Back in Quito

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So my last greeting in Spanish was completely wrong as many of you figured...
I should´ve said Bienveñidos a Todos!

So much has happened since the last blog.
So Sunday through Wednesday we were still in Otavalo. Sunday a group of 6 of us girls went horseback riding through the Andes for over 2 hours. It was awesome. It was my idea, but I was the most scared! I always get the stubborn horse that doesn´t listen to me. But by the end I was comfortable (as can be) and even enjoyed the scenery vs. fearing my death down the mountain. The weather was great and we got done in time before the horrible rain started. The electricity ended up going out in Peguche where our hostel was so we went into Otavalo for lunch. Came back and we all went to an indigenous healer. It was a lot of the same stuff we already saw except this lady was a bit more crazy. She was definitely drunk or something...bc half the ceremony was drinking this pure cane alcohol and spitting it out at th eperson she was cleansing. I mean she had to have absorbed a decent amount of it. After that I stayed at the hostel and read and wrote in my journal by the fireplace and under the candelights. A bunch of people went back into Otavalo to watch the Superbowl. It was in a noisy place with not good seats and all in Spanish, so I´m glad I didn´t go. The electricity came back on around 730pm just in time for dinner. Overall good day.
Monday we again had another cleansing, indigenous healer tour thing. IT was all the same stuff so I was a bit annoyed. Then we were supposed to watch the cuy ceremony. Which involves taking a live guinea pig=cuy and rubbing it all over somebody´s body until it dies bc you are vigorously shaking it and then cutting it open and looking at its organs to diagnose what is wrong with the person you just rubbed the cuy all over. I was so upset by the whole thing I walked away in themiddle as did a couple other people. So that put me in a weird mood. We then had afternoon spanish class which was tiring but fun as usual.
Tuesday we had another health brigade at a school with the same layout as before. It was a lot of well child checks so nothing too interesting, but still fun to see the kids. After that we went into Otavalo for lunch. Me and Janushi had pizza which was okay but I´m pretty sure the lady ripped us off bc we are Gringas! We each paid $11 which I am pretty sure was too much...she just kept calling us "bonitas" so we wouldn´t call her out I think...but I guess that´s how we will learn. In the evening a lot of people went to the Sweat Lodge which involved 4 rounds of about 40 minute sessions of heat getting more intense and by the end there was some chanting and drumming, etc.... But I didn´t go bc I was pretty sure I would not be able to handle the whole thing and we barely have any free time here so I needed to get some stuff done. In the evening we had a cookout which was all food cooked underground. It was okay but very bland a just a bunch of vegetables with no seasonings. So I think we all appreciated it but nobody really liked the taste. Afterwards, a bunch of us girls went back into town and met up with Alberto and Christian. Alberto is an 18 yr old volunteer in Otavalo for about six months I think. He is doing this between high school and college. I do not think I would be able to do that at such a young age. Christian is the Ecuadorian doctor that is from Quito but working in Otavalo for the weekdays as they are required to do this for a year before being able to practice. He is our age bc they go to medical school right after college. It was a lot of fun and the owner of the bar played some salsa and corrected me on my salsa dancing! Haha.
Wednesday was travel day. We left otavalo and visited another clinic and then made it to Quito.
Today we had another health brigade early in the am and then time off for lunch and now we have some afternoon presentations! I am presenting on the multiple indigenous uses of Rosemary! I am exhausted and we have to get up early for a health brigade tomorrow too, but we get the weekend off. So a bunch of us are planning to go to Baños which is an area with natural hot springs! Unfortunately it is supposed to be raining for the next week!
Also Janushi and I ate at a mexican restaurant yesterday that was sooooo goood! It was like Tex Mex and I think we were craving some "american" style food. We will definitely be going back there at least one more time.
Miss you all!
Nidhi

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