This past week has been extremely busy! I rotated in the Adolescent Clinic with Dra. Dora Carrera, a pediatrician. The whole week was filled with doing rounds in the post-partum adolescent maternity wing and well baby checkups. The Adolescent Clinic is solely focused on the health and well being of teen mothers and their babies. The adolescent maternity wing was full of 14-17 year olds who had a baby in the past day or two. This rotation by far, was interesting, but VERY routine. I think It was a government run clinic, so there were tons of people in the hallways waiting to be seen, and tons of babies. There was very little variation in the children that I saw; some babies were extremely healthy, or if not, they had a cold or a rash. The sheer number of patients that the doctors saw per day were amazing. In Ecuador, the government only pays doctors to work for 4 hours at a time. In one day, we would see at least 10 babies, with plenty more still lounging around in the hallways.
My Spanish is getting much better, conversationally. My medical Spanish, on the other hand, is stagnant. I need to work on it a lot more.
This weekend, I went to Mindo, Ecuador, a small town about 2 hours north of Quito, with Sharon, a med student from UVA. Mindo more commonly known as the Cloud Forest, because (I think) it is higher in elevation than Quito and when you are up high enough, all you can see is clouds above your head. On Saturday, Sharon and I met up with three other med students and went tubing down the Rio Cinto. As our tour guide told us, the Rio Cinto is not for children, and boy was he right. I was a little nervous to go because I cannot swim, but it was an INCREDIBLE experience and an amazing way to see the natural side of Ecuador. There were several rapids that almost tipped us over but thankfully, we didn't. I almost wished that we had gone on a longer expedition; it was really relaxing and amazing.
After that, we went to a little restaraunt that a couple from Michigan (random!!) owned. The wife always wanted to learn how to grow her own coffee and chocolate, so they bought a plot of land in Mindo and started growing their own cacao and coffee beans. They showed us and a group of students from Vanderbilt how they process and make their own chocolate from bean to finished product. Afterwards, they made us some fresh sugar cane juice with a dash of lime. It was sweet, but not as sweet as I expected it to be. It was very good.
Later on Saturday night, we ate at a restaraunt that specialized in "natural" foods. I had a huge fried trout, papas fritas and a tomato and onion salad. I also had a tall glass of tree tomato juice (my absolute favorite of all time). We sat around and had great conversation and amazing food. The restaraunt was open so it was like you were sitting in the middle of the jungle. Very cool. Later on that night, we walked around the town looking for something to do. There was a club (or discotecha) but it cost $2 to get in, so we didn't go. We were hoping to go to a karoke bar, but it was closed. We ended up sitting outside with a bunch of locals and couple other Americans chatting and watching people walk and dance in the streets. Around 10PM we got super tired, and headed back to our hostels.
I should take a moment here and say how amazingly wonderful my hostel in Mindo was. If anyone goes to Mindo (which everyone should!), please stay at the Cabanas Armonia. The owners are amazingly welcoming and for $14 a night you can stay in a cute little cabin with a private bath situated in their orchid garden. Desayuno (breakfast) is included and while you eat, you can watch hummingbirds feed on sugar water less than 6 feet away from you. It is an incredible experience. As I fell asleep Saturday night, I could hear the sounds of nature all around me. That was the best I had slept in a LONG time.
On Sunday, we rode in the back of a pickup truck and down a dirt road to a butterfly farm. We saw all different types of butterflies and took some amazing pictures. We hiked back down the road to a ziplining place (they call it canopy). We had already walked (in the early morning blazing hot sun) 20 minutes to get to the entrance of the park and then it was another 2 kilometers up to where the course began. I walked maybe 500 meters and then I gave up. I flagged down the next truck driver going up the mountain and in my best Spanish that I could muster, I hitched a ride the rest of the way. So, those of you that know me know that I do not particularly like heights. So I'm sure you're wondering why on Earth did I go ziplining in the middle of West Nowheresville. I think I did it because I realized that this is a once in a lifetime experience, and if I didn't do it, I would eventually regret it. In addition, I had four other girls staging an intervention for me and forcing me to go. Oh and finally, I had already prepaid my $10 for my ticket. So I had to go. The ziplines were absolutely amazing! The guides were really knowledgable (they had better be) and friendly, and for $10, we did 10 different ziplines. People could go "Superman" or "Mariposa (Butterfly)" on a zipline. The Superman was just like it sounded: horizontal with your legs wrapped around a guide for safety/stabilization. Mariposa is a little bit different; you go on a zipline spread eagle...and upside down. Needless to say, I did neither. :)
After ziplining and snacking, we took a truckride to a waterfall that had a huge slide. Unfortunately, no one told me that there was going to be another 20 minute hike 98% downhill to get to a cold spring, the slide and a kiddie pool. Although it was incredibly gorgeous going down (and up), I was ready to pass out as soon as I got there. I took off my shorts and tshirt and stuck my feet in the most frigid water known to mankind. I could have been in Alaska and not known the difference. Once again, I would like to say that the water was really pretty and the scenery was amazing, but I had no desire to jump all the way in. 15 minutes later, I packed up my stuff and started on the most difficult hike that I have ever taken in my life. I had to stop like 10 times on the way back up the mountain because I was so completely out of breath (the air is really thin here) and because my thighs were burning like I had been running a marathon. I was the last one of my group to arrive and I felt like I had finished a triathalon.
We headed back to town in a pickup truck of course. By then, it has started to rain. We went back to our hostels, took a shower, grabbed our stuff, bought snacks for the bus ride and headed back to Quito. We were all incredibly exausted and fell asleep almost immediately after we started off. Mindo was an amazing experience and I really would love to come back. I'm thinking of coming next summer, emailing the hostel and seeing if I can stay with them, learn more Spanish and work for room and board. South Americans love to do that for people. :)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Health Stuff
I know I didn't come here to just to eat, learn Spanish and read American books. I came to learn about the health care system here. And even with just 2 days of clincial experience in an Ecuadorian community clinic, I have seen a little bit of everything.
This week, I rotated in a clinic in Toriculo on the southwest side of Quito. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get there in a car, during morning rush hour from la escuela and and about 45 minutes to get back (by Trole and bus). Dra. Guaman and her husband pick us up at la escuela at 8:30. I'd just like to pause here and say that everyone here is on Ecuadorian time, which is equivalent to CPT. So 8:30 really means 8:45. On Thursday and Friday she has her 4 year old daughter in the car with her. She's absolutely gorgeous and very sweet. After leaving the school, we maneuver through the insane Quito traffic, try not to hit pedestrians or other cars and make our way through the city. We climb up the steep mountainside in a stick shift car passing at least ten stray dogs, indigenous looking grandmothers selling fruits and vegetables, little boys sitting on the side of the road, and young girls carrying their little siblings (or children) in their arms or on their backs. When we arrive at the clinic, it is spilling over with children and mothers waiting to be seen by the doctor. This is the point where I wish my camera's batteries hadn't died. I wish I could describe the building. It was very small, probably smaller than my house in America, except for no attic, basement, carpet or heat. The paint and plaster is chipping off of the walls and its pretty dark as far as clinics go. There is one small tv in the lobby area that is playing some gameshow in Spanish, and people are everywhere. I mean, everywhere. And they are staring at me and the other person that I am rotating with (we're both Black, if that tells you anything). Babies are crying, kids are yelling, screaming and playing, and there seems to be little to no organization.
Dra. Guaman checks in with the nurses as to how many patients she has, puts her purse in her locker, puts on her scrub top (labeled with her name and specialty) and grabs her first patient. Doctors here usually see an average of five patients in a four hour timespan. To condense, I will just briefly list all the patients that we saw in 2 days.
Thursday
• An 80 year old woman came in complaining of a headache, pain in her waist and neck. She never had a mammogram and had a history of blood clots. She recently had blood work done, and everything was normal, except her WBC (white blood cell) count and her blood sugar was slightly elevated. She was also classified as obese. Dra. Guaman diagosed her with a UTI, prescibed aspirin everyday, exercise and diet shift (for her obesity and high sugar) and antibiotic for her UTI.
• A 30 yr old woman came in, but I don't remember what her inital complaint was. She had a lot of other emotional problems to deal with, however. She had two children 3 and 17. Her 17 year old refused to work or go to school (even though he was smart). Her husband worked 7 days a week and she was unemployed and trying to find work. Dra. Guaman spent an hour listening to her discuss her problems and finally just diagnosed her with chronic depression. She told her to exercise 30 minutes a day (exercise releases endorphins), improve her diet, go to church and talk to a priest and take ibuprofen for pain.
• A little boy came in next, maybe about 11 or 12 years old with a huge burn on his arm. Dra. Guaman examined the wound, redressed it and told him to come back the next day for another look.
• A teenage boy came in last and he was EXTREMELY sick. I saw him in the lobby before, curled up in a fetal ball, with his head on his mother's lap. He complained of having a headache and stomachache that got worse and worse as the week went on. When Dra. Guaman examined his throat with a tounge depressor, it looked like it was about to swell completely shut. She precribed penicillin, lots of rest and liquids and ibuprofen.
Friday
• An 11 month old boy was rushed in. He was ceasing, lethargic, breathing heavily, crying uncontrollably and had a fever. He was severely malnurished, probably dehydrated (he gave us a nice stinky diaper to remember him by) and needed nutrients fast. His little body was giving up on him. I couldn't help but to get angry at the mother who was standing there as calm as ever, with seemingly no emotion. If my little boy was ceasing and crying uncontrollably, I would have been a mess. There should be no reason why her child was underfed. The Ecuadorian government takes care of their pregnant and post-partum women by giving them pre-natal vitamins (Babilla) and formula (Papilla) at no cost. All the mother has to do is go to the clinic and ask for it. The only thing I kept thinking about was my little cousin Lindsey. At 6 months old, she is already 25 pounds and all over everything. This baby boy was almost twice her age and she practically had him beat in weight. He was only 35 pounds. Dra. Guaman gave the little boy an anal suppository of Infantil to try to put nutrients back into his body. He seemed to calm down and relax. He eventually fell asleep. Everything on his body was underdeveloped, including his genitalia. He eventually just needed to be taken straight to the hospital to be given food through an IV.
• Another baby boy came in with a fever and a wet cough. His mother seemed extremely young (13?) and didn't have anyone else to help her take care of her baby. Dra. Guaman seemed to be asking her the most simple questions, like did you have the baby at home or in the hospital, but the mom didn't seem to understand her questions. Everything she said, she said it in a timid small voice. She hadn't been going to the clinic for well baby check ups either. when we examined the litle boy, he had an irregular heart beat. Dra. Guaman finally diagnosed the baby with a respiratory infection and gave the mother some amoxicillin to administer to the boy everyday. It was a long list of instructions, that she wrote down, said loudly and asked the mother if she understood. For the little boy's sake, I hope she did.
• A 78 year old man came in next, complaining of inconstinence. He was in absolutely excellent shape; I got to listen to his breathing and heart sounds. After a prostate exam, she discovered that his prostate was slightly enlarged. She sent him for blood and urine tests as well as a thourough prostate exam.
• The little boy with the burn came back. Dra. Guaman examined him to make sure no infection was setting in, changed his bandage and sent him and his big sister their way.
• A gorgeous 4 month little girl came in with her grandmother for her well baby check up. She was absolutely gorgeous! She looked like a little Buddha with big puffy cheeks, slanted eyes and the fattest legs you could imagine. Everything about her was in great shape: breathing, heart sounds, organs and responses to touch. She could hold her head up when she was placed on her stomach and had a nice tight grip on my finger when I touched her hand. She was a wonderful way to end my day.
This week, I rotated in a clinic in Toriculo on the southwest side of Quito. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get there in a car, during morning rush hour from la escuela and and about 45 minutes to get back (by Trole and bus). Dra. Guaman and her husband pick us up at la escuela at 8:30. I'd just like to pause here and say that everyone here is on Ecuadorian time, which is equivalent to CPT. So 8:30 really means 8:45. On Thursday and Friday she has her 4 year old daughter in the car with her. She's absolutely gorgeous and very sweet. After leaving the school, we maneuver through the insane Quito traffic, try not to hit pedestrians or other cars and make our way through the city. We climb up the steep mountainside in a stick shift car passing at least ten stray dogs, indigenous looking grandmothers selling fruits and vegetables, little boys sitting on the side of the road, and young girls carrying their little siblings (or children) in their arms or on their backs. When we arrive at the clinic, it is spilling over with children and mothers waiting to be seen by the doctor. This is the point where I wish my camera's batteries hadn't died. I wish I could describe the building. It was very small, probably smaller than my house in America, except for no attic, basement, carpet or heat. The paint and plaster is chipping off of the walls and its pretty dark as far as clinics go. There is one small tv in the lobby area that is playing some gameshow in Spanish, and people are everywhere. I mean, everywhere. And they are staring at me and the other person that I am rotating with (we're both Black, if that tells you anything). Babies are crying, kids are yelling, screaming and playing, and there seems to be little to no organization.
Dra. Guaman checks in with the nurses as to how many patients she has, puts her purse in her locker, puts on her scrub top (labeled with her name and specialty) and grabs her first patient. Doctors here usually see an average of five patients in a four hour timespan. To condense, I will just briefly list all the patients that we saw in 2 days.
Thursday
• An 80 year old woman came in complaining of a headache, pain in her waist and neck. She never had a mammogram and had a history of blood clots. She recently had blood work done, and everything was normal, except her WBC (white blood cell) count and her blood sugar was slightly elevated. She was also classified as obese. Dra. Guaman diagosed her with a UTI, prescibed aspirin everyday, exercise and diet shift (for her obesity and high sugar) and antibiotic for her UTI.
• A 30 yr old woman came in, but I don't remember what her inital complaint was. She had a lot of other emotional problems to deal with, however. She had two children 3 and 17. Her 17 year old refused to work or go to school (even though he was smart). Her husband worked 7 days a week and she was unemployed and trying to find work. Dra. Guaman spent an hour listening to her discuss her problems and finally just diagnosed her with chronic depression. She told her to exercise 30 minutes a day (exercise releases endorphins), improve her diet, go to church and talk to a priest and take ibuprofen for pain.
• A little boy came in next, maybe about 11 or 12 years old with a huge burn on his arm. Dra. Guaman examined the wound, redressed it and told him to come back the next day for another look.
• A teenage boy came in last and he was EXTREMELY sick. I saw him in the lobby before, curled up in a fetal ball, with his head on his mother's lap. He complained of having a headache and stomachache that got worse and worse as the week went on. When Dra. Guaman examined his throat with a tounge depressor, it looked like it was about to swell completely shut. She precribed penicillin, lots of rest and liquids and ibuprofen.
Friday
• An 11 month old boy was rushed in. He was ceasing, lethargic, breathing heavily, crying uncontrollably and had a fever. He was severely malnurished, probably dehydrated (he gave us a nice stinky diaper to remember him by) and needed nutrients fast. His little body was giving up on him. I couldn't help but to get angry at the mother who was standing there as calm as ever, with seemingly no emotion. If my little boy was ceasing and crying uncontrollably, I would have been a mess. There should be no reason why her child was underfed. The Ecuadorian government takes care of their pregnant and post-partum women by giving them pre-natal vitamins (Babilla) and formula (Papilla) at no cost. All the mother has to do is go to the clinic and ask for it. The only thing I kept thinking about was my little cousin Lindsey. At 6 months old, she is already 25 pounds and all over everything. This baby boy was almost twice her age and she practically had him beat in weight. He was only 35 pounds. Dra. Guaman gave the little boy an anal suppository of Infantil to try to put nutrients back into his body. He seemed to calm down and relax. He eventually fell asleep. Everything on his body was underdeveloped, including his genitalia. He eventually just needed to be taken straight to the hospital to be given food through an IV.
• Another baby boy came in with a fever and a wet cough. His mother seemed extremely young (13?) and didn't have anyone else to help her take care of her baby. Dra. Guaman seemed to be asking her the most simple questions, like did you have the baby at home or in the hospital, but the mom didn't seem to understand her questions. Everything she said, she said it in a timid small voice. She hadn't been going to the clinic for well baby check ups either. when we examined the litle boy, he had an irregular heart beat. Dra. Guaman finally diagnosed the baby with a respiratory infection and gave the mother some amoxicillin to administer to the boy everyday. It was a long list of instructions, that she wrote down, said loudly and asked the mother if she understood. For the little boy's sake, I hope she did.
• A 78 year old man came in next, complaining of inconstinence. He was in absolutely excellent shape; I got to listen to his breathing and heart sounds. After a prostate exam, she discovered that his prostate was slightly enlarged. She sent him for blood and urine tests as well as a thourough prostate exam.
• The little boy with the burn came back. Dra. Guaman examined him to make sure no infection was setting in, changed his bandage and sent him and his big sister their way.
• A gorgeous 4 month little girl came in with her grandmother for her well baby check up. She was absolutely gorgeous! She looked like a little Buddha with big puffy cheeks, slanted eyes and the fattest legs you could imagine. Everything about her was in great shape: breathing, heart sounds, organs and responses to touch. She could hold her head up when she was placed on her stomach and had a nice tight grip on my finger when I touched her hand. She was a wonderful way to end my day.
What a week!
Well, what a week, to say the very least. Wednesday, I got lost in the evening, trying to find my way home. Thursday, I went to Plaza Forche, the social area with my roommate Gina, and got hit on by Ecuadorian men. Yesterday, I got really emotional because I could not understand the most basic question (What did you eat for dinner yesterday?) that my housemom's brother in law asked me. *sigh* I spent the rest of Friday night crawled in the bed, crying to my mom on the phone and reading a book to soothe my mind.
What overwhelmed me the most yesterday was the fact that I completely and totally realized that I do not have a clue about anything here in Ecuador, from the language down to the culture. After dinner, my housemom said that her sister and brother in law were coming over to play cards. About 10 minutes later, they rang the bell and they were in the kitchen introducing themselves to me. What always kills me is that people here cannot pronounce my name. There are maybe 100 (if that many) Spanish words that start with the letter K, so pronouncing Kimberly is obviously muy dificile (very difficult). My housemom's sister (I forget her name) kept staring at me and hovering over me as I sat at the table. To me (and probably most Americans), personal space is a HUGE deal, and she was definately invading mine. The conversation (and the hovering) continued, with me trying to understand what everyone around me was saying. I can pick up bits and pieces, but I very rarely understand a whole sentence without me asking what a specific word means. So somehow the brother in law got to asking me (in extremely fast Spanish) what I ate for dinner. I told him what I had (rice, beans, tuna, soup and tree tomato juice). Apparently that wasn't what he was asking. Then I thought he said what Ecuadorian food had I had since I had gotten here. I tried to tell him the same thing again. THAT wasn't the right response either. I told him that I didn't understand what he was asking me, and made sure that I had a confused look on my face. Gina thought it was all insanely hilarious, and started laughing hysterically. Come to think of it, THAT is what made me extremely mad. I snapped at her, "if you know what he is trying to ask me, why don't you tell me and stop laughing?" At that point, I was done. Eventually someone (I don't remember who) told me what he was trying to say, and I did my best to answer it in my limited Spanish. But I was already upset and ready to give up. Everyone at the table knew I was frustrated, so my housemom tried to bring up the fact that we were making farm animal sounds at the dinner table for the past few days. I just gave a weak smile. I wasn't in the mood to laugh.
The whole situation was WAY too much for me. I have almost ALWAYS been able to communicate with someone, no matter what the situation. I have been expressing my mind, thoughts and feelings since I said my first word. I really don't know what it means to not understand AND not to be understood. To my housemom's brother in law's credit, he tried to make me feel better by saying "Hey, you don't speak Spanish and I don't speak English". Even though it was true, I didn't really want to be consoled at that point. I just wanted to be able to communicate. To understand and to be understood. To not have my housemom's sister hovering over me and staring down at me like I was an animal at the zoo while I tried to speak enough Spanish to join in. To have Gina to HELP me and not think that the whole situation was a sketch on Saturday Night Live. Most importantly, I just wanted to go home.
For the past couple of days, I have been craving random things that they don't eat here. Like turkey burgers. I really wanted a turkey burger yesterday. With lots of cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and grilled onions. They don't even eat turkey here (except for on Christmas). Then I just wanted to go into the kitchen and scoop myself a big bowl of cookies and creme ice cream and have a big slice of red velvet cake. Nope, not here either. Then I wanted some REAL papas fritas (french fries), not the homemade kind. The McDonalds kind, loaded with chemicals to make you crave them. Now that, I could actually get, but I didn't feel like catching a cab at night to go to the Auto-Mac (what they call the McDonald's drive thru). I also miss waking up, turning on CNN seeing what has happened in the world while I was sleeping, texting my best friends, getting a trillion emails in an hour on my Blackberry and surfing the internet all day, without walking up the street and paying 90 cents an hour. Twitter. Sending pictures back and forth though Blackberry Messenger. Walmart. Krispy Kreme. Pizza Hut. Papa Johns. Bravo TV reality shows. TV in English. Street signs in English. People speaking and understanding English. Bath and Body Works. Victoria's Secret. Forever 21. Hot showers. Biscuits. Macaroni and cheese. Popeye's Chicken. MTV. VH1. BET (as much as I hate to admit it). Simple (American) pleasures.
What has kept me the most sane is being able to talk on the phone, especially to my boyfriend (mi novio). Our conversation is light, in English and most importantly, hilarious. I know that I can say whatever I want and be understood. Even though everyday has been an adventure here, just listening to him talking about his (self-proclaimed) boring days at work makes me feel so normal. I laugh at everything he says, even more so than usual, because talking to him makes me feel...regular. We are the same. We have the same sense of humor and language, and we've been through similar experiences. We get each other. I really miss that, even in a six day time span. I even miss my mom calling to yell at me about something that she can't find in the house that I must have moved. That makes me feel normal too.
Reading frivolous American non-fiction books has made me feel connected as well. Tori Spelling's sTORItelling was great, but now I am re-reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. It was recommended to me a couple of summers ago by a good friend of mine, and I thought it necessary to dig it out from under my bed before I left. Gilbert chronicles a year of her life traveling to Italy, India and Indonesia and her journey of self discovery along the way. Even though I found it relivant and refreshing when I first read it, it seems even more so now. She talks about how depressed she got in Italy, how she missed her America, her struggles through the Italian language, and even her experiences at her language school. When I am reading it here in Quito, I feel like I am having the same experiences as her, only in a different time and place.
I don't want to make it seem like Quito is the pits, because honestly, it isn't. This is one of the most beautiful and interesting places that I could have ever traveled to. When I walk down the street, I can see both an old woman dressed in indigenous clothes and a KFC within a 30 second time span. I can be caught up in rush hour traffic and look up in the mountains to see nothing but greenery and clouds. Its like a conundrum. Modern and ancient; rural and urban. It's nothing that I've ever seen before, and everything that I have ever experienced, wrapped into one. I am also trying to appreciate the little things. have eaten some of the most amazing fruits that I have ever tasted. Pineapples and kiwi taste like candy here. Leeche (uglyfruit?) are delicious. All of the babies that I have seen, are absolutely gorgeous. Big brown eyes, puffy cheeks and curious looks on their faces. I know things are going to get better. This past week was both really great and really hard.
What overwhelmed me the most yesterday was the fact that I completely and totally realized that I do not have a clue about anything here in Ecuador, from the language down to the culture. After dinner, my housemom said that her sister and brother in law were coming over to play cards. About 10 minutes later, they rang the bell and they were in the kitchen introducing themselves to me. What always kills me is that people here cannot pronounce my name. There are maybe 100 (if that many) Spanish words that start with the letter K, so pronouncing Kimberly is obviously muy dificile (very difficult). My housemom's sister (I forget her name) kept staring at me and hovering over me as I sat at the table. To me (and probably most Americans), personal space is a HUGE deal, and she was definately invading mine. The conversation (and the hovering) continued, with me trying to understand what everyone around me was saying. I can pick up bits and pieces, but I very rarely understand a whole sentence without me asking what a specific word means. So somehow the brother in law got to asking me (in extremely fast Spanish) what I ate for dinner. I told him what I had (rice, beans, tuna, soup and tree tomato juice). Apparently that wasn't what he was asking. Then I thought he said what Ecuadorian food had I had since I had gotten here. I tried to tell him the same thing again. THAT wasn't the right response either. I told him that I didn't understand what he was asking me, and made sure that I had a confused look on my face. Gina thought it was all insanely hilarious, and started laughing hysterically. Come to think of it, THAT is what made me extremely mad. I snapped at her, "if you know what he is trying to ask me, why don't you tell me and stop laughing?" At that point, I was done. Eventually someone (I don't remember who) told me what he was trying to say, and I did my best to answer it in my limited Spanish. But I was already upset and ready to give up. Everyone at the table knew I was frustrated, so my housemom tried to bring up the fact that we were making farm animal sounds at the dinner table for the past few days. I just gave a weak smile. I wasn't in the mood to laugh.
The whole situation was WAY too much for me. I have almost ALWAYS been able to communicate with someone, no matter what the situation. I have been expressing my mind, thoughts and feelings since I said my first word. I really don't know what it means to not understand AND not to be understood. To my housemom's brother in law's credit, he tried to make me feel better by saying "Hey, you don't speak Spanish and I don't speak English". Even though it was true, I didn't really want to be consoled at that point. I just wanted to be able to communicate. To understand and to be understood. To not have my housemom's sister hovering over me and staring down at me like I was an animal at the zoo while I tried to speak enough Spanish to join in. To have Gina to HELP me and not think that the whole situation was a sketch on Saturday Night Live. Most importantly, I just wanted to go home.
For the past couple of days, I have been craving random things that they don't eat here. Like turkey burgers. I really wanted a turkey burger yesterday. With lots of cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and grilled onions. They don't even eat turkey here (except for on Christmas). Then I just wanted to go into the kitchen and scoop myself a big bowl of cookies and creme ice cream and have a big slice of red velvet cake. Nope, not here either. Then I wanted some REAL papas fritas (french fries), not the homemade kind. The McDonalds kind, loaded with chemicals to make you crave them. Now that, I could actually get, but I didn't feel like catching a cab at night to go to the Auto-Mac (what they call the McDonald's drive thru). I also miss waking up, turning on CNN seeing what has happened in the world while I was sleeping, texting my best friends, getting a trillion emails in an hour on my Blackberry and surfing the internet all day, without walking up the street and paying 90 cents an hour. Twitter. Sending pictures back and forth though Blackberry Messenger. Walmart. Krispy Kreme. Pizza Hut. Papa Johns. Bravo TV reality shows. TV in English. Street signs in English. People speaking and understanding English. Bath and Body Works. Victoria's Secret. Forever 21. Hot showers. Biscuits. Macaroni and cheese. Popeye's Chicken. MTV. VH1. BET (as much as I hate to admit it). Simple (American) pleasures.
What has kept me the most sane is being able to talk on the phone, especially to my boyfriend (mi novio). Our conversation is light, in English and most importantly, hilarious. I know that I can say whatever I want and be understood. Even though everyday has been an adventure here, just listening to him talking about his (self-proclaimed) boring days at work makes me feel so normal. I laugh at everything he says, even more so than usual, because talking to him makes me feel...regular. We are the same. We have the same sense of humor and language, and we've been through similar experiences. We get each other. I really miss that, even in a six day time span. I even miss my mom calling to yell at me about something that she can't find in the house that I must have moved. That makes me feel normal too.
Reading frivolous American non-fiction books has made me feel connected as well. Tori Spelling's sTORItelling was great, but now I am re-reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. It was recommended to me a couple of summers ago by a good friend of mine, and I thought it necessary to dig it out from under my bed before I left. Gilbert chronicles a year of her life traveling to Italy, India and Indonesia and her journey of self discovery along the way. Even though I found it relivant and refreshing when I first read it, it seems even more so now. She talks about how depressed she got in Italy, how she missed her America, her struggles through the Italian language, and even her experiences at her language school. When I am reading it here in Quito, I feel like I am having the same experiences as her, only in a different time and place.
I don't want to make it seem like Quito is the pits, because honestly, it isn't. This is one of the most beautiful and interesting places that I could have ever traveled to. When I walk down the street, I can see both an old woman dressed in indigenous clothes and a KFC within a 30 second time span. I can be caught up in rush hour traffic and look up in the mountains to see nothing but greenery and clouds. Its like a conundrum. Modern and ancient; rural and urban. It's nothing that I've ever seen before, and everything that I have ever experienced, wrapped into one. I am also trying to appreciate the little things. have eaten some of the most amazing fruits that I have ever tasted. Pineapples and kiwi taste like candy here. Leeche (uglyfruit?) are delicious. All of the babies that I have seen, are absolutely gorgeous. Big brown eyes, puffy cheeks and curious looks on their faces. I know things are going to get better. This past week was both really great and really hard.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, July 5th: The "Spill"
So Monday started out GREAT (notice that I said STARTED)! Breakfast here is a little different than it is in the US. At 7:30AM, I ate a grilled cheese sandwich, cantalope, homemade juice (not orange; it tasted like Tang, but better) and tea. It was all absolutely delicious, but it was hard for me to each so much so early.
I walked to school for an entire day of Spanish lessons. I was put in the basic class (YAY!) with some med students and another grad student. There was this one medical student that was completely disrespectful to the teacher (Stalin), telling him that he didn't need to learn this or that and he would refuse to write down anything that the teacher told him to. During the lesson he was asking the other med students about their school, if they liked it, and just basically being obnoxious. I don't think that this would have been so bad if we were in a "regular" classroom, but we weren't. La escuela de Espanol is very small and we were tucked upstairs in lawn chairs (that you get at Walmart) and patio tables. Our whiteboard was the size that most people have in their kitchens or dorms to keep their life organized. It was loud (from the other classes) and frustrating to have this dude talking when I was trying to learn Spanish!
I ate lunch with Cinty and a med student from Canada at Bom Kafe again. I didn't adventure out too much because we only had an hour for lunch and I didn't want to be on Ecuadorian time. :) I even ate the same thing as yesterday.
After we came back, we had more Spanish lessons. During a break, I bought my textbooks (Interviewing the Latino Patient and Medical Spanish) and got the workbook for my level. Some girls (Molly, Annie and Aliane) were talking about going out later that night and I definately wanted to jump in head first to my Ecuadorian experience. We exchanged numbers and decided to share a taxi to a Mongolian restaraunt after dinner.
After school, I came back to my homestay and took a brief nap before dinner. My homestay mom fixed a soup (sopa) with potatos (papas) and cheese (queso) as a first course. The rest of dinner consisted of lightly fried chicken breast, white rice and beans (I think they were lentils; en espanol: frijoles) and cheese. Everything was soooo delicious. I scarfed it down. Gina, my housemom and I sat at the table talking and laughing about farm animals. lol I know that is random dinner conversation, but we were trying to figure out the difference of animal sounds in English and Spanish. For example, in the US, we say roosters go "cockle doodle doo!" Apparently in Ecuador, they say "kedidekeey"! Okay, that was a bad spelling of it, but to hear a retired Ecuadorian woman making animal sounds at the dinner table was priceless! We all laughed until we cried.
As we were in hysterics, my stomach started to hurt really bad. Like horribly bad. I had a terrible stomachache (dolor a la estomacho). I couldn't even walk. It was bad. Gina got me some Tums and I took one with some water and started to feel better. My housemom made me some tea and I sat down for awhile and figured out if I wanted to go out or not. After laying down, drinking the tea and talking on the phone for a bit, I felt like it was okay to go out. I dragged Gina with me. :)
Molly's homestay family ended up knowing a taxi cab driver so we had our own personal chauffeur to the restaraunt. I'm hoping that this is not the last time in my life that I will have a personal driver! lol He dropped us off on a busy corner and promised to come pick us up around midnight. We walked down to Mongo, grabbed a table and had a blast. Eventually another girl from our program came over (Martha) and said that some more kids in the program were at a big table in the back. We ended up joining them and talking some more. Someone eventually suggested that we go dancing across the street, so we paid our tab, and darted across the street to a club. Let me pause here and say that in Ecuador, everyone has a hustle! I thought it was bad in America, but the US has nothing on Ecuadorian hustlers. I was asked at least 3 times in a 5 minute timespan if I wanted to buy gum (Chickletas). They come up to you and rattle the box saying "Chickletas! Chickletas!" You have to say no thank you (no gracias) like 100 times before they leave you alone.
Inside the club, was like any other hole in the wall that you would go to in America. The alcohol is SUPER cheap (2 beers for a $1, a shot of tequila for $1.50 and a mixed drink for 99 cents...EVERYDAY) and some people grabbed a beer from the bar. A few minutes after we walked in, the DJ mixed in Snoop Dogg's Drop it Like its Hot. Needless to say, I was a little shocked. I had to text someone back at home "Snoop Dogg is in Ecuador", after that, he played Nelly and then guess who? SOULJA BOY! lol I know I'm a lame for this one, but I got so excited when Soulja Boy came on. I started to do the dance and everyone in the club (including the people that I was with) stopped and stared at me. Some Ecuadorian people started taking pictures of me dancing! I was sooooooo embarrassed, but I kept dancing anyway. I tried to teach the people in my program the dance too and they joined me. Some bartenders started pointing and talking about me (in Spanish). I felt like a loser and a celebrity all at the same time. The DJ played a little bit of salsa music and I even requested Michael Jackson. It was just fun being in another country, being silly and being a foreigner. It was a great time.
We left the club and headed back to the place that our personal transportation specialist :) was coming to pick us up from. After arriving home, I said good night to Gina, showered and got in the bed. After reading my book (Tori Spelling's sTORItelling), I turned off the light and closed my eyes. As I was laying there, that same icky feeling that I had after dinner started to creep up on me again. I tried to change positions and hoped that falling asleep would make my body forget about whatever it was trying to tell me. And it worked...briefly. I guess I hadn't been asleep that long because my eyes popped open maybe an hour later, and I felt worse. I was extremely nauseous. I laid in bed thinking about if I should get up or not, if I should take another pill. I took some of my traveler's diahrea medicine before I laid down for, well, what it is prescribed for! lol The more I laid there the worse I felt. I gave a little cough and all of a sudden, I could taste sopa, frijoles con queso y rice. I'll spare the graphic details.
I got back in bed and moaned for awhile. I didn't know what time it was because I turned off both of my phones. I didn't have the strength or will to roll over to see what time it actually was. I thought about if I was going to be sick again. I thought about la escuela in the morning. Should I go? Am I contagious? Why am I sick? I thought, "Hey, if I'm actually sick, I really don't know how to tell anyone!" I considered trying to go upstairs and tell Gina what happened, but I decided not to. I thought about my mom and my boyfriend and how talking to them made me feel better when I was sick. I was really worried. After that whole big long train of random thoughts, I closed my eyes and prayed. I didn't know what to do. I just needed some peace. I eventually fell asleep.
I walked to school for an entire day of Spanish lessons. I was put in the basic class (YAY!) with some med students and another grad student. There was this one medical student that was completely disrespectful to the teacher (Stalin), telling him that he didn't need to learn this or that and he would refuse to write down anything that the teacher told him to. During the lesson he was asking the other med students about their school, if they liked it, and just basically being obnoxious. I don't think that this would have been so bad if we were in a "regular" classroom, but we weren't. La escuela de Espanol is very small and we were tucked upstairs in lawn chairs (that you get at Walmart) and patio tables. Our whiteboard was the size that most people have in their kitchens or dorms to keep their life organized. It was loud (from the other classes) and frustrating to have this dude talking when I was trying to learn Spanish!
I ate lunch with Cinty and a med student from Canada at Bom Kafe again. I didn't adventure out too much because we only had an hour for lunch and I didn't want to be on Ecuadorian time. :) I even ate the same thing as yesterday.
After we came back, we had more Spanish lessons. During a break, I bought my textbooks (Interviewing the Latino Patient and Medical Spanish) and got the workbook for my level. Some girls (Molly, Annie and Aliane) were talking about going out later that night and I definately wanted to jump in head first to my Ecuadorian experience. We exchanged numbers and decided to share a taxi to a Mongolian restaraunt after dinner.
After school, I came back to my homestay and took a brief nap before dinner. My homestay mom fixed a soup (sopa) with potatos (papas) and cheese (queso) as a first course. The rest of dinner consisted of lightly fried chicken breast, white rice and beans (I think they were lentils; en espanol: frijoles) and cheese. Everything was soooo delicious. I scarfed it down. Gina, my housemom and I sat at the table talking and laughing about farm animals. lol I know that is random dinner conversation, but we were trying to figure out the difference of animal sounds in English and Spanish. For example, in the US, we say roosters go "cockle doodle doo!" Apparently in Ecuador, they say "kedidekeey"! Okay, that was a bad spelling of it, but to hear a retired Ecuadorian woman making animal sounds at the dinner table was priceless! We all laughed until we cried.
As we were in hysterics, my stomach started to hurt really bad. Like horribly bad. I had a terrible stomachache (dolor a la estomacho). I couldn't even walk. It was bad. Gina got me some Tums and I took one with some water and started to feel better. My housemom made me some tea and I sat down for awhile and figured out if I wanted to go out or not. After laying down, drinking the tea and talking on the phone for a bit, I felt like it was okay to go out. I dragged Gina with me. :)
Molly's homestay family ended up knowing a taxi cab driver so we had our own personal chauffeur to the restaraunt. I'm hoping that this is not the last time in my life that I will have a personal driver! lol He dropped us off on a busy corner and promised to come pick us up around midnight. We walked down to Mongo, grabbed a table and had a blast. Eventually another girl from our program came over (Martha) and said that some more kids in the program were at a big table in the back. We ended up joining them and talking some more. Someone eventually suggested that we go dancing across the street, so we paid our tab, and darted across the street to a club. Let me pause here and say that in Ecuador, everyone has a hustle! I thought it was bad in America, but the US has nothing on Ecuadorian hustlers. I was asked at least 3 times in a 5 minute timespan if I wanted to buy gum (Chickletas). They come up to you and rattle the box saying "Chickletas! Chickletas!" You have to say no thank you (no gracias) like 100 times before they leave you alone.
Inside the club, was like any other hole in the wall that you would go to in America. The alcohol is SUPER cheap (2 beers for a $1, a shot of tequila for $1.50 and a mixed drink for 99 cents...EVERYDAY) and some people grabbed a beer from the bar. A few minutes after we walked in, the DJ mixed in Snoop Dogg's Drop it Like its Hot. Needless to say, I was a little shocked. I had to text someone back at home "Snoop Dogg is in Ecuador", after that, he played Nelly and then guess who? SOULJA BOY! lol I know I'm a lame for this one, but I got so excited when Soulja Boy came on. I started to do the dance and everyone in the club (including the people that I was with) stopped and stared at me. Some Ecuadorian people started taking pictures of me dancing! I was sooooooo embarrassed, but I kept dancing anyway. I tried to teach the people in my program the dance too and they joined me. Some bartenders started pointing and talking about me (in Spanish). I felt like a loser and a celebrity all at the same time. The DJ played a little bit of salsa music and I even requested Michael Jackson. It was just fun being in another country, being silly and being a foreigner. It was a great time.
We left the club and headed back to the place that our personal transportation specialist :) was coming to pick us up from. After arriving home, I said good night to Gina, showered and got in the bed. After reading my book (Tori Spelling's sTORItelling), I turned off the light and closed my eyes. As I was laying there, that same icky feeling that I had after dinner started to creep up on me again. I tried to change positions and hoped that falling asleep would make my body forget about whatever it was trying to tell me. And it worked...briefly. I guess I hadn't been asleep that long because my eyes popped open maybe an hour later, and I felt worse. I was extremely nauseous. I laid in bed thinking about if I should get up or not, if I should take another pill. I took some of my traveler's diahrea medicine before I laid down for, well, what it is prescribed for! lol The more I laid there the worse I felt. I gave a little cough and all of a sudden, I could taste sopa, frijoles con queso y rice. I'll spare the graphic details.
I got back in bed and moaned for awhile. I didn't know what time it was because I turned off both of my phones. I didn't have the strength or will to roll over to see what time it actually was. I thought about if I was going to be sick again. I thought about la escuela in the morning. Should I go? Am I contagious? Why am I sick? I thought, "Hey, if I'm actually sick, I really don't know how to tell anyone!" I considered trying to go upstairs and tell Gina what happened, but I decided not to. I thought about my mom and my boyfriend and how talking to them made me feel better when I was sick. I was really worried. After that whole big long train of random thoughts, I closed my eyes and prayed. I didn't know what to do. I just needed some peace. I eventually fell asleep.
Sunday, July 5th
After landing in Quito, I made it through immigration, baggage claim and customs in one piece. Surprisingly, it was relatively easy and I didn't need to speak that much Spanish at all (THANK GOD!). When I came from customs, my homestay mom was waiting for me with a huge sign with my name on it. I smiled, waved and hugged her. She asked me (in Spanish, of course) how was I. I said, "estoy muy consada!" (I am very tired!) We left the airport to go catch a taxi outside. As we were walking and talking, I tried to tell her that I speak very little Spanish. A little boy came up to us and was begging for something. He was the most gorgeous little boy I have ever seen, but he was also extremely dirty and looked homeless. Eventually, my housemom told him "no no no" and he left to find someone else to try to get whatever he was asking for.
I later found out from an Ecuadorian girl in my program (Cinty) that there are tons of poor children that wander the streets of Quito. They are so poor that often times their parents cannot afford to feed, clothe or educate them. They beg people on the street for money and/or food. Cinty said that they are really just hungry, but sometimes if you give them money, they will buy glue to sniff in order to suppress their hunger. I just couldn't imagine a 6 year old child knowing how to sniff glue. That blew my mind.
Back to the cab ride. The taxi driver and my housemom were chatting it up (about what, only they know). Eventually, the driver asked about me and where I was from. She told him that I was a health student that was coming to work in the clinics and hospitals of Ecuador. I was glad that I picked up on that much of the conversation. They could have been plotting my demise for all I knew! lol
The condo that I am staying in is nice! Its a gated area and it has a courtyard that people's front doors face. My housemom has three daughters, two of which live with her. I stay in a bonus room in the back. As soon as I got to the room, I had to drop my things and go straight to la escuela (the school; Amazing Andes Spanish School) to meet up with the other students. My housemom and I walked about 7 minutes and got there as everyone was getting their cell phones. I had missed the ENTIRE morning of orientation, which was fine with me. I hate icebreaker games and nametags and all of that other garbage.
As a group, we walked down the street to a little cafe (Bom Kafe). I met a couple of people that were in medical school and public health school. Everyone seems really nice! I had an interesting time trying to order my food (en Espanol, of course). I ended up getting something very American; a chicken Philly Cheese Steak (bom Philly Cheese con pollo), french fries (papas fritas) and (y) a bottled water (agua sin gas). It ended up being less than $5! You can't beat that!!!
After lunch, we had an orientation to our medical rotations with Dra. Alvear, our medical director and was assigned our rotations. On Wednesday, I will go to a community clinic up in the mountains. I'm glad that this will be my first experience! :) We also took a tour of the clinics/hospitals that were in the city of Quito. We took the Trole (trolley?). It costs a quarter to ride, but its....unpleasant, to be politically correct. Apparently there are no fire/accident safety laws here because people just pack in like sardines. Its a PRIME spot to get pickpocketed, so you have to be careful. We ended up going up and down and all around the south side of Quito to try to "learn" where all the clinics were. Needless to say, everyone was VERY confused and no one knew were to go. I think everyone is just going to take taxis. I know I will. I think the tour was also overwhelming because I had just been traveling for over 24 hours, was trying to adjust to the altitude and walking and hadnt even gotten to change clothes. I was trying to be attentive, but I was really just exausted and ready to go back and lay down.
Anyway, after the tour, I walked back to my house with some girls that lived not to far from me. My housemom told me that there was another estudiante (student) staying with her, Gina. Gina is from Kennesaw State in Georgia and has been here for two weeks already. She says she knew as much Spanish as I did when she got here (NADA!) but in two weeks, she was able to translate between my housemom and me. I told her she was my lifesaver and she just laughed. I was serious though! :)
Post-dinner details are a little fuzzy. I think I went up to Gina's room and looked at her pictures from the weekend she spent in the Cloud Forest (more on that later) and we talked for awhile. I was really tired, so I just showered and went to sleep. Monday, was another adventure in and of itself....
I later found out from an Ecuadorian girl in my program (Cinty) that there are tons of poor children that wander the streets of Quito. They are so poor that often times their parents cannot afford to feed, clothe or educate them. They beg people on the street for money and/or food. Cinty said that they are really just hungry, but sometimes if you give them money, they will buy glue to sniff in order to suppress their hunger. I just couldn't imagine a 6 year old child knowing how to sniff glue. That blew my mind.
Back to the cab ride. The taxi driver and my housemom were chatting it up (about what, only they know). Eventually, the driver asked about me and where I was from. She told him that I was a health student that was coming to work in the clinics and hospitals of Ecuador. I was glad that I picked up on that much of the conversation. They could have been plotting my demise for all I knew! lol
The condo that I am staying in is nice! Its a gated area and it has a courtyard that people's front doors face. My housemom has three daughters, two of which live with her. I stay in a bonus room in the back. As soon as I got to the room, I had to drop my things and go straight to la escuela (the school; Amazing Andes Spanish School) to meet up with the other students. My housemom and I walked about 7 minutes and got there as everyone was getting their cell phones. I had missed the ENTIRE morning of orientation, which was fine with me. I hate icebreaker games and nametags and all of that other garbage.
As a group, we walked down the street to a little cafe (Bom Kafe). I met a couple of people that were in medical school and public health school. Everyone seems really nice! I had an interesting time trying to order my food (en Espanol, of course). I ended up getting something very American; a chicken Philly Cheese Steak (bom Philly Cheese con pollo), french fries (papas fritas) and (y) a bottled water (agua sin gas). It ended up being less than $5! You can't beat that!!!
After lunch, we had an orientation to our medical rotations with Dra. Alvear, our medical director and was assigned our rotations. On Wednesday, I will go to a community clinic up in the mountains. I'm glad that this will be my first experience! :) We also took a tour of the clinics/hospitals that were in the city of Quito. We took the Trole (trolley?). It costs a quarter to ride, but its....unpleasant, to be politically correct. Apparently there are no fire/accident safety laws here because people just pack in like sardines. Its a PRIME spot to get pickpocketed, so you have to be careful. We ended up going up and down and all around the south side of Quito to try to "learn" where all the clinics were. Needless to say, everyone was VERY confused and no one knew were to go. I think everyone is just going to take taxis. I know I will. I think the tour was also overwhelming because I had just been traveling for over 24 hours, was trying to adjust to the altitude and walking and hadnt even gotten to change clothes. I was trying to be attentive, but I was really just exausted and ready to go back and lay down.
Anyway, after the tour, I walked back to my house with some girls that lived not to far from me. My housemom told me that there was another estudiante (student) staying with her, Gina. Gina is from Kennesaw State in Georgia and has been here for two weeks already. She says she knew as much Spanish as I did when she got here (NADA!) but in two weeks, she was able to translate between my housemom and me. I told her she was my lifesaver and she just laughed. I was serious though! :)
Post-dinner details are a little fuzzy. I think I went up to Gina's room and looked at her pictures from the weekend she spent in the Cloud Forest (more on that later) and we talked for awhile. I was really tired, so I just showered and went to sleep. Monday, was another adventure in and of itself....
I haven´t forgotten to blog...
Hey guys,
So, my internet access is limited to a little internet cafe that´s a block away from my house. I have been extremely tired after classes, but I promise to come back and update either today or tomorrow. I have everything all written out and ready to go!
It´s been CRAZY and amazing here.... I can´t wait to share with you guys!
Stay tuned!
So, my internet access is limited to a little internet cafe that´s a block away from my house. I have been extremely tired after classes, but I promise to come back and update either today or tomorrow. I have everything all written out and ready to go!
It´s been CRAZY and amazing here.... I can´t wait to share with you guys!
Stay tuned!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Last Night = Haute Mess
I'm in Ecuador, but not Quito just yet. The flight is changing planes in Guyaquil, a city about an hour's plane ride away from Quito. The internet is FREE so I wanted to jump on and let everyone know that I made it into the country safely.
Last night was SUCH a mess! The flight was originally supposed to leave at 9pm but we didn't make it out of here until 4AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently there were some mechanical troubles with the plane that they were trying to get worked out, but everyone was SO pissed because they weren't telling us what was going on. The only way I found out what was happening is by asking some people that I over heard speaking English. The only reason they knew what was going on is because other passengers came and told them the drama. Yes, everything was in Spanish. Needless to say, my listening/deductive reasoning skills are kicking into high gear.
I met a guy that was from Ecuador and he was really nice. We ended up eating a late dinner at Sbarro (the airline did give us a $12 meal voucher for our inconvienence), talking and sitting next to each other until we boarded a plane. There were also a group of teenagers that were headed to Guyaquil for a month to visit their family. They hadn't been since they were little and they were from the Miami area. It was good to have some people around my age to talk to and translate for me.
At 3AM, they called the police over to our gate because all of the passengers were yelling (in Spanish) to the flight representative demanding that they know what was going on, that this is ridiculous, their were children and elderly people sleeping on the floor, etc. I guess she got scared that everyone was going to riot. It looked like they would! I found the whole experience to be interesting and irritating.
When we finally got on the plane, I went STRAIGHT to sleep. Now that my traveling companions are gone, I'm relying on street smarts to get me where I need to go.
There is WAY more that happened, but I am SO beyond tired. I will update more later!
Last night was SUCH a mess! The flight was originally supposed to leave at 9pm but we didn't make it out of here until 4AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently there were some mechanical troubles with the plane that they were trying to get worked out, but everyone was SO pissed because they weren't telling us what was going on. The only way I found out what was happening is by asking some people that I over heard speaking English. The only reason they knew what was going on is because other passengers came and told them the drama. Yes, everything was in Spanish. Needless to say, my listening/deductive reasoning skills are kicking into high gear.
I met a guy that was from Ecuador and he was really nice. We ended up eating a late dinner at Sbarro (the airline did give us a $12 meal voucher for our inconvienence), talking and sitting next to each other until we boarded a plane. There were also a group of teenagers that were headed to Guyaquil for a month to visit their family. They hadn't been since they were little and they were from the Miami area. It was good to have some people around my age to talk to and translate for me.
At 3AM, they called the police over to our gate because all of the passengers were yelling (in Spanish) to the flight representative demanding that they know what was going on, that this is ridiculous, their were children and elderly people sleeping on the floor, etc. I guess she got scared that everyone was going to riot. It looked like they would! I found the whole experience to be interesting and irritating.
When we finally got on the plane, I went STRAIGHT to sleep. Now that my traveling companions are gone, I'm relying on street smarts to get me where I need to go.
There is WAY more that happened, but I am SO beyond tired. I will update more later!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Well, I'm off....
So, the last few days have been a little overwhelming. I spent most of yesterday procrastinating (rather than packing) probably because it hadn't hit me yet that I was leaving!!! I went to bed around 2:45 this morning and got up around 8:15 to finish straightening up my room and doing all of the other last minute things.
My drive to Miami was pretty good! I feel jipped living in North Florida; there are like NO palm trees up there! I was surrounded by palm trees, especially as I reached the airport. I was surprised that there was little to no traffic on my way south. I figured since it was a holiday that everyone from up north would be racing to the beach. Guess not. *shrugs*
It took me a minute to actually remember what airline I was flying (Aerolinas Galapagos or Aerogal for short). lol No one knew what I was talking about when I said the whole name. After a nice man directed me to where I belong, I got checked in relatively quickly, but only to find out that my flight is going to be delayed an HOUR AND A HALF! I was already supposed to arrive in Quito in the wee hours of the morning, but now.... Dang. I'm going to be like DEAD tomorrow.
I've been sitting here at the gate (which was moved) and emailing people, Facebooking, Tweeting and doing whatever else necessary to get my mind of the weight of this situation. I brought my favorite AKA throw with me. I'm so glad I did because I am FREEZING right now! I should have grabbed my Rosetta Stone disks, but I didn't. It doesn't seem like my flight will be very full, there are only about 20 people waiting with me, and since I'm flying internationally, we all had to check in 3 hrs before the planned departure time.
July 4, 2009 has approached SO fast. The longer I sit here, the more I realize what an amazing opportunity that I have been afforded. Even though this is the first time that I've been to another country alone, I know deep inside that this is going to drastically change my life. Of course, I had my breakdown moments last night with my boyfriend and this morning with my mom. LOL! I wouldn't be me if I didn't cry at least once. But now, after some tears, prayers and a 5 hour drive, I'm ready to experience Ecuador in 30 days.
LET'S GO! :)
My drive to Miami was pretty good! I feel jipped living in North Florida; there are like NO palm trees up there! I was surrounded by palm trees, especially as I reached the airport. I was surprised that there was little to no traffic on my way south. I figured since it was a holiday that everyone from up north would be racing to the beach. Guess not. *shrugs*
It took me a minute to actually remember what airline I was flying (Aerolinas Galapagos or Aerogal for short). lol No one knew what I was talking about when I said the whole name. After a nice man directed me to where I belong, I got checked in relatively quickly, but only to find out that my flight is going to be delayed an HOUR AND A HALF! I was already supposed to arrive in Quito in the wee hours of the morning, but now.... Dang. I'm going to be like DEAD tomorrow.
I've been sitting here at the gate (which was moved) and emailing people, Facebooking, Tweeting and doing whatever else necessary to get my mind of the weight of this situation. I brought my favorite AKA throw with me. I'm so glad I did because I am FREEZING right now! I should have grabbed my Rosetta Stone disks, but I didn't. It doesn't seem like my flight will be very full, there are only about 20 people waiting with me, and since I'm flying internationally, we all had to check in 3 hrs before the planned departure time.
July 4, 2009 has approached SO fast. The longer I sit here, the more I realize what an amazing opportunity that I have been afforded. Even though this is the first time that I've been to another country alone, I know deep inside that this is going to drastically change my life. Of course, I had my breakdown moments last night with my boyfriend and this morning with my mom. LOL! I wouldn't be me if I didn't cry at least once. But now, after some tears, prayers and a 5 hour drive, I'm ready to experience Ecuador in 30 days.
LET'S GO! :)
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