Keeping occupied

With Juan Francisco and Gaby at the overlook in Jatun Shungo.

Ziplining!

During the hike up Chimborazo.

At the Liga soccer game. Check out Volcano Chimborazo in the background.

Don't be surprised if she comes back to the U.S. with me.

At work and on the weekends, I have been keeping myself occupied. The other weekend I went with Gaby, Juan Francisco, Gaby's mom, Nicole, and her daughter to a place called Jatun Shungo ("big heart" in Kichwa). There was a neat overlook, which actually had some baby owls staying up there that were hissing and really creeped me out. There was also ziplines! Juan Francisco went first on the kids' one. I was the only other one who could go because Gaby is pregnant, Nicole has a one year old, and Gaby's mom said she was too old. I did three ziplines, ranging from 480 meters long to 200 meters. The first one I did Superman style flying through the jungle and the others I was in a more seated position. It was pretty neat.

At work, we continue to get new kids all the time. They are some cute kids.

Last weekend, Adriana, Jenny, and I went to Riobamba. We left Friday night after work, arriving in bus after 5 hours. We stayed in a hotel where we got our $2 breakfast delivered to our room so we had breakfast in bed. Saturday morning, we drove up the Volcano Chimborazo, the biggest volcano in Ecuador. We took a car to the first refuge and then hiked to the second. The altitude definitely caused us to take extra breaks. The hike up was foggy so the view wasn't the best but there was snow at the top...the first time Jenny had seen it!

After coming back down, we went to a professional soccer game between the leagues in Quito and Riobamba. It was fun to see and the team from Quito won 3-0. It's interesting how the background to the stadium is the mountains whereas when you are in a stadium at home, the downtown is filled with tall buildings.

Sunday, we met up with some of Jenny's friends (she went to college there) and walked around town a bit.

Juan Francisco's nanny got married this weekend in the church with 9 other couples. She has had a civil marriage but got married by the church just now!

When people shake hands here, they often just kinda place their hand in yours, without squeezing. It is also custom to shake hands with everyone in the room upon arrival and departure. I must say this can get tricky sometimes to balance shaking hands while working with some of our kids that are dependent to position their body.

Please continue to keep Alexandra in your prayers. She has returned to work but has a long road ahead of her...

October is upon us

View of the Jatun Yacu river.

With the girls in Imbabura.

On the way to Ibarra.

Jungle Tour. Cindy, her husband, and 2 kids, Adriana, and guide.

Butterflies!

Some of the houses in the community we visited where 3 of our patients live. They may be getting electricity soon for the first time.

The last weekend in September, I headed to the Imbabura/Ibarra area for a weekend with friends. Jenny and I left on the 3am bus to meet up with friends in Quito so we could all arrive together. We hung out at a lake for awhile, saw a car race, and there was also a motorcycle race in town that weekend. I guess it was race weekend! We went out that night before heading back to the hotel to sleep. We finished the weekend with a lunch in Otavalo on our way out of town.

Adriana, the speech therapist, has arrived and made it through her first two weeks at work! We walk to work together in the morning and home in the afternoon. Cindy's family has now invited me over twice for dinner at their house. It is nice to have a home cooked meal and new friends at work!

On Friday, we did another community visit. We went to deliver a stander to one family, and since there were 2 other kids with disabilities in the same community, we visited their houses too. I would consider it a success especially since the one little girl, who really needs therapy and has not been coming, has returned.

Last weekend I went with Adriana, Cindy, and her family on a jungle weekend. On Saturday we took a long hike through Waterfall Pimpilala. We climbed rocks with ropes and were introduced to some interesting plants. In the afternoon, we learned about traps for animals and went to a great overlook of the river Jatun Yacu (big river in Kichwa). That night we roughed it in our cabin without water or electricity.
The following day we trekked it out to Laguna Guayusa, a beautiful natural swimming area. From there we went on quite the hike to catch some butterfly pods. It was a good jungle experience!

The police strike was the big news of last week. The police had just found out that their bonuses were being eliminated and that the years between possible promotions was increased and they were not happy. They went on strike and were lighting tires on fire and spraying tear gas in the big cities. Among those affected were the President who was then held captive in the hospital, requiring the military to help him get out about 10 hours later. Things in Tena stayed calm. The only change here was that, for the afternoon, the bank and grocery store were closed because there was nobody to guard them. Things were back to normal the following day except that kids across the country were off school.
Unfortunately, not everyone's lives went back to normal after the strike. My friend/co-worker, Alexandra, was married to a policeman who recently got transferred to Quito. The night of the strikes, he went back to work patrolling and for reasons we do not know, was shot in the chest and died. He was a very honest and hard working man. Please keep Alexandra and her 1.5 year old son in your own form of prayer.