Okay, I know I have been here for about 2 months now but I never really described the city where I am living. Tena is a town of about 20,000 people and somewhere around 400 taxis. It is divided into the northern and southern portions by a river, Rio Tena. The northern part is where I live and it is a little calmer. The southern part is where I work and has the big grocery store and bus terminal. Right now they are doing construction on the main street, the 15 of November. As you walk down this street, you pass stores with anything from fruit to internet, mattresses, toys, clothes, restaurants, butcher shops with boar heads and hooves, hostels, tools, anything really.
It is not a pedestrian first town and cars honk to let you know they are coming and not slowing down. There is a library and a couple churches but you would need to drive hours to find a movie theater. There are stray dogs all around.
At work, Nicole has recruited a few kids that come in to the clinic just for OT. Lately, all the kids have been showing up at the same time for therapy so it gets a little crazy. Maybe I am misled in my thinking, but the really low level kids just need therapy for normal development exposure and positioning. It does not really matter if they get this therapy from a PT or OT. When abilities increase, then you can focus in on what´s specific to your discipline.
This past weekend, a small group of us grabbed pizza and a drink on Friday. There is a student from the U.S. observing/interviewing mothers at work so she came. Apparently there is a Peace Corps volunteer here in town but I only met him briefly. Katie and I went on a hike to a pretty waterfall on Saturday called Las Latas. As Don commented to me the other day, there are a lot of waterfalls and rivers here – it´s true and they are gorgeous. Sunday, I went with some girls from work to Misahualli. We saw monkeys, boas, and little tigers. We took a powered canoe ride and learned about some medicinal plants and ways to trap animals using branches.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Spring is in the Air...Somewhere
While my calendar says Daylight Savings Time has passed and the first day of Spring has officially begun, time and seasons stay consistent in Tena.
Last Tuesday a friend invited me to a nice dinner before briefly visiting the birthday party of a 19 year old from Britain. They were an interesting bunch to say the least.
For St. Patrick´s Day, I wore my green scrubs during the day, advertising the reason. At night I sported my Cleveland Irish shirt and enjoyed a meal with Katie´s family. They brought green dye so we drank some green beers! They had an eventful week of on-the-go activity and it seems they really enjoyed their trip. They probably now feel like they need another vacation to rest!
Saturday, Nicole brought me to meet her friends. They are from France, live here, and have a North American nanny. So their kids are trilingual. It was nice to meet them and afterwards, Nicole, her daughter Alexa, and I visited an indigenous area. We saw some traditional dance and crafts.
On Sunday, my friend Jenny invited me to lunch at her house. I had soup, fish, yuca, and juice. Then we visited the caves of Jumandy. It was pretty cool to walk around inside with the light on your head, being careful of the water and rocks above and below. At one part you have to swim/use a rope to cross. When you exit there is a beautiful view but a slippery descent.
Last Tuesday a friend invited me to a nice dinner before briefly visiting the birthday party of a 19 year old from Britain. They were an interesting bunch to say the least.
For St. Patrick´s Day, I wore my green scrubs during the day, advertising the reason. At night I sported my Cleveland Irish shirt and enjoyed a meal with Katie´s family. They brought green dye so we drank some green beers! They had an eventful week of on-the-go activity and it seems they really enjoyed their trip. They probably now feel like they need another vacation to rest!
Saturday, Nicole brought me to meet her friends. They are from France, live here, and have a North American nanny. So their kids are trilingual. It was nice to meet them and afterwards, Nicole, her daughter Alexa, and I visited an indigenous area. We saw some traditional dance and crafts.
On Sunday, my friend Jenny invited me to lunch at her house. I had soup, fish, yuca, and juice. Then we visited the caves of Jumandy. It was pretty cool to walk around inside with the light on your head, being careful of the water and rocks above and below. At one part you have to swim/use a rope to cross. When you exit there is a beautiful view but a slippery descent.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
March On
The first picture is a demonstration of how things can get mistranslated.
Happy St. Patrick´s Day!!! (tomorrow)
We´ll start this one off with an embaressing story. On Friday, Katie left for Quito because her family is coming in for 9 days to visit. So during my first afternoon without another English speaking person, I go to sit down while holding a kid, and riiip! I was stepping on the leg of my pants and tore a big hole! I wanted to laugh so hard at that moment but nobody was in the room. I went on working and then Nicole showed up and luckily had an extra pair of pants for rare situations such as this. I told the other girls when they arrived and then was able to laugh with someone.
Things here are moving along though weekends in Tena move slowly. So after work on Friday I asked the others if they wanted to do something or go somewhere this weekend and they planned our day trip. Saturday was a very warm day so after spending some time at the Internet, I went home and literally laid on my bed for a bit. Nicole called later and invited me to visit the Parque Amazonico again with her and her daughter. Then we went to get some pizza and were joined by her friend Rommel. I grabbed a quick drink with him afterwards and headed home.
The next day was the day trip with my co-workers. It was the PT, Alexandra and her son and husband, the PT student Pamela and her son, mom, and sister, and the volunteer PT, Jenny. We all piled into a truck together for the trip. Babies here do not use carseats (except for Nicole) so the kids sat on their mom´s laps for the trip and two people rode in the bed of the truck. This is all very normal here.
So we made the 1-1.5 hour trip to Puyo. There we walked around a bit before grabbing lunch, typical to that city. It was a plate with chochos (kind of like a bean), fried corn, fried plaintains, tomato and onion salad, and tuna. Then we went to Rio Tigre for a swim. It was a nice day so we had a good time swimming around in the river wáter made to look like a pool. Afterwards, we got grilled maduros filled with cheese and hung around. Then we got these huge popsicles filled with frozen fruit all smushed together. It was very good but I was full by the end of it! It was a good day though and nice to spend some time with people.
I am bummed to be missing all the Xavier games...and it was weird to miss every Olympic event. I have caught some soccer and voli games here (their version of volleyball, 3 people on each side over a really high net).
I hope everyone has a great St. Patrick´s Day! Katie´s family is bringing some green dye so we can have some green beers here in Tena.
We´ll start this one off with an embaressing story. On Friday, Katie left for Quito because her family is coming in for 9 days to visit. So during my first afternoon without another English speaking person, I go to sit down while holding a kid, and riiip! I was stepping on the leg of my pants and tore a big hole! I wanted to laugh so hard at that moment but nobody was in the room. I went on working and then Nicole showed up and luckily had an extra pair of pants for rare situations such as this. I told the other girls when they arrived and then was able to laugh with someone.
Things here are moving along though weekends in Tena move slowly. So after work on Friday I asked the others if they wanted to do something or go somewhere this weekend and they planned our day trip. Saturday was a very warm day so after spending some time at the Internet, I went home and literally laid on my bed for a bit. Nicole called later and invited me to visit the Parque Amazonico again with her and her daughter. Then we went to get some pizza and were joined by her friend Rommel. I grabbed a quick drink with him afterwards and headed home.
The next day was the day trip with my co-workers. It was the PT, Alexandra and her son and husband, the PT student Pamela and her son, mom, and sister, and the volunteer PT, Jenny. We all piled into a truck together for the trip. Babies here do not use carseats (except for Nicole) so the kids sat on their mom´s laps for the trip and two people rode in the bed of the truck. This is all very normal here.
So we made the 1-1.5 hour trip to Puyo. There we walked around a bit before grabbing lunch, typical to that city. It was a plate with chochos (kind of like a bean), fried corn, fried plaintains, tomato and onion salad, and tuna. Then we went to Rio Tigre for a swim. It was a nice day so we had a good time swimming around in the river wáter made to look like a pool. Afterwards, we got grilled maduros filled with cheese and hung around. Then we got these huge popsicles filled with frozen fruit all smushed together. It was very good but I was full by the end of it! It was a good day though and nice to spend some time with people.
I am bummed to be missing all the Xavier games...and it was weird to miss every Olympic event. I have caught some soccer and voli games here (their version of volleyball, 3 people on each side over a really high net).
I hope everyone has a great St. Patrick´s Day! Katie´s family is bringing some green dye so we can have some green beers here in Tena.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Easing in, slowly but surely
Okay, well apparently I should not have said I would stick to a certain day to update the blog.
I am beginning to ease into work a little more, at times. I still don´t have the confidence I would like but I keep reminding myself that I have only been in pediatrics for a month. Most days I see about 4-5 kids and since writing up the evaluations takes awhile, this is alright.
Last weekend, I went to the River on Saturday with Gaby, Juan Francisco, and some friends. It was pretty. That night, we went to the bar and met some Americans who were studying in Quito. They had come for the weekend to go rafting. Then we went to La Gallera, the discoteca. The music went from American-reggaeton to salsa. It was good to finally see the famous (for here) discoteca.
The next morning I spent with Gaby´s friend Omar. He is Juan Francisco´s godfather. He took me to mass (he has a car, which is rare) in a city about 20 minutes away. The first 20 minutes were in Kichwa, an indigenous language spoken by many of the people here. After that, the rest was in spanish. For some reason, unkown to me as of now, not everyone goes to communion. I have noticed this at other spanish masses I have been to as well, I just don´t know the reason.
Afterwards, we ate maito, which is fish that has been cooked in a banana leaf. It was served with yuca. It was very good and I am getting more used to eating the fish here, as they are cooked and served whole: head, fins, and bones included. Then I visited a less than spectacular zoo.
Omar was telling me I need to try cuy (gineau pig) and gusano, which I couldn´t understand what it was from the description. So on the way home we stopped so I could see. Giant maggot caterpillar guys that I picked up pre-cooking. They are like shrimp, he says....right.
A new PT student started at work this week and a PT who works in the schools will be coming to observe in the afternoons. They both seem very nice. There is currently one full time PT and Nicole who is the director at PediHabilidad.
March 8th is International Day of the Woman so we went out that night to celebrate with friends. We were given 2 roses at work as this day is quite important in a country with machismo.
I am beginning to ease into work a little more, at times. I still don´t have the confidence I would like but I keep reminding myself that I have only been in pediatrics for a month. Most days I see about 4-5 kids and since writing up the evaluations takes awhile, this is alright.
Last weekend, I went to the River on Saturday with Gaby, Juan Francisco, and some friends. It was pretty. That night, we went to the bar and met some Americans who were studying in Quito. They had come for the weekend to go rafting. Then we went to La Gallera, the discoteca. The music went from American-reggaeton to salsa. It was good to finally see the famous (for here) discoteca.
The next morning I spent with Gaby´s friend Omar. He is Juan Francisco´s godfather. He took me to mass (he has a car, which is rare) in a city about 20 minutes away. The first 20 minutes were in Kichwa, an indigenous language spoken by many of the people here. After that, the rest was in spanish. For some reason, unkown to me as of now, not everyone goes to communion. I have noticed this at other spanish masses I have been to as well, I just don´t know the reason.
Afterwards, we ate maito, which is fish that has been cooked in a banana leaf. It was served with yuca. It was very good and I am getting more used to eating the fish here, as they are cooked and served whole: head, fins, and bones included. Then I visited a less than spectacular zoo.
Omar was telling me I need to try cuy (gineau pig) and gusano, which I couldn´t understand what it was from the description. So on the way home we stopped so I could see. Giant maggot caterpillar guys that I picked up pre-cooking. They are like shrimp, he says....right.
A new PT student started at work this week and a PT who works in the schools will be coming to observe in the afternoons. They both seem very nice. There is currently one full time PT and Nicole who is the director at PediHabilidad.
March 8th is International Day of the Woman so we went out that night to celebrate with friends. We were given 2 roses at work as this day is quite important in a country with machismo.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Splish Splash
First of all, happy birthday to my brother, Michael!
Last Thursday, an occupational therapist from Quito came to work for the morning and we fit about seven kids for activity chairs. They will be brought to the kids´ homes to be used for meals and playing. A total of 16 chairs were ordered as some of the kids were not able to come. This will be awesome for those families since a lot of these kids spend most of their day either onthe floor or strapped to their mother´s side by a sheet. An activity chair will allow them to be at the height of others while promoting proper positioning of the body. The kids will use them until they do not fit and then bring them in for another kid to use. I am excited for the delivery in a few months!
I am working at PediHabilidad, for those who don´t know the name. There is a website to check out for more info. It is open from 8-4:30, Monday through Friday and kids are scheduled about every half hour. Most kids come every week or every other week. Others come less frequently as they may travel three hours for their session. Services are free. The schedule can get confusing because it seems not everyone comes consistently or just not necessarily at their scheduled time. This is hard for me to follow however having a schedule is not typical for people here. If they need to see a doctor, they come get in line as early as 5am, and may not be able to get an appointment.
I have finally developed my OT eval and progress note so I have been seeing kids before or after their physical therapy session as needed. The primary diagnoses are cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and developmental delay. Many of them are very low level, meaning they are dependent to eat, get dressed, play, and even hold their head up. This has been quite the change from my last job as progress can be slow with children, they will be receiving therapy for years, and it is hard for them to understand the benefits of therapy - so they cry. I realize I have a lot to learn.
This past weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday, we went out for pizza because it was the PT students last day and then we went out to a bar for a bit. On Saturday, we went white water rafting. A friend of Gaby´s is a guide so he took us out on the river with another boat and a few kayakers. I don´t even know how best to describe it, but it was a ton of fun and so beautiful! There was lots of laughing amidst the waves and it was a beautiful day to be out. We stopped midway for lunch where there was a spread of food laid out on banana leaves to make tortillas. The leftover were given to the neighborhood kids waiting for their treat.
On Sunday, I went all around town with Katie, her host mom Pilar, and Pilar´s friend Cecilia. We visited a couple of the fancy hostals, just to see them, and went to two gorgeous waterfalls. We swam in one and just took some pictures at the other. I could have easily spent a whole day there as the scenery was incredible and the water was refreshing. We were fortunate to have these ladies introduce us to some of the more hidden treasures.
Last Thursday, an occupational therapist from Quito came to work for the morning and we fit about seven kids for activity chairs. They will be brought to the kids´ homes to be used for meals and playing. A total of 16 chairs were ordered as some of the kids were not able to come. This will be awesome for those families since a lot of these kids spend most of their day either onthe floor or strapped to their mother´s side by a sheet. An activity chair will allow them to be at the height of others while promoting proper positioning of the body. The kids will use them until they do not fit and then bring them in for another kid to use. I am excited for the delivery in a few months!
I am working at PediHabilidad, for those who don´t know the name. There is a website to check out for more info. It is open from 8-4:30, Monday through Friday and kids are scheduled about every half hour. Most kids come every week or every other week. Others come less frequently as they may travel three hours for their session. Services are free. The schedule can get confusing because it seems not everyone comes consistently or just not necessarily at their scheduled time. This is hard for me to follow however having a schedule is not typical for people here. If they need to see a doctor, they come get in line as early as 5am, and may not be able to get an appointment.
I have finally developed my OT eval and progress note so I have been seeing kids before or after their physical therapy session as needed. The primary diagnoses are cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and developmental delay. Many of them are very low level, meaning they are dependent to eat, get dressed, play, and even hold their head up. This has been quite the change from my last job as progress can be slow with children, they will be receiving therapy for years, and it is hard for them to understand the benefits of therapy - so they cry. I realize I have a lot to learn.
This past weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday, we went out for pizza because it was the PT students last day and then we went out to a bar for a bit. On Saturday, we went white water rafting. A friend of Gaby´s is a guide so he took us out on the river with another boat and a few kayakers. I don´t even know how best to describe it, but it was a ton of fun and so beautiful! There was lots of laughing amidst the waves and it was a beautiful day to be out. We stopped midway for lunch where there was a spread of food laid out on banana leaves to make tortillas. The leftover were given to the neighborhood kids waiting for their treat.
On Sunday, I went all around town with Katie, her host mom Pilar, and Pilar´s friend Cecilia. We visited a couple of the fancy hostals, just to see them, and went to two gorgeous waterfalls. We swam in one and just took some pictures at the other. I could have easily spent a whole day there as the scenery was incredible and the water was refreshing. We were fortunate to have these ladies introduce us to some of the more hidden treasures.
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