Lately, those of us from PediHabilidad have been taking turns to go to the radio station here in Tena to do interviews. The other week, I had mine in which I talked about occupational therapy and what it is and gave some publicity for the clinic. I think it went well and it's a nice way to get the word out about the free services and therapies offered. I was also able to give a presentation on occupational therapy, some basic developmental information, and ideas for adaptations to a group. They are parents that go into the communities and check in on kids with disabilities to see that they are following up with their therapy and getting their needs met. They seemed receptive to the ideas provided.
One of my favorite foods here is plantain. I like the ripe ones that are grilled and served with cheese, or the fried or boiled ones too. Gaby recently taught me how to make a cheese and green (not mature) plantain mixture the other day and I think it turned out pretty well. It is often served with a fried egg.
Lots of new people at work. On the walk to work, I feel like we are picking up more people by the day. There are some students here from MN that are staying for the month and working in the hospital so we picked them up. There is also a physical therapist who is from Germany (then studied in Holland and then worked in Switzerland) who is going to volunteer with us for the next month.
This past week, we had some days off of work for the holiday. The day of the deceased is celebrated here. The common drink is called colada morada and is a purple drink made with a flour and fruit is added as well. It is often served with gua guas which are pieces of bread shaped like children.
I spent the holiday in La Mana, with Gaby and her family. It was a 10 hour bus ride (well 3 buses were taken but total bus time was 10 hours) but it was definitely nice to meet her family and see where she is from. We saw a beautiful sunset on the way in with the sky screaming red between the mountains. We spent a good amount of time at the restaurant that Gaby's mom and sister run. Therefore, I also got to eat ceviche and homemade colada morada, among other things. I think that each person in Gaby's family (both sides) owns some kind of a store in that town because it seemed like a place was pointed out in every block.
I visited the cacao and banana farm in the back of the house and even got to help a little bit with the harvesting of cacao, whose seeds are used to make chocolate. I saw a fish farm where her uncle raises tilapia, got to meet grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We visited the gravesite of a grandparent, as that is the tradition for this time of year.
I was surprised with my ability to just "be" as that is something that I could not have done when I first arrived here. I also was able to follow most conversations though some of the family jokes slid right past me. When I used to hang out with a group of people speaking only spanish, I would quickly allow my mind to wander before but now I am able to listen better, showing me a sign of improved spanish...finally!
One of my favorite foods here is plantain. I like the ripe ones that are grilled and served with cheese, or the fried or boiled ones too. Gaby recently taught me how to make a cheese and green (not mature) plantain mixture the other day and I think it turned out pretty well. It is often served with a fried egg.
Lots of new people at work. On the walk to work, I feel like we are picking up more people by the day. There are some students here from MN that are staying for the month and working in the hospital so we picked them up. There is also a physical therapist who is from Germany (then studied in Holland and then worked in Switzerland) who is going to volunteer with us for the next month.
This past week, we had some days off of work for the holiday. The day of the deceased is celebrated here. The common drink is called colada morada and is a purple drink made with a flour and fruit is added as well. It is often served with gua guas which are pieces of bread shaped like children.
I spent the holiday in La Mana, with Gaby and her family. It was a 10 hour bus ride (well 3 buses were taken but total bus time was 10 hours) but it was definitely nice to meet her family and see where she is from. We saw a beautiful sunset on the way in with the sky screaming red between the mountains. We spent a good amount of time at the restaurant that Gaby's mom and sister run. Therefore, I also got to eat ceviche and homemade colada morada, among other things. I think that each person in Gaby's family (both sides) owns some kind of a store in that town because it seemed like a place was pointed out in every block.
I visited the cacao and banana farm in the back of the house and even got to help a little bit with the harvesting of cacao, whose seeds are used to make chocolate. I saw a fish farm where her uncle raises tilapia, got to meet grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We visited the gravesite of a grandparent, as that is the tradition for this time of year.
I was surprised with my ability to just "be" as that is something that I could not have done when I first arrived here. I also was able to follow most conversations though some of the family jokes slid right past me. When I used to hang out with a group of people speaking only spanish, I would quickly allow my mind to wander before but now I am able to listen better, showing me a sign of improved spanish...finally!
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