Crazy Things

I have been thinking about some crazy or different things we have seen that we would like to remember so I made a list.
-A live chicken in a bag with a hole for its head tied to the top of a school bus/van
-People wearing ski masks in 70 degree weather
-Kids wearing 3 layers of clothing in 80 degree weather
-A rooster in a downtown apartment
-Someone selling an intestine cleaner on the bus
-People making out everywhere including on a really crowded bus and right after church where everyone stands
-People selling guinea pig on the street
-A woman playing soccer in a really tight jean skirt
-A cow tied to some roots on the side of the road
-Pigs tied to the weeds on the side of the road
-Children tied to their mothers' backs with a sheet or scarf
-Showers heated by an electric wire attached to the shower head
-Matt and I giving our kids a bath/shower with water from a kettle
-Throwing your toilet paper in the trash not in the toilet
-Paying 15 cents to go to the bathroom in a public place
-A man in hand cuffs talking on a cell phone held by the police officer
-People shining shoes wherever someone stops
-Broken glass in the cement wall around really nice houses
-Having it be 80 degrees where we are and being able to see a snow-covered mountain
-Dogs on roofs
-Chickens and a rooster in my front yard
-A carpenter stopping me and Jared on the side of the road because he needed a friend to talk to and then him complimenting me on my Spanish
-"Mowing" the grass with a machete
-A house getting struck by lightning
-A man yelling "Africa" over and over during a military ceremony
-Carnival and people spraying complete strangers with foam and water and throwing eggs at one another

I am sure there are more, but these are the ones that come to my mind right now.  I will add more if I think of them.  My advice today is to write down the things you don't want to forget because no matter how much you think they are embedded in your brain you will forget.

Wrapping Things Up in Santo Domingo

As with any project, there are several loose ends that I am trying to organize for my final 2 weeks at CMHH. One, of the biggest questions with service projects in sustainability. This is very difficult given the fact that there are very few physical therapy schools in Ecuador, and if there was a therapist available to work at CMHH, it would be difficult to pay them. Thankfully there are other options.  As I have mentioned earlier, Mercedes has been around since UK partnered with CMHH. She has been working with physical therapists closely since the brigades began several years ago. Over the last 5 months, I have had the privilege of working with her and I think we have both learned a lot. At this point, I think Mercedes is ready to carry out exercises with the patients until the next brigade comes down. However, Mercedes has many other responsibilities in the clinic and community. So this week and next week, 2 community volunteers have agreed to accompany Mercedes and I on the home therapy visits. My hope is the 2 community volunteers will be able to assist Mercedes with her extra workload.

Next Friday, Maggie and I will be going to Puerto Quito, not the same as Quito, to give an in-service to a group of physical therapist on the management of low back pain. I haven’t decided how much Spanish that I am going to use, but at least I have Maggie to interpret. Needless to say, it will be mostly interactive and demonstrations. It should be fun.

The research project at CMHH seemed to be successful. We looked at home exercise adherence rates and found that the rates were fairly similar to what we find in the States at this time. The students at USA analyzed and presented the data for their thesis project and won an award!!!!  In the next 2 weeks, I am trying to collect some information on the reasons why the non-adherent patients were non-adherent, so that we can begin to make some corrections for future brigades.

So much to do and so little time to do it. Pray that we accomplish what God wants in the next few weeks.

Matteo

Changing of the Guards

So today I walked up to work and no one was there.  I am not sure where everyone was, but it worked out well for me that they were not there.  Since I did not have to work, I was able to meet Matt and the kids in Quito to watch the changing of the guards in front of the President's place.  We got there right before 10 since we thought it happened at 10.  There was a ceremony for some international coalition, and we thought that was it, but then all kinds of chairs were set up in front of the palace and there were a lot of people up there.  We decided maybe the changing was not until 11 so we went up to check it out.  We sat on a short wall and just sort of waited around.  At 11 we were greatly rewarded for our patience and for getting there early.  There was marching, chanting, singing, a big band, drums, a flag raising, guards on horses, the exchange of a sword and we saw the president.  It was truly wonderful to see.  The kids loved it, but I think Matt and I loved it even more.  We had the best seats in the house and literally could touch the guards in front of us.  We are so glad we got to be a part of this experience.  It was also a beautiful day, which made it even better.  Enjoy the pictures.

The first ceremony

Some natives and you can't see the shine on the shawl, but it was beautiful

New hat

The president

The man in front of me

Exchanging the sword

Marching around the plaza

Raising the flag

The band

Pictures

I just wanted to post some pictures today of some of my kids at the daycare and ones Lucas took yesterday in Quito.  Today we went to church and then chilled all day and colored and read books and played superheroes and cars.  It was a very relaxing day.  Matt and I decided that there really wasn't anywhere else we really wanted to go in particular so it would be good to stay home and chill.  It was a great decision since I think we both feel really relaxed this evening.  Enjoy the pictures.

Pajama Day with the three year olds

I think my buddy Roberto has a little crush on me

My sweet little Karol

Baby Matias who loves to hug Melayna

Sweetest little smile

Smart little Iker

Little lover Martin

Older Matias

Abram

Quiet little Anahi

David

My best little buddy Magali

Domenica loves pictures

Serious Josue

Genesis with the perpetual running nose

Una mas por favor senorita

At Ejido our favorite park

A street performer

A double bus

Tea ice cream

This guy was really good

Street art

The pod to the flower below

So cool

Our street right before it started raining

Little miss independent

Jared's Last Week

Jared, our PT student completed his eight weeks here with us this week.  I have to say the time went really fast for me.  It was really nice to have someone to walk to and from work with on Mondays and Tuesdays.  I think the experience in all was a little overwhelming for him at the school.  He is not used to dealing with kids let alone kids with special needs that speak a different language.  I also think it was tough to handle the feeding aspect with the kids.  If you have not been around special needs kids very much, it is hard to get used to the drooling, food everywhere messy experience.  Treating the kids, Jared had a few good ideas and tried to jump into the treatment when he could.  It was nice too that he got to see a little improvement in some of the kids.  I have to say though that I am ready to jump back into treating the kids on my own so I can do it my way.  I guess I get a little possessive of the kids that I treat and truly will miss treating them.  It makes me think about all the amazing kids I have treated in my career and I still have a place for all of them in my heart.  There is also a special little red headed boy that was not supposed to be around that had his 4th birthday in March that holds the biggest place in my heart among my patients.  I think Jared will have some good memories left on his heart too.  Many of the kids adored him too and I think they will miss him in the coming weeks.  The whole experience brings to mind the fact that no matter if you think you are making a difference in someone's life or not you are, so try to make it a good difference.  Below are a few pictures on Jared's last week.

A few admirers

The Special Needs school crowd

The Santo Domingo crowd

Captured a smile on Enrique

Going to Work Alone

The kids stayed home today with Matt since he had the day off.  It was such a different experience riding the bus and walking to and from the daycare without my hip partner and little cross country walker.  I have to say it went much quicker, but a lot less entertaining.  The kids at the daycare got more attention from me and I think we all enjoyed it.  There are a few little ones that seek me out all the time and today we got to play together.  It was nice to see the daycare in a different way.  The teacher in Lucas' class said she missed him in class and said he has been doing really well.  I am so proud of him.  We are all settled in now that we only have two weeks left there.  We are going to miss everyone, but not as much as we miss everyone at home right now.  Family will always be closer to our hearts, but we have room for many, many more friends.  I firmly believe that you have to open your heart to new people and there will always be room for more people in it.

Labor Day

Today was Labor Day here or May Day so the kids and I had the day off.  It was a beautiful day, so I took them to the park all morning and afternoon.  We went to the park that overlooks the city and the mountains.  It was such a good day.  We saw hang gliders and had the park to ourselves for a little while.  They have multiple zipline swings there that both the kids love.  They took turns picking what we would do next.  We played school, swang, zipped, climbed, teeter tottered and ran.  We did have to take a trip to the bathroom which costs 10 cents, which I can not get over having to pay to use the bathroom at a park, but it is what it is.  Matt worked today and that way he gets to come home a day early and the kids get to stay home from daycare tomorrow.  Other than eating potato soup AND potato salad for lunch AND dinner, we had a really fun relaxing day.  I even got to read for a little while on the roof and soak up the sun.  I love my children, but it was nice to be in a different place than they were for a little while.  Looking forward to another fun weekend.