Last Day

Today was my last day at Sweekar. It was a bittersweet day, as I was sad to leave all the wonderful children and staff I had met, but I was so happy and grateful for the experience and everything that I have learned here. I'll be honest, when I usually begin programs like these it is due to the insistence of my parents, not because I actually want to do these things. I'm like any other kid who just wants to lounge around at home during their summer and hang out with friends. But I am so thankful that I have parents who push me to do things like these, because the experience I have gotten here is something I will cherish forever. The people I have met here and their affection and love will always mean so much to me. I had the time of my life here, while also giving back to the community of a developing country, and that is something that is so much more valuable than a carefree summer spent with friends.

So on a lighter note, my last day at Sweekar was spent at the Shruti Hearing and Speech Institute. I was so excited to go here, because I am very interested in how the ear works. But unfortunately, it was Saturday and there were not many patients. But I did have the opportunity to see a few children get hearing tests. I also got to meet the staff, who was again nothing but friendly and welcoming. They gave me a lot of information on the instituthttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4710853287954572807e and hearing and here it is

*This is a Diagnostic Augiology Department. Children are sent here to have their hearing tested. The hearing test is as follows:

The patient is placed in a room with speakers, a doctor and their parents. There is another room in which the sound is controlled by a panel of doctors. The frequency, intensity, and decibel level of the sound is changed and is heard in the room in which the patient is. The patient will generally react to the sound by turning their head, looking for the source of the sound, or smiling and laughing. If the patient does not do this, then they are declared to have a hearing problem. One of the patients I saw had moderate hearing loss, because he was only able to hear sounds at a certain decibel level.







These are some pictures of the technology used for the hearing tests administered by the doctors. These machines enable the doctors to change the frequency, decibel, and pulse of the sound the children hear in a seperate room.


The speakers placed in the room where the child is.


The sound system and headphones in the room where the patient is.


The door that connects the room that the patient is in to the room where the sound is controlled.


Another one of the machines in the sound control room.


The window where doctors can observe the patient's reaction the sound.

The next stop after the hearing test was the place where the hearing aids are made. It was so interesting to see all the effort and time put into making these machines.





One of the things I have discovered during my volunteering experience here in India is that I adore children. They are so sweet and affectionate, and no matter what obstacles and difficulties they face, they always manage to have an optimistic smile on their face. Our final stop was Group Therapy, where the children do different exercises to enhance their hearing. All of the children in this group had hearing aids. And I had such a good time playing with them and talking to them.










A big thanks to the group therapy teachers, who were so compassionate and patient towards the children!