A Deep Embrace Off I send you my deepest, warmest and fullest embrace ever on this journey.
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.
You all amaze and delight me.
I will miss you at the annual Hurst bowl-a-thon, but I think what you are doing has slight more import!!
peace, love and blessings.
hillary
Dios Mio
Good luck packing!!! By the way -- I love your Christmas Card. It is a great picture of all of you.
Jessica says hi to Marleigh I will miss you very much :(
maybe we will see each other before you leave
Two months to go Hi Shari, Sounds like things are moving along well! Good for you. Your family must be getting very excited. I know that we are! Our Spanish is so rusty though. I guess that we should start looking at all those irregular verbs again. It'll be good to be back in Spanish speaking countries again. We have a friend who took 10 ukeleles to Guatemala and is teaching the kids in Xela how to play them. Imagine ukes in Guatemala. The kids LOVE them. Hope that you got my previous email and good luck with your fundraising. We did okay with a little puppet busking during the month of October! Connie
Thanks Karen,
I'm a big believer in believing and believing in yourself. No, I don't think I need to be your teacher at all; I think it very much the other way around. Thank you for your kindness.
Shari
Well, the girl's pediatrician recommended everything on the U.S.A. CDC website, including the yellowfever and typhoid, but we're holding off on those. We're just doing the standard tetanus and Hep and making sure the girls are current on their other immunizations.
Innoculations Hi again, Did you find out what necessary innoculations you will need to get? I am in the process of boosting our medical insurance for the 4 months away. Connie
Shari,
I am so impressed and motivated by how your family has truly stuck to your goals. Will you be my teacher? Really, the world is such a better place by you guys being in it. Truly your world vision is so needed.
Peace and great care,
Karen
Dukoral Connie,
Well, I did a preliminary search on the internet on Dukoral. It looks like it could a good thing for us to consider. We too were very careful in Guatemala (or so we thought...), but Andy and I got the traveller's diarrhea (at Lago de Aitlan!). Well, alas -- I don't think that it is available in the U.S.A. - at least according to the 'bootsnall' website. We will certainly ask our physicians about it; wonder if we could just order it online somewhere?
Thanks!! Shari and family
Fundraising for Trip Connie,
Yes - we received your delightful email and sent you one in return. Hopefully you received that as well. Looking forward to meeting you and Chris.
Shari
Necessary immunizations Linda,
We'll be taking the girls to their pediatrician next week and will ask her advice as well. On the one hand, I do agree with getting the innoculations and preventing diseases, but I also know that some of the vaccines can also be a bit hard on the body -- so I am trying to find the right balance. I think that the CDC, necessarily so, is very conservative in listing all the potential diseases that are out there. The advice is sometimes ambiguous and changes frequently. So, I think searching for 'real world' experience is very helpful too.
Shari
Necessary immunizations Thanks Cindy,
Do you know whether anyone can get free vaccines in Quito? I know that we will all our routine vaccines updated before we go and when my daughters have their routine exams with the pediatrician next week (who happens to travel a lot), we will also ask her. There is a travel clinic here in Bend, Oregon, but each shot is very expensive and of course several require more than one dose. I am not sure whether insurance will cover or not. We will be in Quito 2-3 weeks, then Banos for @ 1-month, then travel down to the northern coast of Peru (Trujillo). I don't anticipate trips to jungle, but of course one never knows. Thanks for your 2-cents! Very informative
Shari
immunizations Hello,
I am a Canadian who is married to an Ecuadorian and I have lived in Ecuador for 9 months (back in 1994) and I have travelled to Ecuador many (about 10) times. Each of my children have been to Ecuador several times. When I first went, I got all the recommended immunizations. The immunizations and medication recommended depends on the areas being visited and your intended activities. Yellow fever vaccination is only recommended if you will be visiting the Amazon basin. We did all get vaccinated on our last trip, free of charge, at a public hospital in Quito. This was recommended to me because there are cases of yellow fever in Ecuador and there is no treatment. None of us had any reaction more than a sore arm and now we are covered for 10 years.
Malaria prophylaxis is also recommended for travel to the jungle and the coast. I am aware that some people decide agianst this, because of the possible side effects, and the fact that malaria is treatable, however I would still worry about falling ill once home and delays in diagnosis etc.
I personally feel that typhoid immunization is wise as typhoid is transmitted through contaminated food and water. In our experience, the most common health problem that foreigners suffer from when visiting Ecuador is stomach upset/stomach infections. It is very important to be careful about what you eat and drink.
I was not aware that there was an immunization available for dengue fever. Perhaps it is new.
Hepatatis A is also a real risk, I know because my step-daughter contracted it in 1994 in Quito. Hep B is transmitted by blood products and body fluids I believe, so if you are not planning on engaging in any risky behavior, that may be one you can omit.
I didn't get vaccinated for rabies either. I guess when making that decision you should think about whether you intend to be in close contact with animals. There are a lot of stray animals in some Ecuadorian cities and towns, but I have never heard of rabies.
That's my 2 cents! Let me know if you have any questions.
Cindy
What a co-incidence! Hola, We just read your blog and my husband and I will be volunteering in Banos in January and February 2010 also!
I sent you a longer email but I am not sure if it went through. Connie Smith, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
I say YES Hi folks - yes, I think you should. but, of course, talk with your daughters' physicians to make sure there are no special considerations for them. I think if the CDC says you need the shots, I say get them. They must have some reason for recommending. I myself cannot get certain vaccines and may never be able to travel to certain parts of the world - so personally, I think if someone is able to get shots and tavel, they should. IMHO - Linda
We are a family that currently resides in Central Oregon, on a small farm. Shari is 48 years young and works as a Natural Resource Specialist in the field of Solid Waste (Waste Prevention, Recycling, Composting). She enjoys music, reading, outdoor activities and sustainable living. Andy is 53 years young and works as a photographer, doing both free-lance work and as a photo-tech at COSTCO. He is also a person of many trades and skills, from car repair to cooking. He is an incredible guitar player and musician. Ansley is 14, and attends Cascades Academy of Central Oregon as a ninth grade... full info
Hillary
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A Deep Embrace Off
I send you my deepest, warmest and fullest embrace ever on this journey. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures. You all amaze and delight me. I will miss you at the annual Hurst bowl-a-thon, but I think what you are doing has slight more import!! peace, love and blessings. hillary