My blog has been lacking posts for the past few days due to a number of things out of my control but I'm up and running as long as the lights are on....
I woke up to phone calls this weekend from my friends in the states telling me about the upcoming Tsunami that none of us knew about here...guess it's because we don't have a television or electricity so I can't even read Fox News in Greensboro (very reliable hahaha). Being from a place not close to the beach I didn't know exactly what I should do...and that the Earthquake in Chile would effect me the next morning...
The next day at about 0530, the bed in my tent started moving from left to right (strange and unusual feeling) and my books started falling to the ground from the top bunk....I jumped out of the bed and started looking around and trying to find a doorway to hide under...hmmmm...no doorways in the tent....that minute or so felt like hours.....and then there was no lights...only darkness
The begining of the blackout wasn't so bad, there was still water and the ability to do the simplest things (take shower, flush toilet) but as the second day of scattered electricity came to an end, I was left with no water in my tent for showering and toilet flushing....a big thanks to Kendall for her "anywhere" toilet and Mom for her "bathing wipes"...a cellphone with plenty of talk time with no battery power and some shabbat candles...I never thought shabbat candles could be used as a survival tool....
I sat outside my tent one night in the dark...thinking..trying to read and write by candle light....although darkness can be scary, it is also calming...the sound of the ocean and waves crashing against the sand.....
The power has been on today since about noon or so and I've done what every other crazy American would do...I plugged everything in, anticipating the impending doom of darkness...and I took the best shower I've had since I've been here...put on a clean shirt and I feel like I could take over the world....
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
New Pics
My friend the Iguana that likes to walk on the roof while I'm taking a nap!
A "borro" (donkey) on the football field
Near the river mouth
The beach from the top of the mountain
The sunset from La Tortuga...and then there was the Mosquitos...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The last few days..........
It seems that every time I try to update my blog, make a phone call or do some school work we lose electricity. Maybe it’s g-d’s way of saying that it’s not the right time to post anything…haha…
This project has begun to take on an Anthropology role as time progresses and I realize the importance of retaining the culture the way I found it. When I was on my way here, I remember thinking that I was going to show the village that we had everything together in the United States but I’ve changed my mind. My number one goal is to improve the health of the area without losing any aspect of the culture.
I’ve begun to come up with ideas to incorporate the town, it’s natural resources and it’s people in a health education program. I’ve been toying with the idea of developing a pseudo-wilderness EMT program where I teach the community to use things around them that are readily available and not expensive. I’ve been testing the strength of the branches here to see if they are strong enough for a limb splint and today I will learn how to wash my clothes, BY HAND. I want to see how clean the clothes are, once the people in the town wash them. If they don’t get most of the dirt out, I don’t want to teach them to use dirty t-shirts for a bandage. That might make the problem worse…..
My other interest is in personal hygiene. As I witnessed when I paid $2.50 for dental floss, the cost of these products is high compared to other things in the region. I’ve been contemplating researching alternatives to toothpaste and soap that are cheaper and work as well.
I guess, in sum, I want to create an educational plan that is geographically and culturally sensitive.
And, I learned to Salsa dance last night!!!!
This project has begun to take on an Anthropology role as time progresses and I realize the importance of retaining the culture the way I found it. When I was on my way here, I remember thinking that I was going to show the village that we had everything together in the United States but I’ve changed my mind. My number one goal is to improve the health of the area without losing any aspect of the culture.
I’ve begun to come up with ideas to incorporate the town, it’s natural resources and it’s people in a health education program. I’ve been toying with the idea of developing a pseudo-wilderness EMT program where I teach the community to use things around them that are readily available and not expensive. I’ve been testing the strength of the branches here to see if they are strong enough for a limb splint and today I will learn how to wash my clothes, BY HAND. I want to see how clean the clothes are, once the people in the town wash them. If they don’t get most of the dirt out, I don’t want to teach them to use dirty t-shirts for a bandage. That might make the problem worse…..
My other interest is in personal hygiene. As I witnessed when I paid $2.50 for dental floss, the cost of these products is high compared to other things in the region. I’ve been contemplating researching alternatives to toothpaste and soap that are cheaper and work as well.
I guess, in sum, I want to create an educational plan that is geographically and culturally sensitive.
And, I learned to Salsa dance last night!!!!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Reflection
Most of my blogs up to this point have been about how wonderful this place is...probably because I spent the first few days here getting to know the town, finding where people hang out and trying to look "not so white"...plus, in the states we drink at bars to meet people we don't know and we don't care if our Spanish skills suck when we drink~
I stopped taking my Malaria medicine after a long dileberation with myself. Malaria meds make you very sensitive to the sunlight( and it's summer here)...and I was sick everyday...sunburn and having horrible dreams every night...I decided that if I get Malaria, it's the same medicine that they use to prevent it...I will begin the pills if I start to get sick....I figured Malaria is better than skin cancer and roja (red) isn't my color....
I began my interviews yesterday with the help of Patty...we visited families that were "well off" by Ayampe standards and the poorest family in the whole village. The experience was heartbreaking, even at the "well off" family's home. Simple things that we take for granted are not availabe here in Ayampe...things like band-aids, neosporin or even any type of medicine. The nearest famacia (pharmacy) is at least ten minutes by car...and most people don't have a car or the money to pay for the bus (40 cents).
I met a family with a husband that has had a "cold" for a month. He saved up his money last week to go to the doctor...when he got there, they stole his money and he never was treated...he said "maybe tomorrow I will have money". He is a daily wage worker with no work...and he is old. Coming from a health backround I know the scenerio all too well...he will continue to be sick and work all day in the hot sun...the simple cold may progress into something else...and there is a chance this might be his last sickness...his cough was terrible and his wife said he had had a fever the entire time....I could only think of Sepsis....
A few weeks ago in Temple, the Rabbi said something that has stuck with me through this entire trip..."If you save one life, it's as if you saved a million"....unfortunatly, I want to save everyone...the answer to the man above may be fixed by a simple antibiotic that he probably needed a month ago....I have enough antibiotics to save the village but a part of me is scared...what if he is allergic to the medicine and has a reaction...I couldn't get an epi-pen fast enough and I'm allergic to Benedryll so I don't have any to give him should something happen.
I've already decided which villager will get my mega first aid kit when I leave...I met her during one of my interviews. She will hopefully be key when David's students come back in July for their health day. She is a retired Red Cross worker who said she "would do anything to help improve the health here" she just needed a refresher course....
I've been to houses where there are 12 people living in a one room house with no inside bano and everyone sleeps in the same bed...dirt floors and houses made of Cane....and even the nicest houses in the village would be poor by american standards...However, the people here are happy...happier than most people that live in the states...Most say they stay here because they have family and they have friends...they don't worry when they don't have money as much as we do...of course, when they say they don't have money, they don't have a dime...broke has a whole different meaning in this country......
To me the cost of living is cheap...less than 2 dollars for a beer, 1 dollar for a gallon of water but for the villagers, this is a lot of money....the laborers in this town make only 3-10 dollars a day and I met someone who only makes 25 dollars a week and her rent is 150 dollars...
This has been an eye opening experience for me thus far and I wonder if I will be able to assimilate back into American society...will I actually enjoy a hot shower, remember than bug spray isn't necessary every 4 hours and to run in the house at dusk to run from the bugs....will 4.50 for a beer seem outrageous and will my Land Rover still be a wonderful as I've thought it was since the day I got it....
I might have to agree with David when he said I would love it here and not want to come home...so what if my cellphone doesn't work and the electricity works when it wants to...a small wind can take out the internet for a whole afternoon...but this place is so peaceful....
As I'm writting this, I'm watching the sunset on the beach and it is so beautiful...I would be out there but I had a fight with the crabs on the beach earlier as I was listening to my tapes...they sure looked tasty....but they have those claws...and I"m allregic to shellfish
I bought a bike yesterday and I"m going to post the picture on here after this blog...I feel mobile and I've learned to appreciate it's rusted stem and rusty basket....it gets me from point A to point B...even after being here a week, that Pinarello Prince (road bike) that I wanted seems pointless to me.....
I've always loved my family, lovers and friends but this trip has shown me to really appreciate them...I've actually been known here to get up at 5am just to chat through email or call on Skype....
Most importantly, I'm at peace and grateful to be here....When I went to David's office last year and said, "I want to go to Ecuador", he could have said no....maybe he should of when I told him I didn't know what the hell I was doing...but I'm figuring it out....my Spanish is getting better...people actually understand what the hell I'm saying....and I have a nickname "La Flacka" which means "skinny" in Spanish.....
I stopped taking my Malaria medicine after a long dileberation with myself. Malaria meds make you very sensitive to the sunlight( and it's summer here)...and I was sick everyday...sunburn and having horrible dreams every night...I decided that if I get Malaria, it's the same medicine that they use to prevent it...I will begin the pills if I start to get sick....I figured Malaria is better than skin cancer and roja (red) isn't my color....
I began my interviews yesterday with the help of Patty...we visited families that were "well off" by Ayampe standards and the poorest family in the whole village. The experience was heartbreaking, even at the "well off" family's home. Simple things that we take for granted are not availabe here in Ayampe...things like band-aids, neosporin or even any type of medicine. The nearest famacia (pharmacy) is at least ten minutes by car...and most people don't have a car or the money to pay for the bus (40 cents).
I met a family with a husband that has had a "cold" for a month. He saved up his money last week to go to the doctor...when he got there, they stole his money and he never was treated...he said "maybe tomorrow I will have money". He is a daily wage worker with no work...and he is old. Coming from a health backround I know the scenerio all too well...he will continue to be sick and work all day in the hot sun...the simple cold may progress into something else...and there is a chance this might be his last sickness...his cough was terrible and his wife said he had had a fever the entire time....I could only think of Sepsis....
A few weeks ago in Temple, the Rabbi said something that has stuck with me through this entire trip..."If you save one life, it's as if you saved a million"....unfortunatly, I want to save everyone...the answer to the man above may be fixed by a simple antibiotic that he probably needed a month ago....I have enough antibiotics to save the village but a part of me is scared...what if he is allergic to the medicine and has a reaction...I couldn't get an epi-pen fast enough and I'm allergic to Benedryll so I don't have any to give him should something happen.
I've already decided which villager will get my mega first aid kit when I leave...I met her during one of my interviews. She will hopefully be key when David's students come back in July for their health day. She is a retired Red Cross worker who said she "would do anything to help improve the health here" she just needed a refresher course....
I've been to houses where there are 12 people living in a one room house with no inside bano and everyone sleeps in the same bed...dirt floors and houses made of Cane....and even the nicest houses in the village would be poor by american standards...However, the people here are happy...happier than most people that live in the states...Most say they stay here because they have family and they have friends...they don't worry when they don't have money as much as we do...of course, when they say they don't have money, they don't have a dime...broke has a whole different meaning in this country......
To me the cost of living is cheap...less than 2 dollars for a beer, 1 dollar for a gallon of water but for the villagers, this is a lot of money....the laborers in this town make only 3-10 dollars a day and I met someone who only makes 25 dollars a week and her rent is 150 dollars...
This has been an eye opening experience for me thus far and I wonder if I will be able to assimilate back into American society...will I actually enjoy a hot shower, remember than bug spray isn't necessary every 4 hours and to run in the house at dusk to run from the bugs....will 4.50 for a beer seem outrageous and will my Land Rover still be a wonderful as I've thought it was since the day I got it....
I might have to agree with David when he said I would love it here and not want to come home...so what if my cellphone doesn't work and the electricity works when it wants to...a small wind can take out the internet for a whole afternoon...but this place is so peaceful....
As I'm writting this, I'm watching the sunset on the beach and it is so beautiful...I would be out there but I had a fight with the crabs on the beach earlier as I was listening to my tapes...they sure looked tasty....but they have those claws...and I"m allregic to shellfish
I bought a bike yesterday and I"m going to post the picture on here after this blog...I feel mobile and I've learned to appreciate it's rusted stem and rusty basket....it gets me from point A to point B...even after being here a week, that Pinarello Prince (road bike) that I wanted seems pointless to me.....
I've always loved my family, lovers and friends but this trip has shown me to really appreciate them...I've actually been known here to get up at 5am just to chat through email or call on Skype....
Most importantly, I'm at peace and grateful to be here....When I went to David's office last year and said, "I want to go to Ecuador", he could have said no....maybe he should of when I told him I didn't know what the hell I was doing...but I'm figuring it out....my Spanish is getting better...people actually understand what the hell I'm saying....and I have a nickname "La Flacka" which means "skinny" in Spanish.....
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Mamie goes to the Tienda
FYI....brushing your teeth with the water that comes from the sink is just like drinking the water...just in case you didn't know...
So after laying on the beach all day (only two hours) and starting to win my bet with David Cardenas (los Estados Unidos) I realized that I needed water....so I go rinse off in the shower which felt fantastic (it was warm) I headed down to Fernando (manager) to have Pilsner and ask for directions. Here's our conversation:
Me: Fernando, donde esta una tienda? Por que necessito agua y cerveza
where is the store? I need water and beer
Fernando: Ahhhh, you do speaka Spanish
Me: Si, un poco (a little)
Fernando: Thata way....(points to the left)
Me: Si, okay...y "want" comprar una bicicleta a manuana (and I want to buy a bike tomorrow)
Fernando: Porque?
Me: Por que no illeva un carro (Because I don't have a car)
Fernando: ahhhhhhh
Fernando goes and takes his seista and I head thata way....
Twenty minutes later, I arrive at the tienda and it's at least 90 degrees. This cute little old lady comes to the locked window and I proceed with my order.
Me: Necissito 4 bottelas de agua y 2 pilsner (I need four bottles of water and 2 beers)
Old Lady: Pico o grande
Me: Grande
Old Lady: 4????? No, esta mucho pesado per una mujer (4, that is to heavy for one girl)
Me: No problema, necissito 4 (it's not a problem, I need 4)
Old Lady: Ok, ok, ok (places my four gallons of water on the dusty street)
I guess I didn't think large was a gallon! So here I go walking down the long hot road with my four gallons of water and three liters of beer...so what if it's hot as hell outside...I have water!
I'm in the cafe on Ecuadorian standard time...which is, "whenever". Fernando is going to take me to Porto Lopez in a little bit to buy a bicycle to get around on and store at Caesar's house for the next time I come...
So after laying on the beach all day (only two hours) and starting to win my bet with David Cardenas (los Estados Unidos) I realized that I needed water....so I go rinse off in the shower which felt fantastic (it was warm) I headed down to Fernando (manager) to have Pilsner and ask for directions. Here's our conversation:
Me: Fernando, donde esta una tienda? Por que necessito agua y cerveza
where is the store? I need water and beer
Fernando: Ahhhh, you do speaka Spanish
Me: Si, un poco (a little)
Fernando: Thata way....(points to the left)
Me: Si, okay...y "want" comprar una bicicleta a manuana (and I want to buy a bike tomorrow)
Fernando: Porque?
Me: Por que no illeva un carro (Because I don't have a car)
Fernando: ahhhhhhh
Fernando goes and takes his seista and I head thata way....
Twenty minutes later, I arrive at the tienda and it's at least 90 degrees. This cute little old lady comes to the locked window and I proceed with my order.
Me: Necissito 4 bottelas de agua y 2 pilsner (I need four bottles of water and 2 beers)
Old Lady: Pico o grande
Me: Grande
Old Lady: 4????? No, esta mucho pesado per una mujer (4, that is to heavy for one girl)
Me: No problema, necissito 4 (it's not a problem, I need 4)
Old Lady: Ok, ok, ok (places my four gallons of water on the dusty street)
I guess I didn't think large was a gallon! So here I go walking down the long hot road with my four gallons of water and three liters of beer...so what if it's hot as hell outside...I have water!
I'm in the cafe on Ecuadorian standard time...which is, "whenever". Fernando is going to take me to Porto Lopez in a little bit to buy a bicycle to get around on and store at Caesar's house for the next time I come...
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