The people who run the SLT (Speech Language Therapy) department here are amazing. They are, in fact, the FIRST SLTs in all of Bangladesh. They are the first graduating class from the program here at CRP and have only been on the job for 7 months now. So up to this point CRP has only had speech services from visiting foreign clinicians. These clinicians are young but very very inspiring. They are working so hard to get this program on its feet.
The clinician I'm working with in Peds is named Monami (yes, as in "my friend" in French). She's very sweet and bubbly and I love her to death.
The clinician Katia's working with in Adult Neuro is named Mitu and she is extremely bright, competent and friendly.
I've been able to participate in some sessions, but sometimes I don't even know what I'm saying!! I just listen to the little rhyme or words that Monami is teaching the child, then I take a turn and repeat it (and ask LATER what exactly it was that I was saying).
That being said, we are working very hard to pick up Bengali and I don't doubt that by the end I'll have a fair bit of language to help me get by.
At one point, a client had just arrived and I was sitting in the room with them for a good 8 minutes before Monami came in to start the session. Not knowing what to do, I dug through the box of picture cards, frantically looking for ANY word that I know in Bengali. Mahss! (Fish) Bhat!! (Rice) Cahtah!! (Fork)
This is definitely a much different placement than the ones I've had before and it takes a lot of creativity and problem solving.
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