One of the few shots I could get. You can't really see the houses. It is too dangerous to bring my camera. I will post more pictures if I can get them.
The Junta honored us and we got to sit at the big, fancy conference center table.
Taking BPs. Tiny picture, not sure why.
Teaching about nutrition at the Stake Health Fair.
Today I was out in the community again. It is such a fabulous opportunity to serve and teach. We are dropped off in pairs at various Centros de Salud about an hour from the center of Guayaquil... one Spanish speaker (me) and one non-Spanish speaker. Then, we serve.
When we arrived, no one was waiting at the Centro de Salud for us to teach. So, we went out like missionaries and knocked... or yelled BUENO and recruited 40 women to come. We taught the same basics we always do... water purification and nutrition. It is amazing how simple these topics seem to us in the United States... however, they are landmines for the poverty stricken people of Ecuador. They don't have water... and when auga potable is driven in each day, it is contaminated (yet, chloro costs money and not everyone can afford to use it). Nutrition is a whole new battle. We use the beautiful food pyramid in the US. However, these families do not have the resources to eat like we can... nor do they have many grocery stores to buy from! Rice just went up 10 cents last week and is a great cause for concern for these people. The 55 gallon tanks of water raised from 80 cents to 90 cents, and families are afraid they won't be able to drink. The bare necessities of life are such a challenge here.
After we talked about the necessity, I felt the need to talk some more about sexual abuse of women. We talked about coming together as women... as a community to fight against violence. I saw eyes light up with hope. We passed out violence pamphlets and urged them to spread the word throughout their community. I pray for an end to the domestic abuse here.
This evening, after clinical in the community we went to David's birthday party at his mom's restaurant. To our surprise, his mom had hired a professional mariachi band to play while we danced the night away. So, we danced, and danced, and danced. It was great fun... I learned the art of dancing to Regatone.
May 15, 2008
Today I was in the community once again. However, driving there today was not nearly as conveinent. There was a huge protest over the pay of professors at a local college. So, they appropriately lit tons of tires on fire across the front of our bus literally trapping us inside. I am not quite sure what this served them, but we had to wait for an hour before they would let us go. It was intoxicating breathing in the smoke! We had a man stand at the bus door preventing the protesters from coming in and we shut our windows to attempt to shield the smoke. I was so happy when a peace agreement was made with our bus because we were health personnel.
I love going to the various homes and feel such love for the people. We were asked to visit a "special home" that was about a 25 minute bus ride away. As we were leaving, one of the volunteers pulled me into a room and told me to please empty my pockets at the Centro before leaving because I would for sure be robbed on the bus. He explained the route that we would be on was incredibly dangerous and I needed to be careful. When he explained more about the bus that we would be traveling on I explained that BYU would not be okay with this form of traveling. Instead, I explained that we had walked 20 minutes the day before and we could surely walk 40 to the home. I began heading towards the door when the guia stopped me. They refused to let us walk. They explained that we would be jumped by the gangs... our clothes would be taken and possibly our life. It was decided that we would find another home closer to the Centro.
Although the Centro I am assigned is very dangerous, I don't feel threatened by the people at all. In fact, I am very impressed. We taught a lady who had a very difficult life. Her husband was unfaithful and abusive and she finally left him with her 5 kids. Then, her oldest son was jumped and beaten to death by a gang in a nearby area. She was distraught. Then, she started a business which promptly failed... leaving her without a home. The Hogar de Cristo recently built her a "home" so she can live in a shelter. I figured she was probably uneducated, and would know very little about health. When I began teaching her about the prevention and treatment of diarrhea I was astounded at her incredible knowledge. She could have taught me the lesson. She commented, "Sister, I may be very poor, but I am also very crafty. I learn me lessons well. Don't feel bad for me."
What a lesson we can learn from this beautiful woman! There are many lessons to be learned through our trials... and pity shouldn't be one of them. I am sad for these poverty stricken families. My heart breaks to see their trials. But, they are truly happy. They are resourceful and obedient. They are kind and charitable... they don't need money to do it.
Tonight we sponsored a ward health fair. It was amazing to see the many people show up and participate. I absolutely love teaching! My Spanish is really beginning to improve as I teach and interact with the people here. Me and two other girls are in charge of the Nutrition and Exercise booth. It is truly amazing how much these people love to learn. They are so willing to change and adapt to newer, healthier ideas. We taught them about the food pyramid and healthy eating, how to take a pulse, blood pressure and exercise. Many of them had never felt their own pulse and were so excited to learn. They thought I was such a funny gringa when the the Relief Society President couldn't find her own pulse and I dramatically exclaimed that she must be muerta (dead). I am beginning to fit right in to the lighthearted, Latin humor!
May 16, 2008
Today I spent the morning teaching a group of administrative nurses in the Sotomayor hospital (maternity hospital) about various health topics. I am so pleased to see the great knowledge these nurses have. If only they would implement more of it here. We are working on implementing continuing education for all the nurses and improving communication with the doctors. We have a great responsibility, however, not only to teach but to learn. We get to learn how to be far more resourceful from them and how to love learning. It is a great exchange.
This evening began with an adventure. We had a Stake Health Fair that we were sponsoring. After arriving, a small group of us realized we had been so busy we had yet to eat. We figured there would be a place to get a bite if we walked up the road a bit. We set out to buy an empanada or two and discovered after about 15 minutes of walking that we were not going to have much luck. We were determined to continue and finally found a huge mall in which we discovered an American favorite... Burger King! We were thrilled (until we ate it and discovered it was not quite the same). It was now 10 minutes after the Health Fair was supposed to start (good thing Latins are always late)! We rushed outside only to discover it was raining! Being that we were all wearing thin, white scrub tops and it would be about a 25 minute walk back we decided to hail a taxi. Evidently, gringas are not good at hailing taxis. A good 15 taxis passed us by before we got desperate! We stopped a car and asked if he would be willing to drive us to the LDS church for a dollar. Luckily, money talks. We arrived just on time... like I said, you can always count on Latins to be late (even with their clocks set forward a half hour).
Once again, teaching was tons of fun! I LOVE IT!
May 17, 2008
Today was a delightful day! We traveled to a protected area of Ecuador called Cerro Blanco. It holds 50-60% of the world's diversity in animal and insect species. It is beautifully preserved and is a diamond among all the rough here in Ecuador. We were able to go on a 4 hour hike up the mountain and all around. When we first arrived, we were greeted by the staff in an outside amplitheater. I was so scared of the huge ants... little did I know what was to come. After the hike, the ants seemed like bunny rabbits. I cannot explain the amount of spiders I saw today. These are no ordinary spiders either... they are huge... literally the size of my hand. We saw the world in its purest form and although I sweat like a pig and was probably hot enough to boil an egg off of, it will always be one of my favorite experiences. The trees are huge... literally gigantic. We learned about the history behind each tree and its medicinal purposes. We also heard some pretty scary sounding monkeys, but never could find them. Our guide was so in tune with nature it was incredible... he was our own Steve Irwin. He would pick up the huge spiders and move them out of our way. He could spot anything, including a frog the size of a nickel, 2 tarantulas, birds, etc.. It was absolutely amazing. The hike was quite strenuous and was great exercise, but I was energized by the nature.
Afterwards we went on a "canoe" ride through the Mangrove Forrest. It was beautiful but way too hot. I got very sea sick along with several others. And, well, it wasn't quite a canoe... more like a sinking piece of wood.
Well, for those of you who have emailed and asked... I am starting to feel better. The cipiro is doing its job. I am so blessed to have this opportunity. It is such a wonderful experience. I love the people and I love the beautiful land. I am missing Matt more each day and look forward to seeing him in a week and a half.
Thanks to all of you who post and email... it is so helpful. Sorry I can't write back... I hardly have time to post at all.
1 comment:
WOW what a great adventure!
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