ericamarie

Today, we traveled back to Quito to the airport. Glad to be going home but it’s bittersweet because this trip has been so amazing. We stopped at one of the hospitals that we referred patients to for a tour. You can look at the pictures. We had one last meal before we went to the airport and it was the best meal of the trip! I met some really amazing people and got to do some really amazing things. I have never felt like I was making such an amazing difference in the lives of so many people and it is comforting to know that we will continue to make a difference through the health promoters we trained. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have this experience and cannot wait to do something like ... read more

Our original plan for today was to take a canoe trip to the zoo before an afternoon and evening of training with the health promoters. However, even though we are in the rainforest, it has not rained since we’ve been here. In fact, it hasn’t rained in a week and the locals are getting worried because the river is so low. Instead of canoeing, we went spelunking. It was awesome. I’ve been to Mammoth Cave before.. that is nothing. We were completely underwater at point during this adventure. It was crazy. At one point, our guide rubbed mud all over our faces because it was said to help with wrinkles and zits. While we were down one of the tributaries, we all turned out headlamps off while our guide told us stories. It was so dark ... read more

Today is our first day of clinic in Tena. Tena is much much much more rural than Quito. This trip is cool because we get to see an urban setting and a rural one. Every day in Tena we will have breakfast at 7am and dinner at 7pm. Needless to say, by 7pm I am ready for bed. We pack so much into one day but I like it that way. Three of the ten students are sick.. hoping I make it at least until we get home! Today was really great. We took two pick-up trucks out into the middle of the jungle.. okay we were already in the middle of the jungle.. so further into the jungle on gravel roads for about an hour. It was like off-roading; pretty fun actually. We got to ... read more

I started typing this post and was almsot finished with it when I looked up and it was GONE! It was deleted and I couldn't recover it :( I was pretty proud of it too. I'm going to try to recreate it but I know it won't be the same! We started today with clinic again. We saw about 40 patients. After lunch we got ready to begin a four hour training with the health promoters. The health promoters are people in the community that have taken an interest in the health of those around them and want to do something to improve the general health of the population. They do not require any specific training and just learn what they can. They end up performing roles of doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, therapists, case workers, and ... read more

Today we visited a Tierra Nueva school for children with special needs. We got to interact with the kids and learn a little bit about how their foundation works. It is in Ecuador's constitution to provide adequate education for all children regardless of mental capacity and/or physical disabilities. However, many of the schools ignore this law and almost no one enforces it. This leaves the children who have special needs without a place to go to school. That's where the Tierra Nueva Foundation comes in. It is a private institution that costs $40-50 a month per child to attend. This is certainly a low price by US standards but not in Ecuador. Regardless, there are 30-40 children on the waiting list at all times but Tierra Nueva has little resources and the teachers and therapists there ... read more