Hola! Once again I have failed to update this blog as regularly as I had originally planned on, but I think this makes the posts more concise and interesting. Hopefully you feel the same!
As I enter into the last week of my internship, I can’t even begin to describe what a valuable experience it has been to work in the hospital here. As the weeks have passed I have learned a tremendous amount about the process and practice of emergency medicine. I’ve also become more confident in my abilities as a healthcare provider. I see the pain in the eyes of the patients as they wait to be examined, and the peace they feel once they’ve been treated. For me this has been a lesson in compassion because when a patient comes into the ER, they are usually at their most vulnerable point, and it’s more important than ever to care about them.
During the past two weeks I have taken a more active role in the ER. I now routinely (and confidently!) give EKG’s and clean wounds. And although I have only done it twice, I am very proud to say that I have given two people stitches! Both times the patient had a head wound. Stitching is surprisingly easy, but of course it takes a lot of practice. I also take vital signs and help out with other procedures as needed. I am very fortunate to work with doctors and interns that are willing to take the time to explain to me what they’re doing and teach me how to do it.
There is one other American student that is working in the ER for the same time period as I am. Her name is Michelle and she is a Physician Assistant student at George Washington University. I love having her there with me because she’s able to explain to me (in English) the medical things that I haven’t learned yet. I also get to ask her questions about PA school (since that’s what I will be doing after I graduate) and she’s offered me some good advice. In a lot of ways I feel like a younger version of her (although she is only a few years older than me) and it’s pretty cool.
Along with working almost full-time at the hospital I have started to write my monograph, a 20-25 page final paper that is required by my program. I am writing about how the public health system works in Ecuador, and about socio-economic discrimination that exists within the system. It’s a topic that I find very interesting and I enjoy learning about it. However, it is incredibly time-consuming especially because I find myself completely unmotivated to do anything academic. I know what you’re thinking, “Lindsey, you have had the easiest semester of your life. Suck it up and work!” and I tell myself the same thing every day. But somehow that doesn’t motivate me! ;) My biggest struggles have been organizing the mountain of information that I looked at, and figuring out the format of the paper. I’ve never written in this format before, so it’s helpful that I have a tutor (as is required by CIMAS) to guide me along. Hopefully I will have it finished by the end of the week, and then I will be done with the hardest part of my semester. All I’ll have left is a reflection paper and a few forms to fill out!
I should also mention that alongside working and writing, I manage to find some time for fun! Two weekends ago I went to the Cloud Forest in Mindo, which is a small town about two hours north of Quito, right next to San Miguel de los Bancos (where I went with my group our first weekend here). I really liked the small-town charm of Mindo. There are a lot of sporty and adventurous things to do there such as rafting, hiking, repelling down a waterfall, canyoning (ziplining through the forest) and much much more. I went canyoning which didn’t give me the adrenaline rush that I’d hoped it might, but nonetheless I enjoyed “flying” through and above the forest. We also went on a hike to get to the waterfall, but we were given bad directions so we ended up hiking almost straight up and then straight down the mountain without even realizing it until we got back to the bottom. That part was a little frustrating, but at least it was a nice hike. On this trip I also got to try Fanesca, which is a dish that’s only served during Holy Week. It’s a hearty soup that’s made with twelve different ingredients, to represent the 12 apostles. (I will admit here that I didn’t know this fact until I looked it up on Wikipedia). Every place will make fanesca a little differently, but generally it includes fish, quinua (an Andean grain that is actually a super-food), corn, and a bunch of other things. It’s served with boiled egg, fried banana, and empanadas. This may seem like a strange combination, and a lot of people don’t like it, but I absolutely loved it!
As my stay in Ecuador dwindles down, I find myself thinking about the things I will miss the most. Like the street vendors that come onto the bus and try to sell you everything from gum to CDs to sewing kits. And the bakeries that serve freshly-baked cheese empanadas for only $0.19. And the way that the people interact with each other here, always cordial and polite. But I am also thinking about what I’ll be coming back to in the US. I miss my friends and family very much, because as much as I love getting to know new people, they could never replace the people that already know and love me. I am increasingly excited to live in Minneapolis this summer and work at ACR Homes again with the wonderful residents and staff, and to live with one of my best friends. I also look forward to eating American food, as greasy and unappetizing as it may sound sometimes. I think about these things more and more every day, and so I am determined to live-it-up during my last 3 weeks in Ecuador and do as much as I can. I hope to go to the beach one more time, to the jungle, and spend time with the people I’ve grown closest too. I should also mention that I will be buying souvenirs soon, so if anyone has a specific request, SPEAK NOW or forever hold your peace.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! If you don’t hear from me, it’s because I’m working on my paper. I suppose that tonight it would have been a wiser choice to write that instead of this blog, but I think they’re both important.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Hospital Pablo Arturo Suárez
What a busy two weeks this has been for me! I have mostly been working at the hospital, and I can't even describe how much I love it. I am more sure than ever that medicine is what I'm meant to do! I am learning so much from the doctors and interns and I am so grateful for this experience. My biggest struggle so far has been the language. I am thrown off by the medical terminology, which I know in English but not in Spanish. Fortunately, though, a lot of the terms have the same latin root so I am able to deduce a lot of the words. I work Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. This means that I have to get up at 6am so that I can leave by 7am. That has certainly been an adjustment but it's not too bad. At 8am I go on rotations with Dr. Mario Pancho and the rest of the doctors and interns, and we go to each patient in the Cuarto Critico (ICU) and Observacion to discuss their case and make a plan for the day on how we can continue their treatment. For the rest of the day I accompany the doctors and interns as they perform patient exams, and assist them in any treatments. For example, I have helped with multiple sutures, wound cleanings, and the like. I think that next week they are actually going to teach me how to suture!
I have never worked in a hospital before, let alone a public hospital, meaning it is funded by the government. They have very little resources to work with, but I think they do a good job. They have talented doctors and bright students. The ER consists of three exam rooms, two observation rooms (one for men and one for women, but usually there are patients of both genders in the same room), and the cuarto critico, or ICU, which as two beds. It's a very small space, especially when there are a lot of people. When a patient arrives, they check in at a small window and fill out a form with basic information. After that, they are admitted into the ER and the doctors and interns examine them. Ideally each patient would be examined in one of the exam rooms for privacy reasons, but the rooms are usually full, so they do the exam wherever they can, including on the waiting bench. It's also common to have two patients in one room. Each exam room consists of a bed, IV stands, a tray for the doctors to use, and a supply cart, which contains 4 bottles of solution used for cleaning wounds, gauze, tongue depressors, and a bottle of anesthesia. Notice that it does not include hand sanitizer or gloves. There is one box of gloves in the nurse’s station, and hand sanitizer (apart from the travel-sized bottle that I carry with me) is non-existent. It was obvious from the beginning that this hospital does not use the same standards of hygiene that we use in the United States.
Another thing worth noting is that for the first twenty days of April, the operating room in the hospital is closed for remodeling. This has a big impact on the ER because we can examine and diagnose a patient, but if they need an operation of any sort we have to transfer them elsewhere. For this reason, we have seen a drop in the number of patients that come in. My first week the ER was absolutely full, but for the last couple of days we have had about 50% of our beds free.
The hospital is not free, as I had previously thought, but it is much cheaper than a private hospital. Generally once a patient has been examined, the doctor gives a prescription to the patient's family members with a list of supplies, medications, and orders for lab tests, x-rays, etc. that need to be done so that they can treat the patient. If the medication can be found in the hospital's pharmacy, it is free of charge. If not, there are at least six pharmacies directly across the street where they can buy it. The patients that come in to our hospital are generally of the lower class. I think this makes sense, not only because of financial reasons, but also because people of the lower class tend to be more at-risk. This could be because they don't take good care of their health, because they have more dangerous jobs, or any number of things.
Now on to the exciting part...cases! As you could expect, we get a huge variety of cases that come in. Interestingly enough, about 50% of the patients come in reporting abdominal pain. It usually turns out to be appendicitis or gastroenteritis. We also have people come in reporting chest pain, headaches, and other things of that sort. And of course, we get trauma patients. Here are a few memorable cases that I’ve had so far:
- I helped a doctor suture up the head of a guy who had been shot by a robber that entered his home. The skin on the top of his head was ripped open all the way down to the skull, but fortunately it didn’t go into the bone. It took us three hours to stitch him up.
-We had a 16 year-old patient with tuberculosis and HIV. The doc told me that he probably won’t live for more than 6 months.
-Multiple patients have fallen from heights of one or two stories, mostly construction workers. Their injuries include broken hands and fingers, swelling of the brain, and more.
-This week we had two patients brought in (within 24 hours of each other) by airport police for trafficking drugs. I was there for one of them. He had swallowed about one kilo of cocaine in capsules. He was ok, but they had x-rays done and everything. This guy was from Amsterdam and doesn’t speak Spanish, but he spoke English, so I helped translate for the doctors, and later for the police.
-The other day there were two burn victims in the ER at the same time. One had been burned by fire at work, and the other had been electrocuted. Obviously both were in a lot of pain, but I think the electric burn was probably worse because it’s on the inside.
-One day I came in and all the doctors were in one room crowded around a patient that was unconscious. They were using a hand-held breathing device to breathe for him. We have ventilators, but only in the ICU and both of the beds were already full. So I took over for one of the doctors and started breathing for this guy, who had an aneurysm. As I was standing there, just me and him, it occurred to me that I was the only reason this guy was still alive, and that scared me. But, I did my job and he was put on a ventilator shortly after that.
These are just a few of the cases that I thought you would find interesting. I’m sure that in the coming weeks I will have a lot more to tell you!
I have never worked in a hospital before, let alone a public hospital, meaning it is funded by the government. They have very little resources to work with, but I think they do a good job. They have talented doctors and bright students. The ER consists of three exam rooms, two observation rooms (one for men and one for women, but usually there are patients of both genders in the same room), and the cuarto critico, or ICU, which as two beds. It's a very small space, especially when there are a lot of people. When a patient arrives, they check in at a small window and fill out a form with basic information. After that, they are admitted into the ER and the doctors and interns examine them. Ideally each patient would be examined in one of the exam rooms for privacy reasons, but the rooms are usually full, so they do the exam wherever they can, including on the waiting bench. It's also common to have two patients in one room. Each exam room consists of a bed, IV stands, a tray for the doctors to use, and a supply cart, which contains 4 bottles of solution used for cleaning wounds, gauze, tongue depressors, and a bottle of anesthesia. Notice that it does not include hand sanitizer or gloves. There is one box of gloves in the nurse’s station, and hand sanitizer (apart from the travel-sized bottle that I carry with me) is non-existent. It was obvious from the beginning that this hospital does not use the same standards of hygiene that we use in the United States.
Another thing worth noting is that for the first twenty days of April, the operating room in the hospital is closed for remodeling. This has a big impact on the ER because we can examine and diagnose a patient, but if they need an operation of any sort we have to transfer them elsewhere. For this reason, we have seen a drop in the number of patients that come in. My first week the ER was absolutely full, but for the last couple of days we have had about 50% of our beds free.
The hospital is not free, as I had previously thought, but it is much cheaper than a private hospital. Generally once a patient has been examined, the doctor gives a prescription to the patient's family members with a list of supplies, medications, and orders for lab tests, x-rays, etc. that need to be done so that they can treat the patient. If the medication can be found in the hospital's pharmacy, it is free of charge. If not, there are at least six pharmacies directly across the street where they can buy it. The patients that come in to our hospital are generally of the lower class. I think this makes sense, not only because of financial reasons, but also because people of the lower class tend to be more at-risk. This could be because they don't take good care of their health, because they have more dangerous jobs, or any number of things.
Now on to the exciting part...cases! As you could expect, we get a huge variety of cases that come in. Interestingly enough, about 50% of the patients come in reporting abdominal pain. It usually turns out to be appendicitis or gastroenteritis. We also have people come in reporting chest pain, headaches, and other things of that sort. And of course, we get trauma patients. Here are a few memorable cases that I’ve had so far:
- I helped a doctor suture up the head of a guy who had been shot by a robber that entered his home. The skin on the top of his head was ripped open all the way down to the skull, but fortunately it didn’t go into the bone. It took us three hours to stitch him up.
-We had a 16 year-old patient with tuberculosis and HIV. The doc told me that he probably won’t live for more than 6 months.
-Multiple patients have fallen from heights of one or two stories, mostly construction workers. Their injuries include broken hands and fingers, swelling of the brain, and more.
-This week we had two patients brought in (within 24 hours of each other) by airport police for trafficking drugs. I was there for one of them. He had swallowed about one kilo of cocaine in capsules. He was ok, but they had x-rays done and everything. This guy was from Amsterdam and doesn’t speak Spanish, but he spoke English, so I helped translate for the doctors, and later for the police.
-The other day there were two burn victims in the ER at the same time. One had been burned by fire at work, and the other had been electrocuted. Obviously both were in a lot of pain, but I think the electric burn was probably worse because it’s on the inside.
-One day I came in and all the doctors were in one room crowded around a patient that was unconscious. They were using a hand-held breathing device to breathe for him. We have ventilators, but only in the ICU and both of the beds were already full. So I took over for one of the doctors and started breathing for this guy, who had an aneurysm. As I was standing there, just me and him, it occurred to me that I was the only reason this guy was still alive, and that scared me. But, I did my job and he was put on a ventilator shortly after that.
These are just a few of the cases that I thought you would find interesting. I’m sure that in the coming weeks I will have a lot more to tell you!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Vacation and Internship
Wow, it's been a while since I last updated! I apologize for that, and I hope that you can make it to the end of this post! The past few weeks have been quite a ride for me! I finished the class portion of my program, and not a second too early. It was time for a change! Unfortunately, on Thursday the 12th I was pickpocketed on the trolley bus and they took my phone. It was very disheartening, but fortunately it was easily replaceable. I came here knowing that it was very likely that I would be robbed at some point, and so far I feel fortunate that it wasn't serious, or dangerous.
That same night my parents and cousin Ted arrived in Quito for a 10 day vacation. Susan came in the next night. I really enjoyed seeing them! The first few days they were here we stayed in Quito and saw some of the touristy things like the Centro Historico and the Mitad del Mundo (literally translated to mean "middle of the world"-the equator). We also had dinner with my host family, which I really enjoyed. That Monday we got up early and took a 9 hour bus to Guayaquil, which is on the southern coast of Ecuador. It might seem a little crazy to take a 9 hour bus ride, but I absolutely LOVE driving through Ecuador because the scenery is so breathtaking, and diverse. Although they wouldn't (and didn't) take that long bus ride again, I think everyone was happy we did it. It's a good way to get to know Ecuador. In Guayaquil we did some touristy things, the highlight of which was a city tour in a double-decker bus. We stayed at a homely hostel that we all really enjoyed. Wednesday we took a bus to Montañita, a small town located directly on the beach. It's a very tourist-oriented town, but at a local level. It remains untouched by Hilton hotels and TGI Friday's! We all really enjoyed the beach. Ted and I rented bikes and took a leisurely ride along the shore, enjoying the scenery. I also took a surfing lesson, but that didn't turn out so well. It was fun, but man, it's hard! Of course, we all took the opportunity to lay out and soak up the sun, too. The downside of the coastal part of Ecuador is there are lot of mosquitoes and cockroaches. We could have done without those, but overall we really enjoyed this part of the trip. When we got back to Quito (by plane...haha) we were exhausted and just relaxed and watched the NCAA tournament.
This past week I started my internship! I am working in the Emergency Room at the Hospital Pablo Arturo Suárez. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! The doctors and residents are so nice and the patients are too. I haven't ever worked in a hospital, so it's interesting to learn how an ER is run, and see the differences between Ecuador and the US. Here the atmosphere in the ER is relatively calm, even when it's full (or overflowing). And the hospital, because it's public, has very little resources to work with. They don't have the space or technology that most hospitals in the US have, and their supplies are limited. Generally when a patient comes to the ER, they are examined initially, and if necessary, the doctor will give their family members a list of the medical supplies and medicine that they need to treat the patient. Once the family member brings the supplies, they are able to begin treatment. This is obviously a very different process from what we have in the US, but it's what they've got and they make it work. This week I mostly observed how things work there. I do rounds with the doctors in the morning and sit in on exams. This week I will start participating a little more, though I'm not exactly sure what that means. And my supervising doctor told me that my last week or so I'll be able to do things in the ER here that I wouldn't be able to do in the US. I am very excited and a little nervous to find out exactly what that means, but I'm looking forward to it. I am very fortunate to have such a great internship! I'll keep you all updated as it progresses.
This weekend was a busy one for me. On Friday night I went to a fashion show/modeling competition at the TelefériQo, which is a touristy place in the mountains in Quito. One of my sister's friends was in it, and he won Mr. Photogenic and Mr. Glamour. They had some good entertainment, including an incredible belly dancer and some local music acts. It was pretty fun! On Saturday I spent some time with friends from my program, and then at night I went to the disco to celebrate the birthday of one of Ale's friends. It was a good time. The highlight of my weekend, though, was today. I went to the Ecuador vs. Brasil world cup qualifying match! It was an intense game and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. People here live and breathe soccer! I enjoyed watching the game with some friends, drinking cold Pilsener, the local beer, and eating an empanada. This is the life! They tied 1-1.
As always, I hope all of you are doing well. Look below for links to the pictures!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024353&id=1178730191&l=3e8460b33f
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024177&id=1178730191&l=714f468bc7
That same night my parents and cousin Ted arrived in Quito for a 10 day vacation. Susan came in the next night. I really enjoyed seeing them! The first few days they were here we stayed in Quito and saw some of the touristy things like the Centro Historico and the Mitad del Mundo (literally translated to mean "middle of the world"-the equator). We also had dinner with my host family, which I really enjoyed. That Monday we got up early and took a 9 hour bus to Guayaquil, which is on the southern coast of Ecuador. It might seem a little crazy to take a 9 hour bus ride, but I absolutely LOVE driving through Ecuador because the scenery is so breathtaking, and diverse. Although they wouldn't (and didn't) take that long bus ride again, I think everyone was happy we did it. It's a good way to get to know Ecuador. In Guayaquil we did some touristy things, the highlight of which was a city tour in a double-decker bus. We stayed at a homely hostel that we all really enjoyed. Wednesday we took a bus to Montañita, a small town located directly on the beach. It's a very tourist-oriented town, but at a local level. It remains untouched by Hilton hotels and TGI Friday's! We all really enjoyed the beach. Ted and I rented bikes and took a leisurely ride along the shore, enjoying the scenery. I also took a surfing lesson, but that didn't turn out so well. It was fun, but man, it's hard! Of course, we all took the opportunity to lay out and soak up the sun, too. The downside of the coastal part of Ecuador is there are lot of mosquitoes and cockroaches. We could have done without those, but overall we really enjoyed this part of the trip. When we got back to Quito (by plane...haha) we were exhausted and just relaxed and watched the NCAA tournament.
This past week I started my internship! I am working in the Emergency Room at the Hospital Pablo Arturo Suárez. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! The doctors and residents are so nice and the patients are too. I haven't ever worked in a hospital, so it's interesting to learn how an ER is run, and see the differences between Ecuador and the US. Here the atmosphere in the ER is relatively calm, even when it's full (or overflowing). And the hospital, because it's public, has very little resources to work with. They don't have the space or technology that most hospitals in the US have, and their supplies are limited. Generally when a patient comes to the ER, they are examined initially, and if necessary, the doctor will give their family members a list of the medical supplies and medicine that they need to treat the patient. Once the family member brings the supplies, they are able to begin treatment. This is obviously a very different process from what we have in the US, but it's what they've got and they make it work. This week I mostly observed how things work there. I do rounds with the doctors in the morning and sit in on exams. This week I will start participating a little more, though I'm not exactly sure what that means. And my supervising doctor told me that my last week or so I'll be able to do things in the ER here that I wouldn't be able to do in the US. I am very excited and a little nervous to find out exactly what that means, but I'm looking forward to it. I am very fortunate to have such a great internship! I'll keep you all updated as it progresses.
This weekend was a busy one for me. On Friday night I went to a fashion show/modeling competition at the TelefériQo, which is a touristy place in the mountains in Quito. One of my sister's friends was in it, and he won Mr. Photogenic and Mr. Glamour. They had some good entertainment, including an incredible belly dancer and some local music acts. It was pretty fun! On Saturday I spent some time with friends from my program, and then at night I went to the disco to celebrate the birthday of one of Ale's friends. It was a good time. The highlight of my weekend, though, was today. I went to the Ecuador vs. Brasil world cup qualifying match! It was an intense game and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. People here live and breathe soccer! I enjoyed watching the game with some friends, drinking cold Pilsener, the local beer, and eating an empanada. This is the life! They tied 1-1.
As always, I hope all of you are doing well. Look below for links to the pictures!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024353&id=1178730191&l=3e8460b33f
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024177&id=1178730191&l=714f468bc7
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Halfway!
Hola amigos!
As I write this, I am 5 days away from the halfway point of my stay in Ecuador. I can't believe it! This is our last week of class and we have one more presentation to give on Friday, then we're done! I will admit that I don't think I could stand one more week of class. We sit in the same dark room for 4 hours in the morning just listening to lectures, take an hour for lunch, and then have 2 more hours of class after that. This week I am finding myself very antsy! However, we have been blessed this week with the presence of some important administrators from the University of Minnesota, including our Senior Vice President of the university, the Assistant Vice President and Dean of International Affairs, the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, the Interim Director of the Study Abroad office, and the coordinator of the MSID program. They are obviously important people and I'm glad they get the opportunity to see what we're doing down here. It's been a great opportunity to get to know some important people that I otherwise wouldn't know. It's ironic that I had to go all the way to Ecuador to meet them! Seriously, though, it's a great opportunity to be able to get to know them.
So last week was pretty crazy for me! Over the course of the semester we haven't had a ton of work to do, but they piled it on us last week. I turned in three essays, gave two presentations, and took my spanish final. All in one week! It was exhausting. I had kind of figured that since the same person coordinates all of our assignments, they might be a little more evenly distributed, but apparently not. Oh, well, only 3 more days!
This weekend my mom, dad, Susan, and uncle Ted are coming to visit! I am very excited to see them and show them around Ecuador. I think they will enjoy it...especially the sunshine! The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous...think t-shirts and shorts!
I have started to make a list of things about Ecuador that I want to remember, so I will post it on here so that all of you can enjoy it too.
1. There are no free refills on soda. Anywhere.
2. Restaurants do not separate the check for you.
3. Store owners are usually not able to make change for bills larger than $5, and sometimes get angry when you don't have exact change.
4. Ecuadorians are very cheap.
5. Appearance is everything, and it is often accurate to judge a person or business by its looks.
6. Public buses rarely make a complete stop when men are boarding or exiting, but they will usually stop for women.
7. Ecuadorians think it is very important that you visit all the different parts of Ecuador, to know the culture.
8. Most children will live with their family until they get married, when it is common to move into the home of their spouse's family.
9. There are vendors (often indigenous or disabled people) that walk in the streets trying to sell their products to the people waiting at stoplights.
10. It is common to see dogs randomly wandering the city and country. Most are homeless.
11. Rice is served at every lunch and dinner. Even with pasta!
12. Gossip is very common here.
13. You can't put used toilet paper into the toilet-you have to throw it away.
14. Outside the city, it is very common to see people going to the bathroom in public.
15. No one wears open-toed shoes.
16. Shoes are always worn in the house.
17. The women watch their "novelas" (soapoperas) religiously.
I will keep adding to the list. Hope you enjoy it!
As I write this, I am 5 days away from the halfway point of my stay in Ecuador. I can't believe it! This is our last week of class and we have one more presentation to give on Friday, then we're done! I will admit that I don't think I could stand one more week of class. We sit in the same dark room for 4 hours in the morning just listening to lectures, take an hour for lunch, and then have 2 more hours of class after that. This week I am finding myself very antsy! However, we have been blessed this week with the presence of some important administrators from the University of Minnesota, including our Senior Vice President of the university, the Assistant Vice President and Dean of International Affairs, the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, the Interim Director of the Study Abroad office, and the coordinator of the MSID program. They are obviously important people and I'm glad they get the opportunity to see what we're doing down here. It's been a great opportunity to get to know some important people that I otherwise wouldn't know. It's ironic that I had to go all the way to Ecuador to meet them! Seriously, though, it's a great opportunity to be able to get to know them.
So last week was pretty crazy for me! Over the course of the semester we haven't had a ton of work to do, but they piled it on us last week. I turned in three essays, gave two presentations, and took my spanish final. All in one week! It was exhausting. I had kind of figured that since the same person coordinates all of our assignments, they might be a little more evenly distributed, but apparently not. Oh, well, only 3 more days!
This weekend my mom, dad, Susan, and uncle Ted are coming to visit! I am very excited to see them and show them around Ecuador. I think they will enjoy it...especially the sunshine! The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous...think t-shirts and shorts!
I have started to make a list of things about Ecuador that I want to remember, so I will post it on here so that all of you can enjoy it too.
1. There are no free refills on soda. Anywhere.
2. Restaurants do not separate the check for you.
3. Store owners are usually not able to make change for bills larger than $5, and sometimes get angry when you don't have exact change.
4. Ecuadorians are very cheap.
5. Appearance is everything, and it is often accurate to judge a person or business by its looks.
6. Public buses rarely make a complete stop when men are boarding or exiting, but they will usually stop for women.
7. Ecuadorians think it is very important that you visit all the different parts of Ecuador, to know the culture.
8. Most children will live with their family until they get married, when it is common to move into the home of their spouse's family.
9. There are vendors (often indigenous or disabled people) that walk in the streets trying to sell their products to the people waiting at stoplights.
10. It is common to see dogs randomly wandering the city and country. Most are homeless.
11. Rice is served at every lunch and dinner. Even with pasta!
12. Gossip is very common here.
13. You can't put used toilet paper into the toilet-you have to throw it away.
14. Outside the city, it is very common to see people going to the bathroom in public.
15. No one wears open-toed shoes.
16. Shoes are always worn in the house.
17. The women watch their "novelas" (soapoperas) religiously.
I will keep adding to the list. Hope you enjoy it!
Monday, March 2, 2009
PICTURES!
I was FINALLY able to upload my pictures onto facebook! Follow the links below to view them.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023584&id=1178730191&l=c7e1d
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023804&id=1178730191&l=fa2aa
Hope you enjoy them!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023584&id=1178730191&l=c7e1d
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023804&id=1178730191&l=fa2aa
Hope you enjoy them!
Friday, February 27, 2009
The last couple weeks
Greetings! I hope this blog post finds you warm and happy! I’ve heard the weather back home has been pretty brutal. I think Minnesota even canceled classes yesterday. Since my last post I have been going to class and traveling a lot. After I returned from Banos I got sick…probably because I had too much fun. I had a fever and a cold, but thankfully both are gone now!
Last Friday was Bertha’s (my mom) birthday, so her mom came over and Alejandra and I made lunch for us. It was a good day to eat and relax with the family! That night we went to the discoteca and had fun dancing.
On Saturday, we were supposed to leave for Ambato for Carnaval around 3pm, but as it turned out we didn’t head out until about 8pm. One of her friends drove us; it is only about 2 hours away. Once we arrived we went to the house we were staying at and dropped off our stuff. We had to bring blankets and mattresses because the house wasn’t furnished…it was just rooms. It was nice, though. I liked Carnaval because everyone dresses their best and then heads out to party. You might ask, “What is the difference between this and every other weekend?” Well, the answer is this: the partying at Carnaval lasts for days. Literally. We partied all night and slept all day, then repeated the cycle. People would park their cars along the side of the road, turn up the music, and drink. There were also large parties that were held outdoors under a tent. These were especially fun because everyone was dancing (and there was an open bar too, after you paid the $20 cover). Carnaval was a blast, but very exhausting. There is a reason it only comes once a year!
On Wednesday the 25th I left with my class for an observational field trip. We went to the northern part of the country, to Pedro Moncayo, Cotacachi, and Otavalo. We got to learn about the flower industry, which is one of the top 3 industries in Ecuador. We visited a flower plantation that was of relatively high quality, but in general the flower plantations are very oppressive places to work and they are detrimental to the environment, the health of the workers, and the surrounding communities because of the large quantities of pesticides used. It was interesting to see firsthand where our Valentine’s Day and Mothers Day flowers come from. It also made me realize how important it is to assure that the flowers we buy come from high quality plantations that are worker-friendly and environmentally safe. As we were leaving they gave each person in the group a bouquet of 15 beautiful roses!
On Thursday we had the opportunity to experience the spiritual part of the indigenous world. We met with a shaman who led us on a walk through the woods. He explained to us the concept of man being unified with nature. We went on a “trust walk” through the woods with our eyes closed, being led by a classmate. The purpose was to better sense the spirit and personality of our surroundings. While our eyes were closed, he came to each of us and had us tell him the color of the flower he was holding, just by smelling it. At first I thought, “This is impossible!”, but it wasn’t that difficult, and I was correct! It was yellow. Supposedly because I guessed correctly I am a very logical thinker, and I would agree! He was very wise and incredibly interesting to talk to.
Today we got to experience firsthand the world of traditional medicine. We started out by going to the house of a “partera,” or indigenous midwife. The parteras often have no formal education, but they are certified by the state and the Red Cross. While there we learned about the medicinal uses of herbs and how they are used during pregnancy. Everything they needed was right in their backyard! And it was much more economical than occidental medicine, I’m sure. After that we observed a pregnant woman getting a checkup from the partera. She was 8 months pregnant and was having discomfort due to the positioning of the baby. This was easily remedied by physically moving the baby around in the womb, and then she was given some herbs with which to make tea, to settle it. How cool!
After that the parteras demonstrated for us a “Vertical Birth.” This is the only way that indigenous people give birth, and it is very different from what we are used to. Firstly, the birth ALWAYS takes place in the home of the mother, and all of the family is present for it. Second, the mother is never naked (or only in a gown) for any part of the process. An important aspect of the vertical birth is that the mother is warm and comfortable throughout the whole process. As you can guess, many different herbs are used too! When the baby is ready to come out, the mom kneels on the floor while her husband sits on the bed to support her while she gives birth. All in all, she is usually only kneeling for about 30 minutes. Of course, if anything were to go wrong throughout the process they would head to the hospital immediately. But I think this is an interesting way to bring a baby into the world…much more comfortable, at least. What a great thing to see!
This afternoon we went to a center called Jamba Huasi in Otavalo. This is a medical center that practices strictly traditional Andean medicine. We got to see a demonstration of diagnosing with a “cuy,” or guinea pig. The person doing the diagnosing takes a live cuy (pronounced qwee) and moves it all over the body of the patient. It was a little unnerving because she shakes it violently, but it’s all part of the practice. The idea is that the cuy dies when it finds something internally wrong with the patient. Once it dies, they dissect the cuy and examine it. The cuy will show (through its own body) the medical problems of the patient. And this is how they diagnose! Supposedly it can even detect cancer. The diagnosis turned out to be somewhat correct, and they offered herbal suggestions to remedy the problem. This concept was very foreign to us but I liked it a lot! I think that sometime while I’m here I will have it done to me. I’m not sick, but you never know! It only costs $8 and it’s a very unique experience.
As you can see, I have been a very busy girl! I have enjoyed my travels and I look forward to more when my family comes to visit in two weeks. I have two more weeks of class, a week of vacation, and then I start my internship! I am very excited to be working again, even if it’s unpaid, because believe it or not I really miss working! I can’t wait to start back at ACR again in the fall. Again, I hope everyone is doing well. I love to hear from you, so send me an email at lindsey.e.meyer@gmail.com to update me on what’s happening with you!
Last Friday was Bertha’s (my mom) birthday, so her mom came over and Alejandra and I made lunch for us. It was a good day to eat and relax with the family! That night we went to the discoteca and had fun dancing.
On Saturday, we were supposed to leave for Ambato for Carnaval around 3pm, but as it turned out we didn’t head out until about 8pm. One of her friends drove us; it is only about 2 hours away. Once we arrived we went to the house we were staying at and dropped off our stuff. We had to bring blankets and mattresses because the house wasn’t furnished…it was just rooms. It was nice, though. I liked Carnaval because everyone dresses their best and then heads out to party. You might ask, “What is the difference between this and every other weekend?” Well, the answer is this: the partying at Carnaval lasts for days. Literally. We partied all night and slept all day, then repeated the cycle. People would park their cars along the side of the road, turn up the music, and drink. There were also large parties that were held outdoors under a tent. These were especially fun because everyone was dancing (and there was an open bar too, after you paid the $20 cover). Carnaval was a blast, but very exhausting. There is a reason it only comes once a year!
On Wednesday the 25th I left with my class for an observational field trip. We went to the northern part of the country, to Pedro Moncayo, Cotacachi, and Otavalo. We got to learn about the flower industry, which is one of the top 3 industries in Ecuador. We visited a flower plantation that was of relatively high quality, but in general the flower plantations are very oppressive places to work and they are detrimental to the environment, the health of the workers, and the surrounding communities because of the large quantities of pesticides used. It was interesting to see firsthand where our Valentine’s Day and Mothers Day flowers come from. It also made me realize how important it is to assure that the flowers we buy come from high quality plantations that are worker-friendly and environmentally safe. As we were leaving they gave each person in the group a bouquet of 15 beautiful roses!
On Thursday we had the opportunity to experience the spiritual part of the indigenous world. We met with a shaman who led us on a walk through the woods. He explained to us the concept of man being unified with nature. We went on a “trust walk” through the woods with our eyes closed, being led by a classmate. The purpose was to better sense the spirit and personality of our surroundings. While our eyes were closed, he came to each of us and had us tell him the color of the flower he was holding, just by smelling it. At first I thought, “This is impossible!”, but it wasn’t that difficult, and I was correct! It was yellow. Supposedly because I guessed correctly I am a very logical thinker, and I would agree! He was very wise and incredibly interesting to talk to.
Today we got to experience firsthand the world of traditional medicine. We started out by going to the house of a “partera,” or indigenous midwife. The parteras often have no formal education, but they are certified by the state and the Red Cross. While there we learned about the medicinal uses of herbs and how they are used during pregnancy. Everything they needed was right in their backyard! And it was much more economical than occidental medicine, I’m sure. After that we observed a pregnant woman getting a checkup from the partera. She was 8 months pregnant and was having discomfort due to the positioning of the baby. This was easily remedied by physically moving the baby around in the womb, and then she was given some herbs with which to make tea, to settle it. How cool!
After that the parteras demonstrated for us a “Vertical Birth.” This is the only way that indigenous people give birth, and it is very different from what we are used to. Firstly, the birth ALWAYS takes place in the home of the mother, and all of the family is present for it. Second, the mother is never naked (or only in a gown) for any part of the process. An important aspect of the vertical birth is that the mother is warm and comfortable throughout the whole process. As you can guess, many different herbs are used too! When the baby is ready to come out, the mom kneels on the floor while her husband sits on the bed to support her while she gives birth. All in all, she is usually only kneeling for about 30 minutes. Of course, if anything were to go wrong throughout the process they would head to the hospital immediately. But I think this is an interesting way to bring a baby into the world…much more comfortable, at least. What a great thing to see!
This afternoon we went to a center called Jamba Huasi in Otavalo. This is a medical center that practices strictly traditional Andean medicine. We got to see a demonstration of diagnosing with a “cuy,” or guinea pig. The person doing the diagnosing takes a live cuy (pronounced qwee) and moves it all over the body of the patient. It was a little unnerving because she shakes it violently, but it’s all part of the practice. The idea is that the cuy dies when it finds something internally wrong with the patient. Once it dies, they dissect the cuy and examine it. The cuy will show (through its own body) the medical problems of the patient. And this is how they diagnose! Supposedly it can even detect cancer. The diagnosis turned out to be somewhat correct, and they offered herbal suggestions to remedy the problem. This concept was very foreign to us but I liked it a lot! I think that sometime while I’m here I will have it done to me. I’m not sick, but you never know! It only costs $8 and it’s a very unique experience.
As you can see, I have been a very busy girl! I have enjoyed my travels and I look forward to more when my family comes to visit in two weeks. I have two more weeks of class, a week of vacation, and then I start my internship! I am very excited to be working again, even if it’s unpaid, because believe it or not I really miss working! I can’t wait to start back at ACR again in the fall. Again, I hope everyone is doing well. I love to hear from you, so send me an email at lindsey.e.meyer@gmail.com to update me on what’s happening with you!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Baños
Hola!
I have been so busy! Sorry it’s taken me so long to update my blog. I went to Baños this weekend, and then I got sick, so I have been resting a lot this week. I had a great time though!
On Friday morning some friends and I took the 7:30am bus to Baños. We arrived a little before noon and checked into our hostel right away, then headed out to lunch. After we ate we went to a canyon and went zip lining. It was exhilarating! Basically there was a cable that spanned across a canyon, over a river, and one at a time we flew across it. The best part about it was that it was very cheap! In all I paid $8 for the ride to the other side of the canyon, the zipline itself, and a picture at the end. So cheap! After that we went to a zoo that was right next to the canyon and we got to see a lot of “exotic” animals. It was different from a normal zoo because we were able to get very close to the animals. One monkey even reached its tail out of the cage and touched one of my friends with it! It was a little sad to see the animals caged up in what was supposed to be their natural habitat.
On Saturday we rented mountain bikes ($5 for the whole day) and set out down the mountain. On the way we found a bridge that we could jump off, so of course we did it! It is kind of like bungee jumping, but instead of bouncing back up you swing back and forth under the bridge. It was the scariest thing I have ever done! But also the most exhilarating; I would definitely do it again! After the jump we continued on our way to a beautiful waterfall. It was so scenic! After the long bike ride we went back and relaxed in the Hot Springs. There were a lot of people and the water was extremely hot. That night we explored the nightlife of Baños and went to a discoteca. We left for Quito on Sunday around noon. After the trip we were all exhausted and I got sick. Hopefully it goes away soon!
This weekend is Carnaval, a country-wide festival that lasts Saturday-Tuesday. I am going to Ambato with Alejandra and her friends. I am pretty excited!
I will put up a link for pictures in the next couple of days. Hope all is well in the States!
-Lindsey
I have been so busy! Sorry it’s taken me so long to update my blog. I went to Baños this weekend, and then I got sick, so I have been resting a lot this week. I had a great time though!
On Friday morning some friends and I took the 7:30am bus to Baños. We arrived a little before noon and checked into our hostel right away, then headed out to lunch. After we ate we went to a canyon and went zip lining. It was exhilarating! Basically there was a cable that spanned across a canyon, over a river, and one at a time we flew across it. The best part about it was that it was very cheap! In all I paid $8 for the ride to the other side of the canyon, the zipline itself, and a picture at the end. So cheap! After that we went to a zoo that was right next to the canyon and we got to see a lot of “exotic” animals. It was different from a normal zoo because we were able to get very close to the animals. One monkey even reached its tail out of the cage and touched one of my friends with it! It was a little sad to see the animals caged up in what was supposed to be their natural habitat.
On Saturday we rented mountain bikes ($5 for the whole day) and set out down the mountain. On the way we found a bridge that we could jump off, so of course we did it! It is kind of like bungee jumping, but instead of bouncing back up you swing back and forth under the bridge. It was the scariest thing I have ever done! But also the most exhilarating; I would definitely do it again! After the jump we continued on our way to a beautiful waterfall. It was so scenic! After the long bike ride we went back and relaxed in the Hot Springs. There were a lot of people and the water was extremely hot. That night we explored the nightlife of Baños and went to a discoteca. We left for Quito on Sunday around noon. After the trip we were all exhausted and I got sick. Hopefully it goes away soon!
This weekend is Carnaval, a country-wide festival that lasts Saturday-Tuesday. I am going to Ambato with Alejandra and her friends. I am pretty excited!
I will put up a link for pictures in the next couple of days. Hope all is well in the States!
-Lindsey
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