This month has just started, but we are about to take our last exam of the semester! It has flown by. In December, I volunteered at ESY one more time, and also at Sci High's Science Fair.
ESY has been an incredible opportunity to interact with local students in the kitchen classroom. I have been inspired by their passion, hard work, and enthusiasm in the kitchen. The chefs are clearly dedicated to student learning and growth, and it really shines through.
I have really enjoyed each volunteer opportunity that I have taken part in, and I feel that I have gained much more than I have given to others. I am looking forward to continuing on with ESY, St. Anna's Medical Mission, and St. Anna's Nutrition Class next semester, and hopefully longer!
December:
ESY: 1 hour
Sci High: 2 hours
Total:
41.5 hours
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014
November
November has been a COLD month! Starting with the night of Halloween, this cold weather blew in, and I have constantly been a little bit frozen. This is definitely NOT California weather!
I've been able to fit in some volunteering while I've been busy updating my closet with some warmer clothes (and studying for the Pulmonary Exam we had in the middle of the month). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to volunteer with St. Anna's Medical Mission RV this month (all the shifts were taken!), but I am going to talk a little bit about that, as I was able to have a shift in October.
At my shift, I was oriented to the unit, and I learned how to measure blood glucose and properly use a blood pressure cuff, as well as how to interact with the patients and give recommendations on healthcare. There were two patients during my shift, and one brought his Spanish-speaking wife and toddler daughter with him. I was able to practice my Spanish first with him, during the introductory interview, and then later with his daughter as he was being checked out by the medical student. She was showing me photos of animals and we each would say the word in our own language, which was a fun little exercise in Spanish for me, and English for her! She was absolutely adorable, and helped me remember why I want to become a doctor; to help support families such as theirs, so that she can grow up with a healthy dad to take care of her. It was a great experience, and I am hoping to get back to the RV sometime in December.
I've also been volunteering with my nutrition classes at ESY and SAAK. It has been an incredible transformation in both classes, and I can't wait for their last few classes! I will write about them more in December, but I can't help but note how much progress they have made, in knowledge, cooking skills, and professionalism. I have been so lucky to work with both classes.
ESY Cooking Classes: 2 hours
ESY Harvest Day: 3.5 hours
SAAK: 3 hours
Total November: 8.5 hours
Total Semester: 38.5 hours
I've been able to fit in some volunteering while I've been busy updating my closet with some warmer clothes (and studying for the Pulmonary Exam we had in the middle of the month). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to volunteer with St. Anna's Medical Mission RV this month (all the shifts were taken!), but I am going to talk a little bit about that, as I was able to have a shift in October.
At my shift, I was oriented to the unit, and I learned how to measure blood glucose and properly use a blood pressure cuff, as well as how to interact with the patients and give recommendations on healthcare. There were two patients during my shift, and one brought his Spanish-speaking wife and toddler daughter with him. I was able to practice my Spanish first with him, during the introductory interview, and then later with his daughter as he was being checked out by the medical student. She was showing me photos of animals and we each would say the word in our own language, which was a fun little exercise in Spanish for me, and English for her! She was absolutely adorable, and helped me remember why I want to become a doctor; to help support families such as theirs, so that she can grow up with a healthy dad to take care of her. It was a great experience, and I am hoping to get back to the RV sometime in December.
I've also been volunteering with my nutrition classes at ESY and SAAK. It has been an incredible transformation in both classes, and I can't wait for their last few classes! I will write about them more in December, but I can't help but note how much progress they have made, in knowledge, cooking skills, and professionalism. I have been so lucky to work with both classes.
ESY Cooking Classes: 2 hours
ESY Harvest Day: 3.5 hours
SAAK: 3 hours
Total November: 8.5 hours
Total Semester: 38.5 hours
Monday, October 6, 2014
October
This month, I focused my volunteer efforts on nutrition and preventative medicine. After living in New Orleans for two and a half months, I have definitely noticed the huge differences in healthy food options and misconceptions about nutrition. Transplanting from Los Angeles has really been a wake up call, where health is taken to extremes, with green juices and kale chips substituting a meal, and two-hour spin classes being a normal workout. In New Orleans, I have learned that the standard of health and nutrition is much different, even among those who are working to help make positive changes in these areas. Where a green smoothie would be a standard after school snack in Los Angeles, we worked this week to help kids in St. Anna's Arts for Kids program make the switch from Hot Cheetos to celery and peanut butter or Mexican pizza. It has been really eye-opening to see how different the standards of nutrition are here in Louisiana, and I am very inspired to continue working in the community to help shift these beliefs.
This month, I have volunteered several times at the St. Anna's Arts for Kids Saturday program as a Nutrition Class Assistant. We educated the students in the class on the nutritional benefits of celery, and ways to balance their diet with things like raisins and peanut butter, as opposed to the nutrient-deficient Hot Cheetos option. The next week, we helped make Mexican pizzas, learning about the nutritional value of beans, salsa, and cheese. My co-volunteer and roommate Ruby and I are going to be working with the director of the program to design future curriculum that will teach the students about making healthy food choices.
I have also been volunteering at Edible SchoolYard at the Samuel Green School, working with seventh graders that have chosen cooking as their elective. This class is geared toward teaching them cooking techniques that can help them pursue a future in the food industry. We have learned how to make deviled eggs and mac and cheese from scratch, as well as ice cream! I have learned a lot already about cooking, and have been very inspired by the enthusiasm of the students.
Next month, I will cover more about working on the St. Anna's Medical Mission mobile healthcare unit.
Total October: 8.5 hours
ESY: 3 hours
SAAK: 2 hours
SAMM: 3.5 hours
Total: 30 hours
This month, I have volunteered several times at the St. Anna's Arts for Kids Saturday program as a Nutrition Class Assistant. We educated the students in the class on the nutritional benefits of celery, and ways to balance their diet with things like raisins and peanut butter, as opposed to the nutrient-deficient Hot Cheetos option. The next week, we helped make Mexican pizzas, learning about the nutritional value of beans, salsa, and cheese. My co-volunteer and roommate Ruby and I are going to be working with the director of the program to design future curriculum that will teach the students about making healthy food choices.
I have also been volunteering at Edible SchoolYard at the Samuel Green School, working with seventh graders that have chosen cooking as their elective. This class is geared toward teaching them cooking techniques that can help them pursue a future in the food industry. We have learned how to make deviled eggs and mac and cheese from scratch, as well as ice cream! I have learned a lot already about cooking, and have been very inspired by the enthusiasm of the students.
Next month, I will cover more about working on the St. Anna's Medical Mission mobile healthcare unit.
Total October: 8.5 hours
ESY: 3 hours
SAAK: 2 hours
SAMM: 3.5 hours
Total: 30 hours
Monday, September 1, 2014
September
The program so far has been such a whirlwind! The block schedule is new to me, and although challenging, I have really enjoyed it.
Living in New Orleans has been a big change from UCLA, but a welcome one.
My first chance to volunteer was in August at a Health Fair hosted by St. Anna's Church on Esplanade in Treme. I have been coordinating with Diana to work on the Medical Mission RV, and the opportunity to help out at the fair came up. Classmates Anjali, Ruby and I arrived at 8 am to help set up by moving tables and chairs, blowing up balloons, and preparing healthy snacks for attendees.
Once the fair began, we were in charge of passing out snacks and nutrition information. After spending my whole life in California and the past four years in Los Angeles, I have become very used to the healthy lifestyle and emphasis that everyone around me has on nutrition. It was very shocking to see that many people in New Orleans have few ideas on what this means. Many attendees stopped by on their way home from buying groceries, which included mainly sugary sodas and processed foods. It was rewarding to help give them a little more information about how their diet can affect their health. It was very inspirational, and really motivated me to keep studying so that I can continue helping people with little knowledge on nutrition learn how to take care of themselves before they have a chance to develop serious health problems.
Living in New Orleans has been a big change from UCLA, but a welcome one.
My first chance to volunteer was in August at a Health Fair hosted by St. Anna's Church on Esplanade in Treme. I have been coordinating with Diana to work on the Medical Mission RV, and the opportunity to help out at the fair came up. Classmates Anjali, Ruby and I arrived at 8 am to help set up by moving tables and chairs, blowing up balloons, and preparing healthy snacks for attendees.
 |
| Blowing up balloons for the sign outside! |
Once the fair began, we were in charge of passing out snacks and nutrition information. After spending my whole life in California and the past four years in Los Angeles, I have become very used to the healthy lifestyle and emphasis that everyone around me has on nutrition. It was very shocking to see that many people in New Orleans have few ideas on what this means. Many attendees stopped by on their way home from buying groceries, which included mainly sugary sodas and processed foods. It was rewarding to help give them a little more information about how their diet can affect their health. It was very inspirational, and really motivated me to keep studying so that I can continue helping people with little knowledge on nutrition learn how to take care of themselves before they have a chance to develop serious health problems.
 |
| Successful day at the health fair! |
Later in the month, I was able to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity with 18 classmates. We started by moving dirt from the front of the house to the underneath, where a group of us spent a few hours shoveling under the house to make sure that the ground was level and water wouldn't pool around the foundation. It was a really great class bonding experience, and it was rewarding to know we were helping someone get closer to having a home!
Later, we worked on clearing the backyard, caulking the front porch, and painting. Despite the heat, it was a great day.
I am also very excited to be volunteering with Edible SchoolYard, a program through First Line Schools that works with students to help them learn about making healthy life choices, as well as with St. Anna's Arts for Kids, teaching nutrition classes. I am going to be volunteering with them consistently over the semester, so I will cover my involvement in the next blog post!
Total August/September hours: 21.5
[Health Fair: 6 hours
Habitat for Humanity: 8 hours
ESY:3.5 hours
SAAK: 2 hours]
 |
| Ruby and I take a break from shoveling under the house to add the address! |
 |
| Class photo -- the biggest volunteer group they have had! |
Total August/September hours: 21.5
[Health Fair: 6 hours
Habitat for Humanity: 8 hours
ESY:3.5 hours
SAAK: 2 hours]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)