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
Sunday, March 29, 2009
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!
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