a little of this and that.

I've been sitting here in 51 japanese coffee shop (pronounced five-one) for the past 3 hours, working on my current assignment. It's all about nutrition during pregnancy, and i'm just about to start preparing a 'care plan' for a fictional woman...it should be fun. But I needed and break, and I just found some great pictures though and wanted to share. These are some of the girls (so beautiful huh?!) from that mountain trip I took...the one with the crazy-insane motorcycle ride down the mountain...i found the picture to prove that little adventure...
Isn't that great?! we TOWER over that poor little filipino, hahaa. wow. looking at this picture now, i don't reMEMber being that much taller than him...but now you can see why i was cLUTCHing him for dear life [sorry for the visual, Gramma!].

ALSO! I went to the mall yesterday and happened upon a PET store!...i was looking into getting a some fiSH! and THEN i saw a little PYTHON :|...cool eh?! AND. it.was.only.ten.dollars!! ahhaha, yes, it's true, in the philippines you can get pythons for a mere 10 bucks. the geckos were around the same. It reminded me of this one time, while walking to church, there was this boy bathing.his.python in the miDDLe of the street. I found the pic..Maybe if I get that little one from the petshop, it would grow to be tHIS size!!

Here is a picture of the market, about a ten minute walk from my house.

i KNOW i've talked about morning walks home after a night shift before, but. i don't know, i gUEss this country never ceases to amaze me.

Here I am, walking through streets that, for the most part, i consider the set of a extremely well done movie.
And yet, this is a reALIty for most of the people I pass...the only reality they'll ever know.

another first.

Normally, tuesday is my prenatal day. Girls are scheduled to come on the same day of the week, so that there is some continuity of care with a team of midwives on that specific day. Even grEAter care would be to take on one of the women as a 'continuity'. The school requires only three continuitys within the two years, but we are allowed to take on as many as we think we can handle. Every monday we take on new clients and a few midwives from each team covers this day, and today, that included me. I spent the first part of my morning taking countless BPs. It was good though to practice, and by the end of it I had a pretty sweet system going on. Then, the initial examination, of verbal obstetric history, lmp, edd, etc. are discussed. This is whats going on in this picture. Ate Susan, a midwife at MMC is in the blue.After that I started helping out with the actually prenatal exam. Mondays are exCITing because these girls are new to Mercy or, at least, are just starting their pregnancy. THIS is a good thing for ME because I have a sea of women who won't deliver until next year, when I am actually handling...
I've taken on my fIRSt continuity!! and I'm SO excited...it's like..ACTUally being a midwife for someone! She comes on my day, tuesday, and a little note that says "please refer to Jenna" is put on the front of her chart.
It's like a match made in heaven. The midwife I was assisting knew what I was thinking before I said it.
Her name is Ialeen Baluran - Ai Ai (pronounced I-I) for short, shes 28 years old, this is her fIRSt baby (G1,P0)! LMP was 07/03/06 which would make her EDD 04/10/07. OH.MY.GOODness! I will be guiding this beauitful soul throughout her pregnancy!! WHen she has problems, or questions, she'll text me! She'll text me when she's in labour, I'll run to the clinic and deliver her precious bAby for her, then do all the baby check-ups and such! I'm just. prEtty EXcited! She'll be back in three weeks for her tetanus toxiod shot :) and another prenatal...she couldn't feel her baby today, she's still fairly early!
Hopefully, she does not mind being typed about on my blog.

anatomy&physiology

In childbirth, the caul (or veil) is seen as a shimmery coating of the head and face. The birth caul is a complete membrane covering the face of the child and the amniotic sac, or amnion, is another completely different kind of membrane that surrounds the child in the womb. The caul is harmless and is easily removed by the doctor, midwife, or person(s) attending the childbirth. Being born with or in a caul is rare, probably occurring in fewer than 1 in 1000 births [or so wikiPEDia says:P]...AND.I.SAW.ONE!
A few shifts ago I got to observe my supervisor, a filipina, the one and only, Ate MayFlor deliver a baby that was still in the caul! I didn't realize the significance of this until another midwife [a midwife for at least 20 years, one just visiting for a week, ya, I have the opportunity to meet a tON of cool women!] anyways, she said she's only ever seen this once before.
So, it basically looked like a 'bulging bow', with the head right under it, only no SROM ever occurs and the baby is born inside the sac! WhiLE it was coming out I just had the greatest urge to fEEl it! haha. i verbalized this and Ate May was like, "well, put a glove" So I gloved my hand and got to do 'head stimulation' on the baby AS it was coming OUT of her puerta! Nuts huh?! I was pretty pumped.

and THIS is what Lois and I found last weekend on our adventure...the COAST! hahah, actually, we're only like 15 minutes from the 'beach' but hardly ever make it over there. and when we DO, like here in this pic, the water isn't very inviting. Here, we stopped and were hanging out with a crowd that had gathered to watch some men throw their nets into the water in the hopes of catching some fish! (i think only 3 were caught, along with a bunch of leaves and garbage and stuff:S) Fun times though...at least for the bystanders!

sabong-sabong = cockfiGHT

Most of us have a routine/workout schedule we follow as we're training for a certain sport. These habits usually intensify as the level increases and by the tIME you're competing at national level, training takes up a riDICulous amount of time. So it is here in the phils, the filipino ppl put lOADs of effort in their national sport: cockfighting.
These A-framed homes and also other similar cages litter the side of the roads here...with the rooster tied UP on a leash by its ankle! and they crow ALL day long.
Also as a way to gamble, these guys are CONstantly feeding, watering, and TRAINing their roosters for the big fight! I'm not sure of what that all consists of, but i DID see this one guy making his rooster go around&round in circles. In the actual fight they tie rAzOrs onto the poor roosters legs and the fight isn't over until enough blood has shed and one backs off, or until dEAth! nuts huh? I'm CURrently trying to figure out how to get the IN on these fights, and attend one :|, it'd be like...going to a leafs game, only, filipino-style. To ease my grandparents minds, i will mostly likely NOT be able to find one, these guys aren't the usual crowd I run with here in Davao, plUS my curfew is ten o'clock.

laundry day

THIS is where I hang my laundry to dry [yes, i know, you've ALL been WAiting patiently for this kind of information ;) but I really enjoy doing laundry here] Mostly because we have a totally americanized washer, and then I hang them up, well, it's more like i throw them over the line and never use the clothespins! and they're dry in like a 1/2 hour! This little area is right behind our house, it used to be a little basketball court, filipinos lOVE basketball, and that big cement block in the upper left hand corner is our water cistern, it catches the rain off the roof and so on [reminds me of those little black barrels behind the garage!] Often, when it rains, the cistern overflows and we go out in our bathing suits for a 'hot' bath...as the waters been cooking in the sun all day. and through that little passageway USEd to be where the 'help' would live, but now that this house has been turned into a dorm we use it as a little tool shed, and to keep cleaning supplies and such.

and THIS. this is my haven. where I sleep...i made a little canopy..which needs a little work, but does the job for now. And I've started to put some pictures up. And, I'm proud to say, that my little nephew, Owens first piece of art work adorns the wall above my headboard. My room's on the second floor and gets super hot during the day, so my room is only for sleeping, i never hang out there - which is kinda nice because when i DO go there, it's such a great feeling of 'yaaa. i'm going to b.e.d!'
Let me know if there is any other aspect of life here in the phils that I can enlighten you with! [ie. go ahead and comment.]

SECOND assignment is IN! and I am currently watching a gecko explore the kitchen wall above the sink. Today was my first DAY birthroom shift (from 6am-2)...every time I go into work I am amazed. Giving birth is hARd! I guess I'm just in a great mood because it was sUch a good shift, one poor soul did not have a husband, or 'helper' to be with her while labouring [her father was waiting outside, and I was thinking what the hEck I'd do if MY dad was the only one to be my labour coach :S, no offense, Dad...]. It worked out though because I got to do all that stuff for her, ya know, be her support. Whether that was putting my hand on her shoulder and breathing with her, or wiping the sweat off her face, or being the MUScle she hung from when squatting out that baby - it was incredible. ANd incredibly HOt. and sticky...but that part was all worth it! I saw too other labours as well this morning, but only 'counted' the first. I am supposed to see ten labours, from when they come in, to well after the antepartum stuff of making sure the uterus is clamping, and the baby bath (my favourite part!) and so on, before I can start charting the information. THEN it's 5 'charts', and then 5 'assists', where I'm the second-hand man, until I can catch my own baby. Which is scary because my supervisor is kind of a NUt. It's good though because she just throws me into situations, usually because there is no one else, but I'm learning aLOT. I usually work with all filipina midwives. and SHE says that if you 'let' her tear, you gotta sew her back up...so I'd bEttEr learn how to suture before I start handling, not that I am going to let anyone tear...its just envitable sometimes.
On my way home, there are these little boys in the street, (there are girls too but the boys are more aggressive). They come up to me with their hands stretched WAY above their head, waiting for me to stick MY hand out for a high-five! ahah, they try and hit as hard as they can as i laugh, and sometimes cry. it's fun though.
Lets see, what ElSe?! After handing in that assignment, Jonah and I went to SM mall (a ritzy one across town) to get these amazing calzones and take our DINNer into the theatre! - ya. you can DO that here...they actually encourage it. It was a great movie, and we still had time to shop before the mall closed so I had a pretty great friday nite. EvEn though I have carols running through my head right now, it was weird because NOW they have halloween customes out, WITH Christmas carols playing throughout the mall...kinda a horrible combination.
I hope everyone's well at home...Mom said the QEW is CLOSED at some point by fort erie because of SNOW :S I thought it was ONly october, but I could be wrong. i AM on the other side of the world. [good lUCk with the SNOW.]

A Study Break

Yesterday (wednesday) was so great. The first full day I had to work on my assignment this week...so that, as well as a nice balance to typing/talking to a select few, was how I spent my morning. Around 3pm I finally got outta my pjs, showered and took a motorcycle to the mall. [and no, Gramma, I don't just flag down randoms guys to catch a ride with :), it's a common form of public transportation here! haha] The malls are strung out with Christmas flavour! I guess the filipino ppl start celebrating the season all throughout the 'BER' months (ie. septemBER, octoBER, november and december) It's kinda wierd to see Christmas decorations and hear carols when it's so darn hOt outside. When I got home I was STILL a little restless (from the intensive work done earlier) so I took a few pictures of my hOMe now before getting back to work...
so THIS is the hut I now call home <3, just KIDding mARY!, ya NUT.but here is the bathroom that goes along with the hut, pretty sad huh.

I live in something I lovingly like to call 'the compound'. My house is surrounded by tall, cement walls, has a cool little swing in the 'front yard' and palm trees and such. My room in the the second floor.
This is the view from my bUNkbEd!


this is me coming INTO the compound


and here I am again, going into the compound, a view of my house from across the street


aand THIS is MY view from the little door we go through...ya, that shop has a big pig on a spit for a sign, i've nEvEr seen the store open..


aaand HEREs the view looking down my street!

OH. and you can click ON the picture to enlarge it! [i jUST found that out..]

on ANGELS wings..

You know when some thing is so right that it just clICks in hardly any time at all...mmm. I lOVe that.
I went to Living Stones Orphanage today :S They currently have about 8 children under the age of 3, then a couple special needs kids and some older ones that go to school. I GUEss a lot of the younger ones have homes they will be going to soon, so thAt'll be so nice for them. I kinda fell in-love with this one boy, Jon Jon [ya, they seem to double up words a LOT here]. He's a bit older, can't talk yet and even if he could I wouldn't be able to understand him! But we connected. [He's about the same age as Owen]. He's a handfull, thAt's for sure. and throws a fIt if something doesn't go his way :)..but, don't worry...i did NOT give into that. It's kinda like 'being a parent 101'. I wanted to take him home with me reeeeal badly, but chose instead to concentrate on my current assignment that's due friday. SATurday, however, Lois and I have plans to take Jon Jon and one of his little buddies to the pool! I can't wait. i MIGHT be playing with my own heart a bit, but thAt's what i seem to do.
Michelle: these pictures are for you..and i ASKed, Living Stones would glADly accept some help..

- needing to decide to liVE for the Lord. dAilY -

This week has been nuts. and some mornings when I open my eyes, I'm caught off guard by this not-so-good feeling of uncertainty [PRObably comes from being so darn far away from home]. but I jUSt wanted to let everyone know how incredibly faithful God is in taking care of things for me, even IF that's just my attitude, not to mENtion how He goes way above and beyond that with blessings each day.
i just walked home from an all-night birthroom shift [ya, saw 2 babies come out, it never gets old for me, but I can imagine you're sick of hearing about eACh and evERy labour I experience!] but I think that walk home will become one of my most treasured times of the week. It's super early, a few people are out, but everyone's still fairly quiet and there's hardly any traffic. The sun is just starting to show its magnitude by peaking over the horizon and through the clouds..i'm inCREDibly tired from staying up all night, but lOVE the chance for a peaceful walk. Today I was thinking 'this is my home now...for two whole years!' I'm prEtty excited about that.
This week has been busy...monday - shift, tuesday - prenatals, language class, grocery shopping (because I've got dinner duty for the week), cook dinner, sleep!, wednesday - high ropes course at Outland Adventure, a vision of our directors Matt and Krys McNeil, thursday - homework, datenight, nightshift, and today (friday!) which is currently free but I need to sleep and then I'll do some homework, and find sOMEthing to get me outta the house, i'm sure. the morning was spent doing activities like trust-falls, games that make you think AND work as a teamafter lunch we were strapped into harnesses and did some climbing elements, here you just had to climb up a ladder, about 25 feets, then lEAP off the platform trying to hit this ball suspended just far enough away that you can't gET it.. i'm also practicing to be superman :S
and HErE we had to climb (using those rockclimbing rocks) probably 90 ft., ok ok it was more like 40 then (and this was the hardest part) stand on TOP of this pole about this size of an electricity pole at home, yell out some goal we have for our life, then jUMp! [pfft. i was bAScially skydiving ;)]

'the number is the same as the stARs in the sky'

iF you hAven't heArd that Third Day song, "Take My Life", you should GEt it. It's amazing.
Saturday a bunch of girls and I had playtime on Samal Island. We left the house around 8am to catch the fairy. Once on the island, we made a deal with 3 guys to take us around on their motorcycles until 2/3pm! We doubled up on bikes and went crUISin'! The first place they took us to was the wORld's lARgest [oh, so the sIGN said] bat sanctuary! We paid $0.40 each thinking, if it turned out to be not the LARgest bat sanctuary, wE'd be alright with that! Oh MY goodness. I definetly wouldN'T be exaggerating if i said there were a mILLIon bats. It.was.NUts. And the last 'cave' (more of a big hole in the ground) had a ladder going down INside IT..so i went :S They were screeeeching all around me. Hopefully you can see them on with this pic, although, I had already scared a lot away from where I was.. And THEN. They drove us to somewhat of a private beach (about an hour of dirt road, upanddown hill driving!), where a woman let us use her louge chairs under the shade of a cool tree. We ate our picnic lunch, played on the beach, and went for a salt-water swim. After that, another long bike ride took us to these waterfalls (we were DEFinetly the minority there..but it was so fun!) There would be a little waterfall, then a deep pool to jump into, then another one, with another pool. And the water was COLD...and 'fresh' so that was refreshing!At one point, just after we first arrived, I looked around and EVERYone was just standing around, staring at us :S...plus, some boys were hiking their shorts up, mimicking my bathing suit..basically making fUN of me because no one wears suits here, they just swim in their clothes! There were more kids than usual, it was some kind of highschool class trip. We took turns jumping into the biggest pool, trying to show eachother up with impresSIVE jumps! IT was fun.

AND. tonight I became a mother! ahah, yes I got to take care of a precious little boy, Julian, from the orphanage. I thOUGHt I had him for the whole night, which I was prEtty scared about, but he mostly 'belongs' to another girl who ALways takes him out of the orphanage, and I just had to watch him for a bit while she was working. He's only 2 weeks old, born at the clinic I work at, the girl who sleeps under me was the midwife who delivered him!