Another Answered Prayer

I woke up this morning still a little under the weather, but not sick enough to skip work so I got ready and my student and I headed up the hill to work.  When we got there the gate was locked and no one was there.  We rang the bell a few times, but no one came.  I ended up calling the program coordinator.  She said she did not know why they were not there but she would try to find out.  She ended up calling me back and saying they were not coming in today because yesterday they did the Special Olympics.  That meant Jared and I got to go back down the hill and I was able to spend the day with my family.  We ended up going to the park and it was a gorgeous day.  We played cooking and store with the kids for a while, played some soccer and played on the swings.  It was a fun day.  Lucas got back into school work and completed the dot to dot book his Grandma Vuck sent him.  He loves those things.  I could not believe how fast he did all of them or how much he loves them.  What a great gift.  The kids are loving their toys.  Melayna does her puzzles three or four times a day, Lucas  plays CandyLand and Uno any time someone says yes and he never wants to take off his watch or put his Lego Jay down.  He asks to sleep with it.  They could not be happier.  After a day of playing, I even got a little nap in.  I could not have asked for a more relaxing bonus free day.

Miss Them Already

We had such a great visit with my dad, my brother and Robbie.  I was sad to see them go home, but we were tired yesterday.  I even forgot to blog yesterday since I was tired and I was so excited to watch a movie after the kids went to bed.  Matt and I got to watch Avatar.  It was nice to have a movie night.  We are borrowing movies from my mom and dad that will be nice to watch these last few weeks.  As for the week we could not have asked for a better week.  We tried a few little restaurants and had some good food and toured pretty much everything I could think to tour.  The kids and I needed a recovery day yesterday from all the fun.  We went to the little park by us and played for a little while and then took it easy the rest of the day.  Melayna napped for 3 1/2 hours!  Today after church we went back into Old Town to buy some new shoes for Lucas that dad and I saw when we were exploring.  We did not find the shop, but we found a pair of Ecuadorian Adidas shoes that will work well.  We ventured out to another park Qumando which is really nice.  We had not been there before.  It has pools, little theater shows, games for the kids, soccer field, volleyball court, play equipment with a climbing wall and sand pit, and exercise equipment.  It used to be a bus station and was recently made into a huge park.  It was really nice.  There are big art structures all over the park too that are fun.  We plan to make it back to that park again soon.  This morning Matt planned out the last few things we want to fit in before we leave.  I cannot believe we are starting to plan for our return.  It is back to work tomorrow and I am ready to see my little kiddos again.  What a week!

Teleferico Hike

Well we hiked again at over 4000 meters above sea level.  It was awesome.  The coolest thing at first is seeing Quito the whole time while climbing the Andes mountains.  As we hiked further and further, the view just kept getting better.  We saw awesome birds, flowers, little waterfalls and catuses.  We hiked for five hours and got really high onto the mountain.  It is amazing how tired you get trying to walk up those hills.   We had to stop at the top of every hill to catch our breath.  Lucas did the best out of all of us and never got short of breath or said he was tired.  He was a real trooper.  I guess all those long walks to and from buses and the daycare have really helped his athletic ability.  Melayna did great too and walked for at least a little while every once in a while.  We all hiked to the place called the bear cave and then the boys and I walked a little while longer and got to a peak but not the final peak.  The clouds started rolling in and we were getting tired so we turned back.  Dad and the kids had already headed back so we caught up to them a little less than halfway back and headed back to the cable car for a little snack and some more water.  We were all tired so we stayed in the hotel and had pizza.  It was great to hang out and Matt and Jared were able to meet us at the hotel.  It was a great end to a great week.  We will miss them.

Cotopaxi

Wow!  We had a wonderful time on the volcano Cotopaxi.  It was so beautiful and just so amazing.  Our guide picked us up at the hotel at 8 and drove us to the volcano.  Part way there we met another guide that drove us into the park in his four wheel drive SUV.  You drive up a winding road with a beautiful view.  The guide explained the vegetation and the changes based on the elevation.  We stopped on the way up to get a picture.  Then we drove up to the parking lot where you start the climb.  There was already snow when we got there.  We started the hike all together, but the kids and my dad needed to go down a little earlier because of the elevation.  The boys, the guide and I made it to the refuge and then up to 5000meters above sea level.  The air is definitely thinner, but we did well.  At 5000 meters you can see you are on a glacier covered in lava rock.  It was truly amazing and we drank glacier water.  The way down took us a third of the time.  From there we went to see the lake made of glacier water coming up from the ground.  It was foggy then, but cool to see.  We then went to a shack for coca tea and hot chocolate.  After that we headed back to Quito.  On the drive we all slept except Lucas.  After a short rest we headed to dinner at a really cute little place in the plaza.  Another successful day.  I will try to post pictures in the morning.

Mitad del Mundo Take Two

This is another short post because we have early morning plans to go to Cotopaxi.  We had a great time today at Mitad del Mundo.  I think everyone liked the real equator museum the best, but the view and the food were good in the monument site too.  Lucas and Melayna liked the swing set and the ice cream the best?  The weather held out and was very nice all day.  We went back to the hotel on the metrobus which is a long ride but only costs $0.40.  Melayna slept the entire way which was a much needed nap.  She even slept through the transfer to another bus!  The kids are hanging with the big kids and keeping up pretty well.  After a short rest, we went to dinner in Plaza Grande and had some good food.  I was excited to have a lot of vegetables.  We met up with the girl who asked my dad to bring her computers and she ended up giving the kids and I a ride home.  Lucas fell asleep on the ride and then they were both out when I closed the door.  Yet again the day did not disappoint us.

Great Day

I am very tired from an awesome day so I will try to write all about it in the morning.  Goodnight.  Good morning now.  Yesterday was another great day.  We took a walking tour of the Old Town of Quito.  We got to see a lot of churches, the government palace where the president lives, all the pretty plaza squares, a few parks, the big market and a really good pizza place.  We were able to go up to the very top of the Basilica that separates the Old Town from the New Town.  It was quite the climb up ladders and spiral steps, but well worth it for the views.  Lucas rally wanted pizza for lunch so we kept looking for a place with pizza, which was harder than I thought.  We walked and walked and finally I looked one up in the travel book.  We walked forever and Matt bought us some mango in the park and Robbie bought a grilled plantain just to keep everyone happy.  When we finally made it to the pizza place it was 2:54 and it closes at 3:00 but luckily they let us in.  It was really good pizza and pasta.  Some people bought things in the market and then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  We met Eduardo and Alexandra for dinner on la Ronda which was really great.  My dad got soup that he loved and David got shrimp that he loved.  Matt tried a lamb dish, the kids had hotdogs and I had a hamburger.  It was what we all wanted.  Lucas and Melayna stayed with Pappap for the night and Eduardo and Alexandra took Matt and I home.  In their generous style, they took us to see the city at night and to the see the Virgin of the Americas.  They view was spectacular.  We also got some hot cider drink called canelazo, Matt's was with alcohol and mine was not.  It was very good.  I cannot get over how generous Eduardo and Alexandra are.  We got home and were ready to get some sleep for another great day of adventures.

The Basilica

In the Basilca

The path to the top includes this plank bridge

and the climb up

Government Palace

David trying coffee

Yeah new stuff!  Thanks Grandma Vuck

I love it!

And movies!!!!!

Quito at night

Mindo Take Two

Let me start with yeah, my dad and brother are here!  Now I can talk about the day.  Matt, the kids and I headed out to Quito to meet Dad, David, and his friend at their hotel.  We were stuck in rush hour traffic for a while, but we made it by 9:00AM.  We were all very excited to get there.  We ran into my dad on the street and David was walking out of the building to see if we were there.  The first Lucas told my dad was that he farted in his bed.  It seems to be the boys and my dad's running joke.  They took us upstairs to the room and David gave us chocolate chip cookies which were gone in seconds.  Thanks mom!  After that we head out to get our lunches for the trip.  We ended up getting ham and cheese sandwiches which were really good.  We also stopped and hot a few snacks for the trip.  We then all hopped in the truck and took the beautiful 2 hour drive to Mindo.  The scenery is gorgeous with waterfalls and trees and vegetation everywhere.  After we arrived we ate our packed lunch and then started our hike.  You start by riding a cable car over the canyon which is gorgeous.  Once we were across, we hiked to five waterfalls that were all beautiful.  David tried to get a closer look at one and almost fell in and then after that took off his shoes and got it to get closer looks.  The water was actually very pleasantly cool.  Lucas was a great hiker today and never complained of getting tired.  I think he liked hanging with the big boys.  He kept talking about getting practice in Milan and Charlie's woods.  It was really sweet.  The rain forest did live up to its name and we did see some rain.  After we went back across the cable car, we changed into dry clothes and headed into the town for a little souvenir shopping and a little dinner.  We ate at a very authentic restaurant which had really good food.  After that we took the truck back to Quito and then home.  It was nice not to have to walk home from the bridge where the bus stop is for once.  What a great start to a great week!  Looking forward to an Old Town tour in the morning and dinner with good friends and family in the evening.  It is getting late so picture will be posted tomorrow.

Lunch before we got started

My little explorer

He just had to get in

Our crew

The terabita cable car

The first of many waterfalls

This is how she felt about the rain

What, I do not have to eat soup!

10 Things to Know Before Stepping on the Bus

10. Don't expect change for a 20.
9.   Balance exercises are helpful a few weeks prior to your first excursion
8.   Expect to be entertained by music and elaborate lights
7.   There is no maximum capacity
6.   The bus does not actually stop, except if you have small children
5.   At some point, you may look up and think that you are in a Catholic Church
4.   You will be handed things. They are not free.
3.   If you want to ensure yourself a seat, bring a child.
2.   Know the meaning of these words: vamos, venga, siga, permiso, sube, and pasaje
1.   If you don't know what bus to take, ask Lucas or Melayna

* Looking forward to a fun week with Mike, David, and Robby

Matteo

The Gift of Time

Because I am interested in integrating or joining a similar program at South Alabama, I took extra notes on the interactions with volunteers and those in the community this week. As you can probably imagine, the volunteers probably take away just as much, if not more from the experience, when comparing the health benefit received by the community from this brigade. 

I think the most tangible benefit to the people in the community was the medical attention they received. There were patients suffering from easily treatable diagnosis, like dehydration. Others were walking around with infected and decaying teeth. As mentioned yesterday, one patient had an undiagnosed AAA. Most of these patients only see the doctor when the brigades come, so there is a definite medical benefit. 

Although there is no denying the benefit of these medical brigades, one can’t help but question the sustainability of our efforts. Certainly, we are on the right track with the opening of CMHH full time. The employees work hard to continue the education and basic healthcare that the brigades bring in. However, with the rehabilitation sciences, there is usually no continued presence once the brigades leave.  I was able to schedule some of this patient’s for follow up this time. But, I really think that our efforts could be better sustained with a full time PT at CMHH.

From a volunteer’s perspective, I don’t think most people expect something when they go on these brigades, other than students looking for some clinical experience. Most people that go on these brigades say they look at things differently when they return home. For example, some people say they begin to question whether they really need certain material things in the States.  Consistently, though, most people tell me that I know this experience changed my life in a positive manner, but I just can’t articulate a specific thing. Perhaps, what we take from these experiences are very individualized and we will only figure out with time.

Speaking of time, my theory is that the greatest gift that we give or receive in life is each others time.  Perhaps more than the medical attention we give, I think the time we spend with a patient is most beneficial. Our brigade did a great job of spending time with patients and yet somehow we were able to see a large quantity of patients. Going forward, I think we should never lose sight of the benefit of spending quality time with our patients on these brigades. Maybe this is why the home visits appeared to be so successful this week.

UK Brigade

The UK Brigade was a great success thanks to all the planning from the employees at CMHH and faculty/ staff at UK.

Monday, the brigade opened at CMHH with patient visits in the morning and home visits in the afternoon. I was part of a multidisciplinary team that visited a patient who had a stroke several months ago. I had seen this patient before so I was able to debrief the team before seeing her. The team worked very well together and I think it was a huge help for the patient. The physician and PA were able to address her diabetic problems and wounds. The students, our OT, and I were able to address transfers, standing, and functional activities in the kitchen. This particular visit was discussed for a while that evening during reflection. The debate was about quantity of patients versus quality of care. If the brigade only sees  home visits in  teams, we would only get to about 5 patients a day per team, however the personal interactions and completeness of care is amazing. In the clinic however, the same 5 people working separately could see well over 30 patients, but the personal interaction and completeness of care may be lacking. I think this will be debated for a while.

Tuesday, we visited a Tsachilas village about 45 minutes from STO DOM. We were busy all day. There were several patterns that surfaced. For example, most of the women carry huge loads of work tools with straps around there foreheads, hence we saw a lot of neck and back pain. We also treated several cases of elbow pain caused by swinging machetes at work all day. The students  saw a gentlemen who presented with low back pain, but had to be referred out secondary to a highly probable abdominal aortic aneurism. There were other patients with suspected hip and thoracic fractures whom we had to refer on. However, these patients were exceptions and I think we were able to help a lot of people. Perhaps the biggest need, from a PT perspective, is education on the way they carry tools. Easier said than done, right.

Wednesday, was another big day at Plan de Viviena. We were super busy this day. It was great to see the students gain confidence on the third day. Several of the patients were successfully seen by the students with minimal help and it was gratifying to see them use some of their Spanish. We had another good reflection Wednesday night but I will save my thoughts on this for tomorrow.

Thursday, the brigade set up a health fair at CMHH. We had groups of 15 patients go through several health stations throughout the day. The stations included things like getting access to clean water, diabetes prevention, and back pain prevention. We even had a Zumba station. We still treated some patients but the overall focus of the day was prevention and education. Another great day and turn out.

I have some other thoughts on the experiences of this week both from the patient perspective and a volunteer perspective. I will pick up here tomorrow.

                                                      The Physical Therapy Team

                                                                 Tsachilas village

Children's Curiosity

I think part of the reason kids learn a different language so much easier is that they still have a curiosity to figure everything out.  Today in the daycare one little girl sat by Melayna while she played for about 20 minutes just listening and repeating the English words Melayna was using.  Sometimes when she looked confused I would jump in and explain in Spanish.  I heard her practicing some of the words later and teaching her other friends.  It was really sweet to see.  I see my kids trying out new words and phrases all the time too.  They are so much better at remembering a new word than I am.  The other times I see my kids' curiosity the most is when we are walking to and from places.  It is mostly Lucas, but Melayna asks a lot of questions too.  Lucas wants to know "what will happen if...?" and "why" all the time and he is trying to read signs and he notices changes in things.  It really amazes me how much they pick up on a daily basis.  I have really trying to answer their questions more thoroughly now and not rush to say "I don't know" because I know how important that curiosity is in life.  I just hope I can start to rekindle that curiosity in myself.

Making Plans

I don't have much to report today except that I am trying to get all the things planned for my dad and my brother's trip.  I am getting very excited.  We have plans to do a walking tour of Old Town Quito, go to Cotopaxi, go to the rain forest in Mindo, go to the middle of the world and to do the Teleferico.  Hopefully the weather holds out and we get to see some cool things.  I hope they have fun.  We are so excited that is about all I can think about.  Lucas and Melayna have been counting down the days since the end of February.  It is amazing how exciting it is to have someone plan to visit.  The trip is fun for both parties, the traveler and the host.  So awesome!

More Progress

Both Melayna and Lucas have really been making progress with their Spanish.  They played with a few other kids today and were able to say a few things in Spanish and be understood.  Melayna also told me to sit down it Spanish and I was so proud of her that I forgot to ask her not to be so bossy.  I love that they are choosing to speak in Spanish when they play too.   They played in the room next to where I worked today and I could hear them putting their "bebes" to bed and singing the songs we hear in the daycare and telling them they love them and goodnight in Spanish.  We all still have a lot of learning to do, but they are picking up so much.  This experience has made me more sure of the fact that children should learn a second language early because their learning curve is so much faster than Matt and I's.  Por mis amigos que hablan Español, nesecito practicar mi Español mucho cuando regresamos a los Estados Unidos. Si tú quieres, habla conmigo y con mis niños en Español mucho.  Gracias!

Special Needs School

Lucas and Melayna did great today.  It was their first time at the special needs school.  To start the day both kids slept in for the first time since we got here.  I had to wake them both up.  We dressed and ate and then headed up the hill.  I carried Melayna and Lucas walked and never once complained which is great because it is a long walk.  He said it was good exercise.  We took books and cars and coloring stuff with us and they played really well together all day.  The other kids were really sweet with them and tried to help them with everything all day.  Lucas did his prepared school work without any trouble and read a few books to Melayna.  It was a truly pleasant day.  We got a ride home with one of the therapists which was really nice too because that way Melayna was able to take a 3 hour nap when we got back, and Lucas played soccer with some kids in the courtyard.  He loved it especially when one of the boys showed him his angry birds game on his phone.  We had a good dinner and then played for a while and watched the end of Cars2 which we started yesterday.  I think I have the whole thing memorized since we watch it so much.  It is a good thing it is a cute movie.  Matt seemed to have had a good day when I talked to him and he was able to have a good lunch and dinner with the brigade.  Overall, another good day.

Another Day in the Park

Nothing really exciting today.  After church we went to the park by our house and played soccer and played on the equipment.  It was a beautiful day most of the day.  Matt is going to be gone all week with the University of Kentucky brigade so he gave me the afternoon to not have to take care of the kids and I was able to go grocery shopping, to read and take a short nap.  It was really relaxing.  I don't have anything to report.  Tomorrow will be interesting taking the kids to the special needs school so I am sure it will be an adventure.

Zoologica

Today we decided to do something the kids would really like so we went to the zoo.  It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed it.  We had to take three different buses to get there and then a taxi, all costing a total of 4 dollars for all of us.  It was not huge, but there was a great variety of animals and most of them can be found in Ecuador.  There was a monkey that had been born 8 days ago and a llama born yesterday.  They were so cute.  I have to say the monkeys were by far my favorite.  The kids liked feeding the donkeys, rabbits, sheep, goats and cow carrots.  They were both very hesitant at first but after the first time they could not get enough.  We ate lunch in the zoo which was salchipapas (hot dog on fries without a bun) for the kids and sanduches con jamon (ham sandwiches) and two drinks for Matt and I.  The kids loved theirs and Matt and I had one piece of ham on a huge bun with mustard on it.  Needless to say we had some of the kids fries and got some fruit.  The whole thing cost $6.80 in the zoo, which would never happen in the US.  We ended with the most beautiful birds ever with amazing colors.  Lucas was our tour guide the whole time and directed us where to go from the map.  He was so proud.  After that, we headed back to our house for a little early dinner and then we were able to FaceTime my grandma, an uncle and an aunt.  It was so good to talk to them.  Before bed we watched Rio which is extra fun for us since we have been a part of Carnival and then off to bed for the kids.  We had another great day of adventures.

The baby monkey is on the mom's chest.  It was about 3in long.

Turtles that are only found in the Galapagos naturally

This ostrich tried to eat the air for a while which cracked us up.

Lazy lions

So beautiful

I think he liked it?

Here you go donkey

A Typical Day in the Daycare

So today I decided to describe a typical day in the daycare.  I get up in the morning and get ready and then get breakfast ready in our little kitchen area.  I have to go to the main house to get milk, bread if they have it and fruit.  We have the rest in our apartment.  I get back with supplies and then wake up the kids.  They get dressed and then we all eat.  We head out at 7AM to walk about 20 minutes to the bus stop with Lucas doing most of the talking and asking of questions.  We ride the Amaguana bus that is usually packed to the gills for about 30 minutes and get off at La Victoria.  We then walk 15 more minutes to the top of the hill where the daycare is located.  By this time, Melayna is more awake and is able to get a word in here and there among Lucas' talking.  When we get there the kids are doing morning exercises and usually dancing and singing.  Breakfast is soon after we get there which the kids and I help with feeding the kids that need help and then do the clean-up.  After breakfast we help with teeth-brushing and get ready to start the day.  They usually do an activity for a little while.  Today the kids jumped off of different heights onto mats to work on gross motor skills.  At 10AM there is a light snack and then free play time.  Usually Melayna swings and Lucas runs laps and sees if he can get faster.  After free play it is back to the classrooms for another activity.  Today it was crawling under desks and under tires and working on stepping from one tire to the next.  The kids really enjoyed it.  Lunch is served after that and there is always a soup with potatoes in it followed by a meat with rice and sometimes a salad.  After that they are given fresh fruit juice.  We help wherever we are needed during lunch, which is always a little chaotic.  After lunch every child needs all of their clothes changed.  They all wear at least two if not three layers of clothes so this is a little bit difficult, but once that is done the kids and I head back down to the bus, back to the bridge and walk home.  Melayna sometimes falls asleep on the ride home than wakes up when we get there.  Usually no one really talks on this leg since the bus kind of puts us in a trance.  We go home for lunch, Melayna naps and Lucas and I do schoolwork.  By the time Melayna wakes up or at six we wake her up to go eat.  Then it is time for a little playing then bedtime.  It is a busy day, but we enjoy it.  Then go wake up and do it again.  So that is what we are up to these days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Hope

Tonight I am thinking about a dear friend who is going through a really tough time.  She has lost her hope for a better tomorrow and feels all alone.  I pray she finds it soon because I love her so much and I love her smile.  I really believe there is nothing worse than losing hope.  Hope gives us a ray of sunshine to carry us into the next day.  I know many people in the winter suffer from depression because they need to see the sunshine.  I am a firm believer in vacations in the winter time to rebuild that hope that gets so dim in the winter.  My belief in God and His ultimate goodness is my strongest hope for my future.  Being here in Ecuador has only grown that hope and helped to put my mind at ease that my life is precious to God and what I do with it is for His glory.  Now I know that sounds like just words, but hear me out here.  Matt and I have talked about being here where we do not speak the language has been a test of giving up control.  We have to trust God and that He will provide what we need.  Little things have fallen into place everyday to make our journey smooth.  People have given up seats, we have found our way when we were not sure we would, we have internet and seem to connect with family and friends right when we and they needed it the most, we have made some good friends, the kids found friends, the food has not made us sick, we have seen beautiful things and so many more.  Our smooth sailing is what has grown my hope everyday, but some days you have to look harder than others.  My dad and brother coming to visit is another huge boost to my hope.  God knows what we need and he provides it as long as we give up control and trust Him.  So today I pray for all those people that need a boost to their hope especially those that have a lot of really rough things going on in their lives and I ask God that we can be that boost for others.

Timing

The kids and I happened to walk into the kitchen at just the right time this evening.  Usually our host mother has a little something to eat before we come down to eat.  Today we showed up a few minutes early and she joined us for dinner.  It turned out to be a blessing because Veronica and I were able to talk for an hour about daily things.  We talked like old friends which was really good.  Another really great thing about that is I talked for an hour in Spanish and she understood me!  Lucas was even able to say a few things in Spanish too.  He is understanding so much now and tries to use Spanish whenever he can.  Kids are such sponges.

Today I also forgot to pack a snack for the kids when we went to daycare.  It is a long day without a snack, but luckily Lucas chose to help in the four and five year old class which happened to be talking about fruits today and all brought fruit for a fruit salad.  All of the fruit had a peel that could be peeled off and thus we could eat it.  We were so lucky to be able to eat the fruit salad and the kids got to try papaya.  Talk about a good day to choose that classroom.

I know for sure God was looking over us today and I am so thankful.  I think that it really pays to look back at a day and see all the things that fell into place for you that day to help us be thankful and put things in perspective.  It is easy to look at our lives and see that no big good thing has happened.  If we look harder though, there may be a multitude of good little things that worked out for us.  If we spend our reflection time on the little things, it helps improve our outlook for achieving the bigger things on the horizon.  I plan to be thankful for the little things and the big ones.

A Short but Great Week in STO DOM

My two days in Sto Dom were very productive last week. Thursday's home visits were a bit challenging because Mercedes little girl was sick and she had to pick her daughter up from school, which took most of the morning. I was on my own for three patients but the houses that I visited were all very close, friendly, and had family that would help with my broken Spanish. My first patient, offered me all kinds of delicious fruit that was grown in her backyard. I also enjoyed working with 2 children, brother and sister, whose mother is very engaged and works hard to complete all their exercises.
On Friday, I joined the brigade from Montana State for breakfast. I met 2 volunteers, who were married and both physicians. There daughter was a long term volunteer in Ecuador as a translator. Super nice and interesting family. The physician couple referred several patients to me during the course of the day at Plan de Vivian. I ended up seeing 15 patients that day and several that I had to refer back to CMHH to be seen next week. With extra patient's on the horizon, it is good that I will have a little help from Jared starting this week. I had to rush out on Friday evening to catch my bus back to Quito but it really was a fantastic 2 days.

                                                         A home visit on Thursday

                                                        Plan de Vivian Clinic on Friday

Clouds and Silver Linings

March is probably the wettest month in the Quito and Santo Domingo region of Ecuador, according to most people in Ecuador. The weather proved to be problematic for my trip to Sto Domingo last Wednesday. I reached Tambillo about 6:45 am but noticed it took longer than usual to catch a bus going to Santo Domingo. I figured it was because the buses were behind due to all the rain we had seen the last couple of days. I finally found a bus about 7:10 and was on my way. We came to an abrupt stop as we started descending the mountains about 20 minutes later. After another 20 minutes of not moving, people started to get out of their cars and talk to other people. I overheard phrases like “a lot of mud”, “a lot of time”, and “in the afternoon”. After about an hour of waiting, the bus driver told us that he heard there was a lot of mud on the road and the road would be closed for a while. We also noticed that no traffic was coming up the hill from Santo Domingo. I settled in and started reading a book.

Another hour passed and we saw police in the other lane announcing that the road would not be open until 3 in the afternoon. People on the bus had various reactions. Some people were not fazed and continued to sleep. Other people huffed and puffed and said things I didn’t understand, but I think we could all agree that it wouldn’t be appropriate for children. Many people decided to try and walk down the hill to the next town and catch a taxi back to Quito. I debated going back because I knew that I would lose a day of work. But on the other hand, if the bus started going again at 3pm, I would be in Sto Domingo before dark and would still have 2 full days of work ahead.

I decided to wait it out and was glad I did. As you can imagine, sitting on a bus full of people for 7-8 hours was not fun and very frustrating. I had a bag of chips that I ate for lunch and tried to drink my water sparingly (trying to find that fine line between dehydration and not having to pee). I wanted to avoid spending the night on that bus so I decided if the bus was not moving by 4pm, my plan was to walk down the road to the nearest town. We were within 1-2 hours walk so I knew I could reach the town before dark and get a taxi. It continued to rain during the gridlock.

I was startled from my dazed slumber about 2:45. We were moving!!! I have never been so relieved. As we approached STO Dom approximately 2.5 hour later, the rain stopped and the sun peaked through the clouds. As I saw the sun, I knew that although I missed a day of work, the next two days were going to be good.

As I later thought more about that day, there were more positive events than just seeing the sun late that afternoon in Sto Domingo. People on the bus offered me food, which was nice but I politely declined. The workers at Centro Medico called me several times to make sure I was ok during the day. One of the workers at CMHH even picked up dinner for me and had it waiting when I got there. The Oviedo’s came up to my apartment and checked on me when I got there also bringing me fresh linens and towels.

All of these acts of kindness meant so much and gave me strength to power forward for the next few days.

Futbol

So today we got up and it was pouring down rain.  What a bummer since we were planning to go to a soccer game and make it a surprise for Lucas and Melayna.  We decided to get ready for church and the game in hopes that the rain would stop.  We had planned on not going to church if it was raining, and then when we got there, the readings and the Gospel were about being tempted by the devil.  It makes me think we were being tempted to skip church today, but we were glad we didn't.  On the walk to church it sprinkled a little, and by the time we got there it had stopped completely.  After church we met up with our student Jared on the corner and took the bus to the soccer game.  We were told to take the bus to choclo, which is a large statue of corn and then follow the crowd a few blocks to the stadium.  It was one of the easiest things to find out of all the things we have tried to find.  The game was awesome and it was only $25 for all of us to get in.  Both teams played really rough, but they had great foot skills and made some great shots.  The field was really muddy so the ball skid a little sometimes and there were many very close shots.  The crowd was so electric and fun to watch the game with.  We had a band of trumpets and drums to our left that played the whole time.  Lucas especially loved it.  In the last few seconds of the game, Independiente put together a beautiful run with awesome passes and a cross to the head of one of their players that went into the goal and Lucas jumped into the air so high he kicked Melayna in the chest and then it was called back for offsides which we did not see.  It was a great ending even though it did not count because it was such a good play.  We walked back to the bus stop with half the stadium and rode back to puente nueve which is our stop.  We walked home and got some bread on the way.  We were greeted with a warm lunch and as soon as we sat down to eat it, it started to rain again.  What timing!  This was another great day.

The best fans

Rowdy Crowd

Our band

Three rows from the field, not bad

Standing room only

These people did not pay, but packed the stand and sat out of window sills to see it

Parque Metropolitano

Today we decided to try out another park.  We took the two buses to where we thought the entrance was located.  We started walking up the hill to the park.  It was straight up hill for about a mile and then where we thought you could enter there was a wall.  No big deal, we had a map so we tried another street which seemed to dead end into a field.  We walked down the street and then up and there were no signs so we asked a guard at one of the really nice condos and were told to enter the field and start walking up.  We did and were greeted with a really nice forest and hiking and biking trails.  Melayna was getting tired already so me tied her to Matt's back and then my chest with our jackets.  It worked really well.  We walked for a while and found the playground equipment.  The park was huge.  There were trails everywhere and playgrounds every once in a while along the park.  There was a dog training area, soccer fields, basketball courts and a volleyball court.  We also saw some great shelters for picnic lunches and a little house for the kids to play in which they loved.  When we were done playing and ready for lunch we walked out the other side of the park and down the big hill.  We found as we walked three more big parks that are all part of the collection of parks that make the Metropolitano.  We will have to go back a few more times to see what all there is to explore.  We headed back on the bus and as we got to our stop it was pouring down rain so we picked up the kids and rushed home.  We all changed and had a really good lunch and then a rest.  Lucas read a book to Matt and he was impressed with how much better his reading had gotten this week.  He is taking off. 

Tonight we get our new roommate. He is a University of Kentucky Physical Therapy student who will be hanging out with Matt and I for eight weeks.  It is the start to a new portion of our stay here and we are excited.  He does not get in until late tonight so we will meet him in person tomorrow. 

We plan to surprise Lucas and Melayna and take them to a soccer game here which I think they will love.  Looking forward to more adventures.

Waiting on our bus

We found this building to remind us of home

A little overcast but a pretty view from the park of Quito

Hiking with our contraption.  It worked better on the front of me.

He made it to the top

Melayna had to try it too

A little cement soccer field