Finishing up

It has now been just over two months since I have returned to the US. There were some very thoughtful going away dinners by my Ecuadorian friends and many goodbyes. It was sad to leave my friends but certainly time to come home. After a year, I was more than ready to see the family and friends that I had been homesick for for a year.

I have now been working in an adult physical rehabilitation hospital in Cincinnati for over a month. It is the same one I was working at before I left but a different unit.

Honestly, I am still trying to figure out how the experience this past year has/will affect me. I think it is something that I will carry with me each day. I am certainly glad to have had it, though this past year has been very challenging for me. I met some great people with whom I am still in touch, saw some beautiful areas of different countries, and learned about cultures different than my own.

Thanks to those who were able to follow my story on this blog. If you have questions about anything, please let me know. Questions help me remember and re-discover.

Changes all around.

After months and months of waiting, Pedihabilidad has moved over to the new building. Set to open in April of last year, I had come to peace with the fact that I would never see it open. Then, after returning from a meeting on Tuesday, Nicole notified us that the following day we would be moving. The space we were using was needed for isolation for new H1N1 patients. It happened very quickly as the maintenance team began taking things down on Wednesday afternoon and had everything over there by Thursday mid-morning. The new building is right next to the hospital so it was relatively easy for the patients to find us with the signs we put up. One side is for pediatrics and the other side, which is not yet up and running, will be for adults.

We already had planned to have a New Year’s party on Friday and with the building change, we were able to have it there and introduce it to everyone. It was quite the morning. The mayor, provincial director, and hospital director all gave a welcome to kick it off among other speakers. Then, the children each received a toy. Adriana’s former employer, Sports Unlimited, generously donated and shipped toys for all the children of Pedihabilidad. The celebration continued with games. We played musical chairs, hot potato, and had a balloon relay. I was laughing so hard during the games as the crowd shrieked at the intense moments. We then made a mural in the new area with a hand or footprint from each child present. It came out really nice. To finish, there were empanadas (or mashed potatoes for the kids unable to eat solids), cake, and guayusa (typical drink) for everyone. Nobody left empty-handed and I think everyone had a nice time.

After a month without a name, Gaby named her daughter Camila Fernanda. The baby is growing daily and Gaby also is doing well.

The other weekend, Adriana and I made our way to Mindo for ziplining and hiking. We had a good trip!

Today, we have a new speech therapist arriving. Jess will be at Pedihabilidad for 2 months, helping with a feeding and swallowing program. This is a project that is much needed amongst the kids we work with so we are excited to have her join us.

I am finding it hard to believe that I have less than 2 weeks left in Tena. Things are falling into place back home as I have a job lined up as well as an apartment (with HUGE thanks to Margaret Russo for her help!). Going home will be a whirlwind as I catch up with friends and family and welcome my new nephew! I am excited for all of that. However, it will certainly be difficult to leave here. I have made some good friends, the weather is warm, and I have gotten used to working with these kids.

2011 has arrived!

I am now back in the swing of things in Tena. At work, we had the kids decorate paper ornaments and trees and cut them out to put on the big construction paper tree that Adriana made. The nurses stations on the different floors had a contest for the best manger scene...some were pretty elaborate. Christmas Eve night, Nicole and her family were very kind to invite me over for turkey dinner. They had the turkey cooked at a local restaurant to avoid the extra heat from cooking a large turkey all day. In true Ecuadorian fashion, when they went to pick it up they had to go back home to get the ticket (despite the fact that the waiter knew their name) and then had to go back a 3rd time because they needed to bring a pan for which to carry the turkey home. Classic. We had a very nice evening though and it was nice to be with them in a house with a tree and stockings.

It is typical for people to go to mass on Christmas Eve at about 10 or 11pm and then eat a turkey dinner afterwards. Also, many people partake in a Novena which is nine days of prayer leading up to Christmas that is hosted at a family's house. On Christmas Day, while I was not able to see this, people bring the baby Jesus from their manger to church to have it blessed. The mass I went to was in the evening.

New Years Eve is something different in Ecuador. The days leading up to New Years you start to see the "ano viejos" for sale and the shops selling red and yellow underwear. The ano viejo - and I can't get the tilde to work over the n - are "old year" paper mache dolls that represent someone of importance during the past year. It can be a public figure, politician, superhero or someone in the family. It can be somebody good or somebody bad. A testimony is written about them. At midnight, they are burned, bringing good luck to that person and burning the negativity of the previous year. People wear yellow underwear to represent luck and red for love in the new year. People eat 12 grapes at midnight, making a wish for the year with each grape you eat. If you run around the block at midnight with a backpack on, that is said to give you good travels for the following year.

I spent New Year's Eve with my friend Jenny and her family. We walked around in the day, shopping with her sisters and nieces. At night we went out again to see the ano viejos in town. There were also many "viudas" in the street. This is actually the word for widow but they were in fact men crossdressing. They would block the road, dancing infront of a car until a passenger paid to pass. It was amusing but I'm sure got pretty pricey for the drivers! There were music stages at a couple places on the main road but just before midnight, we were back at Jenny's house. Her brother-in-law had made a ano viejo of the neighbor so at midnight that was burned in the middle of the street and we ate our grapes while wishing everyone there a happy new year. Then the drinking and dancing began on the front porch. I don't know if I have ever explained the drinking method here. There is one cup (which would never fly back home), a bottle, and then you need a pourer. The pourer has to walk around filling the cup and giving it to the guests. You drink what is in the cup and hand it back to the pourer so they can continue to the next person. We had a good time and kept the party going late/early.

The next day, Jenny's family generously invited me over to have lunch with them. Her mom makes a delicious tilapia. We hung out for a long while after lunch and then went to the river for a little bit with the neighbors.