At the heart of it

Dear Friends and Family, I arrived back in Shanghai on Tuesday, August 28th. On Wednesday morning we were already up early to go to the supermarket to get groceries and to help the new ones get settled in. We have four new people joining us this year. Three of those are guys and yes, the other is a girl!! We have two new English teachers, one nursing teacher and one science teacher. The team is now about even in the ratio of girls to guys now!! The boys are happy! My first class day was Monday, September 3rd. I am teaching Maternity this semester and have the same students that I had the first semester. So, it is nice to not have to learn a whole new class of students. We have 118 sophomores and 114 freshmen in our program. My first week was pretty easy because we have not started check-off yet. Check-off is the time where we teach them skills and they have to demonstrate them back to us for a grade. We will have check-off for Maternity, Medical/Surgical Nursing, and Fundamentals of Nu...

Sorry, but I could not post pics at the time I wrote the previous post...I will post them later and they will be at shutterfly!

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a local nursing home near our school. I have to say that my mind thought of the worst possible circumstances, but I was pleasantly pleased to see the I was so wrong in my thoughts. The accommodations were simple, but pleasant and clean! Mostly I met ladies, but there were a few men around! The oldest resident died just yesterday at the young, spry age of 105!! WOW! Below are a few pics of the sweetness that we experienced! The lady in the white shirt with the head full of white hair is 97 and as spunky as they come! She had more energy and was more flexible that I could ever dream of! We were able to visit this place with some students from the school and spent most of our time taking blood pressures, singing and entertaining! They were so thankful for the time that we spent with them and I got quite a few "grandma" hugs from these little ladies. Needless to say, I had a great time!

Today brought another check-off: tracheostomy cleaning. The girls did a really job and I have posted some pics at shutterfly. The other week I gave a test over nursing interventions. One question asked them to explain certain types of restraints. One specific type is called a mummy restraint. I was tickled at one response that said "A type of restraint that holds a child together". I just laughed as I envisioned all these little children running around in mummy outfits to keep them together. They never cease to come up with some of the funniest sayings!!!

Every place that I travel to leaves me speechless in it's beauty and Uganda was one of the most beautiful!!! The people and the country. I had the great privilege to travel to Uganda for one week with Operation Renewed Hope and had a wonderful time in service. The team consisted of 28 people that included two medical doctors, two dentists, one eye doctor, seven nurses and 16 fabulous volunteers. We worked in three villages, in four days and saw over 1000 people. We also were able to see over 450 new souls!!! It was a fabulous time getting together with some old friends and a great time working with the kids! I was able to work with all of the kids for the entire week. Kinda worked like a doctor, but with much doctor assistance. I loved it!! Has made me consider going back to school for my NP license! Who da thunk it??????

The freshmen just completed their most difficult check-off for this semester...medication administration. They were so nervous, but did fairly well!! It brought back many memories of trying not to forget to check the medicine correctly and to do the "five rights" (you nurses will understand that).

Yesterday I had the privilege to spend the day with Stella at a flower show in Shanghai. We had a great time just meandering and seeing all the beautiful scenery that has been created. It is always a pleasure to be with Stella. We spent a few hours in all the green and color and for a while I thought I was back in the states. The noise of the city fell away for a little and the beauty of the flowers took over!! You can see all the pics at shutterfly! To let you all know, I will be going to Uganda for a week in May to help some friends with a medical clinic. I am so thankful for this opportunity and can't wait to see some old friends and share in service with them. Please keep me in your thoughts and I will send pics as soon as I can. Beth and I leave May 12 and return to Shanghai May 19. We are excited!! Know that you all are in my thoughts!