Monday was the first day I had been at internship in a week. The student practicing nursing in my classroom was absent today, so I got to help the kids on my own a lot more. It felt great to be back with the children after being away for a week. That was until I walked into the room from recess and one of them had thrown up. It instantly made my stomach turn. I was very confused by it because the child had seemed fine before. I was further confused because the teacher called her mother and the mother gave her permission to be fed lunch. Part of that lunch consisted of yogurt, and as we all know, dairy, if you are sick, will make you more sick. But on a more positive note, all the children appeared to be happy to be back at school. Since the student helping was gone I got to do some of her duties. I took one of the students for his daily stroll to try and strengthen his legs. I helped put him into a sort of bike without wheels. I walked next to him while he kicked off from the ground propelling himself forward. It is a tool designed to help strengthen his leg muscles. It was nice to be able to do a little bit more in the class on my own. It feels more rewarding to help a child accomplish their goals on your own than with help.
Tuesday was kind of a rough day. I felt useless for most of the day. The nursing student was back again, and there was another volunteer. This made it hard for me to do much as there were more people in the class than students. It did offer me time to think more about the way they do things. While watching the morning routine I was slightly confused. Most of the students in my class wear braces on their legs. While I was watching them be put on, I noticed that they don’t seem to offer much help. Some of the children still have malformed bones. One of the little girls bones of her foot is pushing against the outside of her arch, instead of pointing down. I don’t understand how this would be possible if she was to wear the brace all the time. This lead me to believe that not all of these students are wearing their braces as they should. The little girl had also just gotten new braces for her ankles and feet, but the straps weren’t placed correctly. The teacher and nurse had to find shoes to fit the little girl so her feet wouldn’t turn sideways in the braces. I wonder if this is due to not receiving optimal care at home, or the difference in care from the U.S.
The last two days of internship went by fast this week. I followed my normal routine of feeding and playing with the children. I felt like a robot on Thursday because all I did was tell one of the children to stop throwing things. It turned out to be quite exhausting. I also noticed that the same child has one leg that is about 4 inches longer than the other. It made me wish I spoke more Spanish so I could have asked the teacher why this happens. I also got bitten by one of the little boys. He is only three so it didn’t hurt too bad.
On Wednesday night the whole group got together at Professor Mike’s house and watched a movie called The Human Experience. We all ate some delicious guacamole, dates wrapped in bacon, and burgers. As for the movie, it was just as great seeing it for the second time. It makes you understand that every single person, homeless, sick, or with limited resources, is still a person just like us. They still have a purpose in this world, they are still happy, and they deserve to be on this earth as much as you and I.
Thursday night was very long. We all flew to Barcelona for the weekend. My anxiety was so high when we were boarding the plane that I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to go. I powered through it and was fine once the plane took off. I was so happy once we finally made it to our hostel Thursday night. I did quickly learn that I hate the metro. You can’t see where you are going and it made me very motion sick. Transportation was definitely a hard part of the trip for me. There were also a ton of positive things that did happen though. Despite the whole group being in one small room, all sharing a bathroom, with little wifi, and no spot to charge our cell phones, we all got along very well. It was a really good bonding experience for all of us.
While we were there we got to see the Sagrada Familia, the beach, park Guell, and just wander around town seeing the city. The Sagrada was beautiful. The stained glass light up the inside with a range of colors. One of my favorite parts of it were that the statues were placed on the outside of the basilica instead of the inside. It left the inside to be less cluttered and more modern looking. I also thought it was fascinating that Gaudi designed his own crypt inside the Sagrada to be buried in. It is crazy to think that they have been building this basilica for over 100 years and still aren’t done. It is sad that Gaudi never got to see this masterpiece be completed. I love that Gaudi designed everything with nature in mind. His style of design was also shown all over Park Guell. There were so many arches made of stone, but in a way they all looked to be very natural with the setting. At the very top of the park there was an amazing view point. You could see the entire city stretching to the coast and out to the ocean.
We also found a place in the heart of the city that gave a 360 view of Barcelona. I loved being able to see the city from inside of it, instead of from a small mountain. We also travelled to the beach. It was beyond packed. It reminded me of a touristy Florida beach where you can’t find a place to sit unless you go early in the morning. As beautiful as it was, it wasn’t my type of beach. It is nice to at least be able to say I went. We did so much in the two days were in Barcelona that it was exhausting. We were all beyond happy to finally be heading home and getting some rest last night. It was so much fun exploring a new city. It makes me excited to see what is in store for next weekend at the beach.
