Just when you think its not working...

SURPRISE.. your charla is causing change.

SO, sometimes, when I'm standing in front of a group of cranky, sick, hungry patients who are waiting for their medical appointments in a sweltering health center, fruitlessly trying to explain all the reasons why it important to eat your veggies, I start to zone out of the charla i'm giving. 

I think "There are so many more things that people could be doing if they weren't sick, like..."
Cleaning the house
Running Errands
Working
Attending Classes
Enjoying life outside this health center!

I could working someplace else, taking a nap, chatting with Nica friends, or just reading and listening to music in my apartment.

BUT, then there are times when I give a charla and the message lands. This recently happened. I met with my pregnant ladies club and we talked about breast exams and pap smears. These are simple exams that help to prevent cancer. Pap Smears make it completely possible to avoid dying from cervical cancer. However, many women in Nicaragua are hesitant to have a pap test done, some even waiting up to 10 years! I made a joke they should all get one done ASAP if they haven't had one in the past year and that even though they are pregnant, having a pap smear wont make the birth come any faster! They laughed and I continued on with the charla and eventually with my day.

A month later, one of the pregnant ladies came up to me in the health center and asked if I was correct in saying that you can get a pap smear when you are pregnant without any consequences. I told her yes and escorted her to the doctor who later performed one on her. In my mind I was thinking "YAY, she remembered my charla!"