I'm finally settled in Los Angeles, CA. Fortunately, LA provides a relatively smooth transition from Latin America, as I live in a community that is predominantly Hispanic. I can even get ceviche just a couple blocks away from my apartment (albeit for 3x the price)! I'm currently living in Echo Park, which is conveniently located next to a beautiful park, grocery/99cent stores, restaurants, metro bus, etc. I love it so far, although I may have to update in a few months, as I am still in the honeymoon stage.
But I have to say, I really miss Ecuador. I've made it my home for the past 13 months, and I miss everything about it--especially the people. The 101 women from my exercise/nutrition class, the children and teens from our library and teen center, the staff from the Ministry of Health, partners from the local Cooperative, Dr. Lance and the Waldo's staff, my wonderful host family, Wendy Decalle and her family + 5 dogs + 24 horses, Cristian and Laurita, Susana the venta lady, Pati (my spa lady) and her son Jorge, Julia and family from the papeleria, my Chinese friends, and all my other Ecuadorian friends and Gringitos I've met during my time there.
I miss the simplicity. I still can't get over the fact that I have to pay $1.25 for ONE ride on the metro bus here in LA (which, according to my friends in NYC, is cheap. WHAT?!). I really miss public transportation, but here in LA, it is hopeless.
I never thought I would say this, but I actually miss the stray dogs barking at night. Every morning here in LA, I am awoken by this hyperactive hormonally charged bird that cawks, not chirps, but cawks like a sexually disoriented toad.
Thank God for the free section of craigslist. Or else the apartment would still be unfurnished.
At least the economy is flourishing in California. HA.
Miss you, Ecuador. See you soon...
View from our apartment roof
Favorite time of day
A slight ant problem. But not anymore. Terro really works. Poor ants.
On the peak of Cerro Taurichupa, <20km South of Otovalo
360 degree views of grandiose mountains, turquoise gemstone lakes, clear blue skies, distant snow-covered peaks, exotic plants, hovering clouds, soaring condors, and inseparable delicate butterfly lovers. It is absolutely silent, except for the whistle of the breeze among the waltzing shrubbery and the occasional buzzing of the bees. A hiker and artist's haven for serenity and reflection.
A visit to a public hospital ran by the Ecuador Ministry of Health: -Cost of receiving vitamins and micronutrients for all children ages 3 and under: Free -Cost of an x-ray: Free -Cost of a C-section: Free -Cost of a TB vaccination: Free -Cost of getting your eyes checked: Free -Cost of anti-diabetic meds: Free -Cost of an emergency service: Free
In the US? -Contact your insurance company. aka, get out your pocketbook.
Of course, I'm not saying the health care system in Ecuador is superior in any way. All health care systems are internally flawed. But here I am, living in a relatively impoverished country that is considered "developing" by Western standards, and getting a free physical check-up without having to fill out any forms about who my provider is. In the same situation in the US, without insurance, I'd be paying close to triple digits. I don't get it.
But unfortunately, free services do come with a price. There are not enough medical personnel working for the MoH to service all patients who are in need of care. Many clinical physicians find themselves multitasking at both the micro- and macro- levels and end up running entire clinics completely on their own. Although Rafael Correa is increasing spending on health care, the patient to physician ratio is oversaturated, so patients will only be seen if they are showing physical symptoms, thus diverting the attention away from the important aspect of prevention.
This is where we come in.
Along with summer volunteers Mari and Priya as well as our new Country Director Bibi, we have been working tirelessly on finalizing a promising health proposal in hopes to turn the 4th floor of the MPI library/teen center into a full-fledged, no BS, locally-owned Preventative Health Center (PHC). So far, we have held the first of many successful focus groups with 20+ women from the Exercise and Nutrition Program and attended various meetings with the MoH to obtain insight on local/national health issues as well as how to get this moving. We're currently in the process of contacting local health promoters and prospective community health workers (our aim is 10), connect them with the municipio (town) to provide professional and certified health promotion training, and then finally, in the long-run, hiring them to work at the PHC to create local ownership and sustainability. We hope our surrounding communities will frequently utilize the health resources provided by the center, learn to properly care for their health before getting (and while being) sick, and in the long-term lower the national cost burdens spent on preventable illnesses.
Empowering individuals: Check Strengthening institutions: Check Building networks: Check
With the help of Healthechildren, we have high hopes of turning our idea into reality that is nothing short of extraordinary. Oye, that's how the library started, right?
"No se vaya!" 4-year old Jori latches onto my leg, making his irresistible puppy dog face. I turn to his positive deviant mother, Paola, and notice her eyes swelling up a little.
We have a little over a month left, and our Ecuadorian families are already beginning to worry about missing us after our departure, and vice versa. I don't think it has settled in how fast the next month will come by... and just how much I am going to miss Ecuador and the numerous friends we have made along the way.
I made a promise to Paola, and my other hijitas y abuelitas, that I will one day come back and give them free health services once I am actually qualified to do so (that is, on a professional level). So now you have it. It's posted. And I am not one to go back on my word.
My dad and my lil sister (who is now taller than me FML) have made it past customs!!!!!!!! That in itself is worth a blog entry.
And they brought an entire suitcase full of goodies.
Goodies = Sour patch kids, swedish fish, Dove dark chocolate, hot chocolate mix, hot and regular cheetohs, cheese-itz, honey nut cheerios, cinnamon toast crunch, garden salsa and french onion sun chips, goldfish...to name a few
First thing my dad does when he gets into our itty-bitty hostal? Takes out a yellow, red, and blue (Ecuadorian colors) horn from his suitcase, honks it about 3x in my ear. Then tells me (well, more like shouts at me) that he's ready for the soccer game we're going to next Wed. I think my ear drums are temporarily impaired.
This past Sunday, 5/31, MPI had its first joint health fair slash 2nd annual *marathon with the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health. And it was, to say the least, extremely successful.
With the help of two summer volunteers, Perry and Priya, hundreds upon hundreds of Ecuadorian men, women, and young *marathon runners now know how to correctly put on a condom (apparently, many Ecuadorian women are taught how to put condoms on with their mouth so they can put them on discreetly without their male partners' objections); how to pin various artificial contraceptives on the correct anatomical region; how to utilize a string of beads as a standard method of birth control; how and where to insert an intrauterine device; the relationship between cervical mucus and fertility, and also the fact that you are just as likely to get pregnant if you're on top relative to your male partner than if you're on the bottom.
Public reception was incredibly warm and positive, which made us feel accepted and welcomed. People were actually interested in what we had to say and offer (granted we did give out **free t-shirts thanks to Jens and Healthechildren as well as Cycle Beads). I'm very thankful to the MoH for trusting us with our own tent, giving us the freedom to whatever we wanted with it, and letting us participate in their grand parade. All the hard work was well worth it in the end :)
*kids ages 6-11 racing in a 4k "marathon" **IF they answer their question correctly
Perry, Holly and I proudly representing MPI and Healthechildren at the MoH parade
"Choose a question. You will receive a free t-shirt if answered correctly. Good luck!"
Our Family Planning (by Perry and Priya) + MPI posters (by Holly)
Our tent was PACKED the entire duration of the health fair
We were pretty popular, relatively speaking
"Yes, your pene has to be erect when you take off the condom."
Currently borrowing Mark´s mac, which is almost impossible for me to navigate being an avid PC user since 2000. That being said, I am computer-less, and have the worst luck with amazon and ebay. So apologies for the lack of blogging lately.
Latest personal news? Just got my nose pierced for 10$. The piercer, Felipe, took about 3x longer to get the needle through than usual, according to Holly, former nose-pierced recipient. Made me unwillingly cry in one eye. Parents don´t know yet. Probably should tell them before they read this. Love you Mom and Dad!
Please visit here for more recent updates, including Program Director interviews! (I believe I might be up next? grrreat.)
The past few months, we have been working tirelessly (especially Seth, Mark and Dunc) on the opening of our very first library/teen center/office space in the community. On Sat., March 14th, our dreams have come true--one of our many ambitious visions and daunting proposals have successfully come to life... and with phenomenal results.
That's about how I got over my fear of public speaking: get in front of 100s of Ecuadorian Evangelical Christians on a holy Sunday morning and speak in your 3rd language about how you didn't want to offend them for using their space for woman's exercise.
From what I can remember, it went something like this:
"Buenos días a todos!
Muchas gracias por dejarme hablar con ustedes esta mañana. Primer, por favor disculpe mi español, todavía estoy aprendiendo. Para esos de ustedes que no me conocen, me llamo Serena de la fundación MPI, y soy una de las profes de las clases de ejercicios para las damas.
Me informó de la situación sobre usar esta iglesia para las clases de ejercicios y inglés, y quiero decirles personalmente que nunca era nuestra intención ofenderles o la iglesia. Tenemos mucho respeto para ustedes, para la iglesia, para Dios, etc. Les agradezco mucho por abrir las puertas a nosotros. Espero que sigamos trabajando juntos y que nuestras relaciones se aumenten favorablemente.
Entonces, para esas de ustedes que todavía tienen interés en participar en las clases de ejercicios, vamos a tenerlas en la casa barrial en SF, lo mismo tiempo (Lunes, Martes, Jueves 6-7pm). Quiero decirles que todos de ustedes siempre están invitados a nuestros programas..."
Translated:
"Good morning everyone,
Thank you very much for letting me speak with you this morning. First of all, please excuse my Spanish, I'm still learning. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Serena from the foundation Manna Project International, and I'm also one of the instructors for woman's exercise class.
I was informed of the situation about using the church for exercise and English class, and I want to personally tell you all that it was never our intention to offend you or the church. We have much respect for you, for the church, for God, etc. I appreciate you all for opening your doors for us. I hope we can continue working together and that our relationship continues to grow positively.
So, for those of you who still have interest in participating in woman's exercise class, we're going to have it at the Casa Barrial in San Francisco, same time (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 6-7pm). I want to let you know that all of you are always invited to our programs..."
From my interpretation, it was well received. Relationship...saved! Next church por favor.
Less than 12 hours after Iowa set foot upon Ecuadorian soil, we learned how to massacre live chickens. And as bloody and unappetizing the process might have been (eg, hand-squeezing fresh feces out from the large intestines), the end result was vale la pena (worth the pain). Pepita, Mayra, Francisco, and Julio (one of our favorite Ecuadorian families) were experts in this field. Needless to say, this was a perfect skill to learn with med students! I wish I did this before anatomy class... Details aside, I think these pictures will be sufficient.
Taj tries his hand...may have to work on this a little. Going to chicken hell.
Anatomy lesson
Pobrecito gallinos
Iowa + Pepita, Mayra, Francisco, Julio and family
Iowa, Holly and I then got opendhandsdirtyfeet, cleaning up the cancha from last night's library/teen center inauguration (Pilseners and $1 boxed wine, anyone?), before enjoying a local soccer game from the patio of our new space.
We ended the day after a relatively more conspicuous visit to Sangolqui markets, haggling with success to some extent (it's harder to fool the Ecuadorians with 11 Gringos flashing hi-fi photos in their faces). So far so good. Everyone is alive and kicking.
Monday and Tuesday 3/16-17
Iowa split up into 3 different groups in the morning, with each group going to:
-Alinambi (to measure kids for our Positive Deviance-based nutrition pilot- more to come on this!)
-Waldos clinic/Sangolqui hospital
-Ministry of Public Health of Conocoto
Some highlights:
-Julie and Brett watching a woman get her tubes tied
-Spontaneously turning the MoH emergency room into a full-out salsa/reggaeton dance club; patients walking in witnessing the doctor grinding up on the nurse(s) (pictures to come)
-Dan screwing up his feces sample. Rosanna the nurse at Waldos laughing at his liquid-soaked sample.
-Amanda, Taj, Ryan, and Brett basically running the ER at Sangolqui hospital (via body language and me translating) due to shortage of doctors... including suturing a black-out old man's head (yes, during the middle of the day), building a "nose bridge" for a man with a broken nose (who doesn't remember breaking it bc, surprisingly, he got drunk during lunch last Sunday), stabilizing two teenagers who just got into a fatal motorcycle accident, etcetcetc.
University of Iowa med students and their 133 boxes of gloves they generously donated!!
(From left to right): Matt, Serena (MPI co-leader), Alex, Brett, Julie, Collin, Dan, Amanda, Taj, Anna, Ryan, Seth (MPI co-leader)
Wednesday 3/18
Spent the day doing touristy stuff, including climbing the breathtaking Basilica, walking through Quito's Old Town, and visiting la Capilla del Hombre- the museum of Guayasamin. I think us Program Directors need to keep reminding ourselves just how amazing this country is, as we have lived here long enough to feel relatively desensitized. Watching the reactions of Iowa and the other spring break groups- served as a constant reality check, telling us not to take this place for granted.
Iowa at the top of the Basilica
Thursday 3/19
Summited Pichincha- the 3rd highest mountain in Ecuador (4600m). Our lungs definitely got their workout today. Lesson of the day: EAT FOOD before attempting to ascend a 300m. Waterproof gloves are also nice.
Friday and Saturday 3/20-21
Weekend excursion to Banos! I don't think any of us could ever get sick of Banos. Rejuvenating massages, hot springs, majestic waterfalls, exotic birds... we could get used to this.
Iowa went on the infamous bike ride to the waterfalls, which is always an exhilarating experience, despite some mishaps on the way (Amanda's flat tire, dog biting Anna's leg). By the end of the trip, despite the exhaustion, we were all regretful the trip was coming to an end.
Sunday 3/22
Thanks Iowa for picking the earliest possible time to leave Quito (6:40am) ha. Ryan, Brett, Anna and I strutted it out and kept our lids up till 3:30am, spending a romantic night together by the fire roasting cinnamon-chocolate-bananas, and watching Aladdin.
“Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.” –Eudora Welty
"If you've come to help me, you're wasting your time. If you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." --Lilla Watson
