Day 6

Saturday, May 24th, 2014

I can hardly believe it. It's been one week since I began my internship! So many things happened, and I feel as if my last day at UAS was ages ago. But the calendar does not lie, and I know that it has only been one week since the many fresh memories have taken place. 

Mhm, I do work on Saturdays as well, from 9h30 to 12. But my Saturday jobs are easy. I only have to take care of one child at a time, first with Jm and then with Cs. While the director works on "academics" with one, I work on social learning with the other sibling. It is not difficult, especially if the children remain as well-behaved as they were today. There really isn't much to write, for the two hours and a half I spent on Saturday were not very active nor eventful. But I feel that I should still record something, for the sake of keeping daily entries of my internship.

During the first half hour, I talked with Josefina. Our conversation was mostly based on my thoughts, emotions and concerns, anything that may have arisen during the first week. Then, she would also tell me different anecdotes, to cheer me up or distract me when she deemed it necessary. I think I should consider writing a book on "How to Take Care of Children," because I learn many advice on the subject. For example, I know how to clean the mess on a carpet when a child could not hold it to the bathroom. First, pour baking soda over the puddle, because baking soda absorbs the pee and prevents the carpet from acquiring a stain. Second, spray liquid or vinegar, because the acidic content of these liquids minimize the odor that might emanate the next morning from any persistent pee. Of course, the most important part when there is a peeing accident is to clean it immediately. The longer it is left on the carpet, the more difficult it is to expect a nice smell in the room the next day, most naturally. Oh, believe me, all the things I learn from my internship are much more varied and from a broader range of topics than at school.
Jm and Cs came pretty much on time. I was surprised I could see a striking difference between the siblings and the other children I met earlier this week, differences I had not noticed upon my first encounter with the siblings a week earlier. Jm and Cs are much more connected with the world, though their obliviousness to their surrounding is much more evident when such is the case. Jm and Cs are able to engage in verbal communication. Cs is capable of answering my questions, or to hold a short conversation before she wanders off as her eye catches a detail that captivates her attention. I played dress-up with her, and I clearly remember her answering me clearly, "El celeste," when I asked her which lipstick she wanted me to apply on her. Jm is not as coherent or intelligible, because half of his language is composed of babbling or repeats of my directions. Nonetheless, I can sense he understands and hears me. Why? When I asked him to stop manipulating the DVD player recklessly and carelessly (FW and RW every two minutes), he repeated, "No lo toques asi," and stared at me, and did not resume the FW-RW reaction chain for ten minutes or so. By the way, the therapists were really happy when they saw the children staring or looking at me, because these signs demonstrated my ability to catch their attention, though fleetingly. It also showed that I could trespass the thresholds of the children's worlds, and was able to establish a connection with them.
Although it was rewarding to listen to them respond to me, it also gave me equal frustration when they did not answer me. I knew (or hoped) they were not doing it of bad intentions. But imagine having someone not answer you back, especially when you are the only two participants in the dialogue? Well, it's okay. I am getting used to being ignored, though I am not entirely sure whether this is a good habit for me in the future. But one thing is sure: By the end of the three weeks of my internship, I will have grown a tolerance and patience for people that is even greater than the levels I had previously. Mm yes, that is indeed possible.