It has been an exhausting week, physically and emotionally. A previous blog post mentioned “refuelling your empathy” and that captures the essence of what this trip has meant to me. To be with the people of La Carpio and the Cabécar, to get a glimpse into their live, has both been humbling and brought me so much joy.
I had a moment of clarity on our first day with the Cabécar. Working in Visual Acuities, there is the pressure to get people through as fast as possible. Then I had a young girl who I think had a developmental delay. In trying to get her to understand how to show me what she saw, I got frustrated. Then I realized that that moment was a lesson: to understand that I needed to understand the person in front of me. I needed to “see” the people we were helping.
From then on, I made sure to look each patient in the eyes, to greet them with “Buenos Días” or “Buenas Tardes”. I will never see them again, but for those few minutes, our lives intersected and we are all the better for it.
We leave for home tomorrow. It is bittersweet to say goodbye. Life will go back to the usual in Alberta but, as with every project, I am forever changed by the people I saw this past week.
Sent from my iPhone
Myra Madrilejos
Trainer - AB & SK
Eye Recommend
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