Quito, Ecuador - July 22, 2005
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I am still alive and well in Quito, Ecuador! This past week has been great and I am learning more and more by the day. Some recent experiences and adventures involve getting "cured" by the local shaman (AKA spiritual healer), having my first taste of the local cuisine - cui (guinea pig), seeing multiple tuberculosis patients and children who have never seen a doctor before, a weekend visit to Cotopaxi, hiking atop the Peguche Waterfall, and more.
Last week we were in a smaller town called Otovalo. It is famous for its weekend markets... lots of hammocks, rugs, wool sweaters & scarves, drawings & paintings, jewelry, and shawls. Very colorful, yet still a little touristy and cliché. Our hostel was a short taxi away in a town called Peguche. Hot water was a rare commodity, but the views of the mountains and landscapes were worth every cold shower. A couple of days we were taken around to see various rare birds and lakes and ways of life of the indigenous people who live in the countryside. There are two types of people in Ecuador - mestizos and indigenous people. They speak two different languages, and so it is very difficult for most Spanish-speaking people to understand the Quitchua language of the Indians. One of the days all of the students in our program performed a health brigade in one of the rural towns... we were able to help more than 50 people who were suffering from tuberculosis, conjunctivitis, parasitic stomachs, and more. The last night we were there, our head doctor had arranged a meeting with a local shaman or spiritual healer. She would dance around and take gulps of alcohol, only to spit it back out at us through lit candles and practically set us on fire. She said this was the way to rid of the negative spirits. Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience. That night we were given a surprise dinner of guinea pig, hand picked by Dr. Wedemeyer for the most active and largest muscles! It was really tasty... had the texture of duck and tasted more like pork.
After arriving back in Quito on Friday, a group of 13 took off early Saturday morning to attempt the climb of Volcano Cotopaxi, which reaches up to 19,000 feet. We first hiked up to the refugee camp, where we would spend Saturday evening resting before leaving at midnight to climb to the summit (before the ice glaciers melted). We also had lots of practice in technique and maneuvers to use in the ice... crampons were put under our boots (like huge spikes), ice picks were a necessary tool for all, and headlamps to light the way... After practice and dinner, I felt so bad for one of the girls. She began getting very nauseous and couldn’t hold anything down due to altitude sickness. She rested for the next 5 hours, but was still vomiting anything she tried to put in her system. Yep... that girl was me. I was so disappointed because the guide wouldn’t let me go any further. My head hurt more than it ever has in my life. I had no energy... there was no way I could try to climb even 1000 m higher. Of the 13 people that began the trek, only 5 made it to the very top. It was so difficult, but an amazing accomplishment for those who did it!
Now I am back in Quito... we started our preceptorships yesterday with a couple of doctors. We go to various clinics in the morning and have more Spanish classes in the afternoon. The clinics have been alright thus far, but we are trying to get more responsibility and want to go to the hospitals, too. My Spanish keeps improving by the day.. and my roommates and I have made a rule that we can only speak to each other in Spanish. Trying, but necessary if we really want to improve. Next weekend we have free as well and are planning our next trip to Banos, were there are hot springs and thermal baths... sort of a huge Ecuadorian vacation spot. I can’t wait.
Allison Shenk, Med 2 (Class of 2008)