Today was a day for tourism. We got to go to the real equator! There are actually two monuments for the equator in Quito. One was calculated in the 1800's and was later found to be inaccurate. The equator we went to was really the Middle of the World as calculated with a GPS. If you've ever wondered about whether it's true that the Southern Hemisphere's water drains the other way, we have the answer. They actually showed us at the equator. The Northern Hemisphere spins counterclockwise and the Southern Hemisphere spins clockwise. It was interesting to note that on the equator itself, the water flowed directly straight down. With just an adjustment of about 10 feet, we were able to see the water spin in opposite directions. We also were introduced to shrunken heads. So this is just what it sounds like. An indigenous group in Ecuador would shrink the heads of people that they would kill. They would remove the skull so that there was just the skin of the head and then boil different plants. The steam of the boiling plants actually shrinks the skin. So the person would usually wear the head of the person around their neck. A little creepy...
We were also able to go shopping again today, this time in Quito. It was a nice market with just about everything that you would want to buy. Many people in our group made some last minute purchases. It's always a game to bargain the seller down to a fair price. They actually expect you to bargain with them. Usually they will start the price at a really high price. I guess if they get it sometimes, why not? We're winding down our trip here in Ecuador. It has been a great experience and I think that we all learned a lot about the culture and had a blast serving the people in Ecuador.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Homeward Bound/Happy Birthday ANNA!!
We boarded the plane headed for Miami, FL around 12 am. And so began the celebration of Anna's 21st birthday! Some of us watched the free movies, and some of us slept. When a stewardess asked for nurses or doctors to come forward to help with a medical issue, we were proudly represented by Shelly and Suzie. Apparently a patron with Addison's disease was vomiting. Suzie provided bonine, which resolved the problem. Way to go, medicine lady!
Once in Miami, we made it through customs with no problems. Liz even unintentionally smuggled in a passion fruit! From there, our group began to dwindle as Charity, Anna, Chelsea, Sara, Bekah, Suzie, and Mike left to catch flights for their separate destinations. We had already left James and Doctor Hill in Ecuador.
From Miami, we flew to Texas and then on to Salt Lake City. Though we will miss Ecuador, it's good to be back in the US. Many of us had to fight the impulse to speak Spanish. The ability to eat salad and drink from the drinking fountain without the risk of contracting disease was exhilarating. I felt especially scandalous throwing the toilet paper in toilet. But most of all, reuniting with friends and family was sweet!
Once in Miami, we made it through customs with no problems. Liz even unintentionally smuggled in a passion fruit! From there, our group began to dwindle as Charity, Anna, Chelsea, Sara, Bekah, Suzie, and Mike left to catch flights for their separate destinations. We had already left James and Doctor Hill in Ecuador.
From Miami, we flew to Texas and then on to Salt Lake City. Though we will miss Ecuador, it's good to be back in the US. Many of us had to fight the impulse to speak Spanish. The ability to eat salad and drink from the drinking fountain without the risk of contracting disease was exhilarating. I felt especially scandalous throwing the toilet paper in toilet. But most of all, reuniting with friends and family was sweet!
It has sure been an awesome 3 1/2 weeks! We have come home with not only our bags bulging with souvenirs, but lots of memories, medical experiences, and lasting friendships. Thanks to everyone for making it such a great experience!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Last day in Ecuador!
Up to the last day, we've kept busy with spa-treatments (manicures, pedicures, waxes :), sight seeing, and our last health fair *sniff*.
We started the day off with a visit to the Basilica.
Along with touring the chapel area,
we ventured up into the turrets of the Basilica!
and Sarah, Matt, and Paige.
We went behind the clocks,
We started the day off with a visit to the Basilica.
We spotted Shelly and Suzie,
and enjoyed the views!
We also visited la Iglesia de San Francisco.
and admired our pedicures.
Our final Health Fair was busy once again! While waiting for people to come, we sang hymns a capella in the chapel. After starting at 6:30, people flowed into the Stake Center up until we had to leave at 8:30 to catch the plane! We hurriedly loaded onto the bus, ate the pizzas so kindly provided by Dr. Zambrano, and changed into our traveling clothes (the guys and girls took turns closing their eyes).
Once we got to the airport, it was smooth sailing from then on.
Ecuador, it's been real!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2012-- First Day in Quito!
Last night we arrived at our fourth hotel of the trip: the Hotel Finlandia, here in Quito! Everyone was pretty exhausted from ziplining and hiking all day on Saturday, so we were all glad to get some sleep. This morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and at 9:00 we were able to attend church in Dr. Zambrano's ward. Sacrament Meeting was really good; the first speaker focused on the importance of temple and family history work and encouraged members to make temple attendance a priority in their lives. The second speaker talked about the importance of music and how we are able to feel closer to God and receive answers to prayer through music. We were then able to sing the special musical number "Mas Cerca Dios de Ti." (It was our third time singing it on this trip; I think we all have it memorized now!) Then a member of the high council spoke about "catching the wave" of missionary work. He reminded us that we each have a purpose in life and encouraged us to pray and meditate so that we can better understand what the Lord would have us do in order to spread the Gospel and help our fellow brothers and sisters.
The Relief Society lesson was also about temples. It was amazing to hear the hermanas in Relief Society testify about temples. So many of them shared stories and personal experiences about their experiences with sacrifice and temple worship. The ward is having a temple trip this Thursday-Friday. Because the closest temple is 8 hours away in Guayaquil, it takes a whole day to make the trip there and back. Even though the temple is pretty far away, the members here are so grateful to have a temple here in Ecuador. It definitely reminded us to be grateful that we are blessed to live so close to temples and have the opportunity to attend often, especially in Provo. The people here are very humble and because of the sacrifices they make to attend the temple, they have very strong testimonies of the sacred nature of temples.
After church, Dr. Zambrano and his family invited all 20 of us to come to his house for hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, and peaches for dessert! It was very kind of them to prepare so much food for all of us and to welcome us over. They have done so much for us on this trip and we are grateful for their service and support.
After lunch, everyone spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, napping, and talking to family/friends back home. It was good to have time to rest because the next two days will be busy touring the city and making the most of the time we have left here in Ecuador!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
(Sorry they are no pictures, we haven't had internet so pictures have not been uploaded!)
Today was our last day in Otavalo! We started the day off visiting a holistic medical center and then drove on a bus to beautiful Mindo where we were blessed to stay in a gorgeous hotel in the middle of the rain forest! At the holistic center we learned about the alternative medicine therapies that are very common in Ecuadorian culture. There are many midwives at the clinic that help deliver babies and there are also a lot of plants and herbs that they use to treat different kinds of ailments. A lot of us bought some ointments that contained different herbs mixed with bee's wax. The one most people bought was for healing of veins, respiratory ailments, and muscle tension due to stress. I am very excited to try it out! Sarah participated in one of their healing rituals to cure espantos. They rubbed an egg all over Sarah's body to capture the evil spirit within her and to diagnose her sickness. They then cracked the egg into a cup of water and based on the position of the egg they diagnosed her sickness. They had stated that she was scared of the water and asked her different questions. They asked her if she had recently been to the water and had been afraid of something or had hurt herself. We had been to the beach a little while ago and she said one of her biggest fears is sharks. She also said she had slipped in the shower and had hurt her leg. They then did the healing part which included rubbing rocks together (supposedly it helps because it is from nature). They also used another egg to pull out the bad energy or bad spirits. They then put some olive oil on her head as well as some red color (supposedly red helps you to be strong). They prayed to heavenly father before doing the ceremony. They would chant while doing it and then say shum, shum at certain parts of the body to call out the bad energy or evil spirits. At the end of the cerremony, Sarah had to eat the egg that they had healed her with. They luckily boiled it! Matt participated in another ceremony that involved the use of a guinea pig. I did not watch the ceremony due to personal preference, so I thought it would be best to share in the words of Matt!
"They did a treatment on me with a guinea pig. They called it a radiograph of a guinea pig. They rubbed the guinea pig all over my body. It died during the process as the midwife rubbed it very vigorously. She then skinned it and looked at it to give me my diagnosis. She saw problems with both of my feet and with my knees. My ankles have hurt me since my mission. My knees do hurt me from time to time. She said she saw some sort of hit in my left foot but I don’t recall having anything like that. She saw a lot of stress in my shoulders and said I am really preoccupied about things. She saw that my neck had a lot of tension and must hurt me and my right shoulder looked really messed up. She also saw a lot of pain in my lower back and I think she even said she saw arthritis (I have had lower back pain and neck pain for a while, I also tore my rotator cuff in high school). When she looked at the brain she said I was very preoccupied. She also saw a hit on my left cheek as it was inflamed on the guinea pig (again this one I don’t remember having). When she looked at the kidneys and I think she saw an enlarged bladder. She asked me if I hold in my pee sometimes and told me that I shouldn’t do that as it could give me problems with my prostate later on. She told me to eat watermelon or papaya to help. She also asked me if I had problems with constipation but I said I am pretty regular. She said she could tell I sometimes hold it in and should go when I need to go, not hold it in because I’m busy. She looked at the lungs and said they looked bad but it was probably related to the trip. She did not see anything wrong with my heart. She advised me to take a bath with some herbs to complete the treatment two times at night. She also told me to get a regular massage. It was an interesting experience at when the guinea pig was near my heart I felt almost like something passed from me to the guinea pig. She said that she felt a lot of her energy leave her when she was rubbing the guinea pig on my neck. I thought it was cool how they talked about the energy and everything. I thought it was interesting but that there was a lot of merit to what they were saying. They always starting by praying to God before doing the treatments. The lady for me talked about how Jesus
Christ is the only way to return to our Father in Heaven. I know that God lives and that He loves all of his children wherever they are found.
Today was our last day in Otavalo! We started the day off visiting a holistic medical center and then drove on a bus to beautiful Mindo where we were blessed to stay in a gorgeous hotel in the middle of the rain forest! At the holistic center we learned about the alternative medicine therapies that are very common in Ecuadorian culture. There are many midwives at the clinic that help deliver babies and there are also a lot of plants and herbs that they use to treat different kinds of ailments. A lot of us bought some ointments that contained different herbs mixed with bee's wax. The one most people bought was for healing of veins, respiratory ailments, and muscle tension due to stress. I am very excited to try it out! Sarah participated in one of their healing rituals to cure espantos. They rubbed an egg all over Sarah's body to capture the evil spirit within her and to diagnose her sickness. They then cracked the egg into a cup of water and based on the position of the egg they diagnosed her sickness. They had stated that she was scared of the water and asked her different questions. They asked her if she had recently been to the water and had been afraid of something or had hurt herself. We had been to the beach a little while ago and she said one of her biggest fears is sharks. She also said she had slipped in the shower and had hurt her leg. They then did the healing part which included rubbing rocks together (supposedly it helps because it is from nature). They also used another egg to pull out the bad energy or bad spirits. They then put some olive oil on her head as well as some red color (supposedly red helps you to be strong). They prayed to heavenly father before doing the ceremony. They would chant while doing it and then say shum, shum at certain parts of the body to call out the bad energy or evil spirits. At the end of the cerremony, Sarah had to eat the egg that they had healed her with. They luckily boiled it! Matt participated in another ceremony that involved the use of a guinea pig. I did not watch the ceremony due to personal preference, so I thought it would be best to share in the words of Matt!
"They did a treatment on me with a guinea pig. They called it a radiograph of a guinea pig. They rubbed the guinea pig all over my body. It died during the process as the midwife rubbed it very vigorously. She then skinned it and looked at it to give me my diagnosis. She saw problems with both of my feet and with my knees. My ankles have hurt me since my mission. My knees do hurt me from time to time. She said she saw some sort of hit in my left foot but I don’t recall having anything like that. She saw a lot of stress in my shoulders and said I am really preoccupied about things. She saw that my neck had a lot of tension and must hurt me and my right shoulder looked really messed up. She also saw a lot of pain in my lower back and I think she even said she saw arthritis (I have had lower back pain and neck pain for a while, I also tore my rotator cuff in high school). When she looked at the brain she said I was very preoccupied. She also saw a hit on my left cheek as it was inflamed on the guinea pig (again this one I don’t remember having). When she looked at the kidneys and I think she saw an enlarged bladder. She asked me if I hold in my pee sometimes and told me that I shouldn’t do that as it could give me problems with my prostate later on. She told me to eat watermelon or papaya to help. She also asked me if I had problems with constipation but I said I am pretty regular. She said she could tell I sometimes hold it in and should go when I need to go, not hold it in because I’m busy. She looked at the lungs and said they looked bad but it was probably related to the trip. She did not see anything wrong with my heart. She advised me to take a bath with some herbs to complete the treatment two times at night. She also told me to get a regular massage. It was an interesting experience at when the guinea pig was near my heart I felt almost like something passed from me to the guinea pig. She said that she felt a lot of her energy leave her when she was rubbing the guinea pig on my neck. I thought it was cool how they talked about the energy and everything. I thought it was interesting but that there was a lot of merit to what they were saying. They always starting by praying to God before doing the treatments. The lady for me talked about how Jesus
Christ is the only way to return to our Father in Heaven. I know that God lives and that He loves all of his children wherever they are found.
Today we literally got to spend the day in
paradise! We arrived in Mindo Ecuador around seven o’clock last night. We got
to drive through beautiful canyons on the way here from Quito that just took
our breath away; green trees covering every little inch of the mountain
sides. This morning we left our little
bed and breakfast in the trucks.
It was quite fun just riding in the trucks and seeing all the beauty that surrounded us on the way to the zip lines.
When we
arrived at Mindo Canopy Adventures we were very excited to get started! We got
into our gear and we were on our way. We had great guides along the way who
taught us how to safely ride the zip lines and assisted us at every station.
They were so eager to serve they would even give the shirt right off their
back! Right Susie?
We had a
lot of fun zip-lining! Some of us were right in our element, fearless, trying
different things. Some of us had to overcome some fears, but we all had an
amazing experience!
We got to try different ways like Mariposa (butterfly) and
Superman (in most cases it ended up being super chica). We had some of the most
amazing views in the world as we glided from station to station! It was
absolutely incredible!
After
zip-lining we got to hike to a few different waterfalls. There were so many
amazing plants surrounding us it just seemed very surreal that we were in this
jungle getting to hike to so many beautiful places. The last waterfall we hiked
to had a lake and we had the opportunity to swim. Most of us got in, the water
was really cold!! Then we spent more
time in the amazing jungle. Days like today make a person grateful for their
eyesight!!
After our wonderful day in Paradise we got back in the bus and
started our trip to Quito where we will be for the rest of our time in
Ecuador!!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
First off, here's the link to the article written about us in Guayaquil:
Today we went to a different community a little farther down
the mountainside from where we were yesterday.
Charity stayed at the hotel because she wasn’t feeling well. Unfortunately, when we got to the village, the
Medical Clinic bus parked right in the volleyball court, so we had to take down
the net L. Brittney, Matt, Mike, Sarah, Anna and Emilee
went to the school we’ve been going to for the past couple days. They taught 4th and 5th
grade, and the students were all very excited to see what they were going to be
taught. They received the
anti-parasitics and fluoride treatments, and were given a lecture on nutrition
and first aid.
A second group (which included Rally, James, Mandy, Mykenna and Chelsea) went to a new school and taught preschool-age kids, 2nd grade, and 6th grade. For the younger kids the group had to adjust their teaching style. They enjoyed singing lots of songs! For the 6th graders, the group taught the kids CPR and it went really well. They weren’t able to do fluoride or parasite treatments because the students had been given the treatments 2 months ago. This school did not have as much money as the other school we went to, and they didn’t have any uniforms. There was also a reporter there that talked to some of the group.
Teaching at the school...
Singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in English
Paige, Liz, Beka, Greg and Melina stayed with the bus in the little community and helped set up the mobile clinic and waited for people in the community to come. The weather was a bit overcast when they started, but pretty soon it started to rain. And then pour. And then let up a bit. And then pour some more. So there were not as many patients as there might have been. But the group had a great time playing with a little boy that was there with his grandmother, and talking to the others that had come. Some of the women kept asking Liz if she could see. Liz was confused until she realized that they were asking that because she had blue eyes. The only blue eyes they had ever seen were eyes with cataracts, so they thought Liz was blind! Some of the members of the community cooked chunks of pork over a fire outside for our lunch, and it was so delicious, along with a plate of salad, popcorn, choclo, bread, and our choice of fruit.
Taking Hemoglobins
Greg stirring our lunch
Nothing better than fresh meat cooked over an outdoor fire!
When the other two groups came back from the schools, we all helped with those that continued to trickle in, despite the rain, to get a medical and dental check up. A group of us went to teach hand and dental hygiene to a preschool, and a little girl that Paige was holding in her lap fell asleep during the lesson. Paige didn’t look too upset. We learned the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” in Kechua (the language spoken by the indigenous people here). The words are as follows:
Uma (head)
Shigra (shoulder)
Cunguri (knee)
Chaqui (toe/foot?)
Navi (eye)
Rinjee (ear)
Shimi (mouth)
Singa (nose)
Afterwards, we had a great time with the kids in the community, figuring out how to say stuff in Kechua, and it started to get really confusing because there was English, Spanish, and Kechua being spoken all over the place. Here are a few basics in Kechua:
Alipunja (good morning)
Kayakama (goodbye)
Pae (thank you)
Ari (yes)
Na (no)
Ima shooti kakangee? (What’s your name?)
Ima shata kangee? (How are you?)
Aleejah (good)
Shun (1)
Ishkay (2)
Kimsa (3)
Chusku (4)
Picha (5)
Sookta (6)
Kanchees (7)
Boosak (8)
Iskun (9)
Choonga (10)
Singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Kechua
Our Kechua "teachers"
This evening we had a health fair, and it almost all went great. However, there were a ton of children in the nursery, and Beka and Melina were soon swamped. Here is the story in Melina’s own words:
Nightmare in the Nursery
Once upon a time two very excited nursing students were going to help in a health fair for the people of Otavalo, Ecuador. The excited nursing students' names were Melina and Rebekah. They couldn't wait to be able to be with the kids, because they both loved kids so much. They arrived and set up the nursery and then the kids started arriving. They arrived and little by little the number of the kids in the nursery grew. Mothers happily passed their babies to Rebekah and Melina and went off to their various classes. Little did Melina and Rebekah know that what seemed like a fun and great opportunity to play with little children would turn into a movie....not a fun movie...a very very scary movie. One that you never want to watch again.
The class began to fill with babies. Babies that needed to be held...babies that cried for their mom...babies that ate crayons if you let them out of your sight for two seconds...also babies that fall on their heads. Add 5-7 year old children that don't listen + crazy baby party and you have yourself one giant mess....Melina and Rebekah were feeling slightly overwhelmed at this point and tried to call for help. Help arrived when Chelsea came. One little 11 month old started crying so Chelsea took her to try to get her to sleep. One little boy that had been crying fell asleep in Rebekah's arm. Melina was left to fend for herself against the crazy little monsters. (Yes...they were monsters disguised as cute children) Meanwhile, nina #1 urinates all over the floor, nino #2 was peeling off all the paper on the crayons and throwing it on the floor, nino #3 was eating the crayons, nino #4 falls on his head and starts crying, nino #5 sees "mami" and starts screaming again, nino #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 all want to go to the bathroom, while nino #13-25 all are trying to escape.... Keep in mind that there is ONE Spanish speaker and two occupied "English-Only Speaking" helpers...and it's a mad house.
Sarah finally came to the rescue and entertained the kids with a little "Duck, Duck, Goose" so Melina and Rebekah could focus on the little kids. Suddenly one mom comes looking for her baby. Her baby is no where to be found. Melina doesn't even remember the little baby. Mom and Melina start having a panic attack and start running around like lunatics. Too bad Melina didn't remember this lady's little baby was the baby Chelsea had taken out of the room to try to get to sleep. Mom finds baby...Melina's and Mom's heart starts again...and Melina apologizes and runs back to the nursery to find even more disaster. Rebekah starts going delirious and yelling out things like "si me dan los crayoles, te doy pasta" What she wanted to say is "Si me traen los crayolas, te voy a dar pasta de dientes." Meanwhile Melina goes searching for mom of baby that peed everywhere...long story short... After what seemed like the longest few hours of their lives...Melina & Rebekah waited anxiously for every mother to get their little precious child...and take them far far away back to their homes....
And Melina and Rebekah died shortly after....
But were brought back to life by sandwiches and juice provided by the ward.... The End.
Taking blood pressures and blood sugars
Teaching different classes
The nursery...
CPR class
One more day in Otavalo and then on our way to Mindo!
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