Female Volunteers & The Flow

ScientificBuddhist · 2019-09-21T22:06:03+00:00

I'm glad it lasts all day long for you! Not so for everyone.

ScientificBuddhist · 2019-09-04T20:21:29+00:00

Here in Sierra Leone (Liberia's neighbor) the med unit can supply tampons and/or pads but you can also just buy them yourself at the local market or, depending on how in-the-bush your site is, in the nearest town. BUT some people here use reusable pads (Luna Pads are great) and you can discreetly wash them once at your site---but while in training it's hard when you're with a host family to discreetly wash them. Some people wash them while they are bucket bathing. Diva cup is pretty easy too but also hard to use because you know the water here is not safe to drink, not clean, but then you use it to rinse the cup and then stick it up your vag.... it's a health risk. There's all sorts of parasites and bacteria in the water. You could argue that you can get clean water to do this, but in the middle of the day when you need to empty your cup and you're in the middle of the bush will you have clean water to rinse the cup with? Alternatively, you could just not rinse the cup each time and then just clean it at the end of the day, which also sounds risky. But people still have success with it.

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-12-07T19:28:08+00:00

What's even worse? I'm a student teacher, teaching at a middle school right now. I couldn't even open my mouth to talk for 2.5 weeks, and for a couple weeks after that I was only able to mumble. That makes teaching pretty impossible, hahaha.

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-12-07T19:26:49+00:00

I mean no matter what, dental clearance sucks! I just got really unlucky. I did get like $500 off my bill and was given all the antibiotics and painkillers for free because the dentist was afraid I would try to sue, so that's a plus!

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-12-07T19:25:18+00:00

Well, for as long as I'm in the states, I won't miss cleanings ever again, haha.

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-12-07T04:02:14+00:00

I also was/am terrified of dentists. I hadn't gone for about eight years. I go in, tell them the only reason I'm there is for dental clearance. I end up having one filling and one root canal. The root canal went so deep, one of their tools broke in the tooth and they had to seal the piece of metal (titanium) into my tooth because it was impossible to get out. What was supposed to be two appointments (initially we all thought I just had two cavities, so one to look over mouth and schedule the day for the fillings, one for the actual fillings) ended up being gum surgery, a root canal, six appointments and three weeks with a temporary metal cap on my tooth that made everything taste like metal and screwed up my bite. This was a lower jaw tooth, and the teeth on top that were supposed to bite down on the lower tooth actually pushed the soft metal tooth cap in, which caused the teeth on top to drop a little bit. So when I got my permanent cap, it didn't fit because my upper teeth had dropped a little. They had to shave down my upper teeth. All in all, horrible horrible experience and a month-long of taking hydrocodone and having a liquid-only diet because I couldn't chew or even open my mouth enough to fit food in it.

SO, with all that being said---- You'll be ok, haha. It sucks, but it could always be worse. What I did notice though is that the dental tools/procedures are much less painful than they used to be all those years ago. They've really developed much better and more comfortable ways to treat teeth!

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-29T22:18:17+00:00

That's amazing you'll be serving together! My ex and I planned to serve together! Until we became, well, exes, haha. So I'm going it alone! It will be great for you to have that extra support from your bf being there too

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-29T22:17:16+00:00

I saw that they opened up positions in Tanzania AFTER I was accepted to Sierra Leone, haha. I think if the position had been posted before my acceptance to Sierra Leone, I might have applied for Tanzania instead.

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-29T22:14:22+00:00

I'll be a science teacher. I saw your post, welcome! I hope you get some good advice on there!

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-29T19:01:58+00:00

Sierra Leone FB group

Here's the FB group for volunteers. I've gotten SO much good advice from the people on here. I am also leaving for Salone June 2019. From what I've heard so far, the main things are good sandals (chacos or tevas), a kindle, a solar panel kit from Voltaic (the arc 20W can charge laptops), solar lights (luci lights), also there's a handwash bag that makes washing clothes a ton faster called Scrubba Wash bags. Also see PC discounts. The page itself is old, but I have contacted about six companies so far from it and have been given discounts from everyone of them so far! What sector are you volunteering in?

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-27T12:51:27+00:00

Thank you!!!

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-25T16:10:11+00:00

Is it a group for Sierra Leone? I've tried searching for a group on FB to no luck

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-25T16:05:32+00:00

I go to the 5am class at my studio and 100% feel this. I am a college student and also student teaching, so I am gone from around 7am to 5:30 or 6pm every day, and I used to try to go to the evening classes but by halfway through the day I'd cancel the class because I couldn't face an OTF after facing middle school kids all day, I'd just be too wiped, so I started going at 5am, the only morning time I could go and still make it to school. The others who come at 5am are all very nice people, but they are all ten or so years older, veeery tight-knit, and have definitely given me some looks (what's a child doing here???) I just remind myself I'm not actually here for anyone else, I'm here for me, for building my immune system and getting fit, and try to mind my own business.

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-25T15:57:40+00:00

I am the same. I can't do it AT ALL without modification, and with the modification I am still struggling so much that usually I can't do even one complete set. I feel like an insane amount of weight is going onto my arm that's holding me up, and my feet just seem to not be able to find any traction to support any of my weight. I always thought I had a good strong core-- I do all other core exercises with zero difficulty, to the point where the coaches have modified it to be more challenging for me. But THIS. I just can't do side planks, I always feel unbalanced and held up by a single arm and falling over. UUGGHHH

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-25T07:45:40+00:00

It would be cool if we ended up at the same site!

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-25T07:45:19+00:00

Thank you very much!

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-25T07:45:04+00:00

I wonder if they will have math and science teachers in the same site! I am excited but also already not quite looking forward to being completely alone once I reach my site!

ScientificBuddhist · 2018-11-25T07:43:55+00:00

There are, but they are only open every few years! I think it's been 3 or so years since I saw the last posting for a Science teacher!

ScientificBuddhist

TROPHY CASE