Just to give you a laugh

The other day, I was working late, I got home about midnight. I went to bed shortly after that. I woke up, had no clue what time it was, and there was a HUGH tarantula walking under the top bunk (thus, just above my head). I screamed, threw my blanket at it and jumped out of bed. My feet got caught up in the blanket, and I fell flat on my knees. Now I was freaking out because I was caught in the blanket and the tarantula was caught in the blanket too. I managed to free myself and ran out of the bedroom. Now I was panicking, heart racing, couldn't catch my breath, wondering what I was going to do. I still had no clue what time it was because all the clocks were in my room. I knew it was after 12 but before 5:30 because it was still dark outside. So I called the nurses station at the hospital. I explained what had happened and she said she would send the only man who was working in the hospital at this hour. I told her, there was a problem. I was not wearing any pants and was not going to go back in my room to get any. So 2 nurses showed up at my door with a broom (I still have no clue what time it is). They searched my room, took the sheets off the bed, flipped the mattress, looked with a flashlight behind the dresser, under the bed, under the treadmill, everywhere. NOTHING!! One of them looked at me and said "I think you were dreaming!" I was not convinced because this was the most real image of a tarantula and I was awake when I saw it. So now I know it is 1:15 am, the nurses leave, I close the bedroom door and lay down on the couch in the living room. Sometime later, I woke up and again saw the same thing above my head. This time I realized that it was not real. Regardless, I hardly got any sleep, but I now know that I was dreaming. Unfortunately, I have 2 bruised knees and have still not slept in my own bed.

When a patient doesn't react

The other day, I had to give a lady news that I would consider the most devastating news anyone could give me at my age (and she was just a few years older than me), even worse than a diagnosis of cancer or sure death. I can't say that she didn't react, but she didn't react the way I would have. She told me she didn't understand how this was possible, but she didn't cry, she didn't scream, she didn't act as though she was devastated.

As a christian physician, many thoughts were going through my mind. Does she just have such a great relationship with the Father, that she has so much peace and doesn't need to feel devastated? Is she in denial? Does she understand what I just told her? Is it possible that she just doesn't care?

As her physician, what am I supposed to do when she doesn't react? Where does my responsibility end? Do I just ask her if she has questions, be sure I explain in common language, and then let her leave? Do I need to ask her why she is not reacting, is that any of my business?

I did ask her if she had any questions, I did explain everything in common language and I asked over and over again if she understood, then I told her what she should do next, and I let her leave. But I do not feel my responsibility ends there. I have been praying for her since she walked out of my office. I know that I can not do anything more for her, and I am not sure the specialists can either, but our Great Father in Heaven can heal her in so many ways. He can heal her physically, He can heal her emotionally, and He can heal her spiritually.

Casa del Suizo

This past weekend, me and 3 other ladies decided to go relax for our birthdays. We set out for Casa del Suizo, a resort in the jungle. This place is very well known among the missionaries as it is a great place to relax and there are fun activities if you choose to do them. There is a pool, every room has a patio with a hammock that overlooks the river, and there is plenty of food.
We borrowed a friend's car, and set out on Friday night. I was the driver as I am the only one with a driver license. The car was a stick shift. I have driven a stick, that is all they have here, so when I took driver's ed, that is what I drove, but have not driven one since then. So we were in for an adventure. All my passengers said I did a great job!
Of those who had been before, no one could really remember the road, except to say that it was a bad road. Well, we drove for about 40 minutes on a beautiful road, so we were thinking maybe they fixed the road. Well, they had fixed the road, but they were not finished yet. We got to the part that was all rocks and pot holes. This lasted just over 20 minutes, but it seemed like forever. But we got there without any problems.
After we got there, we relaxed for a while, then it was time to eat lunch. They had very normal food, very good food. But one thing that they had, that I had never tried before was cow tongue. So I decided to try it. It was smothered in mushrooms and sauce, so it actually tasted good. I was expecting it to be very tough, but it was tender, except for the very edge. It kind of had the consistency of canadian bacon. I tried a piece without mushrooms to see what it actually tasted like. It wasn't gross, but it didn't have a great flavor either, I can't really describe it for you though. You will just have to try it for yourself when you visit a place that serves tongue.
After lunch 4 of us set out on an adventure to a Quichua village. We were going to be in a canoe for a while, then have to walk through deep mud, then another canoe, then walk through the forest. So, we decided to wear our mud boots, of course we had on shorts (because it was very hot there) so we looked very stylish.
We arrived to the part where we had to take the small canoe. This was a canoe carved out of a log, it was barely wider than me. Everyone that crossed in the small canoe while we were watching was wobbling back and forth. I thought for sure we would tip over when it was our turn. I was not worried about getting wet, I was worried about my camera. The way you got to the other side in this canoe was, a little girl, not more than 4 feet tall, pushed the canoe all the way across the river and the water only came up to her waist. So I said I was going to walk across. Our guide wanted me to go in the boat for the experience, so he took our cameras. Our turn came, when I was getting in, I lost my balance and almost fell into the river. I should have taken that as a sign to walk. I got in and we headed across the river. We got almost to the other side and we hit a big rock on the botton, really hard. We rocked back and forth, I thought for sure we were going down. But we didn't. But, funny how the guide, with our cameras, shot a picture just as we almost fell out. He denies that was planned, I don't believe him.
When we got to the village, there was this Quichua house. We went behind the house and they showed us how to shoot a blow gun. I was not able to hit the target, but I was able to make the dart fly. It was a lot harder than it looks, the blow gun is heavy and you have to hold it up high.
Then we went in the house and they showed us how to make Chicha. Chicha is an alcoholic drink that traditionally was fermented with spit. The women would chew yuca and spit it out, it would then be left to ferment and the men would drink it about 3 days later. Now, at least in the Quichua culture, it is fermented with sweet potato. So they showed us how it is made, then we all tried some that was made 5 days ago. Traditionally, when you enter a Quichua house, they will pass the bowl of Chicha around for everyone to have a sip. So she gave us the bowl and we all took a sip. It was very fermented, and as yuca does not have much flavor, neither did this. It was not very good.
Then, right before we left this village, our guide, who was Quichua, pulled a seed from a nearby tree to show us what they would use to paint their faces. My friend Beth and I got or faces painted. She was painted like a bride and I was painted like a warrior.
The last thing we did on our tour was go to a place where they make pottery. The pottery is all hand made and hand painted. It is painted beautifully and intricately with many lines and 2 colors, all natural, black, white, and red.
Over all, we had a very relaxing and adventurous time on our trip. The ride home in the car was just as bumpy and rocky, but again, we made it with the car in one piece. And let me tell you, I am much better and more confident driving a stick shift now.

Retreat on the beach

The end of last month, I went to Same, a coastal town, for a retreat with Samaritan's Purse. We spent 2 1/2 days at the beach. It was a blast. The first day everyone got fried, we were much more careful after the first day. It was a spiritual retreat, so we had devotional times every day, but we played a lot. The water was so fun as the waves were big but manageable. And just walking or jogging along the beach was relaxing, a much needed break from work.
Several of us went on a banana boat ride. They asked us if we wanted the ride with falls or without falls. Of course we wanted falls. So they tipped us over purposefully 3 times. Many of you know I am a huge Jaws fan. Well, remember in "Jaws the Revenge" he attacks a banana boat. That was all I could think about as I was out there on that banana boat. But it was fun!
All of us went whale watching. The boat was too small for the number of people we put on it. We started out and the swells were about 4-5 feet. While we were moving, I felt ok about it. When we got out to where we slowed down to look for whales, I started to get a little worried. I realized we were this tiny boat in the middle of the very large ocean looking for an animal larger than our boat. I was not very comfortable with that thought, I didn't feel very safe at this point. Right before we went out, I heard that a few weeks earlier, this same group of people had gotten to close to a whale and it came up under the boat and tipped it over, several of them died. So right now, I was scared. Then we finally saw a whale, but our guide decided we were not close enough and headed right for the spot where the whale was. I was very scared now, then he turned off the motor. So now I was scared and nauseated, not a good combination. Then a few people started vomiting, so we headed back, I was not one of them, I made it back without vomiting. All in all, it was not a good whale watching experience!
I also got my hair braided while we were there. That was fun, but after about 2 days, it itched so bad I had to take them out.

A Day with Monkeys

We found this place not too far from Shell (about 20 minutes). This guy has 21 monkeys and they are all very used to people. We think he has a little scam going really. When you enter, the monkeys come up to you and check your pockets, if there is something, they will take it. And if you are not holding on to your camera well, or if you have glasses or sun glasses, they will take them. One of them did steal the glasses from a lady that was there at the same time as us, he went up to the roof with them. He did bring them back down when he was bribed with food. But he probably has a collection up there. You notice I don't have my glasses on (I took them off, not the monkey)
We had a good time. I sat with the monkeys for a little while. One did steal my hair tie and then was trying to find bugs in my hair. I doubt he found any, but everyone said he did put something in his mouth that he pulled out of my hair. They were kind of prejudiced, they would choose one or two people in the group to play with and then they were actually kind of mean to anyone else who came too close to them. I guess me and my friend, Alex in the other picture, were the lucky ones. My other friend, Melisa, in the photo with me, was not one of the lucky ones, this monkey would not sit in her lap for nothing. In this picture, he was trying to steal my earrings, I managed to keep all those too.
Over all, we had a great time. I am excited to go back and play with them again some day.

How many tarantulas can you encounter in one day??

One of my friends has been here in Shell since January, she has not yet seen a tarantula and she is leaving Shell in 1 week. Since I have seen my share of tarantulas, she asked me to help her find one. Well, I remembered hearing that there was living on the house behind mine. So I went over there last night and there she was, about twice the size of the one that was on my house, but the same breed. So We took pictures and watched it for a while.

Today some of my friends from Cuenca came to visit me in Shell. I was talking to them about the tarantula as well and they too wanted to see it. So we went over to the house behind mine and there she was. Then we went back to my house and I was showing them the turtle. The turtle was in his house, so I had to walk through the plants and pick him up. I told them I have this fear that one time I am going to walk through these plants and there is going to be a tarantula there. Well, I got the turtle, walked out of the enclosure, and looked down. And right next to my foot, about to walk across my bare foot that was in flipflops, was a tarantula. I flipped out. I called my friend (the same one that came and got the one that was on my house) and she came and got it. This one was a different breed and she was excited because it is a male, that is why he is much smaller, and she has the female already in her house. She says she plans to breed them??? Weird!!

What a process...

2 days collecting paperwork
15 hours driving lessons
10 hours didactic lecture with the police officer
5 hours mechanics
2 hours psychology
1 practical exam
1 written exam over the content of the didactic lectures
2 more days collecting paperwork
2 hours standing in line to have the paperwork reviewed
1 written exam over questions unrelated to how to drive
1 more hour standing in line
$220 total
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 Ecuadorian driver's license

Uh...Where's your bug thing?

So, I am afraid of spiders, so a couple of my friends bought me a bug wand for Christmas one year. This has been the greatest gift. It is about 2 feet long with a vacuum type suction on one end. You are supposed to suck the bug into the tube and then take it outside and let it go. Well, needless to say, this wonderful gift traveled with me to Ecuador.
This morning I got up at 5:30 to go to aerobics. My roommate who normally sleeps till at least 8 was sleeping on the couch so she woke up as well. I was in the bathroom and she approached me and asked me where my bug thing was. I asked her why, she said "we" needed it. Again I asked her why. She said, "there's a tarantula" and doubled over laughing. I said, "where?" she said it was in her bathroom. I told her that a tarantula was not going to fit in the bug wand. So I went to look, and sure enough, there was a tarantula in her bathroom. It was wedged in the corner between the bathtub and the wall.
I said, "well, good luck with that, I am off to aerobics." Of course, she would not let me leave. We did not know what we were going to do. It was not even 6 am, who could we call? I looked all around at the other missionary houses to see if any lights were on, nope.
I got the bright idea to call the hospital and ask the housekeeping person to come. So we did, and he came with a large tweezer type thing, he picked it up and carried it outside.
Since it was so small, I asked DeNise if she thought it could be a baby, and did that mean the mother was in our house somewhere too?? We shall see!!!

New House

I have moved into a new house with my friend DeNise. It is quite amusing. We are both single and from the US, so there are some things that we like, use a lot, or just want to have that are not available here in Shell. So when we have the opportunity, either in Ambato, Quito, or in the States, to buy these things we stock up. Well, after combining our pantries, we have 15 jars of peanut butter, 20 bottles of salad dressing, 12 jars of salsa, 25 packets of ranch seasoning, 15 packets of taco seasoning, 8 cans of Rotel, and 10 cans of corn. Our pantry looks like a little store.
The house if very nice and we are enjoying it. We have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, so we have plenty of room for visitors!

Meet York

York is a miniature schnauzer. He belongs to my friend, Molly. Molly has gone back to the states for 6 months, so I get to keep York for that time. He is a very well behaved dog. He loves to play fetch, he loves to sleep on my pillow at the same time that I am trying to sleep on my pillow. He likes to lay on the bed and watch TV too. Overall he is a very good dog and I am excited to have him around for the next 6 months. I am sure I am going to miss him dearly when my friend comes back and takes him away from me (it is her dog and all, but still.) When I was taking these pictures, I just called his name and he looked, saw the camera, and posed nicely. He is a ham!!

Meet Uncle Jerry

Uncle Jerry is a jungle turtle. Now I know some of you are thinking, then why is he in a closed space being fed by people? Well, I can not answer that question, I was not the one who took him from the jungle and placed him in an enclosed space, but now that he has been that way for years, I have gladly volunteered to be his newest caretaker. He is named after one of our former missionaries who just left. I am not planning on changing his name in honor of Jerry Koleski who we will all miss.
Today was my first day to care for him. I fed him a banana and he loved it. I think we will get along great. Many of you know how much I love turtles and lizards, so you know how excited I am about my new friend.

Thats a big pig

This weekend I went with a couple friends to Banos. We were doing some shopping and we saw this pig in a restaurant. Of course we had to stop to take some pictures. Be sure you don't miss the best part, the bowl under it to catch all the blood that was dripping out.
The guy was skinning it as we walked up. They take the skin and a thin layer of the fat and they grill or fry it (kind of like pork rinds, but not crunchy). Talk about calories.

After this adventure, we went to the hot springs. Banos is well known for it's hot spring pools. We were given strict instruction from friends. DO NOT go before 6 pm, during the day, there are a ton of people and sometimes, diapers or poop floating. At 5 pm they close the pools and clean them, refill them and reopen at 6 pm. Therefore, DO NOT go before 6 pm. These pools are more like large hot tubs. I was never very intrigued by the thought, but my friends wanted to go, so I thought, one time, I should do it. So we went around 7 pm. When they said there were fewer people in the evening, I believed them. Well, just picture it, the pool is about 20 ft X 15 ft, we counted, there were 75 people in there. It was basically a crowded, public hot tub. I did not want to get in, but I did it so I can check it off my list. So, we are entering, of course, we are the only white people there so everyone is staring at us. The best part, the water is this brownish/green color, you can not see your legs under the water, not even one inch under the water. It was really gross. We didn't stay long, but we had paid $2 a piece, so my friends wanted to at least get our money's worth. I can say that I do plan to go back some day. I will pay the $2 to get in just to take pictures (I didn't take my camera this time because we were all getting in the water and there was no one to watch it). I have no plans of ever getting back in that water. But the pictures will be priceless!!

Steve Szoke (June 1, 1975 - May 27, 2008)

What do I think about when I think about Steve? Elementary school and Junior high, when my sister and I would go over to the Szokes' house, Cindy and Sarah would be upstairs playing dolls or house, and Steve and I would be downstairs playing GI Joe or wresting figures, somehow Steve always won. High school, my sister and I would go over to the Szokes' house, Cindy and Sarah would be inside baking or playing with make-up, Steve and I would be outside, with other friends, wrestling or in the house playing Super Mario World, somehow, Steve always won, but he sure did teach me how to hold my own (thanks Steve!).

In 2007, Steve was lead pastor in the launch of Impact Christian Church. The vision for this church was to be church that was open to everyone, a place where anyone could feel welcome. Steve rented an old warehouse, advertised at his wrestling events, and formed a core group of people to be Impact Christian Church. Every Sunday Steve would preach in jeans, no one had to feel like they were not good enough for this church, everyone was welcome. Impact Christian Church holds a special place in my heart because several of my friends who were not attending church previously now attend regularly and love it. Thanks Steve!

Steve touched many people in his short 32 years, this was demonstrated by the very long line at his wake. The hundreds of people whose lives Steve was somehow involved in. I am grateful to have been one of those. I hope that I can tell God's story to even a fraction of the people that Steve did, and show them that they don't have to be a certain way or have a certain job, or wear certain clothes before God will love them. God loves you just the way you are!!

Photo: Steve, Candy, and Jada Szoke October 2007

A trip to the park

I started going to the local orphanage (run by a fellow missionary) about a month ago. I am working with the girls between the ages of 6 and 11. I am teaching them how to do hand puppets. A friend of mine is donating 5 puppets, I should have them in the next couple weeks. When I have good pictures of that, I will post again and give more details.

On Saturday, I took these girls, 11 in all, (I had help, don't worry) to the park. We had a good time. They all have different stories about how and why they came to the orphanage. Some of them are not soo easy to love and others are as sweet as sweet can be. After some time in the park, we went for ice cream.

The orphanage is run by a missionary who started when she lived in Quito. She took in 2 foster children with disabilities, she moved herself and these 2 children, after some time, to Shell and opened up her home to other children that needed her as well. She now has 47 children, some with disabilities, some without. She has about 30 Ecuadorian women workers. She has another missionary couple working with her to build a new orphanage with houses and common areas. The description of the new place reminded me of church camp with cabins, recreation areas, eating area, self contained. It is going to be awesome. Before this orphanage existed, disabled children were just left to die, sometimes their families would feed them but they would get no other stimulation, sometimes they would literally be thrown in the river, or left somewhere for someone else to find. Now there is a place in Shell for these handicapped children to live and receive the care and stimulation they need.

2nd Tarantula sighting

Ok, so I never told you about the first tarantula sighting. That is because I didn't have a picture. Well, the first one was about 3 weeks ago, it was on the steps of the guest house. We were having an Easter service that night at the guest house so there were several of us there. As we were getting ready to leave, there he was, in the middle of the first step so you had to go past him to get out. By Ecuadorian standards, he was not very big, maybe 4 inches in diameter. Several people wanted photos, so we (really them, because I was just watching from afar) were bothering him. So he moved, kept trying to walk away but they kept following him. He was walking on the railing (really a short concrete wall) that had shoes lined up on it. We thought for sure he would end up in someone's shoe, so one of the ladies decided to move the shoes. As she picked up the first shoe, he jumped onto the shoe then onto her hand, she screamed, jumped, and dropped the shoe. He fell over the railing onto the ground below and walked into the trees. It was quite scary for me to be that close to one that was moving. I only freaked out a little when I felt he was getting to close to me and I couldn't move because there were people all around me. I ended up pushing someone out of my way because I asked several times for them to move so I could get away and they wouldn't.

Well, last night I was on call and I got called in at 1 am. I was coming home from the hospital around 1:30 am and I saw this tarantula (in the photo) on the side of my house. He was even smaller than the first one, about 3 inches in diameter (that is a standard 16 inch cinder block), really just a baby. I came in the house and got my camera and was taking pictures at 1:30 am. I was afraid, since it was dark and I was making a bright flash, that I was going to scare him and he was going to jump on me, that is why the picture is kind of far away. I wasn't getting too close. Anyway, I got called in again at 3:30 am and he was still in the exact same position. When I went in again at 7 am, he was gone.

I always knew there were tarantulas around our houses, but now I have seen the proof. I had a couple holes in my screens that I have been meaning to patch (with duct tape of course) since I moved in. You can bet that I already patched them this morning.

Mitad del Mundo

I just had a 4 day weekend and decided to explore a little of Ecuador, that I had not seen yet, with my friend DeNise.

Mitad Del Mundo (middle of the world). This is just outside of Quito on the Ecuator. There is a monument with a museum inside telling about all the different Indian groups in Ecuador. There are lots of shops and restaurants in the area. You can go up in the monument and look out from the top, it is not that high really, maybe 7 stories. It was fun and informative.

Museo de Inti-Nan (this is an Indian word), is around the corner from the monument at Mitad del Mundo. This is the real location of the ecuator. This was a really cool museum, they tell about the traditions of Ecuador too, but also have demonstrations to prove you are on the ecuator. There was a sun dial that had a north side and a south side. The shadow appears on each side for 6 months at a time. And it was true, the shadow was only on one side. Then there was a water demonstration. In a sink with a drain, on the ecuator, the water did not swirl, it went straight down the drain. In the northern hemisphere, it swirled counter clockwise and in the southern hemisphere it swirled clockwise. If you look at your sinks when water drains, it will follow this pattern too depending on which hemisphere you live in. Then we balanced an egg (a raw egg) on a nail, right on the ecuator line. You can do this because the force of gravity is straight down. Then with a partner, one person put their arms up in the air and the other tried to pull them down. In the northern or southern hemispheres, I could not pull my partners arms down. On the ecuator, I could, again, because the force of gravity is straight down and helping you. The last thing we did was walk a straight line, heel to toe (like the sobriety test) with our eyes closed, on the ecuator. This is very difficult because the forces of both hemispheres are pulling you in opposite directions. The museum was very cool to see that there really are differences in the forces in each hemisphere and on the ecuator line. The photo above and to the right is me in the northern hemisphere and DeNise in the southern hemisphere. The red line represents the ecuator. The photo to the left is me with the RAW egg that I balanced on a nail.

Then we went to Mindo. This is a small town about 70 kilometers outside of Quito. It is at about 3500 feet elevation. We went to a couple butterfly farms, an orchid farm (because there are more than 2000 varieties of orchids that grow in Ecuador.), and a hummingbird sanctuary. Those were cool places. We also went hiking in a forest that had 7 different waterfalls. We had to take a Tabitha across the valley to get there. It was 530 kilometers long and about 300 meters (thats about 900 feet) above the ground. I didn´t like that part very much. But the hike and the waterfalls were absolutely beautiful.

Overall we had a really good time. It was a much needed rest from work and a relaxing time. The place we stayed at was like a little log cabin in the woods. It was next to a rushing river, we had hammocks on the patio overlooking the river. It was very nice.

What do those eyes belong to?

I walk with some friends at 5 am. Both of my friends I walk with live on the other side of the suspension bridge. So I have to walk to the other side of the bridge by myself. I have a system. There is a light at the beginning of the bridge, so I open the gate, get on the bridge, close the gate behind me, then I shine my flashlight all the way down the bridge to make sure there aren't any animals (snakes, tarantulas, monkeys...) waiting for me. Well, the other day, I was in a hurry so I closed the gate and began walking down the bridge while I got my flashlight ready to shine down the bridge. I shined the flashlight and at the other end of the bridge were 2 eyes looking at me. So I stopped, (I was probably about 20 feet from the gate at this point) my heart started beating a little faster, I continued to shine my light on it, trying to figure out what it was, then it began running toward me. I turned around and took off running toward the gate. Of course when I got to the gate, I could not open it. I was pulling instead of pushing, my heart was racing. I could only imagine what was running at me. So I got out of the gate, closed it, turned around and shined my flashlight to see what it was. And I quickly learned I was running from a little Kitten.

Second snake sighting

Well, so far so good. I have seen my second snake, and it too was dead. This is a coral snake (I only know that because someone told me) and unlike my first snake sighting, this one is poisonous. It was found outside the back door of the house behind me. The lady who found it was in her car (a big van to be exact) and saw it standing up. She ran it over 2 times with her car and it was still standing up in strike position. The neighbor came over and chopped its head off with a machete. I know it looks like a baby, but from what I have been told, it has enough venom to hurt you really badly.

Beryl Koch (Nov 18, 1919 - March 6, 2008)

Beryl was an angel sent by God to participate in the lives of so many people. She was always helping, always serving, always showing God's love to those around her. Some of my fondest memories of Beryl are the way she told stories of Jesus using a pan of rice when I was in preschool and kindergarten, making fuzzy lambs in VBS, her winning the watermelon seed spitting contest at a church picnic in the Szoke's backyard (this little tiny lady and she could outspit big boys), having high school youth group at her house when she didn't have any children or grandchildren in the youth group and making us homemade donuts (and lots of them because there were lots of big boys in our youth group). I remember she always brought fresh flowers from her garden to decorate the church sanctuary and Sarah Szoke and I always got to take them home. Some of these things may seem so trivial or just normal daily activities, but they made an impression on me and we will never know how many other people these trivial things made an impression on as well. I have surely learned many lessons from Beryl's life, one big one is when serving the Lord, no matter how trivial or mundane the act may seem, someone may be eternally touched. I am thankful to the Lord that I was able to share my life with Beryl. I will truly miss her but I know I will see her again some day and what a day of rejoicing that will be.

First trip to the jungle

On February 27, I was informed that I would be going to the jungle the next day. I had fears. Fear #1: the plane. As you can see from the photo, the planes we fly on are not big. They fit up to 6 people, but only 800 lbs of weight not counting the pilot, so this is a very small plane. Plus, it is a nonpressurized cabin. My only experience, up to now, with a nonpressurized cabin had been in a helicopter and I did not like that at all. I could only imagine that this would be worse, we would be higher and flying over vast areas of nothingness where if something did happen (a crash for example), no one would find us for days.
Fear #2: The jungle. I have never been to the jungle, have only seen it in movies (and we all know everything in movies is reality). I did not know what bugs to expect, what to expect from the people, would they feed us, and if so, what would it be? I have heard many stories about the food in the jungle, boiled grubs, cold piranha soup. Our plans were to just go for the day, but if the weather didn't cooperate with us, we would have to stay overnight. Where would we sleep, there is no electricity, so what bugs, or other critters, would climb into bed with me while I was sleeping?
Fear #3: being the doctor. What illnesses would they have that I have never seen before, will I know how treat them? If someone is really sick and needs to be flown out to the hospital, will I recognize that patient? What if they don't speak spanish (which they didn't, but I had a translator), how will I know what is wrong with them?
28. The ride in the plane was fine, it was very smooth and I was not afraid aSo with all these fears, I set out for one day in the jungle on Febt all. The community was very welcoming, it was a very small community of about 15 people, we were able to see everyone and treat all their ailments, which were very mild. No one was really sick, no one had anything that I didn't know how to treat. There was a storm in the afternoon, but it cleared in time for us to leave that day. We didn't eat anything while we were there. I didn't see any scary creatures, only some beautiful birds.
Overall, it was a great experience. In and of itself, it was not a very productive trip, but for me it was. I am now over my fear of the jungle, so when I have to go for 3 days, sleep there, bathe in the river, eat the food, I won't be so afraid. I now have had a taste of what to expect, and I enjoyed myself.

First Snake Sighting

Yesterday I was walking with a friend past another friend's house. And I spotted my first snake in Shell. It was about 3 feet long, thick like a quarter, and the best part, it was already dead. My friend's cat, Tiger, was playing with it. Apparently he catches snakes on a regular basis, plays with them for a while then kills them and eats them. I think it was actually still alive when we walked up because I saw the head move, but it was dead within seconds of us spotting it. Then I watched as the cat ate some of the skin and part of the tail. I talked with my friend this morning, she said he ate the head and part of the tail and that is all. She told me now that she has a cat that eats snakes, she has realized how many snakes there really are here in Shell. She recommended I get myself a shovel for when I encounter a live one. I plan to get right on that.

First night on call

Ok, here is the story of my first call. Things to keep in mind, this is my first call here, I have to do everything in spanish, I am now the attending, which means it is all my responsibility (I have been the attending for OB patients before, but not for medicine patients). So I have several obstacles to overcome.
Call starts at 8 am. Nothing happened until 10 am. This guy comes in to the ER (we are the ER, there are no ER docs) sweating, dizzy, weak, hasn't eaten much in 2 days and his blood sugar is 22. Now, last week, he had a heart attack and was sent to our hospital in Quito for treatment. They told him he needs bypass surgery for his heart, but he has no money. So he is essentially a ticking time bomb, and now he is in my ER. So we treat his blood sugar, and get him under control. He is doing better. Then I get a 26 day old with fever, this one is straight forward, run some tests, give antibiotics, wait for the results. So, now it is lunch time and I decide to go out with a couple other ladies to a cafe 5 min walk from the hospital. I didn't take an umbrella with me for the first time since I got here. We just finished lunch and my friend gets a call on her cell phone looking for me at the exact time we hear the helicopter and it starts down pouring. So there are 2 patients in the helicopter, a guy with a snake bite and a lady in labor who they tell me has placenta previa and is bleeding (placenta previa is something that requires a c-section and if the pt is in labor, it becomes an emergency). So I get a plastic bag to put on my head and take off running to the hospital. When I get there, I find out she does not have placenta previa, but she is indeed in labor. This is her 6th child so it should not take that long, she is already 7 cm. So we start taking care of the snake bite guy. Snake bites is something I know nothing about so one of the other docs stayed and helped me (that was super nice of him). We thought this guy might have compartment syndrome (that is pressure in a specific part of an arm or leg that puts pressure on the blood vessels and nerves, after that you can have permanent damage to the extremity), if he indeed had compartment syndrome, he needed surgery but 2 problems, 1) the surgeon was in the OR doing surgery on someone else, 2) he got bit by a poisonous snake that causes your blood not to clot so if we cut him open, he could bleed to death. So I go in the OR, talk to the surgeon, we get his pain under control with morphine and I go to check the OB patient. She is fine, moving slowly, but now she is 8 cm. Then I get called to the ER again for a kid with burns all over him. I call in the surgeon and go look at the kid. Apparently the dad was putting a mixture of gasoline and diesel into a diesel lamp and it exploded yesterday. They had taken the kid to the free clinic and got some bandages, but nothing else. So now this kid is very dehydrated. The anesthesiologist came in and sedated him so we could clean him up. He had burns all over his face, his front, his back, his arms. This was the first time during this call that I almost started crying. We got him all taken care of and I went to check on the OB patient again. She is not doing anything, her contractions stink and she is stuck at 7 cm. While I am evaluating her, the nurse walks in the room and has a smile on her face. She tells me that MAF just called (those are the pilots that bring sick people in from the jungle), they have a child in serious condition. The nurse starts laughing because she knows that has been the day from hell so far. She says it sounds like pneumonia and many times when the pilots say something is serious, it is not. So, ok, she sent the ambulance to the air strip to get the child. I decide to start medicine on the pregnant lady to get her moving along. I go back to the ER as the ambulance arrives with the very sick kid. They were right, he was very serious. He was breathing about 75 times a minute, his oxygen saturation (which should be >93%) was 60%. It was very possible this kid was going to stop breathing. This was the 2nd time during this call that I almost started crying. So we called in the people to do an x-ray and the anesthesiologist (in case we needed to intubate him), gave him oxygen, medicine for his lungs, antibiotics for the pneumonia he had, steroids to help him breathe better. After an hour, the anesthesiologist still had not come, so I called him myself (then I found out they had never called him). Then I go to check the pregnant lady. The resident had just checked her 20 min prior and she was 7 cm. So I was going to check her again to see if she was doing anything, otherwise, we were going to do a c-section. I asked her how she was doing, she said she was the same, She got a contraction so I said I would check her after the contraction. She held her breath, so I decided to look under the sheet and there was the baby. Of course, this was my first delivery here, I don't know where anything is, and I am in the room alone with the door closed. So I finish delivering the baby, with one glove on, of course, then I open the door and yell for help. Everything turned out ok, and I learned another lesson, women here don't make any noise when they have babies, and they know they can do it without my help, so if I am not in the room, they don't care. We finished up with her and went back to the kid who was not breathing well. The anesthesiologist came in, got the ventilator ready in case, but we all decided he was doing a bit better and we would wait longer before intubating him. At this point it was only 8:30 pm. I could only imagine this keeping up all night long. But right now the ER was empty so I went home to eat, shower and relax some. I called the hospital at 10:30 pm, still nothing, so I went to bed. I slept all night (except the 4 or 5 times I woke up thinking I had slept through my phone) and got called at 7 am this morning for another delivery.

So even though the call sucked big time, I did sleep all night and everyone was still alive this morning. And the kid with pneumonia is still very sick, but is doing better. They have promised me that all my calls won't be like this one and it can only get better from here.

being a tourist in Banos

Tuesday, February 12 was a holiday in Shell so we didn't have office hours. I had the day off and went to Banos to be a tourist. I went with a doctor from Miami who is visiting Shell for 2 weeks. The first thing we did was go to the zoo. It was interesting. The majority of animals they have are animals that can be found in Ecuador. Some of the cages are small, but not too bad. And there were some animals that were loose (like the Tapirs). As you can see from this picture, you can get really close to the animals. This monkey kept coming by the bars like he wanted to be fed or petted. So I stretched my hand toward him to scratch his back and he put his hand out. I was slightly frightened, but he was very gentle, he just held his hand there and let us touch it, he didn't do anything.
The other monkey had a really strong tail. He put his tail out the fence and pulled Lilly's leg toward him, it looked like he was trying to get her purse. In the picture, you can see his tail on her leg.
After the zoo, we went horseback riding. It was a 3 hour tour that only took about 2 hours and 20 minutes. We walked, trotted, and cantered (that is my favorite part). We went to a water fall. After that we crossed a skinny bridge on the horses. On the other side of the bridge, we walked a little, then the guide said we had to get off. We got off and she told me to start walking up the mountain. She brought the horse up behind me then told me to get back on. We then walked up the side of a mountain on horseback. That is slightly scary, but very fun. I loved every minute of it. There was one point when the horse in front of me was sliding down in the mud and next to us was the edge of the mountain. I had visions of one of us falling and going down very far. But it was still fun. We made it to the top and went back a different way, thankfully. This picture is Lilly on the side of the mountain. Pretty cool, huh?

Eww...What is that?

The grossest thing yet happened to me this am. I was in the shower, all I had left to do was rinse my hair when I lost all water pressure and then the water got really hot. So I turned on the cold full blast and it came out forcefully. I finished rinsing my hair and turned the water off. I looked down because I always have to move my hair away from the drain for the water to drain, and there was brown stuff on the tub floor. I assumed it was from my foot scrub so I pushed it toward the drain. I quickly realized it was a different consistency, then I saw that it was all over my arm and my leg. It had the consistency of ear wax (you might not appreciate the consistency of ear wax if you are not a doctor, but you might be able to imagine). Then I realized it must have come from the shower head or the pipes when I turned the cold on full blast. I had to shower all over again. I have decided I will be getting a new shower head and very soon. I talked with another missionary who has been here for a while. She told me that was the sludge that collects in the pipes because the water here is not that clean. Is it even worth taking a shower if that is what is in the water???

First days in Shell

On Tuesday morning, I got on a plane to fly to Quito. After about 15 minutes in the plane, on the ground, the pilot got on and said there was something wrong with the computer and we would have to wait only a couple minutes. 45 min or so later, we took off. I arrived in Quito no problems. Then Wednesday morning, I was getting ready to leave and I got a call from another missionary here telling me that the Volcano, Tungurahua, had erupted over night and the road to Shell was closed. So the family I was driving with, made some phone calls and found out the road on the other side of the valley was open so we decided to go that way. It only took us about 45 minutes longer than normal, and the road was not too bad. It was a narrow road, cobble stone in parts, dirt in parts,and paved in parts. There were parts that were very close to the edge as well. But we made it to Shell.

When I got to my apartment, I asked a bunch of questions about cleaning since they had just replaced all the walls. I wanted to know of the cabinets and dishes had been cleaned. I was told, "we think, but you might want to do it again". So I went to the military store in town to buy supplies to begin cleaning. I got there, did all my shopping (about 20 min worth), I went to the front and they told me the computer was down and they didn't know how long it would be. I could wait if I wanted to. So I left without my stuff and went to another smaller store in town and got the essentials (toilet paper, vinegar to clean with, cereal, dish soap...). I began cleaning. There was, and still is, mortor (because they put up cinder block walls) all over the floor, tub, tiles in the bathroom, the kitchen sink. The cabinets have dust and left over termite mess in them.

Two of the ladies bought me some groceries to get me started. Everything was in closed packages, so I left it on the counter overnight because I don't want to put anything away until I cleaned the cabinets. MISTAKE!!

When I woke up Wednesday morning, there were hundreds of small sugar ants in my kitchen. I quickly learned about Terro (Ant Killer). I put this on the counter and was told that I may find hundreds of dead ants over the next couple days. So far so good, the live ones are gone, and no dead ones yet.

So Wednesday morning I returned to the military store to do my shopping again. This time I asked ahead of time if the computer was working. All was good. I got what I still needed and set on home. I began cleaning again. I did laundry and got my closet cleaned so I could put my clothes away. Then I began the cabinets and the dishes. I think this is going to be a couple days work.

Cangrejos for dinner

For Carnaval, my family decided we were going to eat Crab. She went out in the morning and bought 36 live crabs and brought them home to clean them. I got out of bed just in time to watch a part of the cleaning. It was amusing. There was a bucket of already cleaned crabs crawling on each other. Then there were those in the water waiting to be cleaned. Trying to escape from all directions, and they were fast. She explained to me that she removed the stomachs with the poop in them so that when it was time to eat, you could eat every part because it was all cleaned.

When we got ready to eat, I asked how we do this. The table was covered with newspaper, everyone was given a wooden cutting board and a wooden mallet. But for the most part we just used out teeth to break the shell. And the mom actually ate part of the shell too. They didn't crack to many legs open, they just broke them at the joints and sucked the meat and juice out. I had a hard time with that part. I ate 2 crabs (just the legs because I had a hard time with the head too), others in the family ate 8. It was an eventful meal.

Proverbs 3:27

" Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act."

This verse has been very important in my life. When I was trying to decide whether to come to Ecuador or not, I heard a sermon on this verse. The preacher interpreted the verse for many different stages of life. One being for the person contemplating foreign missions. "When it is in your power to act", single, no kids, a mission board that wants me, an organization that will pay my loans. I think at this time in my life it is definitely in my power to act. "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it", God says to love your neighbor, love includes doing good for others, and my neighbor is anyone I come in contact with. The people of Shell, Ecuador are now my neighbors, and they deserve good.

This sermon was very pivotal in my decision to come to Ecuador. I remember sitting in church that Sunday thinking about what I should do (because during that time, it was all I thought about). When the preacher starting talking about people doing foreign missions, I knew God was talking to me and telling me to go. This is when I made my decision to go.

This past week, in the bible study book I am currently using ("taking the Old Testament Challenge" by Judson Poling), this verse came up again. This time with a slightly different interpretation. He says "Guided by the Holy Spirit, use you power to cheer a friend, influence a child, take a stand for integrity, or encourage a coworker."

Isn't it interesting how the same verse can mean so many different things depending on the stage of life you are in. This interpretation is what I needed for this stage in my life, the other was what I needed for that stage.

Our God is Awesome!!!!!!

Whatever stage you are in, ask the Lord to show you what this verse means for you right now. It can be very powerful, even life changing!

Bowling in Ecuador

Well, I have been wanting to go bowling since I got here and we finally went tonight. I went with Andrea , Mauricio, and Rene. We had a blast. The game is the exact same game as in the states (10 pin or big ball for my New England friends). Before we started, we had to pick our ball. Well, I looked for the heaviest ball (I bowl with a 15 lb ball in the states). This guy who works there, came up to me and said, the number on the ball is equal to the pounds, I said, I know. He then said, that one is 14 lbs, that is heavy. I said, I know. Anyway, I used that one because it was the heaviest one they had. Typical, he sees a woman and thinks I can't handle a 14 lb ball. Well, I did just fine with that 14 lb ball. I got a 179 the first game. The second game was not so good, Mauricio beat me with a 141. He thinks I let him win, but I didn't, he really beat me. But like I said, we had a good time.

Afterwards, we went to the Flavor of the Burger again. This is the same place that I don't like, where the burgers are very flat and chewy. I did not eat a burger this time, I learned my lesson the last time.