Lost in translation...un peu...

I have kept note of some touching moments and some humourous moments that I hope will bring a smile to readers.

Some things that have struck me...

Dedication.
One of our clients, a little girl who brings a great attitude and a big smile to speech therapy, informed us that she and her mother woke up at five o'clock in the morning to ride a bus for three hours to reach the clinic. Talk about dedication. A three hour bus ride for a one hour speech therapy session led in somewhat broken Spanish by two Canadian students. Talk about trust. These families value our services. They believe that we have something to offer their child, and place their faith and trust in us. What an honour for us.

Gratefulness.
Another client came to session with beaded bracelets and rings that she had made for Jana, Sue, and me. This was after only one assessment session with her. We had not even begun therapy yet and she was already bringing gifts of appreciation. I have witnessed a lot of this here in Lima. Grateful parents and children offering us gifts and hugs and kisses on the cheek at the start and end of each session. I think it puts our minds at ease; it reminds us that, even though we can't 'fix' the communication problem or answer all of the parents' questions, they do genuinely appreciate any help we can give.

Teamwork.
The girls and I have spent a lot of time reflecting on our cohesion as a team. We have benefitted from conducting therapy in pairs, and could not imagine it any other way. We have all our had our moments of uncertainty regarding our clinical skills or language abilities, but we've pulled together and kept each other going. Each of us plays a crucial role within the team, whether it's to provide comic relief, translation, a hug, or a reminder that, "We know a lot more than nothing!" What a great experience.

Some funny moments?

Frenglanish.
In her interactions with parents, clinic staff and cab drivers, Sue will throw in expressions like, "un peu" and "so" amidst her fairly fluent Spanish (she really is quite good!). This has provided us all with comic relief and I think it has started to rub off on the rest of us, un peu....

"Student Clinician"
A certain supervisor, who shall remain nameless, signed a "SOAP note" with the title "Student Clinician" instead of her own credentials. Talk about relating to your students! It had us all chuckling.