Oxib, Tres, Three

Brushing Contract

Thanks to the collection of toothbrushes and toothpaste by my Liverpool Worldwise School Match Program class we were successfully able to put on the first of three workshop sessions at the second school on the Co-operative. Bantiox!  Although there is a hold-up with one of the two packages down in the capital, we utilized the limited number of toothpastes we had by pairing siblings together.  Not only did we end with one extra toothpaste, but we will now be starting a third workshop with a neighboring community using the materials from the awaited package. 

The magic number seems to be three.  The children are reminded to brush a minimum of three times daily, making sure to brush all three key areas; upper-level teeth(both left and right quadrants), bottom-level teeth, tongue.  It is now 'summer vacation' for the students until January, the month that will mark the beginning of a new year, the introduction of floss to the first school, plaque check-ups for the second, and my one-year mark in Guatemala.  Again students sing happy birthday, mouths full of tooth-paste foam and some even blood, to dental hygiene and healthy smiles-  a song likewise holding significance to Peace Corps in January as well, marking the 50 year anniversary as an organization.