Apparently my blog has been acting up a little and posting things on it's own when I'm not looking... so if you've received an email with a random post that's either blank or not related to recent events in Madagascar, I'm very sorry! Let's see if this post actually works the way it is supposed to...
Over 2 weeks of working with the dental team has gone by quickly, and I've really enjoyed a variety of things to do so far. Dental assistant is my official title, but because I've had experience with the Mercy Ships dental clinic and I'm also a dental hygienist there are a few extra jobs I've been given to do as well. I'm able to administer local anesthesia again (give the numbing shots) to patients, which helps the dentists to use their time for treatment. I've also been doing most of the oral hygiene education in the schools since I've arrived, and that's a completely a new experience for me...stretching my comfort zone a little too. In the past 2 weeks I've visited two different ministries in the area with Charlie, an excellent Malagasy interpreter from the dental clinic, and together we've taught 10 different classes of about 50-90 students in each. We get about an hour to review the students' knowledge of the teeth and mouth, then teach proper tooth brushing, healthy diet, and overall oral hygiene. All the students receive a toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap at the end of each lesson, and usually leave with big smiles due to Charlie's tremendous talent for entertainment. The subject matter of tooth care comes easily for me, but the actual teaching can be somewhat difficult because the students don't understand English and I'm working completely through an interpreter. Thankfully, Charlie is an amazing teacher who loves interacting with the kids, so I basically give him the oral hygiene facts and he makes the presentation interesting and on the same level of the students we're teaching. Charlie is also my driver to get us safely to the schools and hopefully back again...so we have had many adventures together, and by now he even knows where to stop for bananas when I'm starving after teaching all morning. So, as we've told all 700+ students, remember to brush your teeth! Brus nify!!!
Over 2 weeks of working with the dental team has gone by quickly, and I've really enjoyed a variety of things to do so far. Dental assistant is my official title, but because I've had experience with the Mercy Ships dental clinic and I'm also a dental hygienist there are a few extra jobs I've been given to do as well. I'm able to administer local anesthesia again (give the numbing shots) to patients, which helps the dentists to use their time for treatment. I've also been doing most of the oral hygiene education in the schools since I've arrived, and that's a completely a new experience for me...stretching my comfort zone a little too. In the past 2 weeks I've visited two different ministries in the area with Charlie, an excellent Malagasy interpreter from the dental clinic, and together we've taught 10 different classes of about 50-90 students in each. We get about an hour to review the students' knowledge of the teeth and mouth, then teach proper tooth brushing, healthy diet, and overall oral hygiene. All the students receive a toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap at the end of each lesson, and usually leave with big smiles due to Charlie's tremendous talent for entertainment. The subject matter of tooth care comes easily for me, but the actual teaching can be somewhat difficult because the students don't understand English and I'm working completely through an interpreter. Thankfully, Charlie is an amazing teacher who loves interacting with the kids, so I basically give him the oral hygiene facts and he makes the presentation interesting and on the same level of the students we're teaching. Charlie is also my driver to get us safely to the schools and hopefully back again...so we have had many adventures together, and by now he even knows where to stop for bananas when I'm starving after teaching all morning. So, as we've told all 700+ students, remember to brush your teeth! Brus nify!!!
Typical Mercy Ships transportation in Africa...
And a wooden bridge ahead just narrow enough to make me hold my breath haha
The Bethany School with Love and Care Ministry where we did the majority of teaching
Students ready to keep those teeth clean!
Adding toothbrushes to hundreds of hygiene kits for the students
Intently practicing good brushing
Teaching team with happy students and a confused dog :)
Unfortunately, no bananas here...
No comments:
Post a Comment