Classroom

Good nite Bloggers.....

Today class commenced at 8am.........starting surprisingly with singing a chorus.....(which for those who know me well.....made me smile....and for those who do not know me so well....I am a christian who loves worship....singing to God ; ).......Fact!!!The majority of J.A residents are either Christian's or have another religious belief. Then a passage of scripture was read.....by this time I feel right at home....and then prayer.....(please don't wake me up......I'm at peace....he...he...).

As I look over at the wall....I see a sign that states...."We swim or sink Together!!!!"....what a profound statement....it sums up exactly what i have personally seen with my own eyes...this culture that I am experiencing are very close in aspects.....the students are almost like family with one another and the mentors are like mothers almost???It's fascinating to watch and be a part of....and to be received in that way.

Diverting from the classroom for a second.....I recall being out in community and conversing with one of the nurses/midwifes that was sitting in the back of the car with me. I could see the fascination of the way I spoke in her face and she warmed to me straight away. We discussed what it was like in England and compared it to J.a.........20 minutes in to our discussion I found her hand on my wrist as she showed me different areas that we passed......Now.....I thought I was a friendly person until I experienced how uncomfortable I felt with this persons hand on me for an extended amount of time.......as she was talking....I could not help concentrating on the fact that her hand was still on me (Like a person holding a child's wrist to cross the road).....The nurse/midwife was not aware how uncomfortable I felt....but I was, it was as if i wanted my wrist to drop off lol.....we as British people, have a very reserved culture....me thinks......I found myself trying to retrain my mind to get past the idea of feeling uncomfortable......I realised that she was not the only person that done this.......it was a cultural thing.....over here people are very touchy feely when they get to know you.......I would like you to know....that i am fine with the whole touchy feely thing.....but it did take a little getting use to.

Getting back to the class setting......So today was student presentations in class, the topics were Anaemia, Antepartum Haemorrhage, Minor Disorders of pregnancy, Stages 1-3 of Labour, and Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnancy.

The first presentation was carried out by a Lady called Nervalin Mendez......she covered the topic Anaemia.....and boy did she cover it!!!!She decided to role play by herself.....It was amazing to watch as she acted out her role as anaemia itself......It was one of those moments where you had to be there to experience it.......her acting was comical but yet very informative at the least.....Fact!!!The Caribbean culture is very expressive with words and body language....I find myself zoning out of the verbal communication and memorised by the non-verbal communication that is used.....very fascinating.

She shared the four classifications of anaemia.....Mild anaemia Haemoglobin (Hb) level 9-11, Moderate Hb 7-9, Severe Hb 4-7 and Very severe Hb below 4. We also learnt about the causes of anaemia and the affects . Fact!!!!Anaemia causes a deviation in normal respiration, it reduces the number of red blood cells and it reduces the oxygen- carrying capacity of the blood. In order to overcome this hypoxia the respiration rate increases to supply the body with extra oxygen.MMMMmmm no wonder why women get out of breath when they are anaemic.....

There were other topics discussed by various different student, in various different presentation, we covered Antepartum Haemorrhage, Minor disorders of pregnancy, stages 1-3 of Labour and Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy. The presentations were very thorough and the mentor was there to correct or ask more questions where needed. It was a very informative class discussion. When discussing each condition,,,,,it was broken down into the most simplest form....and then put together so methodically that even if you did not understand what the discussion was about....it would be revealed to you by the end of each discussion.....everybody took part.Furthermore the students were interested in how we as a British culture delivered health care in comparison.

It is funny...reflecting on how when I was first introduced to all the students, they were very reserved....almost skeptical of me......and I'm most positive I was of them........but today was different.....they accepted me fully into their class...even made jokes....which meant so much. Now it could be that....I have let my guard down and in response they have let their guard down....but either way.....it's refreshing in every aspect.....Fact!!!!Acceptance plays a significant role in life.......I feel no matter who you are.....it is needed in order to have that sense of well-being... ; )

Blog later

Miss P xxx