So the system works! As you know from Becky’s blog, Saturday was a huge success. The greatest part of the morning was seeing so many of the girls from the respective elementary schools show up and have a great time. So yesterday we were excited to hit another elementary school and continue to get the word out. We went to a school a little ways out of the city and it took us about 20-30 minutes to get there—it was a combination of walking, and hitch-hiking. Suyen is an expert and she insisted—as we were running a little late and it’s by far the quickest and cheapest way to make some distance on the highways. We arrived at the school safe and sound, and were greeted by the most lively, enthusiastic, and well-behaved group of students. We had limited space, but the morning went great. Chepe led the boys group, and we worked with the girls. We did a combination of relays, passing drills, and their new favorite: Head it, Catch it or now modified for
Now on to a brief office update: We’re almost there (casi..casi)! We went yesterday to pick up the last two desk chairs from the market, but only one was waiting for us, so we will try again this afternoon and hopefully pick up both of them. That pretty much concludes the search for furniture that we need, and now we just have a few pending construction projects and decorating to do, and the office should be unrecognizable to Mary and the others when they get here. There is already a lot of equipment waiting to be distributed, and the volunteers that are coming in March are all bringing more, so we are really excited and optimistic about the potential the office has of being a sort of store, haven, and classroom for the kids. The Wednesday workshop definitely got us pumped as we finally saw the space converted into something really successful and helpful for the girls. So by the end of this week, we are hoping to have an almost completely finished office, ready and waiting an official opening ceremony when Mary and the gang arrive in March! Oh, and also… the card system that we created for the equipment distribution is really working out well. Three more kids earned their cleats this morning so we walked over to the office and let them pick out a pair that they liked and that fit. They love the shiny blue ones, but we have to encourage them to look for ones that are actually their size...and often, it’s the least attractive cleat that is actually the best one. The simple black adidas is my go-to.
Yelba: I’m not exactly sure where we left off with Yelba but I figured I’d give a little update because things are really on the up with her. It’s been a rocky ride, but I think things are finally starting to smooth over. After going through a few doctors, a couple hospital runs, an EKG for her heart, and blood testing, we weren’t optimistic about finding any answers to her attacks. Hubs and I sat with Yelba awaiting an ultrasound that we were instructed to get for her because of her swollen glands in her throat. We arrived at the crowded office at 3:45 and we’re still sitting in the exact same chairs 3 hours later waiting for Yelba’s name to be called. Then the worst thing happened: Yelba had one of her attacks. It looked just like the previous ones. She had a hard time breathing, looked like she was going to pass out, and threw her neck back as her eyes rolled back in her head. Al and I reacted the same way we always have, panic at first and then an attempt at keeping her awake and breathing. It was the strangest thing, though. We were sitting in this doctor’s office surrounded by patients and NO ONE reacted to Yelba.
After a few minutes, a familiar face scooted her chair over to us. Her name was Coquita, and we recognized her because she was the secretary at Yelba’s school who we had met briefly a few weeks before. When we met her, she seemed smart and caring, so it was strange to me that she hadn’t reacted sooner to Yelba’s attack. But we soon found out that she was smarter and more aware than we knew. What happened next was incredible. She basically talked Yelba out of her attack, which now we can confirm as nervous breakdowns. Obviously we didn’t catch everything, but she basically started telling Yelba that she needs to release her worries, if she needs to cry she should cry, if she needs to talk and confide in someone she has to do that. She has so much built up angst and fear from her problems at home, that she can’t keep them in anymore or it’s going to kill her. After a few minutes, tears started rolling down Yelba’s face and we knew Coquita had gotten to her. So, we called off the ultrasound, which I think would have just been a waste of money and time, and we left the office at 7:15 pm with what had turned out to be the best case scenario and more than worth the wait. We now had Coquita’s number and planned to go to school with Yelba to talk to one of her teachers who she really trusts.
So, Friday morning we went to the Institute (Yelba’s school) and met Coquita and Yelba. We talked briefly with them and then walked over to Marta’s classroom. (The teacher who Yelba really likes.) We set up a date for every Monday after school for Yelba and Marta to just talk for an hour or so about anything and everything. We offered to bring lunch for them, or just be there to make sure it happened, and left optimistically. So now, we have two great women who we know and trust to help Yelba, and hopefully a system that gives Yelba an outlet and a mentor figure who isn’t going anywhere. We’ll keep you posted…
Good news on at least three fronts, with a big week ahead of us…
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