Back in the US

I've been home for about a week now and although I am very happy to be with family, I miss Quito a lot. I always think about the different things I was able to see and do in the hospitals and clinics. Everything was beyond my expectations. The day before I left, I hung out with Julie and Rachel and walked around the city one last time. That night, there was a small earthquake...nothing serious, but Francia was so scared. We ate dinner and I packed all my stuff. She gave all of us a small gift...mine was a clay frame with an Ecuadorian woman on it. I woke up at 4:30 on Saturday...ate my last jamon con queso and left for the airport after a tearful goodbye. The plane ride was fine...I missed my connecting flight because I had to re-check my bags after arriving in Miami. I got home around 12 at night. But I was so happy to see MC-JA and Anoop and Anju!

I loved this trip and I will remember everything I have learned from issues in community health to the methods of the hospital staff to the needs of the patients. I have been humbled and reminded of my blessings.

Chao Ecuador!! =o)

Until next time folks...I'm out.
Hasta,
-gina-

Quito, Ecuador 2005

Is it already time for me to go? Honestly it feels like I have been here for more than one month. I am so happy that I had this opportunity and I feel so blessed (I know...that word is definitely a consistent theme of my trip). Although I miss everyone back home, I made it in another country and handled things well. God definitely protected me and given me some very good friends and a wonderful host family.

So here are the following things I´ve learned/I will miss/I have been reminded of - (in no particular order and it will be added to as I think of more things)

And of course...it is in the form of a list....=)

I love my family (MC-JA). Francia Ducos. Ecuatorianos. Español. Cultura. Lunch for $2. Internet cafès. Greetings...no matter who you are. Buenos Dias. Buenas Tardes. Buenas Noches. La clinica de La Raya. Hospital Militar. Hospital Eujenio Espejo. Maternidad Isidro Ayora. Los doctores. Los enfermeros. Esperanza. La dedicaciòn de la gente en los hospitales aunque hay una falta de instumentos y medicinas. El trolle. El bùs. Los ayudantes que dicen las paradas en una voz rapida. 25 centavos para transportaciòn. Otavalo. Baños. Mindo. La Mitad del Mundo. Chirimoya. Salsa. `Los Capo`- la telenovela favorita de Francia. Jamon con queso. Quito Viejo. The walk up the hill to Francia´s house always put me out of breath. Katherine Mirro. Stephanie Cha. Rachel Peterson. Julie Topic. Sabiha Kazi. Anah Huggenvik. Janet Pollard. Tourists. Walking around with my bookbag in front of me. Hiking. Gus. Panedarias. Learning. El color de mi piel. SPF 50. I love my money belt. Paco el papagayo. Bicycles are my friend...even though the seats hurt. Waterfalls - Cascadas. Hostals. Wednesday night cinemark for $2. God is Good.

I´m out for now but I will add to this list as I think of more things....trust me...there is a LOT more. =)

Stephanie! She lived next door to us =o)

Two of my favorite people on the trip...Julie and Rachel.

With our host mom - Francia. =o)

Nuestra casa =o)...it's three floors...Francia's house takes up the bottom half.

¡Chao mis cariños!
-gina-

Winding down

Last Wednesday in Ecuador and though I don´t have much time to write this entry...I will write it in list form...because I like lists. =)
1. I´ve seen 4 births in the past two days. VERY exciting but at the same time very different than the US...
2. I went to the Museo de la ciudad today. It´s nice to know the history of the country you´re visiting. We saw an awesome exhibit by this artist named Jan Shreuder on the indigenous people of Ecuador. (I like art..) ´Ahora, hagalo con corazón´ -Jan Shreuder
3. The trolle wasn´t working so we had to walk from the hospital to a different stop. On our way, I was looking around and I saw a statue. I was thinking...that looks like Gandhi...so I went closer and helllloooo....JAI HIND! Ecuador has an area called Plaza de la Republica India with a statue of Gandhi and a lot of his quotes. It was very random...yet so cool. =)
4. I took another salsa class and it was awesome.
5. I am going to miss Quito.
6. Yesterday, we were with one of the interns as he was examining a patient. He asked us where we were from and so here´s the convo:
Dr. Espinosa: So where are you from?
Julie: Chicago
Dr. Espinosa: Chick-a-go! Like the show ER!!!
Julie and me: Exactly...=)
Dr. Espinosa (to me): Where are you from?
Me: Baltimore, MD...my parents are from India.
Dr. Espinosa: Ohhh! Like NEELA on ER!!!
Me: Exactly...=P

La Maternidad Hospital

With the Chief of OB/GYN....that's me...on the far right. =o)

With the other CFHI Interns....I am GOLDEN! That sun got me good...=oP

Plaza Republica de la India!!!

Standing with Gandhi. =o)
So usually when you walk around the city, you hold your bookbag in the front as a protective measure...from thiefs, pick-pockets, etc. I just forgot to put it down before taking the photo...=P

I´m off! See you in 3 days!
-gina-

Mindo

¡Hola!
So on Saturday morning, myself and three other girls from the program (Julie, Anah, and Sabiha) went to Mindo, a town 2 hours from Quito. We left in the morning and took a bus ($2.50) to Mindo. Before we left, I kept wondering why my tour book didn´t have a map of the town unlike Otavalo and Baños. When we reached, I realized we wouldn´t need a map because there is one Main Street and everything either on that street or behind it. We stayed at this place called Hostal Sandy which was very beautiful. I leanred that when looking for hostals you look for a few things: private bathrooms, hot water, cleanliness, and security. This place had all four things so we decided to stay.
We ate lunch and then headed over to the butterfly (mariposas) and orchid farm. This is why Mindo is famous. We saw about 50 types of orchids (very pretty) and LOTS of butterflies. We took the rest of the day to just relax. I learned how to play Hearts (a card game) and it´s similar to Spades and 28 so that was fun. On Sunday, we woke up early because we had a 2 hour walk to go see the Waterfalls. When we started, this dog (there were a lot of stray dogs) kept following us. When we turned around he would stop, but as we kept going he would follow. Now normally, I don´t think I would care...but I did not want to get bit and then have to be scared of rabies. Finally these people at a restaurant saw the dog following us and chased him away...v. nice of them. We walked about 2 hours and it was so tiring because of the sun but the scenery is fantastic. We saw the falls, put our feet in the H2O, and then walked back. Took us less time on the way back but overall it was fabulous. Total trek = 7.5 miles. WOO! =)
Once we returned, we ate lunch and then took our bus back to Quito. It was a good relaxing weekend. Today I have clinic at the Maternity Hospital from 12:30 to 4:00 and I am excited about this rotation. It is my last Monday in Quito so afterwards, we are going to do some sight-seeing around town...nothing serious, but yep. I have a salsa class at 10:00 (it´s good time pass and good exercise!) so I am off.

In other news:
-This time next week I will be at home.
-I can totally live out of my book-bag during weekend trips.
-I´ve been at one with nature so many times here in Ecuador it´s faboo.
-A lot of people in Mindo thought myself and Sabiha were Ecuadorian b/c of our skin color.
-I am off.

¡Chao!
-gina-

I just can´t give up now...

´I just can´t give up now
Come to far from where I´ve started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
But I don´t believe He´s brought me this far to leave me.´
-Mary Mary

One more week left folks...it´s bittersweet. I am going to be very sad leaving the clinics/hospitals and my host family. I am definitely a more humble person. Being put in a foreign country where the primary language is NOT your own can do that to a person. At the same time, experiencing a life where people are not handed the same opportunities and rights that you have had since birth can also do that to a person. I have seen so much and done so much that I am SO THANKFUL for the Lord´s blessings.

I am also excited to see everyone when I come home! I have lots to do when I come back to the US and I am ready to take on the new challenges that I will face. =)

Done my rotation at Hospital Eugenio Espejo´s ER and it was very awesome. We took pics with Dr. Vaca and I took a picture of the front of the ER. Tomorrow I am going to this place called Mindo with two other girls in the program and we´ll come back on Sunday. It´s known for its beautiful scenery so it´ll be nice to relax. They have an orchid farm with 200 varieties of orchids so I plan to go there on behalf of Mummy and Ponamma Aunty. =)

In other news:
-I love my family.
-People in Quito are known to add ´-ito or -ita´to the end of words. It´s basically a form of endearment. Ex. hijita (daughter), cucharita (tiny spoon), pobrecito (poor little one)
-My last rotation is at the Maternity Hospital...watching lots of babies being born.
-Americans are often called ´gringos´by Ecuadorians...it literally means ´Yankee.´ Interesting...
-3 weeks has gone by very very very fast.
-Buena Suerte Ruby on your exam!! Buena Suerte Jeff and MTC-Bmore in the tournament!!

Chao folks!

-gina-

I-N-T-E-N-S-O

Intenso.
That is the word to describe this past morning. So when I came to the ER today, Dr. Vaca put me in the trauma unit...which is basically where all the action happens. When I came in, the Red Cross (Cruz Roja) had just brought in a man who was found in the street naked and moaning with scartches and bruises everywhere. He was kicking and resisting when they tried to put the IV in (although his eyes were not open...he looked asleep, but was moving around as though he was having a nightmare) so they put restraints on him...using bandage tape. The doctors didn´t seem fazed so I tried not to seem fazed, but myself and the other 2 ecuatoriana estudiantes had to hold him down while they took blood samples and injected him with some type of tranquilizer.
Right after we did that, another gentleman (40 years old) came in with a gunshot to his face (the X-ray showed the bullet lodged in the back of his neck...thank goodness it did not hit his spinal cord). The gentleman was at work and was robbed/shot.
Two hours into the morning, someone screamed in the hallway...´¡Electrocutado, electrocutado!´ Initially I thought someone had gotten electrocuted, but one of the hospital workers (he must have been about 60 years old) was found collapsed in the hospital basement. They brought him up to the ER (about 2 minutes) and began shocking (that´s why they were screaming electrocutado) him. They were doing it in the hallway and it all seemed so confusing because there were so many doctors involved. But I assumed that´s how it is...doctors kept switching off giving compressions and shocking and it lasted for about 15 minutes. The other student in the cfhi program with me said that usually after one minute, the chance of survival is less than 50%. Unfortunately, the worker died and I was like...what...? Very confusing...
We went back to the trauma unit and it was as though we jumped from one patient to the other (there were about 7 patients in the unit). We helped move the ´resisting´gentlemen to another stretcher so he could be taken to get X-rays. Then two women came in because they were in a car accident (Side Note: The driving here is OUT OF CONTROL!)
Finally, another gentleman came in because someone had punched him in the face and he had a large wound over his left eye. He was one of the many shoe-shiner people of Ecuador. He needed stitches and despite getting some type of anesthetic for the pain, he kept kicking and screaming. I felt bad because I think he was mentally retarded and instead of describing his pain, he would moan and cry...he must have been about 22 years old. I was just watching, but the doc asked me to hold his arms down because he kept trying to stop her from stitching his eye. It was an interesting experience and after almost getting ´kneed,´Andy (the other cfhi student) held down his legs as well.

I know all these stories sound incomplete, which they are, but because we went from patient to patient...it doesn´t sound right but it was an amazing day.

I´m off folks...I need to write more about this in my cfhi journal...tata!

-gina-

La da dee la dee da

Last night after coming home, I took a quick nap (siesta) and then did some Spanish exercises and read my Spanish book for 9 year olds. My goal for these last two weeks is to learn as much vocabulary as I can. I know a lot of medical vocab now...and here are some other random words/phrases I recently learned:
-rezar: to pray
-tronar: to thunder
-poner en orden: to straighten up
I know they seem random but those are the kinds of words I need to know...I want my vocabulary to be vast. =)
Went to the ER again today for work and this time, we were in the trauma unit. It was a long morning but we were able to observe a lot...it gets more and more interesting every day. I would write more about it...but I think the food has started to hit me =( so let´s just cross our fingers because I don´t want to take Cipro.

With that being said...I am off...tata faithful readers!

-gina-

Hospital Eugenio Espejo

Today I woke up at 6:00 and left at 7:00 to take the Trolle and then walk from the stop to Hospital Eugenio Espejo. Travel time = 45 minutes. Not bad. This hospital is a public hospital and I have a rotation in the Emergency Room with Dr. Leonardo Vaca. He is a really awesome doctor and he doesn´t speak English...which I think is fabulous because I can definitely practice my spanish! =) He is really good about explaining things to us with the patients and tries to involve us as much as he can. The emergency room here in Ecuador is NOTHING...NADA...like the US. The only similarity is that patients often spend a lot of time waiting...which isn´t saying much. The triage room is smaller than my bedroom and the lack of equipment and instruments is crazy. This is an estimate, but Dr. Vaca saw about 25 patients this morning...from a baby with a fever, to a boy who was hit with a glass bottle in the head AND stomach...to a girl who swallowed acetone and insecticides because her boyfriend left her...a lot for one morning. But it was so interesting to hear their stories and I was impressed with how quickly Dr. Vaca went through the patients.
There is absolutely no privacy as well in the emergency room...doctors often talk about cases in front of the patient, in front of OTHER patients...and there isn´t adequate space to give each patient privacy while being examined. People continuously walk in triage and at times I was wondering why there was no organization. I was not even sure at how big of an issue sterility plays in the hospital.
It is exciting to see the many sides of health care in Ecuador...from rural clinics to public and private hospitals...they are all very different. I have met many amazing doctors and those that don´t seem to show any empathy for the patients...which is unfortunately disheartening. The majority of those coming to the hospital are poor.

So after my rotation, I went to lunch ($1) and then sat in a cafe and read my Spanish book. I walked around Mariscal and after typing this, I am going to go home (it will take me an hour to get back) and work on some Spanish exercises...I am trying very hard to build my vocabulary.

In other news:
-When people ask me what country I am from...they look at me funny when I say Estados Unidos (US)...so I add that my folks are from India and they are more satisfied with that answer. It´s understandable because they expect you to be white if you say you´re from the US...very interesting.
-There are a LOT of tourists here in Ecuador.
-This is my last weekend in Ecuador so I am going to stay in Quito and check out the sites.
-We saw an Ecuadorian ballet last week (very folkloric) and it was SUPER cool. I feel cultured. (But not the biology kind of culture...haha...chiste chiste) =)
-I am taking a salsa class tomorrow...not the kind with tostitos! =)
-Always drink lots of water (el agua)
-¡Escriba un mensaje por favor! (Write a message please!) =)

¡chao chao!
-gina-

Baños = Baths

-¡Feliz el dia de los Padres...especialmente a mi papi...CHACHA! We feel so blessed to have Chacha here with us and healthy...he is definitely a testimony to the love of the Lord...Love you Chacha! =D

This weekend I am in Baños which is a town about 3.5 hours from Quito. It is a very touristy area (when you see the pics of the weekend...you´ll see how much I scream tourist as well) but it is known for these spring baths that are nice to sit in and relax. I´m not a big pool person so I knew before I came that I would not get in these baths. But there are a lot of other things to do in Baños...and so begins my story...

On friday, I went into the hospital and despite my doctor not being there...I was able to see a surgery of a 80 year old man who had thrombus (right spelling?) in his veins...so they had to remove the vein (if i understood the spanish correctly...you can remove the great vein without complications) in order to avoid the thrombus traveling up to his lungs and heart...it was cool because the surgeon was a women and well...Girl Power! =)
We left for Baños around 3:30 and reached at 7. So myself and my housemate, Katy, are the only ones who have the Lonely Planet Travel Guide to Ecuador. Despite us having a small group, people depend on us to find the hostals, restaurants, etc...nice at times because we have the info...but not fun at others because there are a few in the group who are a little weird...they like to get the info. they want right when they ask us (who said I was a tour guide?)...but I won´t speak any further about that because you move on and have fun w/ the other people and thank God for experiences like this! =) We stayed in this hostal called Los Nevados (6 bucks a night) and went to dinner at this Mexican Restaurant called Panchovilla...very nice. Then back to the hostal...and fell asleep watching The West Wing...in Spanish.
Saturday...ate breakfast and then did what was one of the coolest experiences...EVER. We rented mountain bikes (think: Gina has not been on a bike since she was maybe...11 years old) and we biked 20km to Rio Verde. I think that was one of the toughest things ever...I´m not used to bike riding and every time we got to a hill (only about 3)...I thought I was going to pass out. But I did it!! Don´t believe me? That´s ok...I have pictures to prove it! =) Once we got to Rio Verde, we locked up our bikes...and then walked to La Nariz del Diablo (The Devil´s Nose). It was about a 2 mile walk to this huge waterfall that looks like a face...I don´t know why it refers to the Devil because it was way to beautiful. We took a bus back to Baños because it was getting dark and then went to dinner at this Italian place (I know...you´re probably wondering why we´re eating at non-Ecuadorian places but there are few Ecuadorian restaurants here in Baños).
Overall it was a very cool day and now i am relaxing, going to do some reading and writing before we head back to Quito. I still can´t believe I was on a bike but I feel sore now and it feels great!

In other news:
-Sugar cane (caña de azúcar) is very popular here.
-If you can´t appreciate the beauty of nature...then something must be wrong...
-Bike seats are not comfortable
-Ecuadorians REALLY like reggaeton...a LOT!
-Internet is costing me 2 bucks for an hour and that is not cool.
-I am really out of shape...either that or the altitude is bleeeh.
-2 more weeks until I come home!
-Hi Mummy, Chacha, Jamie and Aimee!
-I get to work in the Emergency Room at Hospital Eugenio Espejo this week!
-The Lord is good.

The springs in Banos. The water is yellow because of the minerals.

Bike riding with Sabiha! =o)

Katie and I were housemates...she made the trip SO MUCH fun! I miss you Katie!!

Crossing the river on this zipline type thing...I don't know how to explain it. Sabiha, me, Rachel, and Katie.

Whoa...bungee jumping...
I'm that blue dot. =o) AWESOME experience.

That's sugarcane! They make this toffee out of it...it was very cool to watch.

Exploring. =o)

Knocked out on the ride back from Banos....sporting my Race for the Cure shirt...wahoo! =o)

¡Chao chao!
-gina-

Lost in Love

God will never give You anything you cannot handle...Can I get an Amen? With that being said...

Manifest your Love in me
By your presence let me see
Fatherless I´ll never be
When I am with You
Bring the Love that casts out fear
Melodies I long to hear
Only You can dry my tears
When I am with You

Oh Lord, when I am with You it´s easy
I can´t deny Your love and my
Heart is laid open before You
When I am with You
I´m Lost in Love

Chao Chao!
-gina- =)

Hospital Militar

So this post will be quick because I have Spanish class at 3:00 and it takes me 10 minutes to walk back. When I came home on Monday night, Francia (my ammachi) looked really sad. That night, there was a huge earthquake in the north of Chile...her hometown. During the night (in Ecuador), we felt the after shocks around 1 AM which was pretty interesting because it wasn´t expected. It woke us up but I think I was too tired to realize anything...it stopped after 2 or 3 minutes...I´m happy it wasn´t even more serious.

So this week as I said before, I am at the Military Hospital. Yesterday I watched a heart surgery where this young lady (28 years) had a ´valve´ in her aorta that was connected to her pulmonary artery...the doctor had to close off the valve to prevent the mixing of deoxy and oxy blood. It was interesting because I thought that valve was closed off after you are born...but in this case no. And I was more surprised that she was having it done so late in life...amazing. Today we saw the same surgery but on a 11 year old boy and we saw a gall bladder removed. The doctors are all very nice and really like students watching the surgeries. I think they also like us because they can practice their English...=)

Tonight we are going to the Ballet Andino...much like a folkloric story...it should be nice.

In other news...
-Our next door neighbor has a parrot and it says ´Hola´...it´s pretty entertaining.
-Shoutout to...Mummy, Chacha, Jamie, Aimee, Yogi, Anoop and Beven...because they left comments! =)
-There is a LOT of smog/pollution here in Ecuador.
-I am an expert at the Bus/Trolle system.
-Whenever I tell people I am from Baltimore, MD...they look at me blankly...so I add that it is near Washington DC and they suddenly get excited. =P
-During surgery today, the doctor today played every single Bryan Adams song ever...and he sang with it too.
-My lunch cost $1.30 today...awesome.
-My family is awesome.
-I have made taking cold showers an art...lather and rinse...out in 5 minutes.
-Yup...that´s about it. =)

Chao chao!
-gina-

The Beat of Ecuador

Note: The guys here in the internet cafe are trying to fix one of the computers and I just want to tell them to call Aimee so she can help. Diga ´hola!´if your computer has been touched by the hands of Aimee...teehee! =)

-Ok...let´s see...first things first...I was very happy to see all the Kuttons pics...so awesome. JAI KUTTONS! =) (If you don´t know what it is...ask...and you shall know)
-They are playing Spice Girls in this internet cafe...zigga zig ah!
-Praise the Lord for internet.
-Now onto the day...

Today I worked at Hospital Militar. I was with Dr. Gustavo Cifuentes who is an anesthesiologist. The reason why it was so great is because the surgeries you see are so vast. I first sat in on a plastic surgery (pretty basic) where a woma´n could not stretch her thumb (it was in a bent position) because her tendon was too short. So they basically cut the tendon then added a piece of plastic to make the tendon longer. Muy cheverre. The second surgery was on a man´s nose...I´m sad to say I don´t know what it was called but I´ll ask the doc tomorrow and get back to you. Basically...there was an obstruction in his nose by the bone...and they had to crack his nose...ouch. I didn´t get to see all of it because we´re only allowed to work four hours a day. But that´s ok...I really liked talking to the anesthesiologist because he answered all of my questions (no matter how weird they sounded). He has also been to Baltimore!! How random is that? He likes the inner harbor and aquarium...he came to Maryland because he has a friend at Shady Grove Hospital.

We also had Spanish class today and we have a different teacher. He likes conversation. So we talked straight for 2 hours...yikes...about me, working in the clinics, culture, politics....it was awesome. My spanish is getting a lot more understandable...one of the other anesthesiologists asked me to translate something that she heard. YAY! =)

Not much else to report...I thought I was going to get sick yesterday (as in diarrhea...sorry for those folks who didn´t want to know that but if you´re reading this...then...I LOVE YOU...haha!) but I felt a lot better this morning. I think I´m going to go back home and do some journaling and studying after dinner. A lot of people are going to this place called Baños this weekend and I´m not sure if I´ll go because I feel like spending my weekend in Quito...we´ll see.

In other news:
-In Ecuador, they call Diet Coke...Coca-Cola Light.
-I love public transportation...only 25 cents!
-I am craving chicken curry.
-They played Van Morrison during the surgery...I chuckled.
-Shoutout to MC-JA, KUTTONS, RDJ-JA, the MGOCSM, and UMBC folks!!!
-Not much news to report today.
-I love everyone...that is all. =)

Chao mis amores!
-gina-

¡Otovalo!

Hola =)
So right now we are in Otavalo, a town about 2 hours from Quito. So yesterday morning at 7:30, a group of the girls in the program (9 of us) took a van (with a travel guide) and traveled to many different places including Calrderon, Cotacachi, and Otavalo. Otavalo was our ultimate destination because it is known for this HUGE market where people come and sell ponchos, necklaces, cloth, earrings and a lot of other stuff. No matter how much the stuff is, you are expected to bargain so I took the skills that I observed from Sally Amamma and Nene Amamma (Chacha´s sisters) and was on my way. I didn´t do too much shopping but I had more fun bargaining....I think it´s in the blood.
BUT...before we even got to Otavalo, we went to other places. For example...LA MITAD DEL MUNDO! The equator line is in Ecuador. So we went to the place where you can stand in two hemispheres at one time...we took pictures...very touristy. =) We also went to Cotacachi where there are these two huge volcanoes. We HIKED up the volcano (not all the way up)...which was a lot of fun and something I wanted to do. But it was so tough because the altitude was at 10,000 feet and I was out of breath!
In all of this, we had a tour guide who was very good about telling us the history and stories of the Indigenous people. When we finally reached Otavalo, we did some shopping and then checked into a hostel. It was called Hostal Valle del Amanecer. It was so beautiful and cost us $7 for one night (it included breakfast). Not bad because the rooms were simple and the bathrooms were fine. My first hostal experience!
This morning (Sunday), I sang some of the morning prayer songs to myself (I miss church...) and we walked around Otavalo. Most of the people here are indigenous and they are some amazing people. Many of them are poor which is why the market is so popular...they make their money selling these crafts to people. We´re now in an internet cafe and we´re going to take a bus back to Quito at 4.
Tomorrow I get to go to Hospital Militar! =)
I do miss everyone though...there have many times in the past few days where I just felt like I wanted to be home...not that Ecuador isn´t nice or that I don´t enjoy the hospitals...I really do but yep...I just miss everyone. =)

In other news:
-A delicacy here is cuy...which means guinea pig.
-It is interesting to see the different ways people must make a living in this world.
-I like paying 2 bucks for my lunch.
-I put on SPF 50 every day because I want to avoid a tan...I think I´m crazy.
-Mummy and Chacha left me a comment on my blog. I love them so much!
-Hi Mr. Harry!
-I bought a Spanish children´s book so I can practice my spanish. It´s for ages up to 9 years old. I am 21 years old. I am humbled.
-Ecuador´s soccer team is the light of their country...it´s very cheverre.
-I can´t wait to develop the pictures I´ve taken so far.
-Te amo!

Girls on the Otovalo trip

Taken by our tour guide's 7 year old son. For those who are asking, 'GINA...WHY are you wearing a name tag?' Well...it's on the shirt...I got it when I was a Woolie at UMBC....=o)

Alpaca!

Veggies at the market

People tear this uppppppppp! Although it looks a little scary in my opinion...

La Mitad del Mundo!! Ecuador = equator. I'm straddling the equator line...YAY!

Until next time folks...Chao!
Con amor,
-gina-

Avenida America

I was going to write an entry yesterday but we were at a different internet cafe and it was too expensive (seriously...$3 an hour...no way). So today is friday and we got out of our clinic at 11 because the whole staff had to go to a meeting. We went in early to compensate for the time. I woke up at 5:30 and left by 6:30 and reached the clinic at 7:45...lots of travel time. Yesterday was awesome because we worked with the doctor and sat with her while she was with patients. She specializes in rural medicine and most of the patients were children, but it ranges with age. It varied from fever (fiebre), cough (tos), infections from parasites (infecciones de parasitios), to high blood pressure (presion alta). There are very few medicines that the clinic can prescribe...mainly because it is so limited. Usually amoxacilin (did i spell that correctly?) and tylenol. It was fun...I took someone´s blood pressure (i know it`s not that serious but i was so excited) and listened to a lot of heart beats and lungs. Today was the same and when we were done, we took pictures with the doctor, staff, and of the clinic. I brought the disposable type camera (teehee) but it´s perfect because I´ll get them on a CD when I go back home.

Two days ago at our spanish class our teacher told us we had to memorize all the body parts and the parts of the systems in spanish...I was pretty frustrated that day because one girl in the class kept giving all the answers (she´s a med student) and I was sitting there because I never learned these parts before. BUT...that didn´t stop me...I memorized them that night (the night I wrote my last entry) and felt real happy in class...WOO! Cheverre! =) The nurse at our clinic quizzed me as well so I was happy. We don´t have spanish class today so we´re going to go walk around the historic sites of Quito and tomorrow we will go to Otavalo!

In other news:
-Shoutouts to everyone who has a name that begins with the following: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
-Walking up hills seems to be very prevalent here.
-God is good.
-I ate a fried plantain yesterday and it tasted like ethyaka appam.
-I forgot my alarm clock in the US. BUT...somehow, I have woken up on time (early even) to get ready and go to clinic. Yay for my biological clock.
-Spongebob is popular here. Bob Esponja! =)
-I am inspired by people who know how to go so far despite limitations. (Yay for the people at La Raya!)
-I like public transportation.
-Sometimes I accidently mix Spanish and Malayalam. Someone asked me how many weeks we were staying here in Quito and I said, ´nala` (four...did i spell that right?) instead of ´cuatro.` And when my ammachi asked if I wanted more rice at dinner...I said ´enikke vende` instead of ´no quiero, gracias.` It´s sort of funny actually. =)
-I miss everyone.

Me voy a ir. Necesito ir a mi casa despues voy a reunir con una chica para almuerzo.
Con amor,
-gina-

Cheverre!

Disclaimer: The keyboard is especially for the spanish language so if there are random letters or accents in the blog...you know why. =)

-So here is a cool word for you all out there: Cheverre - cool, great, fantastic
-Another random thought: I accidently wore two different colored earrings here in Ecuador and at first I was apalled but now I actually think I might start something here in Ecuador.
-Another another random thought: I miss everyone.
-Another another another random thought: Ecuador is cheverre! =)

Today we began clinics and myself and this guy, Jerrod (pre-med), went to Salud Centro de Servicio aka La Raya en el sur de Quito. This clinic is a 45 min bus ride (QUITE the experience...we actually jumped onto the bus...it was...fabulous!). The clinic is VERY small and it is run by two women doctors (so awesome), 1 nurse, 1 technician, and 1 receptionist. It is funded by the government...so all medicines are free. Sounds good, right? It is...but the lack of medicine, supplies (think: they use a Coca-Cola bottle as a Sharps container), and vaccinations is tough. The clinic sees anyone and everyone, but there were mainly women and children. Because the doctor we were supossed to be with was not there...I was with the lab tech and helping her look at urine/blood/vaginal/stool samples. The problems and health issues people have there are much different than the US. For example...parasites. They do not wash their fruit and it comes from the coast so the sanitary conditions are not good. Huge presence of intestinal parasites.

Overall, we were surprised at the lack of well...everything. They re-use a lot of things (test tubes...and in one case, gloves) and although they use soap to wash this stuff...I just don´t know. In the US...nothing seems to be used more than one...we are very liberal with supplies for sanitary sake. So CFHI has a program where they collect medical supplies and donate them to clinics like La Raya. Before we left for the day, Jarrod and I talked to the clinic staff and tried to find out what they needed....they need things as simple as staples...to blood pressure cuffs (i think they had two)...to IV sets.

The staff was awesome...despite the limits of the clinic they were very kind and always treated the patients really well. Nobody spoke english which was good for us because it forced us to speak. At the same time it was TOUGH (think: blank look on Gina´s face when I don´t understand something). Tough mainly because they used a LOT of medical terms in spanish that I was not familiar with. But I asked lots of questions and now the staff loves us so much! Cheverre! =) I am at this clinic for the week.

So after clinic, we had Spanish class from 2-6. There are 3 people in the class which is good because you get a lot out of it. We review a lot of grammar and talk A LOT (good practice). Today we also began learning Medical Spanish so tonight I have to memorize all the parts of the body and the different systems (respiratory, digestive, circulatory...etc). I am going to make a lot of flashcards.

In other news...
-I´ve been told twice that I look like I am Brazilian...el color de mi piel. I told them otherwise. =)
-Did I already say that my host ammachi is awesome? She was a teacher for 52 years so she always makes us repeat vocab at breakfast (cucharra - spoon, tenedor - fork, cuchillo - knife). We had an awesome convo this morning about the invasion of the conquistadores espanoles en Peru en 1500. Thank goodness I took that class about Latinoamerica y sus culturas. =P
-My ammachi loves to read...she wants to read Angeles y Demonios (Angels and Demons) really bad so my housemates and I are going to get it for her. =)
-My ammachi´s daughter has lupos and has had to go to the hospital these past few nights so please pray for her...her name is Carmen...she is really nice and also hosting students.
-We walk a LOT here in Quito so I will be in good shape when I come back. The only issue is that Quito´s altitude is very high so it´s easy to get tired, out of breath...but it´s not a serious issue...I like to use that excuse instead of thinking I´m out of shape. =)
-The people I hang with here are very nice so we are going to try and go to Otavalo this weekend. It´s famous for it´s markets and there are a couple of historic sites to see.
-I paid 2 bucks for my lunch today...so good.
-Ecuador has a lot of things from America...think: TonyRomma´s, Applebees, Curves, McDonalds...it´s hilarious.
-Christina Aguilera is from Ecuador.
-We´re in an internet cafe and it´s 60 cents for an hour. The guy here loves music...American music...and he loves to sing it...it´s hilarious...from Eminem to Puff Daddy to Will Smith to Tori Amos to BSB to everything. Now we´re listening to that song where it´s like...¨You got a fast car...¨ Who sings that?
-Oooh...I wish I was home to spend time at the KUTTONS REUNION this weekend. But no worries folks...I´m on the lookout for new things to make some kuttons AND this is the land of TRES LECHES...teehee!
-I like to write lists.

Yo voy a escribir este parafo en ingles porque necesito practicar mi espanol. Una vez mas...estoy muy contenta que tengo esta oportunidad. Me gusta las clases de espanol y aunque yo fui a la clinica solamente una vez...la tiene un gran impacto. Es interesante a conocer personas de una cultura que es la opuesta de suyos. Ecuador y los Estados Unidos son muy diferentes en la comida, la lengua, los valores, los costumbres y las personas...pero en el caso de la salud...todas las personas no quieren estar enfermas. Es muy interestante.

Gorgeous Kids in the Clinic...my favorite is the second nina...she does not look impressed. =o)

Classic shot with the kids. Speaking spanish was awesome...because my level of Spanish is basically that of a 6 year old. =o) (Probably worse!)

Jarrod (the other CFHI student) and myself.

La Clinica a la Raya - the community clinic.

Ok...me voy a ir y estudiar. =)
Te amo!
Chao mis amores!
-gina-

PS. YAY for all the comments! Even Mummy and Chacha wrote one!!

Mariscal!

So right now, my housemates and our neighbor are in Mariscal at an internet cafe....this area is quite înteresting in that it is very modern and loud but very cool. Internet cafes are very popular here and I have realized that I am very spoiled by our wireless connection.
Yesterday a bunch of the girls in the program decided to go down to La Plaza Grande and we actually ended up getting lost because the trolle was not working because there was a MARATHON =) going on. It was really cool watching all these people run...I took a picture! We then ended up walking 5 miles (no lie) and saw La Basilica and a bunch of other cool cultural sites. It was nice walking and we ate lunch at this fusion chinese/ecuadorian place. My lunch cost 2 bucks...no lie. It was fabulous. We then took a different trolle and went back to the Spanish school to have orientation. My clinic schedule is as follows:
Week 1 - Walk-in Clinic at La Magdalena
Week 2 - Hospital Militar (Surgeria)
Week 3 - Hospital Espejo Eugenio (Emergencia)
Week 4 - La Maternidad
From the looks of the orientation...it is going to be intense because there is only one or two people per rotation....but I am happy because that means more attention! I start on Wednesday. For the first two weeks, it will be a combination of clases and clinic. Last night we ate dinner with our Host Ammachi around 7 and then spent a lot of time talking to her. She has a lot of stories to tell and she is really good about correcting our Spanish when we speak. She was a teacher for 52 years and she taught spanish and french. She then owned a daycare with her daughter but in 2000, she lost the daycare when the Ecuadorian economy started going down. The sucre was changed to the dollar and although it was to help stabilize the economy, a lot of people were negatively affected financially. So sad...but she is so strong and so loving. She always calls us her hijitas which means little daughters.
Today we had more orientation and walked around to all the hospitals. Getting around is often tough because the trolle system is confusing, but it is getting better and my spanish is flowing much better. I wish I had more stories to tell but we have not done anything super exciting as of yet. Everyone in the program is nice. We begin Spanish classes tomorrow and I have already started reading the grammar book...I know...nerdy...esto es mi. (this is me.) =)
Overall, Ecuador is a beautiful country. It is really like being in Bombay....my room is beautiful and at times, I feel very spoiled...which also could mean blessed. =)
I miss everyone...a lot.
Adios!
Praying for everyone!
Con amor,
-gina-

¡Estoy en Ecuador!

Ok
I just wrote a post.
It got deleted.
Sigh.
BUT
Estoy en ecuador! My flight was delayed by two hours so we came in LATE last night and my host family picked me up. I along with two other girls are living with Francia Ducos...she´s an Ammachi and she is FABULOUS! We ate jabon con queso sandwiches and drank juice made from tomato de arboles. It´s this fruit here that is good for your cholesterol. The other two girls in the house are really nice...both med students. We met up with some other people in the program and today we have orientation at 3pm. Now I am in an Internet cafe and it´s very cheap to use the internet.

I miss everyone though...a lot. It hit me last night when we arrived in Quito, Ecuador. But I´m holding my own and keeping the Malayalee Orthodox character in me. It was funny because I met two missionary groups on the way to Ecuador...one Baptist and one Presbyterian. It was sorta funny b-c the Baptist group gave me a ´Jesus´ bracelet. =P Getting through customs was easy and my equipaje wasn´t lost!

It´s weird though because now mis pensamientos son en espanol (my thoughts are in spanish). And being immersed in the culture forces you do speak so you can hold your own and get through the day! I like it. Ecuador is like India but the people are speaking spanish.

Ok...I´m off...God is with me and I can feel everyone´s prayers! I miss you MC-JA and all my church family and friends.
Chao mis amores!
-gina-

PS. If we didn´t take chances because we were afraid...then where would we be in life?

Leaving on a jet plane...

"Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalms 34:8
In less than 3 hours, I will be on my way to the airport and then soon off to Ecuador! Mummy greeted me by saying 'hola' this morning...how fabulous. =) Everything is packed...I took copies of all my important documents and cards...including my Starbucks card...just in case!......just kidding. =) I think I'm ready to go!

The next post will be in Ecuador so please keep me in your prayers folks...I will miss everyone and you will definitely be in my thoughts, hearts, and prayers.

Chao mis amores!
~gina~

"So keep'em coming these lines on the road
And keep me responsible be it a light or heavy load
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes"
-Caedmon's Call "Faith my Eyes"

Bienvenido!

bienvenido a mi 'blog!' yo escribo este 'blog' para mi familia y mis amigos mientras estoy en ecuador. =) (pero yo escribire en ingles en el futuro...jaja)
chao mis amores,
~gina~

welcome to my 'blog!' I am writing this 'blog' for my family and my friends while I am in ecuador. =) (but i will write in english in the future...haha)
see you later my loves,
~gina~