Bernardino stayed at the vet's while I was gone (150 php/$3.50 per day... what would it be in the States??) so I went to pick him up yesterday afternoon. He was super excited and had a new collar and leash since he chewed through the one I left with him. The vet said he had to be in his own little area because he was 'bullying the other dogs'. Uh oh. Since he's been back he's been having cold-like symptoms: coughing, sneezing, very phlegmy sounding cough, even throwing up. He was having so much trouble last night that I ended up Googling "doggie Heimlich" around 2am. He didn't like that so much and now I'm pretty sure he's not choking on anything. Hunter said her dogs at home used to get 'kennel cough' after they would stay at the kennel so hopefully that's all it is! He's doing much better this evening.
It's really so hard to believe that Mid-Service Training is over already! How do I only have 10 months left here?! We had a session on Emotional Intelligence which the speaker started off by reading an advice letter written to us by an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer). The main thing we all took away from it was his advice "to live a life we may never have a chance to live again".
During one of our last sessions of MST, we all wrote up our aspirations for the next 10 months and sealed it to open again at COS (Close of Service). Mine go something like this:
- Library. I want to see this library project through and give MCS an incredible learning resource that most kids here do not have access to. In addition to simply providing the tangible resource, I want to get kids and teachers excited about the possibilities a library can offer.
- Photography Club. I've been really inspired by another PCV's success with her Photography Club and I would really love to get one going in my town as well. There are so many different things kids can explore and learn from this type of program. I love the idea of a body of work being shot by kids who have an 'in' in the community and culture. Hopefully I can find kids who are interested!
- Feeding Program. I know of some other schools who have feeding programs for the kids who are considered 'wasted' or 'severely wasted' and I know our school could greatly benefit from a program like this. Plus, some programs pay the moms who prepare the food, and that's always a great opportunity for parents to get involved.
- Book Buddies. At this point, Book Buddies is seriously losing steam. While I was gone, my two counterpart teachers held the Saturday morning Book Buddies session but only had 2 Littles attend, no Bigs. The original plan for the program was to have it go until Christmas break, at which time we would assess the program and the progress made by the students and decide whether or not to repeat it from January to March. At this point, I just want to finish the first session and not have it fizzle out. Small victories are fine with me: another lesson learned from MST.
- Dela Cruz Family. I've been brainstorming pretty hard about this one. To keep it simple for ease of explanation, my idea right now is to set up a college fund for each of the 3 boys. College here, compared to the U.S., is cheap. I think by saving about $100/month after I get back, I can save enough to fund all three of them. The problem is them getting to that point. I'm hoping that by providing this incentive (FREE COLLEGE), Lorena will push them more to go to school everyday and stay with it. I also want to improve their living conditions but I'm not sure how to go about this one yet without it being simply a hand out. Still thinking, suggestions and ideas are welcome!
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