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!
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.
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.
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