Marriage

Indian's wedding.

Many experiences have been lived and are still lived by individuals. Some of these experiences are related to health, while other are related to a life transforming event. Other can be spiritual as well. One of them is the story of a passenger among other I was travelling  whith when going home from University of Dschang in Cameroon. In that car driving us to Bafoussam, there was an elder telling us of a decision making process when it comes to choose your wife to be. He had said that, because a wife is someone who will be part of our life, and will spend the rest of our pilgrimage on this earth, we had to make a sound decision. Choose the less evil if not the right person. There are ways to seek help in making such decision. One can pray for guidance, another can seek the help of a traditional healer. Nowadays, some find the guidance from astrologers.

Western's wedding

Coming to his experience, he said that he had pray for GOD to show him which woman he fits to spend the rest of his life with and build a strong family where children given to them by the Almighty will receive the "fear of God "as their education. He continued telling us that, he bought two pairs of shoes with white and black colors. He had prayed for GOD to let the woman who fits him to choose the white color as GOD's choice. He has prayed for a week to get his request transmitted to GOD.
The day had arrived and he went to the first lady, who choosed the black color. Thus she was eliminated as his wife to be. The same day, he went on to buy another black color's shoe so that the second woman will have a choice to make among the pairs of shoes.
In front of the second girl, he presented the pairs of shoes and suddenly she choosed the white color. In regard to this choice, the man invited her to his house for an engagement ceremony. And sixth months later, they became wife and husband and they form a beautiful family of three kids.

I see myself with my wife to be holding
hands like this couple.

Another story is the one of a man. Here the man was looking to make a choice between two ladies. He was in love of two sisters of the same family. He had dreamed of marrying the older sister but was not sure about it, so that is why he thought of a junior sister as his second choice. So, because he was not sure to whom to propose, he asked GOD to show him who to make a proposal. For that, he prayed hard by asking GOD to show him who will fit for a long lasting life of harmony and happiness. His request was to send a message to both of them and that the only girl to call him will be for sure GOD's choice. The first night of his novena, in dreaming, he saw himself with the junior sister pregnant both in the bed holding each other. He thought this might be the response of GOD to his request before the end of the novena. He kept praying till the end of the novena. By then, he sent two letters to the sisters and received no call from them. The only person who replied in written was the junior sister with whom they were holding each other with the pregnancy in his bed during his dream.
The question here is to know if GOD has choosen to answer differently or if this was a negative answer to tell him that none of them fitted him.

Say NO to FORCED MARRIAGE

11 Years old Girl combatting
children marriage

The guy having not a call from one of them but a written response from the little sister was confused and could not figured out what the next step to take. By default(Because his original request-phone call- was not granted), one can say GOD has choosen to answer differently. The guy went on and decided to talk to the older sister first and he was waiting for her to reject his proposal because the former had not responded neither in writting nor in phone calling. When deceived, he started to move to the little sister and discovered that she was nineteen (19) years old or that he was 18 years older than her. This gap in age had discouraged him to make a proposal to the little sister.  

Wedding's rings

It was obvious that the girl you wants for marriage is not the one GOD has in store for you. Sometimes she is the one GOD has choosen for you. We have to have a spiritual attitude to listen to GOD and make a good decision based on his will. This necessarily comes through prayer, and constant meditation. Marriage is an institution that guarrantees the perinity of our society and, we need to make sure that the woman with whom we partner with fits our nature so to create an harmony, peace,happinness and well being of the children. Thus for the society at large.
Coming back to the last story, can we say that, the little sister was his wife to be or, by not choosing to make a proposal to her was lacking faithfull lecture of GOD's will?

Pinguis Dance

Cameroon is a multicultrural and ethnical country. It is said that more than 230 native languages are spoken in this land of 18 million inhabitants. This multiculturalism has produced a variety of dances within which some of them are a combination of of the major rythms. One of these is the so called "Pinguiss".

I was told that this is a new dance in Cameroon. Going to Night-Club, I had the opportunity to move according to the Pinguis rythm. I had fun dancing it with other people. Once the rythm was lunch, all the night-Clubers stood up to dance. The dancing floor was packed. To dance it demands energy. A dancer has to be in movement from the beginning to the end. I was happy to dance a rythm created by a young artist called Daniel Mbaka. Above is the video of the clip. Dancing such a ryth will put you in good mood throughout the day. Enjoy it

DISHES from CAMEROON

 I feel like in heaven when having original dishes made at home. It tastes good and natural. No preservatives added, or no radiation from a microwave. These foods are healthy and natural. Let's me give you some of the dishes I have tasted so far. They are many of them. Please this post is not complete yet.

ndole na miele

this type of dish is made of "ndole" which is a composition of spinach, nuts and some traditional ingredients. It is one of my favourite dishes. Miele is one of the two types of bananas. This type can only be eaten cooked.

soup'a mbongo tchobi

This is one of well known soup in the Sawa's region or people from coast. It is made with a type of fish that I cannot describe, also it is made of some type of traditional ingredients. I love it. It can be eaten with with miondo, cassava, bananas, etc.

poff poff and beans

This dish is made for breakfast. some people eat it in the evening in street restaurants or make it at home as a dinner. It can be eaten in the morning or evening.
the poff poff is made of fried flower. the bean is a mixture of bean, oil and ingredients.

soupa'a kingan

fufu

 This is a combination of dishes that go together. Fuffu is made of cassava powder that was stired in the hot water. soupa'a kingan is a made of grinded nuts, ingredients and (meat, dried fish).

Irish potatoes, fish and vegetable

                                                 
This is a mixture of vegetables, irish potatoes and fish. It is a Lunch's dish. Potatoes such as Irish or sweet are found all over Cameroon.


P.S More dishes are to be published.

An Unpleasant Welcome

I am a US Citizen of Cameroonian origin. On July 20th at 8:00 PM central standard time, I landed in Yaounde, Cameroon from Nsimalen Int'l Airport. I was, from the plane Swiss Airline that I flew very happy to touch the land of my origin. Let recall that, Cameroonians when flying to Cameroon, always clap hands when the plane touch the driveway. I was amaze and happy to witness such a moment. I have never experienced such a happiness of passengers of landing home throughout my travelling experiences. Even before nearing the Capital of Cameroon (Yaounde), passengers whom 98% are Cameroonians going to visit family, were happy and talking about the foods they will eat, what they are going to do. I myself was thinking about my family, how I will see places of Cameroon. The trip from Zurich to Yaounde Nsimalen was safe and joyfull.
This joy to landing on the land of my ancestors started to fade when at the Airport Custom, I was told to present my Card of Yellow Fever Vaccination. I was disturbed by such request. I recall that other passengers were providing such card. So, I asked myself how come they knew that they have to present such card? To me, once you ask a visa to visit a country, you have to fulfill all the requirements for your visa to be granted. I recall that, the Cameroon Consular Office in Washington, DC posted all the conditions on their website www.ambacam-usa.org. Here, there is not a mention of yellow fever vaccination to fulfill for a visa request.
I have explained the procedure of visa request to the custom agent, I told him that, according to the Cameroon Consular, a tourist or a visitor has to among other conditions provide a card of Typhoid Fever Vaccination and that, there is not a mention a yellow fever vaccination. The agent said according to the Cameroonian Governement through its Health Ministry, any visitor to Cameroon has to provide a proof of Yellow fever vaccination. And, if not the visitor has to pay F CFA 12500 ($27) for a yellow fever vaccine that will be given to him before leaving the Airport.
I was trying to explain to this agent that it is not my fault if I cannot provide such card.  When coming here, and my visa granted upon fulfilling all the requirements, I was sure to cross the border without any difficulties as I do in every country I travel.
Noticing that, arguing will not solve the problem, I decided to pay the fee and take the vaccin. The issue here is that, a respectable country has to provide up to date information about visa procedure so that s/he will not have an unpleasant welcome in the country of visit. The Cameroonian's Government through it Foreign Office should send these information to any Consular abroad. From this experience, I understand why some tourists avoid travelling to third world countries because of inadequacy and uniformization of tourism policies of the host country. I recall that passengers coming from Europe have provided the card whereas those coming from US haven't. I asked myself what would have happened to me if I had not some currencies with me? Would they have jailed me? or put me back in a plane to return to my country (US)? It was an unpleasant welcome to me by the people with whom I share the same origin. May be this example can serve as a lesson to always be prepared when I travel to Africa because, the policies or information might have not been updated. It relies wholly to the host Government to update visitors on a daily basis about travelling to their lands.
Please, anyone wanted to visit Cameroon should be prepared to provide a Yellow Fever Vaccination proof before entrying the country.
I hope that this will be an isolated inconvenient during my journey to the land of my ancestors.
I left the Airport and went home happy to meet my family and eat good foods from Cameroon.

Cultural Competency and Medical Practice in US: Hindu case

My journey in India was foremost to volunteer by providing the expertise I have learnt so far. Accessorily to that, it was also for me  to implement a survey of Hindu culture (Religion) in regard to health care provision. This will help me provide an appropriate care to any Hindu patients based on their culture hereas religion.
My entire work cannot be shared here as requested by my director. So, I will just give few observations.
It is known that some animals such as cow and pork are sacred in Hindu's faith, any Hindu will refrain eating its meat; which is full of protein. Knowing this, a health care provider (HCP) has to refrain to provide this source of protein to a Hindu's patient. An alternative to this will be to provide him/her with bean, rice milk or soy milk. The health care provider can request the Indian's family to cook for their sick relative. Just make sure that the meal is not AMA (Against Medical Advice).
I recall one Hindu telling me that a leftover (or tamasic in Hindu) is considered tainted with bad spirit, thus eating it will keep your mind, spirit and body unclean. This can be seen in people with anger, jealousy, and greed. My thought is that in face of a psychiatric patient of Hindu's faith, a HCP should not provide leftovers from last day, even from few hours ago so, not to exhacerbate the psychological condition of the patient. Instead of leftover, rajasic (foods condusive to healthy mind) should be given. These are, among other: fish, onions, hot peppers, etc. Another alternative is to provide what they call sattvic which are foods non-GI (Gastro-Intestinal) irritating and purifying to the mind. Among these we find fruits, nuts, whole grains and vegetables.
This survey has shown that, any health related decision is taken by the breadwinner herein the father or husband. An HCP has to know that in front of a female patient, he has to refer to her husband to conduct any procedure that needs consent. The same cultural fact is seen in Hispanic culture.
Hindu are known for fasting a lot. This practice according to Hindu's faith helps the body, mind and spirit rid off negative spirits and reinforce their closeness to their god. This can be done regardless of the health condition of the believer ( healthy or not). I have been informed that, for a sick patient, the fasting is a request send to their god to cure him/her from his disease. If this happens, an HCP has to provide medical advices so that the patient can make an informed decision about his/her condition.
Knowing such cultural facts will help us provide a more culturally competent care in USA, the most diverse country in the World. Also it is a way of bringing medicine to the patient in regard to his Culture(traditon, religion, language, convictions, etc). Health Care system are geographically closer to patients such as Hospital and  Nursing Homes in the residential areas, urban and rural ones. So, it is time to bring it to every patient's Culture in other words to tailor the health care provision to every individual. This will take time, ressources to meet this goal. And, it is a never-ending task since individuals are always changing in their life-time.

Jet Lag

I travelled a lot and will have many trips in the future to come. My trip to Calcutta, India from Chicago, US was a wake up call for me to start thinking of the remedy of jet lag I have experienced.

Here at the IGI Airport New Delhi
I was really tired and took a nap

I have decided to dig deep and find these for you and me so that we are well equipped to fight this common airtravel malady.
Jet lag is a set of symptoms we encounter during and after our flight from one time zone to another. These are insomnia, constipation, fatigue, diarrhea, headache, anxiety, dehydration, irritability and nausea as the most common travellers experience.
Many scientists are certain that jet lag occur because the body is incapable of adapting to its new environment and schedule. For example, leaving Springfield, Missouri USA to Calcutta, India which is 11h 30 min time difference has set my  biological clock to disruption. This body which is used to go to bed every 11pm in Springfield (10:30 am in Calcutta) was now forced to be eating breakfast at this time. Or going to work at 7:00 am (Springfield, USA) or (6:30 pm Calcutta, India) was forced to eat dinnner at this time in Calcutta. This shows how the traveller's body is going under tremendous and radical changes for it to adapt to the new country, culture, climate, etc.

Venice, Italy on a winter period where I felt
cold.

According to scientists, it is a known fact that people, the lesser time zones they fly accross, the greater the adapatation to the new environment of the body. Travelling from North to South accross the globe or South-North is comfortable for the body to adapt quickly.For example, France (North) and Cameroon (South) are separated by one time zone or an hour difference, thus it easy for either national to adapt once in the country of destination. But travelling from West to East is putting the body into a radical change that it will needs more days or weeks to adapt to the environment thus the severe the jet lag will be. USA (West) is at least 11 hours separated from India (East) so it will take a lot efforts for either national to adapt once in the country of destiantion.

having good foods in a Venice's restaurant

Tips to cope with jet lag before, during and after the trip are to eat well, drink plenty of water, make sure to be physically fit, exercise while in the airplane every two hours so to prevent blood clot that, in turn can cause a heart attack or chest pain which can lead to death. Also it is recommended to meet your doctors before and after your trip abroad for medical advice. Another tip is to avoid ALCOHOL and CAFFEINE a day before, during and a day after your flight since these are contraindicated for a healthy body and can exhacerbate insomnia, cause dehydration and loss of concentration. Also, one can break his/her trip when it is too long. For example flying New York, NY. US to Bombay, India is a 15 h 37 min trip; instead of flying directly, one can choose an itinerary with a stop in Munich Germany or any European country for a day or hours since there are four time zones between Europe and India. This will reduce tremendously the impact of jet lag while the body will have time to rest and prepare to adjust in other changing environment.

A beautiful Italian

Other scientists recommend to change a schedule or to prepare the body to an upcoming schedule. My next trip is to Cameroon, Africa from Springfield, MO. US where I will spend a month. I need to prepare my body adjust to Cameroonian environment by scaling back my activity of daily living at least for an hour, this four weeks prior of my leaving. I will have to scale back one more hour for the first week, and two more the second, etc. This will prepare my body to adjust to the new time zone, which is between Cameroon and Missouri US 7 hours.

Having fun in one Jamaican's beaches

Another tip is to adapt to a local schedule. To put it simply, if a traveller from Hong Kong arrives in Kingston, Jamaica at 10 pm (noon  in Hong Kong), he has to go to bed instead of having lunch.
A traveller has also to wear shoes and clothes that are lose and light. This will ease the trip and also prepare your clothes according to the destination's climate. It is obvious that one going from Morrocco to Alaska, US will prepare the winter clothes to wear once in Alaska.

Niagara Falls That I visited

Another tip is to have a good accomodations that are conducive to a good sanitation and hygiene. If a traveller is accustomed to a hotel facilities in his journeys abroad, s/he has to keep this habit of living in hotel facility where a good sanitary conditions is a standard.

Having a breakfast in Munich
Germany

Eventhough some doctors prescribed sleeping pills to help one fight insomnia, it is recommended to take these pills upon Doctor's prescription. A traveller should not drive nor drink alcohol while under this medication. Another well known pills to fight insomnia is Melatonin supplement which is an OTC (Over The Counter) supplement. Doctors recommend that a traveller to enhance sleep should take between 0.3 mg to 5 mg of pill on the day a traveller arrives at destination, take this 30 minutes before going to bed. The traveller should continue taking this for a few days while at his/her destination.
Meeting all this prescription will surely help us figth this disease called jet lag. After coming back to India, I had insomnia and fatigue and a friend of mine who is Doctor talk to me about Melatonin. I then bougth it on a store like WalMart and, the first day, I started to take MELATONIN 30 minutes before going to bed. I can tell you that since that time, I have a deep sleep and can dream about my next trip to Cameroon.                         

SUDDER STREET in CALCUTTA

Here pausing with Volunteers from Spain
eating street foods on Sudder Street

Another Restaurant I used to eat
on Sudder Street

Any volunteer in Calcutta will go through one famous street called Sudder Street. One day during a sharing activity that is always done with a nun who speaks your language every Sunday at Mother's House, I have suggested that Sudder Street be named Volunteer Street. That can only be possible if I submit the request to the Calcutta Municipal Corportation.

Sudder Street is famous for, it houses many Restaurants (Street food stands and Conventional Restaurant). It also is a land of many Money Exchanges agencies (Please I suggest any volunteer once in Calcutta not to exchange money at the Airport but do it on Sudder Street) who offer high rate compare to Airport. For example a US dollar costs INR 44.50(Indian Ruppees) compare to INR 41.50 that you will get at the Airport. A EURO is  INR 66 compare to less you can received at the Airport. Also you finds here many Travel Agencies that book Train, Air and Bus tickets to different cities in India. This is where many volunteers book their tickets when they want to visit high touristic spots like Taj Mahal, Darjeeling, Varenasse, New Delhi, Bombay and other.

One of the bedrooms at Galaxy Hotel

Sudder Street is full of hotels of which the most known and cheapest ($3 a night) is Hotel Maria. Here you can find dormirtories and single room with price ranging from $3-$7. The sanitation here is compared to a third world country so prepare for it. There is also Galaxy Hotel that I like the most. It is mostly double bedrooms with prices ranging from INR 300 and INR 400 for a single($6-7). I recommend this one. It is clean and safe and the owner is very nice.

Entrance of Fairlawn Hotel
one of the expensive



So, I recommend hotels like Galaxy, Maria, Paragon, Modern Lodge for a volunteer who is coming in Calcutta for a long stay. These hotels are the most populated by volunteers, tourists and are cheap.



Veg Sandwich that I love to eat at
Spanish Cafe



Restaurants well known on Sudder Street are Blue Sky Cafe and Spanish Cafe. These restaurants offer good Thailand, Indian and Western foods. There are also other good one besides the above-mentionned who provide good and clean foods. On Sudder street, there are also many shops to buy Indians dresses and any item you need. The New Market, which is one of the biggest in the area provides a variety of shops such as an Under ground Mall, shoes and dresses, and Hotels. The Blue Beyond or Lindsay hotel provides a restaurant at its roof from where you can view Calcutta in the night, it is romantic to have a date there. One can live on Sudder Street without needing to go some where else. I will really like the Municipality of Calcutta to name it Volunteer street. Sudder Street is always busy. This is also where

Muesli Fruit Curd the breakfast that
I always took either at Spanish or Blue
Sky Cafe

                              yellow cabs are stationned to wait volunteers leaving to the Airport. It cost INR 250 for a yellow cab to drive a passenger to the Airport.

A yellow ready to pick up a volunteer at
Galxy Hotel to the Airport

Sudder street will never forgotten by any volunteer who have come to Calcutta. Let it known that not only volunteers live on Sudder street, also people coming from around the World mostly the bag-packers enjoy living here while visiting Calcutta since it has cheapest hotels. Some can be there for a short stay and move to another city afterward.

Blessed Mother Teresa House

this was after a morning mass, noviciates are gathered to receive
blessing from a father whose birthday was today

Mother House is located on 54 AJC Bose Road in Calcutta, India. This house, is the headquarter of the Missionary of Charity in the World. This is where Mother lives, works and died. In this house, you find Mother's tomb, two to three churches with the church on the second floor being the one regularly attended by the nuns and the volunteers. It is allowed to take only pictures at the Mother's tomb which is located on the first floor to the right of this picture.

Mother's tomb room. the only area of
the compound where we are allowed to
take picture.

There is also the room of Mother which is to be visited from 9AM-12PM and 3PM-5PM Monday-Sunday except Thursday which is the holiday. Here also, it is prohibited to take pictures. One can only see from behind a fence. This room is typical to Mother's life as regard to her humility, chastity, poverty and renunciation to all type of material comfort.
In this compound, there is also the Mother's Museum which portays Mother's life from the beginning of the foundation to her death. One finds here, everything belongings to Mother during her life. It is also prohibited to take picture here.

Here pausing with a Palestinian's volunteer in the
Volunteer's room

Again on this first floor, we have the volunteer's hall where all volunteers meet every morning after the mass to take the breakfast (banana, loave of bread and chai or Indian's tea). Here, the nuns in charge of volunteers give the last informations about the day and also give passes to the newcomers who have not registered yet. This is one of the hot spots where you have the sense that, the World is present. All the volunteers meet here every morning before departing each to the assigned site of work for the day. Also, some gatherings of the volunteers are done here. People come from all the continents regardless of religions, that is why you find Non-Catholics and Catholics coming to work for the common good of the poors as Mother did during her lifetime.

Two volunteers talking after the morning
mass in the chapel of the second floor.

Entrance to Mother's compound

Mother House is receiving many visitors throughout the day. These are tourists coming all over the World some of whom are here to volunteer. Also these are Indians from Hindu or Muslims coming to pay tribute to Mother. It is beautiful to see how Non-Catholics bow to Mother's Tomb in Hindu or Muslim tradition. During visits, rosaries are tributed on demand. Eventhough the compound is not big, a guide is available if one needs to tour it. At the entrance, there is/are always nun(s) to provide information.

Volunteers waiting for the bus to drop them
at their assigned site

After the Morning's breakfast and information, volunteers move out of the room to wait on the sidewalk for the bus to go to their assigned site. Some of which sites are not far from Mother House just walked there. For example volunteers schedule to work at Shishu Bavan which is two blocks away, just walk there. Other eventhough the site is far, decide to walk there in group of many.

It is an awsome experience to volunteer with the Foundation. It is spiritually revigorating and uplifting. One cannot regret to go there. I thank God to giving me the grace to volunteer for the expansion of his glory in the poor of Calcutta. To glory be our Almighty God, maker of Heaven and Earth, the Unseen and Seen.

"Please Don't Kill the Child" by Blessed Mother Teresa

At my arrival in the US, I found a three-year old case of child murder well known as Casey Anthony's trial. This trial has started in 2008 when, the child Kelly Anthony, 2-year old was vanished from the family view for 31 days without her mom reporting the dissapearance and, going to party at the Night Club every night. The late 2-years old Kelly was find dead in the swamp close to the family's house.
It is highly suspicious that due to the Casey Anthony's behaviour, she had killed her little girl to be parenting free. There is no doubt in Americans' minds. Unfortunately, Casey Anthony walk free from the court with a NOT GUILTY verdict. Yes the American Justice System, has let a murderer walk free from the court, the system has confirmed that you can kill a child and walk free in this country.

this how Mother was taking care of the abandoned kids she found on the
streets in many of her orphanages

Having known this verdict, I just recalled what Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta has said. She has worked to saved childrens' lives not only in Calcutta but also in the World through her multiple foundations she established in many countries.
I have worked in one of the orphanages of Mother in Calcutta named Daya Dan. Each kid there has a story. Some of them were picked up in the dumpsters by the nuns, where as other were handed to the center by mothers who did not want parenting because of cultural issue such as: It is shameful in Hindu's society for a girl to be pregnant while not married, or be pregnant due to rape. The kids there were rejected by their mother or the families.

Mother holding a kid in one of the Centers in Calcutta
during her lifetime

Blessed Mother Teresa said: "Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted, and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child, and be loved by the child. From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3,000 children from abortions. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents, and have grown up so full of love and joy!". I have witnessed this love of children by Blessed Mother Teresa through her foundation when I was volunteering there. I remember that, 3 to 4 children were adopted by families and two of these children went to Switzerland with the adopted families while other went to Germany and USA. 
We need to protect the lives of our kids in this World so that, the Casey Anthony's drama will not happen anymore. We need to start loving our family at home so that we can love the World as said by Blessed Mother Teresa. This love of kids will help us build a society of peace, of security and safety where all are safe and loved.   

Memories of the BALCONY

In times, it happens what some call the side-dishes of the main plate. The sidedishes can be there or not to accompany our main plate.
My main plate was to volunteer passionately with Blessed Mother Teresa along with the Foundation she left behind to improve the living  conditions of the poor of Calcutta. To bring them God's light and love. I am very happy for what I have done there and thank the Almighty God to give me such blessings to work for his glory.

one of the moments at that BALCONY

The side-dish here was an amazing encounter I have had during my journey in Calcutta. It sounds or seems as if she and I were meant to arrive and depart Calcutta on the same dates. We were working together at one of the dispensaries where we were assigned in the afternoon. We had a lot of joy working there, commuting together back and forth to the dispensary. When I felt sick, she was the one who accompany me to the Diagnostic Center to find what was wrong with my biological system. She was always there. At the evening, after the works, we were always meeting at my BALCONY on Modern Lodge which was my hotel. She was living just accross mine in the hotel called Galaxy.
At that BALCONY (now famous), we had fun, we laughed, we played. Whenever we went out on date, we were coming back at that BALCONY to finish our experience. What ever we did, the BALCONY was the final point to close our meeting.
That BALCONY will always be in my memory for ever for the love and excitement it brought to both of us.

Mother Teresa's Room



this gathering of the novices was after the mass and the Mother's room is just behind the right corner. to go there, one has to take the stairs.

 Visiting Mother Teresa's room was one of the highs of my current journey here in Calcutta. The room is located within the Mother's House compound that hosts the Missionary Head Quarter in the  World. Once I got up the stairs that lead to the room, I started to see a shadow of it. When at the real view of the room, I had a glimpse of my memory of the Holocaust Museum I visited two years ago in Washington, D.C. In that museum, the description of living conditions during the Nazi horrible period is replicated as in real moment. The room is compared to what was in the worst period, the World has ever known in the history of humanity, people were living without fan or what we call nowadays Air Conditioning (AC), furniture was in a delabrated conditions that one can think of a kitchen in the ancient time. The bed and frames were dirty and made of simple woods and matress covered with a simple shit of dirty or old linen. The window was almost inexistent to facilitate the air in and out of the room. In short, living conditions in that period of dehumanization were not promoting the dignity of human being.
Think of all these worst conditions, Nazi and its leader Hitler were using to torture and dehumanize human beings, and then imagine Mother Teresa living in such conditions at her free will, without anybody forcing her to, you will realize how simple she was, how she had decided to live her vow of extreme poverty, chastity and obedience to her lovely and almighty God. Yes, I was struck positively by these conditions she had chose to share with the poors she was serving for the love of God.
In Calcutta, the sun is sometime at 100 F or 40 C, at this sunny condition, people do not stand the heat without a fan or AC. I myself cannot stand it. But Mother Teresa was sleeping, living in her room without AC or fan throughout her life. She even had not a window that will enable air to move in and out of the room. Her bed is made of simple old iron frame with a thinny mattress; covered by a simple shit. Her desk where she was receiving guests or conducting affairs of the foundations, is made of raw wood saw in from the tree. Her cabinet where she kept sensitive files for the foundation is made of raw woods also. Mother Teresa had not the taste of refinery, but the one of unrefine things, the taste of poverty in which the poor she served lived on the streets, the dumpsters and the garbage site of the town.
Visiting the room of Mother has taught me a lesson of simplicity, the lesson of basic needs are enough to live with. Through the visitation, I have learnt that, worry about material things of earth is unworthed but as long as we are in healthy conditions, one is rich. Living in such simplicity is giving more importance to spiritual things, the life of higher values, the eternal life; which can be lived through simplicity, humility and chastity.
Thank you Mother and I pray that you intercede for me to live a life of spiritual values and be simple as our Lord Jesus Christ was during his pilgrimage on earth.


this is the tomb of Mother Teresa in the head quarter of Missionary of Charity.



Mother Teresa my hero

Mother Teresa along with Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Bob Marley are my heros. I have known them since I was in level two in high school. At that time, I was really interested in reading at Municipal Library. That is where I discovered these legends who are now my heros. I remember that, there were two shelves of cartoons books within which these legends were autobiographed. Instantly, I did enjoy reading them because I have come to realize that, I have no authority in my life thus, these legends can provide me the wisdoms, guidances that a child with father besides him will have enjoyed. I then decided unconsciously to emulate these highly spiritual individuals. A way for me to mimic them was that, anywhere I was going in town to hangout or sightsee, I will always take my ID card with me. This, to me was a symbol to show my responsibility with the society. Thus, if something was going wrong, they could have know where I am and who to call should an emergency arises. I also remember my friends telling me that I behave like father or head of a family because I was always giving them advices and be the first to respond to a crisis. I was always in responsible mood.
Another way for me to practice my engagement for the society and for myself, was to be engaged in school by studying hard and obey my mom who was the only one to raise me and my twin sister. I remember to be all the time the first in the class or to make many A's in classes.

Mother Teresa and other heros, have taught me to be responsible for the community and to myself. They taught me through the readings of their biographies and stories, to always stand for my convictions and for the voiceless or the poors of the community. Another way for me to express that responsibility was to be involve in the church, in charitable activities within the churches and the civil societies.

My First odd with Indian Food

Nice food eaten at Blue Sky Cafe

Food eaten here by some volunteers
on a Street Stand

A volunteer from England showed me a street stand that fixes food and, he said that it is one of the cleanest street food stands. I went there yesterday to eat my lunch. At around 6pm, I was feeling a discomfort or precisely a stomach ache. All night long, I had the feeling of burning in my belly. So, this morning, I have tried to avoid these foods again. I could have kept eating my foods at Blue Sky Cafe or Spanish Restaurant which are more clean and service wise than other stores I have known so far. I have been told to avoid street foods and even my Indian's friends from USA, advised me to avoid them. Not to mention that, volunteers are reminded to not drink water off the tap. Till now, I haven't drink it and intend not to.
India which is one of five emergent economies, has to provide to its population and the visitors fresh and safe water. By doing this, it will reduce communicable diseases which are already affecting individuals due to the air polution and lack of good public sanitation. I cannot count how many times I found stink open public toilets which, urine's odor one can smell at hundred miles range. I remember ed meeting unvaccinated dogs rooming in public. Not to mention kids, youngs and old piing or defecating on sidewalks.
All these will if fixed, improve the status of India in the world stage as one of the clean countries on earth to visit by tourists.
For this, I have decided to eat Subway or McDonald and at Spanish Cafe because it is better to eat the foods you already know than eating something new to your stomach.

Meeting the Homeless and outcasts at the Dispensary



This homeless had a bad wound and
I needed to clean it before dressing it.

 Meeting the wounded homeless and uninsured of Calcutta at the Mother Teresa's Dispensary was hard to deal with. It was emotionally difficult to deal with someone's wound has been rooten for more than two weeks. I had to remember that I was trained to handle such difficult cases in order to follow the protocol of wound care and dressing.

These are homeless coming at the
SEALDAH dispensary for care

The second patient I met had a green stick fracture of the shin. It was also hard to deal with it. Nevertheless, taking my calm, I started to assess the deficient leg, assess the wound and francture. I had to clean it thouroughly and for long to reduce the infection. Because the foundation has a hospital capable to provide surgery, we finally had to sent him over there. He will undergo surgery which will help us to deep clean and provide a cast.

finishing a dressing of this patient

After all this care, I had to move to a Physiotherapy room where I have to provide physical exercises that will help straitghen bones and relax the muscles of the kids. This will prevent contracture or other deformities of the bones.
Mother Teresa's legacy will remain for ever as long as God will want. The foundation is not just reaching to Christians, but also Hindi, Bengali and other denominations. Yes it is the promotion of Humanity which according to her is above the religion. Let's us think above our own beliefs systems and religion.

First Day to Volunteer

It is a great scene when you come on the first day at the Mother Teresa's House. This is where everything is organized to decide where and when volunteers are to be working in a variety of sites that the foundation manages. This day is to meet other volunteers who are already doing the job for a better humanity. Here, the mass starts at 6:00 AM with the volunteers willing to keep their faith alive while working for the better humanity or for some for the glory of God. The mass ended at 6:45 AM and all the volunteers whom have assisted or not to the mass are meeting on the basement or called the conference hall. This is where breakfast is taken and assignment for newcomers to each center is given. I was assigned to Prem Dan and Friday, the final assignment will be given to me by the Sister Coordinator of the Volunteer. This is the early time of the day to meet all volunteers (Volunteers who have been here since and newcommers). The ambiance is joyous, and lively. Also it is the here that volunteers wait the bus to drive each of them in group to each assigned center.
The foundation runs among other, three main centers in Calcutta(Prem Dan, Daya Dan and Kalighat) where the main works are been done by the Volunteers under the supervision of the Sisters. I was assigned to Prem Dan. It happens that all the newcomers are first assigned there upon my investigation.
With the volunteers assigned to Prem Dan, I together took the bus that will drop to the site. We ride the bus at INR 4 (Indian Ruppees).
After 30 minutes of commute, we arrived at the center and started to work. The work here is divided into Lavatory, Cleaning, Cooking. The medical part is composed of volunteers Doctor, Nurses among whom me, Physical therapist and other. I have not done so much due to fact that the coordinator did not want me to start strongly. I was in the lavatory and cleaning. I did follow a Doctor during his check up of patients. At some point of time we had to stop and have tea in a tea hall for volunteers. In this environment, I have made acquantaince with many other volunteers from Switzerland, France, USA my country and other. It is once more time to make friends. We departed the Prem Dan at around 12pm to the each hotel where I had to eat. I did enjoy the foods. Indian's foods are one of my favourites along with Thai foods.
The evening was full of socializing in Blu Sky Cafe and other friends meetings. At the end, we partyed my friends and me at the balcon of our hotel. It was fun taking pictures with  Japanese holding cats, or Canadian holding his Camera and me drinking hard liquour. I had to go to bed since I wanted to attend the mass at the Mother's House.
This day was full of excitements, joy to know that volunteers are coming from all over the world to better the life of the low level class's members. Joy to know that it is an opportunity to make friends, share different cultures and values for our own experiences. Nothing can hold a man/woman who is willing to travel the world to contribute to the glory of God or just for the betterment of the Humanity.
I am looking forward to be at the registration ceremony tommorrow.

First Day in Calcutta, India

It is morning and I had not had enough sleep due to jet lag. I woke up at 6am to have an information confirmed by the receptionist. After that I went back to my room; where I had to sleep for 4 hours. still not deep enough. At 10AM, I woke up and took a shower, fix myself and went out to another hotel convenient to me where I can find many volunteers. On my way to the first hotel I wanted to book a room before the incident with my luggage, I met other volunteers like Australian, American and other nationalities. The Australian got with me when I was asking a question, he then direct me to that hotel and gave me some good advices for a successful journey of volunteering. After booking a room, we went to a restaurant well known by volunteers named Blue Sky Cafe. There I ate my first Idian meal and met a lot of volunteers from all over the World. We chatted and finally, went to my hoted to spend a good nap.I had talk to other volunteers whom I met in the campus, and find out that they came all over the World. They gave me advices on the foods not to eat, the water to drink or not to drink. About the water, India needs to make a great to provide clean water to its residents. I cannot understand that even Indians are advising the tourists not to drink the water because it is poluted. I had not even had a good night, and realized that the jag leg still tricking me. After talking with these new friends of mine having a human purpose to serve to poor of the poors, I went to my room to finally rest. This day was about settling and have practical advices, luckily enough I had less inconveniences. Tommorrow will be my first day to implement my dream.

ARRIVAL IN CALCUTTA

Coming and landing to Calcutta, INDIA was a happy moment. I was very happy at the landing of the airplane even though the first air breathe was poluted. This has not prenvented me to rejoice that I am finally accomplishing my dreams; One of which was to come in Calcutta and work with one of my heroes herein The Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Being very happy, I forgot to go and claim my luggage at the belt. I just exited to catch a yellow  cab herein 2liter diesel (they are common transportation in India) that looks like ancient cab used in the 19th century. Still this has not affected my joy. I have paid INR 400 which is equivalent of $7-8. On my way to my hotel, I realized that in India  the level of poverty is such that individuals sleep on the sidewalks and this was all over my path to my hotel. This was a shock to me. I have never seen such level of poverty in all the countries that I have visited, even in my Cameroon, my country of origin. This shock was accentuated by the fact that I saw some individuals making their feces and piing on the side walks. The yellow cab finally dropped me at my hotel where I have realized that I forgot my luggage at the airport, right there, I asked the cab driver to drive me back at the airport so that I can collect the baggage, and that was another INR 400. We finally arrived at the airport where police officers and military personnel were so nice to me and reassure me that they will do all they can so that I collect my blue suit case. The airline box was closed and they called the manager of that airline who came two hours later. He finally find me when I was already thinking of going back to my hotel and spend my first night in Calcutta. First, let me say that after waiting for more than two hours, the cab driver had to quit and asked me to pay him INR 800 which is the price of two ways rides. I paid him the money accordingly. The police officers and military personnel were nice to me and we had to share a lot of nice words after collecting the luggage.
I had to take another Cab on my final way back to my hotel and paid INR 400. We stop on the first hotel I wanted to book a room before I recalled the missing of my luggage and, all the rooms were booked. The driver had to room me around many hotels and finally find one room in one of the nicest hotels in town. I had to pay INR3000 for a night. I did not expect that since many people who came here to volunteer told me that I can easily find a nice room at INR 1000. Any way, this night was kind of discouraging to me because the budget I had travel with would have not been sufficient had I continue to pay at least INR 1000 without taking into account foods, shopping, transportations, etc. The night was not deep enough because of the time zone change coupled with long fly I have ever had (20 hours). Yes It was a difficult night but I am looking forward to work with the foundation for the good of the Humanity for a month.

Sightles Internet and e-Tech

The blind or visually impaired are among the excluded of our society. This article is to find alternatives to promote their full inclusion in any areas of life. There has been not enough done to give them opportunity to be computer or e-tech savvy. It is necessary for us to help them achieve this insertion into a virtual world. This article is for that.

Sightless  Internet and e-Technologies

Jean  S  Ayissi  Essono

Missouri  State  University

I  BACKGROUNG  OF  THE  TOPIC  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  PROBLEM/ISSUE  AS  IT  RELATES  TO  HEALTHCARE  INFORMATICS

Background  of  the  Topic

  Visually  impaired  individuals  are  unable  to  read  and  write  via  computer  technology  and  internet.  To  facilitate  this,  a  need  to  provide  for  independent  interaction  and  promotion  of  equal  opportunity  through  internet  was  paramount  so  that,  their  quality  of  life  will  be  improved,  they  will  not  left  behind  e-learning  (Evans  and  Graeme,  2008).  The  origin  of  this  internet  for  blind  was  also  to  implement  the  American  with  Disability  Act  (ADA)  of  1996  in  all  sectors  of  the  society  among  which  the  health  care  field.  Thus  all  the  healthcare  agencies  have  to  strive  to  promote  the  blind  to  use  internet  while  they  are  agent  of  these  institutions.  Also  any  computer  companies  have  to  build  software  that  will  enhance  the  interaction  of  blind  via  internet.

Description  of  Problem/Issue

There  are  prospective  markets  for  internet  providers,  web  designers  and  developers  that  are  unused.  The  system  can  well  expand  the  availability  to  sightless  and  visually  impaired  if  they  develop  computers  software  and  devices  that  facilitate  the  accessibility  to  e-health,  and  other  fields  to  blinds.  Not  only  that  the  companies  are  gaining  while  innovating  but  also  the  blinds  are  able  to  follow  up  with  their  social  worker,  medical  doctors.  These  innovations  if  available  will  tremendously  improve  the  accessibility  to  internet  of  blinds.  Since  visually  impaired  and  blinds  are  more  vulnerable  in  term  of  resources,  these  companies  have  to  make  sure  that  the  cost  of  acquiring  these  devices  at  cheap  cost.  Another  problem  is  that  we  need  to  help  blinds  to  be  able  to  take  vital  signs.  The  lack  of  skills  to  use  computer  and  other  devices  for  their  health  education  or  other  business  is  a  problem  that  needs  to  be  addressed  so  that  their  accessibility  can  be  increase  (Jaeger  and  Lazar,  2011).  Accessibility  can  also  be  a  problem  when  visually  impaired  are  feeling  their  privacy  violated  by  the  third  party  working  with  them.  The  issue  is  how  to  facilitate  that  accessibility  while  protecting  their  privacy?  Another  problem  is  that  blinds  parents  are  unable  to  check  what  information  their  children  are  surfing.  Thus  the  need  to  protect  their  children  from  being  a  pray  of  wrong  health  information  should  be  addressed  by  giving  them  technology  that  will  improve  their  parenting  skills.  The  problem  is  increased  when  blinds  are  unable  to  access  web  sites  for  information  from  a  variety  of  sources  such  as  government,  bank,  health  insurances  and  hospitals  services.  The  world  is  becoming  more  and  more  virtual  and  the  needs  to  democratize  the  internet  is  paramount  to  the  disables  and  valid  individuals  (Albrecht  et.  al,  2001)

II  PURPOSE  OF  THE  TOPIC

Sightless  internet  and  technology  is  a  field  that  is  not  explored  and  promote  by  the  society  and  the  internet  world.  Besides  that,  blinds  are  virtually  marginalized  in  the  society  so;  the  need  to  raise  awareness  of  marginalization  that  blinds  encounter  on  a  daily  basis  is  the  reason  for  this  paper.  Another  reason  is  to  investigate  tools  that  will  help  blinds  to  take  control  over  their  health  and  be  able  to  work  in  a  health  related  field  as  healthcare  provider.  This  has  the  potentiality  not  only  to  contribute  to  their  health  but  also  to  empower  them  to  be  a  contributor  in  the  global  health  of  human  beings.

III  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  THE  PROBLEM

Jaeger  and  Lazar  (2011)  state  that  poor  or  lack  of  accessibility  to  internet  by  visually  impaired  is  a  life  threatening  issue  since  blinds  are  not  unable  to  access  life  saving  information  in  time  of  crisis  such  as  natural  or  artificial  disasters.  According  to  them,  during  Hurricane  Katrina,  visually  impaired  were  not  able  to  access  disaster  management  information  on  Federal  Emergency  Management  Agency’s  (FEMA)  website.  Thus  many  visually  impaired  suffered  more  casualties  than  their  visual  counterparts.  Along  with  such  insufficiencies,  the  laws  that  promote  equal  online  opportunity  have  not  done  enough  to  enforce  or  to  compel  government  and  private  institutions  to  provide  for  technologies  adapted  to  visually  impaired.  Many  developers  of  websites  and  online  technologies  are  expanding  the  gap  of  accessibility  by  responding  to  law  of  demands  and  supplies.  Thus  the  lesser  the  visually  impaired  population,  the  lesser  available  are  computers  and  devices  adapted  to  them.  The  courts  of  justice  has  contributed  to  this  gap  also  by  not  siding  with  the  visually  impaired  in  a  case  of  ADA-National  Federation  of  the  Blind  v.  Target  ,  2006;  which  case  has  seen  Target  mandated  to  provide  online    access  to  the  blinds  because  of  their  physical  presence  (physical  stores)  all  over  U.S.  But  the  same  court  has  not  mandated  all  other  companies  without  physical  presence  (physical  stores  or  offices)  to  provide  this  accessibility.  Thus  a  loophole  is  created  and  healthcare  insurance  companies  and  other  health  organizations  without  physical  presence  are  not  required  to  provide  online  accessibility  to  visually  impaired  patients.  Such  cases  or  insufficiencies  just  show  how  the  dignity  of  the  blinds  is  at  stake.

IV  DISCUSSION  OF  LITERATURE

  Nursing  diagnoses  for  a  visually  impaired  can  risk  for  injury,  risk  for  immobility  related  to  visual  impairment.  Thus  the  Nurse  or  a  healthcare  provider  will  intervene  to  improve  the  quality  of  life  of  a  visual  impaired  patient  once  at  the  hospital.  How  then  to  meet  such  a  goal?  Ang,  Seng  and  Tee  (2010)  have  shown  that  it  is  possible  to  meet  such  a  goal  with  the  use  of  visually  impaired  assistive  technology  for  blind  individuals.  One  of  these  assistive  devices  is  a  SESAMONET  system.  This  system  enables  the  blind  to  be  move  safely  and  independently  and  also  to  be  tracked  by  the  healthcare  agent  or  a  caregiver.  To  be  working,  the  system  need  to  have  a  RFID  tag  which  is  buried  in  the  pathway  adapted  specifically  for  the  blinds  and,  a  RFID  reader  attached  to  the  blind’s  cane.  When  the  blind  moves,  the  Radio  Frequency  Identification  (RFID)  reader  attached  to  the  cane  read  the  RFID  ID  buried  in  the  pathway,  thus  sending  the  data  to  a  PDA  that  convert  information  to  speech.  Thus  the  blind  cannot  navigate  easily.  The  success  of  this  device  can  only  be  possible  if  the  hospital  put  efforts  to  implement  the  ADA  of1996  or  if  institutions  such  as  government  and  private  set  a  specific  healthcare  facility  for  blind  only  or  build  a  department  unit  for  blind  in  a  hospital  environment.

Any  society  to  improve  the  utilization  of  all  its  members  has  to  promote  tools  and  laws  that  will  not  left  behind  blinds,  valid  and  other  disables.  How  to  improve  education  accessibility  of  blind  online  or  in  traditional  setting?  This  was  a  case  of  blind  student  who  has  sued  Arizona  State  University  (ASU)  on  the  ground  that  the  academic  institution  has  discriminated  by  not  providing  a  kindle  blind  adapted.  According  to  this  research,  ASU  is  one  of  the  many  US’s  academic  institutions  that  have  not  adapted  their  online  web  based  courses  to  blind  and  other  hearing  impaired  individuals.  Not  only  that,  even  the  highly  rated  institutions  such  as  Hopkins  and  Harvard  fail  to  meet  the  ADA  law  of  1996  (Brainard&  Perry,  2010).  The  lack  of  enabling  disabled  individuals  of  having  access  to  online  or  traditional  education  can  deeply  affect  their  healthcare  quality.  This  is  true  when  visually  impaired  patients  need  to  control  their  diabetes.  It  is  known  that  visually  impaired  patients  due  to  a  lack  of  insulin  pumps,  glucometers  and  diabetics  software  adapted  to  visually  impaired,  there  was  a  severe  poor  self  control  of  diabetes  that  has  resulted  to  life-threatening  situations.  This  was  due  to  fact  that,  these  devices  or  technologies  lack  the  incorporation  of  Braille,  or  voice  speech  that  can  guide  the  patient  in  the  monitoring  of  blood  glucose  or  the  insulin  administration.  This  has  resulted  also  to  a  loss  of  human  resources  who  constituted  the  breadwinners  of  the  families  (Marom,  2010).  This  case  just  shows  how  ineffective  ADA  is  and  it  needs  to  be  reinforced  by  specifically  updated  to  cover  e-technologies  and  internet  for  visually  impaired.  Thus  there  is  a  need  for  software  builders  and  glucometers  companies  to  build  diabetic  control  devices  that  suit  the  visually  impaired.  Another  alternative  might  be  for  healthcare  insurances  to  pay  for  Home  Health  Nurses  to  assist  visually  impaired  diabetes  at  home.

Another  alternative  to  address  this  discrimination  is  for  private  companies  to  specialize  in  the  production  of  devices  and  technologies  that  promote  the  accessibility  of  blind  to  internet  and  other  devices.  This  will  contribute  to  tremendous  job  creation  and  reduce  the  unemployment  rate  which  is  8.8%  (U.S  Department  of  Labor,  2011).

SUMMARY

We  have  look  at  the  background  and  issues  around  the  blind  population  in  regard  to  their  internet  accessibility  and  other  technologies  devices.  We  have  described  the  problem  and  sort  its  significance.  The  society  has  to  include  all  the  resources  it  encompasses.  The  blinds  therefore  have  to  be  feeling  part  of  the  development  of  human  kind  as  they  are.  It  will  be  best  to  set  rules  and  regulations  that  will  enhance  at  any  time.  The  new  law  (Twenty-First  Century  Communications  and  Video  Accessibility  Act)  signed  by  POTUS  Obama  will  help  reduce  the  gap  of  accessibility  to  the  internet  and  promote  that  companies  will  set  an  entire  program  designed  for  e-learning  to  blind  individuals.  Also  the  U.S’s  Department  of  Justice      since  July  2010  is  making  sure  that  the  previous  and  current  laws  regulating  or  promoting  visually  impaired  accessibility  to  internet  are  care  for  in  all  settings  of  the  economy  or  society  (Jaeger,  2011).  The  benefits  of  this  will  see  the  health  quality  of  blinds  increase.  There  should  be  a  facebook  and  other  social  networks  opportunities  for  visually  impaired  to  socialize  equally  with  their  peers  and  the  valid.  This  will  tremendously  increase  their  quality  of  living  and  sense  of  belonging  in  the  virtual  world.

REFERENCES

Evans,  S.,  &  Douglas,  G.  (2008).  E-Learning  and            Blindness:  A  Comparative  Study  of  the             Quality  of  an  E-Learning  Experience.  Journal  of  Visual  Impairment  &  Blindness,  102(2),  77-88.Retrieved  from  EBSCOhost.

Lazar,  J.,  &  Jaeger,  P.  (2011).  Reducing  Barriers            to  Online  Access  for  People  with  Disabilities.  Issues  in  Science  &  Technology,       27(2),  68-82.Retrieved  from  EBSCOhost.

Marom,  L.  (2010).  Insulin  pump  access  issues  for  visually  impaired  people  with  type  1  diabetes.  Diabetes  Research  &  Clinical  Practice,  89(1),  e13-e15.  doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2010.04.005

PARRY,  M.,  &  Brainard,  J.  (2010).  Colleges  Lock  Out  Blind  Students  Online.  (Cover  story).  Chronicle  of  Higher  Education,  57(17),  A1-A8.  Retrieved  from  EBSCOhost.

Tee,  Z.  H.,  Ang,  L.  M.,  &  Seng,  K.  P.  (2010).  Smart  Guide  System  to  Assist  Visually  Impaired  People  in  an  Indoor  Environment.  IETE  Technical  Review,  27(6),  455-464.  doi:10.4103/0256-4602.6852

Williamson,  K.,  Albrecht,  A.,  Schauder,  D.,  &  Bow,  A.  (2001).  Australian  Perspectives  on  the  Use  of  the  Internet  by  People  Who  Are  Visually  Impaired  and  Professionals  Who  Work  with  Them.  Journal  of  Visual  Impairment  &  Blindness,  95(11),  690.  Retrieved  from  EBSCOhost.