub!  I'm looking forward to working more with her in the coming weeks.
          Tomorrow is the boys' day out.  There are three of them, so I will probably need to make at least two trips around the block, which is okay by me.  I love taking the kids for a stroll--it's good for them, and it's good for me!

Random Events

1.  During therapy with Nahomie, a severely handicapped girl, I notice brown liquid on the floor by her head.  I picked her up and, swear to God, though a small worm and worked its way outside of her skull.  Serious turn of the stomach.  It wasn't a worm (duh!), just a boil that had broken open.  No wonder the poor girl was crying while lying on her back!

2.  Again during therapy, Abby looked up from working with Derson and shouted to Alvarez, "Stop playing with the gas can!"  Don't all small children play with flammable materials?  Nothing is off limits as a toy with these kids.

Spot It with the kids

3.  At Chedner's this afternoon I taught the kids to play Spot It.  I learned quite a few new Creole words (not that I can remember them all right now), and the kids caught on quite well.  In a couple of weeks I'll take over Spoons and see how that goes!

4.  Chedner's kids explained that their T.V. had been stolen and asked if I could get them a new one so that they had something to do over summer vacation.  When I said no, they shared that a small one would be just fine.  The answer was still no.