As of now, I have completed about half of my placement here in Shanghai. A lot has changed, about my views of myself, my setting, and what I do. I want to be a nurse, and that is the main reason why I love Belmont. This week, I will never be more appreciative to the skills I learned at Belmont. So people with Cerebral Palsy, have a weaker immune system than other children their age. Part of the reason is because of the nature of the disorder, but also children with cerebral palsy have weaker muscles than other children, especially the abdominal and core muscles. These muscles are very important to prevent illnesses. The use of the core muscle is needed to move the diaphragm and lungs to make them stronger and repel bacterial and viral infection.

Now in Shanghai, it is the transition period between spring and summer. This brings with it these random cold rains. The frequent change of temperature, hot and cold, makes the children more susceptible to illness. So this week, one of the children were sick with a respiratory infections. And then another, then another, now almost every child is sick! Even some staff! Now is the time to apply and execute what I learned for three years in college. Prevention, hygiene, nutrition, exercise, everything is needed to ensure the safety of these children. Though they are sick, nothing is stopping them to be as happy as they usually are. Joyous and cheerful, they remained optimistic and tried their best to not let their physical state bother them. I also tried by best to encourage the children to practice frequent hand washing and other tips and precautions.

The week’s weather on my app shows that it will keep flipping from cold to hot. I hope everything will be alright for all in Cerecare. It hurts me to see everyone sick, but in reality I should not be worried. The children are resilient, and that is something I need to learn from them. They taught me lessons like this that I never intended to learn. This week is full of coughs and laughter, but it was a valuable learning experience for me. The children all expressed how they appreciated my helping them but I also appreciate their acceptance. And this reminded me why I want to be a nurse.

TBC