Hours from a Happy Meal

This past Monday there was a holiday for the battle of Pichincha so I spent the weekend traveling with Gaby and Juan Francisco. Friday night we got a ride from a friend to Gaby´s aunt and uncle´s house in Pelileo. The next day we made a short trip to Ambato, a city known for its bread, fruit, and writing of 3 Juans. We walked a bit and saw some art exhibits. Then we got a bus to Quito. There we eventually made it to a spot to get picked up by Gaby´s friend. The rest of the weekend was kind of U.S. feeling. Nicole had warned me before that when you start to think Quito is like the U.S., you´ve been here too long. whoops. It´s just that we stayed with a family (mom, dad, 3 kids) in a nice house where you need a blanket at night because the city is not in the rainforest. The family has a car and while in Quito, not only did we go to McDonald´s (which, by the way, was the whole reason we went there - Juan Francisco wanted the toy in a happy meal that he saw on TV), but we went to the mall, and a movie. Those are a lot of things Tena does not have.

We also went to a museum, Templo del Sol, where we learned about some aromatherapy and saw artwork. The artist did a painting live for us, actually for the girl from Ohio! (but I didn´t get to keep it) he completed it in 5 minutes, using his hands and no brushes. He holds the record for doing 100 paintings in 1 hour!

Using all senses

Hear:
1. barking
2. music
3. rain
4. whatever runs on my roof
5. cat calls

See:
1. stray dogs
2. boar hooves and heads
3. women breastfeeding
4. rainforest/mountains
5. stores and shops

Smell:
1. bakeries
2. baby powder
3. exhaust/smoke
4. fish and meat
5. wet clothes

Touch:
1. mosquito bites
2. heat
3. rain
4. therapy kids
5. cheeks in greetings

Taste:
1. rice
2. fruit
3. water (lukewarm)
4. fish
5. juice

Learning:
1. language
2. culture
3. differences
4. similarities
5. what´s important

Happy Mother´s Day

Well, things have picked up for me a little at work since the Brigada since some of the kids were referred for therapy. That and I finally made out a schedule so it´s a little more clear which kids I work with.

Last Saturday, I went rafting for a little bit for a benefit my friend told me about the day before. The money raised was for those whose homes had been flooded, now a month ago. A bunch of companies came together for the day. I was able to meet some people traveling and it is always interesting to learn where people are coming from and what brings us all to the same spot. I hadn´t realized that my former spanish tutor did not move back into her house after the flood. Her family is living in another apartment because they can´t handle the fear of a flood happening again. It´s not worth it.
That night there was a benefit concert that I went to for a bit with Gaby and Juan Francisco. Then I met up with my friend Jenny and her friends. I joined them for a Mother´s Day tradition here. They went around to the houses of their moms after midnight and serenaded them. We would stand outside singing (well I didn´t know the words) until the mom came out and then give her flowers.

Food:
I prepare my own breakfast (usually yogurt and granola or fruit) and dinner (grilled cheese, PBJ) so those are pretty basic. I eat lunch at the hospital and it is the typical Ecuadorian lunch. It includes juice, soup, rice, a meat, and a vegetable salad. I usually don´t eat the soup because I really don´t know how they can in the heat and cause I can´t always tell what´s in it.
Fish is a common food here. There are some fruits that are eaten here that don´t even have an english translation because we don´t have them in the U.S. There is a beverage called guayusa that tradition says, if you drink it, you will return back.

II Brigada Neurologico

Last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday four neurologists (from New Orleans, University of Kentucky, Harvard, and New York University) and an EEG specialist came to Tena from the U.S. Nicole and an Ecuadorian neurologist who lives in the U.S. organized this for the second year. The registry shows that 320 patients were seen over the three day period. The patients were all ages and ranged in diagnosis but included epilepsy, cerebral palsy, parkinson disease, migraines, etc.
I sat in with the doctors and took down the names and diagnosis of each patient. Three presentations were given. They were on migraines, cerebral palsy, and the treatment gap in epilepsy. 2/3 people in Ecuador with epilepsy are not treated or untreated. The presentation was compelling enough that the hospital wants to open an epilepsy clinic, which would be great.

One night there was Amazon Night where we ate a typical Ecuadorian meal (ceviche and fish cooked in banana leaves, yuca), heard Kichwa music, and had a Shaman. Friday night most everyone made it out for drinks and dancing. The next morning, Katie and I hitched a ride with people from the Brigade to head towards Quito. On the way we stopped at Papallacta, a fancy hot springs locale where we hit up the six natural baths with our stylish swim caps.

We eventually found our hostal in Quito, took a short nap, and used the internet as it was raining and we were waiting for our friends to arrive. Through Skype I got to say hi and see a bunch of my friends hanging out at Don´s for the Kentucky Derby.
Katie and I ventured out that night with friends. Quito is much bigger with more people and it is more expensive. There were more options for places to go so it was a change from Tena.
The next day we walked around the artisan market, visited San Francisco church, and climbed up the many steps and ladders to the top of the clock tower and bell tower in the Basilica. From there, it is a full view of Quito.

Baños...the city

These past two weeks have been very busy and exciting so I am going to break them up by week. So the 2 weekends ago, Katie and I visited Baños. Baños is a city about 2 1/2 to 3 hours away from Tena. It is right in the mountains and has numerous outdoor activities going on. We got there late on Friday night cause we got a ride from a friend but made it out to the bars, nevertheless.

The hostal we stayed at was great. For $7.50/person we had hot water (best so far), free internet, and breakfast. The owners were nice and helped set up what you needed and the company was great.

On Saturday, we went horseback riding for about 3 hours. I felt like I was in a movie. The horses thankfully knew the path like the back of their hoof so my job there was limited. We literally were climbing up the side of the Andes mountains - at times on a road, at times basically up a cliff as wide as the horse. It was beautiful though. Then, the horses started running, and not even like the bumpy trotting. I am talking full blown running. It was so cool but a little scary cause of the whole balance thing and my hand grip was broken. That night we went on a chiva, which is a wooden, open-sided bus. We took it up to an overlook of the city and watched some flame throwers.

At breakfast on Sunday we met some people our age from the U.S. and Germany who were really cool. They invited us to go repelling so that was settled - we were staying an extra day. Repelling was fun, as we made our way down I think 6 waterfalls. Really pretty, really fun, and I felt safe. Our guide was actually one of the flame throwers from the night before. We got back and enjoyed some food with our new friends and visited the natural thermal baths, well known to the city. The people we met were the kind that make you understand why people backpack all over as they had visited many places and were on their way to more.
The next morning I watched everyone jump off a bridge but we ran out of time before I could be convinced to join.