4/26

You can do anything...when there is no one else to do it! 

So, little Priscila is still in the hospital, her parents are not very happy about and Im a little worried that they may try to leave with her. But, hopefully the hospital wont allow that to happen. We are waiting for the genetic testing results, tomorrow should be the day that we know exactly what is wrong with her and where we go from here.

The attitude of the mother has finally changed, in the beginning she was very indifferent about her child and about what we were doing or not doing. Yesterday for the first time she actually spoke up and said that this was the last blood sample that would be taken from her child and that she needs to get home to her other children. But, she does not interact with her daughter, she does not talk to her or play with her...at least I have never seen her stimulate little miss Priscila. Hopefully this will change...

The hospital here is very “third world”, for lack of better words, you must have someone do everything for you. The hospital does not provide food, bathroom supplies, diapers, etc. Someone must bring you food every day and deliver your specimens to the proper lab and pick up the results. It is something very strange and very hard for me to get used to. Because of this I have been driving an hour every day to take the mother food and to check on this child and to talk to the doctors and nurses. If I don’t talk to the staff at the hospital then they don’t even go in to see the little girl, they work because I am pressuring them to find out what is wrong with her. 

For example, yesterday we went to visit her and to do the genetic testing. Cost somewhere around $200, so first we had to search for someone who would be willing to pay that...fortunately the Queen of Pimampiro has $2000 to do “charity work” and so she agreed to help us. So this is how yesterday went: first i drove an hour to the city where the hospital is, then i went to one “lab” where they told me that they were unable to do all of the tests, then to The Red Cross where the Queen paid $200 and we were given one 10ml tube to put the specimen (blood) in, then to the hospital to where the child is to draw the blood, the doctor and nurse said it was too much blood and they were ‘afraid’ to stick her.  I volunteered and stuck her in the femoral artery because her veins are so small and fragile and yes 10ml’s is a lot of blood for a child of 5 pounds. After getting the blood I hand delivered it back to The Red Cross where now we are waiting until Wednesday to get the results. Once we have the results we will come up with a very strict nutrition program for her to increase her weight, as long as there is nothing else wrong with her that would contraindicate a high calorie diet. 

This is taking up most of my time right now, but hopefully tomorrow we will be able to bring her home and begin the long road to growing and thriving. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers since the parents have not been super helpful, pray that their attitudes change and they see that we are trying to help their daughter. In the end we hope to help the family in other ways as well, as far as jobs for the parents (since right now they are working daily jobs making $6 a day), and whatever other ways that we can. 

Happy Easter to everyone, Easter is always a good time to be here...on Friday we had the traditional “cambeo” where there is no money involved only goods are exchanged. PImampiro is one of the only towns left in the world that still does this! People come from all over Ecuador and Colombia to participate in this tradition! Then this week they make fanesca, which is a traditional soup that is only made at Easter, made with 10 grains and salty fish, eggs, bread balls, and squash. Its good, but super filling! 

Check out the new website! www.amongthestars.org or if you’d rather see it in Spanish, www.entrelasestrellas.org!!!  Thank so much to Drew McKechnie for doing this for me!!!

3/21

Wow, a whole month has past since I wrote last...it seems like just the other day!

Life here has been crazy this past month, I had two volunteers here for two weeks. They are friends of a friend of my sister, they are traveling South America and doing some volunteering in the process. They live in LA and have experience with organic gardening and working with kids. We did so much! We worked in the gardens and harvested tons of vegetables from the garden next to the house that is still under construction. We ate super well...since they are both vegetarians and both like to cook I got to eat three awesome meals every day...my body loved it! We worked with the kids, got acupuncture (a man who studied in China and works in Quito and the US was here in Pimampiro!), cooked for the old people, danced with the old people, and overall just had an amazing time! The elderly ask me most every day when they are coming back and when we are going to cook for them again...haha! 

Since the elderly at their center where they eat lunch every day have a garden we are trying to incorporate more vegetables in their daily meal. They have a HUGE garden and arent using hardly anything in it! It is dying and going to waste. So, teaching the cook and the director (who is a licensed dietician) to use what they have to make healthier more nutritious meals every day. Simple changes, like adding kale or spinach to the soup rather than just having a broth...simple changes that the elderly will not be resistant to but that will increase their vitamin intake.  Not an easy task, but little by little we will make a difference. 

Im not sure if anyone remembers me mentioning a little girl who was in the daycare and is super small but this week has been an amazing week for this little girl.  She is not only suffering from some genetic abnormality but also from neglect from her parents. She is 1 1/2 years old and weighs 5 pounds! Yes, you read that correctly she has the weight of a newborn but is 18 months old. The parents have been very resistant to any help even going as far as pulling her out of the daycare. Well, she returned to the daycare last week and I was determined to not let her suffer anymore. So...I began my search as to what I can do for her and who I can get involved to help me and where to begin with treatment for her. I first asked the teachers at the daycare, they told me that the dad doesnt want help and to be careful because he would yell at me. Well, I decided to first talk to the director of the clinic here and find out where to go from here and what would be my first steps. He told me that this is obvious abuse and I needed to go to the authorities and report the parents and have the child taken away from them and taken to have treatment. But, in my own conscious I couldnt do that without at least giving the parents some sort of chance first. So, my friend who is a lawyer and is basically the head of Childrens and Families for our province said that she would go with me. We went, talked to the parents and they agreed to work alongside me for their child!!! What an answer to prayer! No fighting, no begging or pleading...just a mutual agreement that this child needs help! Here is where the system is lacking, yes healthcare is “free” but if you look a certain way you get brushed aside. This child was born premature at 7 months, the mother gave birth to 5 children...all at 7 months, spontaneously. One died at 3 months from respiratory complications, the other 3 (minus Priscilla-the little girl I am helping) are all small but walking and talking and meeting their milestones. Here is where the problem lies, the parents say that all of their children were the same...obviously this is not the case. 

Let me give you the diagnostics of this little girl: 18 months old, 5 lbs, low-set ears, nystagmus, small head circumference, poor muscle tone, no muscle tone in the lower extremities, chronic cough and congestion, weak reflexes, unable to sit or rollover, does not lift head when left on belly, poor sucking-cannot drink a bottle only eats from a spoon, poor hearing, and the worst part of all is that she has parents who are in denial of their childs situation. This mother is indifferent about everything, she is 27 years old and acts as if this child means nothing to her.  She doesn’t hold her or play with her or interact with her at all. She leaves her laying on the bed, changes her when she is wet or poopy and otherwise leaves her there to fend for herself. If this child had some love and affection I believe that she would be in a different place, but she is fighting and she will overcome her circumstances...and I will help her. 

Currently she is in the hospital!!!  The parents agreed to go with me and have her evaluated which Im sure they are regretting at this point, but after fighting first with the clinic doctor (who had to give me a certificate to go to the ER) which said that this is not an emergency, then arriving at the hospital and them telling me that this is not an emergency...she is in the hospital! I did not want to lose the chance that I had to get her evaluated and put on a high calorie diet and to find out what is really wrong with her and where we go from here with treatment. After fighting my way to getting her admitted and meeting the doctors and nurses and explaining this situation that we are in, we finally got what we wanted. Not to the satisfaction of the mother, with no emotion the doctor told her that she probably has a genetic disorder or that the mom herself probably has/had an infection and this is why her child is this way. That this is absolutely NOT normal and that she has neglected her child. The last time this child was seen by a doctor was a year ago! I think that these parents are in denial or they just didnt want to hear the truth. But...little Priscilla has the right to live and to have medical treatment even if her parents are in denial. Tomorrow I will pay (only basic healthcare is free) for the genetic and infectious testing that she needs and hopefully we can come up with a plan of care that the parents will follow and that I will be sure is being implemented.

I would appreciate it greatly if you would keep little Miss Priscilla in your thoughts and prayers, and that her parents will remain open to my help.  She has a long road ahead of her but nothing is impossible!

Something less important but still stressing me out....I need a job. I have exhausted all of my personal funds being here and am planning on being in the states for a little less than 3 months this summer, and as of right now there are no travel nurse positions anywhere on the east coast! So, if anyone can help Id be more than grateful! And as always I know that it will work out...and I am trying to be patient! 

I will keep you updated on the little girl and as always thank you all of your love and support! Without each and every one of you I wouldnt be here...

2/22

I know understand why people with cholera have a cot with hole in it...definitely not a pleasant experience. Now, I did not/do not have cholera but for a few hours on Wednesday I was pretty sure that a bucket under my cot would have been very useful. The strength that it takes to walk to the bathroom and to sit on the toilet, and to be so dizzy every time you stand up...not a nice experience. I have had diarrhea more in the past month than I think I have ever had in my life, I haven’t changed anything or eaten anything different, my body just seems to be rejecting certain things more often. Today I am fine, lets hope that that continues. 

Next week two volunteers will be arriving to work with me! They have experience in building organic gardens and in teaching people how to eat what comes out of their garden. They will do one on one cooking classes with the families, in their homes to help them better utilize what they are growing. Right now the things that they are growing are dying or going to seed cause they just don’t know how to use them. Hopefully we can change this very soon!

These girls will also be working with the kids in the daycare and with the elderly. I am super excited to have them come and work with me for a short time! 

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting Alicia and Dan Gheorghita in their project in Quito called Casa Victoria! Dan is a friend of my dad from Transylvania and is married to an Ecuadorian woman. They began a project 11 years ago in a very poor, unsafe part of Quito. Today they run an after school program where they teach children about Jesus, help them with their homework, teach them computer skills, among other things. An awesome experience to be able to meet Alicia and get to see this project that I have heard quite a bit about. You can check out their work at casav.org! 

Carnaval wasn’t quite as eventful as last year but I did go to Coangue and get painted and covered in flour and freezing water! It was super sunny and warm, thankfully since the water from the river is like ice. After the day in Chota I returned to Pimampiro covered in all sorts of colors of paint and flour, flour that did not come out of my hair for almost 3 days! 

I continue to work with the elderly one day a week, helping with an art class and also just listing to them and their stories. I have an elderly man with Bells Palsy who was super frustrated and did not understand why he has always been healthy and now suddenly the left side of his face just “won’t work”. His wife came up to me one afternoon and asked me if I had something to help her husband see better. I was confused with the question and asked her why. She proceeded to tell me that since New Years her husband suddenly was having problems blinking completely, I hadn’t noticed since he was wearing dark sunglasses. He was seen in the clinic here and was told there was nothing they could do for him. With one look i realized that he was having difficulty seeing because his eye was drooping and he was unable to close to all the way, causing his eye to be dry which in turn causes the vision to be blurry. Losing sight completely is a complication of Bells Palsy if they eye is not properly taken care of. Since this was almost 2 months since this problem began and he was doing nothing for it I bought some steroids and explained to him how to take them. After 7 days of steroids and bringing up the skin under the eye with tape every day, he can see normally and the drooping has decreased to an extent. This is something that sometimes takes 6 months to heal, but we are definitely more on our way and he is not as discouraged as before. Hopefully he will be encouraged and continue to take care of himself.

We are in the process of updating the website, thanks to Drew McKechnie and Pioneer Mule Inc., hopefully it will be up and running in the next few weeks! You can check out new photos, the blog, opportunities and everything all in one! 

Thank you all for your prayer and support!

2/1

Happy February! Not sure where January went but its apparently over...so this is why it went by so fast.  First, I arrived in Ecuador on a Friday night, I was sick most of the day just thinking about going through customs. Im sure that most of you know that Correa (the President of Ecuador) is very against anyone bringing anything into Ecuador from the US. Since I travel a lot, Quito airport is small, and all of the people that work in customs are the same....they know me. This IS NOT to my advantage. I traveled this time with 2 duffle bags, one weighing 90 lbs and the other 50.  This is nothing compared to what I used to travel with and of course the lady asked me to please step over to the other side with my stuff so that they could look at everything. When they say “look at everything” that means take every single thing out of your bag and put it on a table. If its my size that I can keep it, if its not then they will take it. Lucky I had thought about this prior so i rolled all of the donations and things that I bought for people in the bottom of the duffle bags and put my stuff unfolded and a mess on top. When the guy opened the duffle bag he pulled out two big handfuls, all mine...then he put his hand down toward the bottom of the bag and pulled one more big handful and guess what?? It was ALL mine! No idea how that happened but then all he had to say was that I have ALOT of clothes, and my response was “ill be here for awhile”.  Haha! How amazing!! 

Then I was surprised with a birthday party on Saturday! Complete with roses, food, presents! How nice it is to have a second family here! Then the Liga game (Quito soccer team), crazy...tons of people but “we” won!!

Sunday night I arrived back in Pimampiro to a house full of dirt...not pleasant but the reality of living in a small dusty town.  Monday and Tuesday were spent unpacking and repacking and cleaning and organizing because on Wednesday at 4am I left Pimampiro with two kids headed to Operation Smile Evaluations in Quito!

Operation Smile...my newfound love. Operation Smile is an organization that does mostly cleft lip and palette repairs and other minor surgeries such as removing an extra toe or separating fingers. I am now part of their “Ecuadorian Team” which means that I will work (as long as I am not in the states working) with them the 4 times a year that they are in Ecuador. The director of South America was here this past week and asked if I would be willing to travel to other Latin American countries since they are always in need of bilingual nurses. So, we will see where that takes me!

This past week in Quito we operated on 99 kids!! Most of these kids were revisions of previous cleft lip surgeries, quite a few first time palette repair, and a good number with extra toes or fingers. One little girls who was about 2 really made me sad, her mother worked in a greenhouse where they grow bananas and she was born with very few fingers or toes. One foot was totally “normal” while the rest were nothing more than nubs with maybe a finger or two. She was also born with cleft lip and palette and a few other more minor abnormalities. This is to show what chemicals do to bodies, how awful for something so preventable this poor child was born with so many things wrong. So many other stories that I could tell you; the 3 year old who was burned all on the left side of his face and the skin was super tight, the 18 year old who had very little upper lip after having so many cleft lip surgeries so now his lips are sewn shut for the next few weeks, or the many kids who had their palettes closed and have a suture through their tongue taped to the side of their faces. So many children, so many surgeries, so thankful do be a part of such an amazing team and effort! 

Im back in Pimampiro now...time to get English classes and this nutrition project on the road. Thank you all for all of your support! I couldnt be here without each and every one of you!!

One more week...

One more week in Ecuador and then I will be back in the states...bittersweet as always. But...the good thing is that I know that I will be back very soon. Time passes super quickly here, I know that I say that in most every blog entry but it’s true...I cant believe how fast my life has past. In March it will be 2 years since the first time I came to Pimampiro! 

Doesn’t feel like Christmas here, everyone here says it is because they are poor or because of the climate. But...regardless hardly anyone has lights or trees or is in “The Christmas Spirit” whatever that really means. Im sure it is not because of the climate, cause living in Miami it feels like Christmas at Christmas even though its not cold. But here....Im not sure what it is. Every day is the same for them, regardless of time of year or holiday. Kind of sad, being so used to Christmas being all around me and this close to Christmas everyone is happy and talking about Christmas and being “jolly”. Last year I left before now so I just figured it wasn’t close enough....but apparently this is the way that it is always. 

In my house there is no tree or lights, but there are a million gifts!! There are cookies and candy and clothes and gift bags....one room full of donations!! Thanks to all of you the kids here will have an awesome Christmas! This Friday I am going to first have Christmas with the kids in the daycare...we are inviting the moms and I am going to make cookies and rent a Santa outfit! The kids will be so excited to see Santa and be able to take pictures with him! I will give the kids at the daycare their Christmas bags which are filled with dolls or hotwheels, beanie babies, candy and clothes!! Then on Sunday we will do Christmas with donations from another organization for all of the kids who are not in the daycare, we have donated toys and everyone will get a bag of candy and cookies! Santa will be there this day too! 

But...I am thinking about the orphans in Lima! There are so many of them and they truly have nothing...I really wish I could go there. I want to go and take presents and clothes and candy to make their Christmas awesome too.  Unfortunately the time and the funds to do that are limited...but none the less I am thinking about them. I am going to try my best to go there when I get back, at least for a few days to see them and to take them some gifts. My heart is for the kids, but especially for the orphans and kids that are maltreated. One day I hope to have an orphanage...I don’t know where or when but that is something on my bucket list that I have not yet accomplished! 

Thank you all again so very much for all of your love and support! I will be stateside very soon!

written 11/30

I cannot believe that it is already the end of November, where did this year go? I have been in Ecuador almost 3 months...and it’s almost Christmas! My time here...and this year has passed me by so quickly. 

Starting this week I am starting a nutrition project! A company will be putting a solar energy plant in Paragachi (where I work) and they want to increase the health and nutrition of the residents. I will be working along side of this company to do the research and to show them the results of increased nutrition in the diet. 

We will begin with the kids of the community by adding a “shake” every morning, this drink is full of vitamins and nutrients that these kids are lacking. For example, I was talking to a 12 years old this week and since we are working on this new nutrition project I thought I’d ask him what he had to eat on that particular day: breakfast was bread and coffee, lunch was pasta soup, and dinner was a hamburger and french fries. Do you see the lack of nutrition there? 

Our goal with this project is to see results; changes in grades in school, overall wellness , less tiredness, meeting their milestones faster, and whatever else may come with it! After we begin with the kids we will move onto their families, we will also be working on teaching nutrition and the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet. This all works together with the other organization (Mountains of Hope) that is here and who are teaching the families how to have gardens and to grow fruits and vegetables without pesticides. Hopefully this project will come full circle and we will see big results in the health of the people here! 

Thank you all so very much for your help for Christmas! I have received 5 packages from Shelley Houshell! Thanks so much Shelley! I am still waiting for the 17 packages that my mom sent...with all of that I assume that these kids will have an awesome Christmas! We are organizing a day where we will invite the mothers to come, the kids will do a small Christmas program and then we will give them their gifts! 

Thank you all so very much for your love and support....I couldn’t do this without each and every one of you! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Sad that I am not with my family, but happy to be here in Ecuador! I hope that everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I ate normally and had a normal day here...sad I know but I look forward to having pumpkin pie and all of the Thanksgiving foods when I get home! Ill be sure to eat more than I should to make up for lost time! I am super thankful for my family and friends and for all of the opportunities that I have been given in this life! I look forward to many more years with my family and many more years to give thanks for this amazing life that I have been given! Well...Im headed to the beach for the weekend! Need to relax a little, Ive been exhausted lately...a few more weeks here and then I will be back to see everyone in the states for a few weeks!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

THANK YOU! Written 11/8

First and foremost I want to thank all of you who have sent or are sending stuff for the kids for Christmas! These kids appreciate everything...and will love anything that you send to them! In a place where Christmas is just another day, where you might get some candy and cookies...toys and clothes are things extra special. 

Today I had the awesome opportunity to go to one of the communities, Mariano Acosta, where I worked with one of the dentists. Mariano Acosta is more than 3,000 meters (I have no idea what that means) in the mountains, if my calculations are right thats about 10,000 feet. I mean I live at about 8,000 feet but going up to that community makes me feel as though I am in the sky. The sun is strong, though it is chilly (today at least)...feels like a nice warm winter day in the states (when its sunny-if its overcast its just freezing). My reason for going was to work...that I did. I got to extract teeth, suture up the holes left behind, drill out cavities and fill them, and to learn what its like to be a dentist! Definitely not my favorite orifice to work with but another awesome experience to add to my book. Thanks a ton Dr. Rivera!

A little about my life here...some days are full and busy and some days are lonely. I know that that is to be expected, but on my “lonely” days I find myself wondering what else I could be doing. Where else could I go? What else could I be doing? Normal, Im sure but it really frustrates me! I really do love being here, and I love the people and I love what I am doing...but sometimes it is lonely. I know it is to be expected because essentially I am here alone...in the end I know that it is all worth it! I am here for a reason and I will fulfill that reason! 

Christmas is coming!!!

I brought down donations, I have shipped down donations and now I am putting together packages for Christmas for the kids and I need your help!! Anything that you would like to donate will be put to good use! I have found a way to easily ship here, directly to me...so if you are interested in helping please let me know! All of your donations are tax deductible too!!! 

Small toys, crayons, coloring books, books, anything...anything is appreciated by these kids. Please let me know asap because it takes about 2 weeks for me to receive stuff that is shipped and Im only here until December 18! 

Thank you in advance for your help and support! 

OPERATION SMILE

I had the awesome privilege of working with Operation Smile! Because of the baby that was born a few weeks ago with cleft lip, I decided to look and see when Operation Smile would be in our area, to my surprise it was the week after I was looking! Unfortunately I could not take this newborn to be operated but I did take 3 other for evaluation. Before hand I talked with the director of OS here in Ecuador and he told me what to expect and what to make sure that the kids had before we went. Because of that when he asked the kids that were with me where they were from he remembered Pimampiro and immediately knew who I was. We spent the whole day waiting to be evaluated, one of the three qualified for surgery! The other two are older and have had previous operations. 

The newborn I will take to Quito with me in January to be operated! All the kids must be at least 3 months of age and 5 kg. He will be that in January! 

At the end of the day the director found me and asked if I would like to work with them, yep as a nurse, during the time they were in Ibarra. Of course I took the opportunity and worked with them!! We did surgery on 79 kids!! Amazing how “easily” a cleft lip and/or palette can be fixed! Also they do other cosmetic surgeries, for instance a 28 year old girl who was burned by boiling water from the chest to the knees we loosened up her skin some so that she could be in less pain. A kid born with no skin around they eye, they constructed an eye lid. Kids born with their mouths much larger than they are supposed to be, so we made them smaller. So many surgeries in such a short time...and the most amazing part are the parents. When the child wakes up from anesthesia and is able to drink we take them to their parents which then go to the floor to be watched for 24 hours...the look on the parents faces is amazing! Especially the kids who had an open cleft lip and now have a full “normal” lip. How amazing!

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Operation Smile! The amazing thing about Operation Smile here in Ecuador is that there is a director here and a group of surgeons and nurses who work together, in all 4 cities every year. I will be working with them from now on, and our next mission is Quito in January! I am super excited to be able to work with them again! 

How fast time has gone...

10/5/2012

Wow, how fast time has flown...how much things have changed. I am back in Pimampiro, things seem to change all around but this little mountain town seems to still have the same people doing the same things...its like i never left. It has been amazing to see everyone and to see their smiles when they see that i have returned. 

I went to visit the kids at the daycare this week and before i could even get in the door they were yelling my name! There are lots of new kids and most of the older ones have gone to kindergarden, and most of the teachers have changed. But there is one particular “new” child that I am worried about. She is one year old, but looks like a newborn. The teacher told me that she expressed her concern to the parents and the parents said that all of their children were small, but this child is not only small she is sick. This week I will go through the process of talking to her parents to see if they are open to the idea of me getting this child medical care. Lets pray that they are willing to allow me to help them. 

There was also a baby born this week with cleft lip, he is currently in the hospital after being born at home. No one is sure as to why he is in the hospital but the plan is he will stay there for a few days then head to Quito to have surgery. This family has 9 children...and this surgery I imagine is not cheap. But, Operation Smile will be less than an hour away from us in 2 weeks! How is that for timing? I am currently in the process to find out what I need to do to get this child seen.

The house is still being worked on steadily but still is missing quite a lot. Every month the story is...one more month. So, we shall see.

I went to see the elderly people and they were super excited to see me! I am going to spend one afternoon a week doing projects with them and giving them a chance to tell me their stories.

I am going to try very hard to do better at blogging...we’ll see how that turns out.

Written 3/18

I know that I say this every time but time flies, looks like it has been almost an entire month since I last wrote. Where to even start...

I need a break, I need to go home, I need to be with my family, I need to work. I love it here, don’t get me wrong but sometimes a break is overdue. In the past few weeks lots has changed, Im living in the apartment I used to live in with Liz with another girl...which is nice to have my own space again. But on the other hand not so nice because I apparently forgot how often there is no water...especially no hot water. The shower is amazing IF there is hot water, but the chances of that happening aren’t too great. I think I have boiled more water and taken it into the shower than I have actually taken a real shower here. Cant wait to get home and take a real shower! Also I forgot how expensive it gets to buy food and cook all the time, and how annoying it is to have to cook. I had it good with the family...

The original plan of me living in the house has now changed, Paul wants to live there so we are working out details as far as what my role will be in the house. He has been traveling or gone a lot so we haven’t had much time to talk about details but I think the plan is that I will be bringing people down to help and also managing the programs that go on at the house. But, its looking like the house will be done in just a few weeks! Its painted and the upstairs floors are in, the front is gated off. There are plants growing in the gardens...it’s all coming together!

But...I have also been working on some other projects and talking about partnering with some other people. Nothing concrete yet, but things in the works.....things that I am hoping work out soon!

Tomorrow I get to take one of the little girls to the dentist for some extractions! Her bottom middle teeth aren’t growing up they are growing out, so they are coming out of her gums below where they should be. So, tomorrow I am going to take her to the dentist and help him remove them! I don’t know much about dental stuff but I am interested in learning and he wants to teach me!

The past few weeks I have been spending quite a bit of time with the kids, teaching them English and helping in the daycare. Getting to know the families of the kids and just being present in the community. I love being a part of the community and having the opportunity to really know the people and their lives. This is the best part about staying in one place and working. The daycare always needs help and always needs stuff! This week they asked for pitchers to make juice in and spoons. They only have giant spoons for these little kids to eat off of. I gave them some donated baby spoons but they say they are too small. Haha! So this week Ill get them some spoons and pitchers but always remember that if you are throwing things out they are useful here! Save them, and every time that I come down I bring more and more stuff.

Thats a short update, I know...but my life here has become like my life in the states, it’s my life so I don’t remember day to day things to write about. I used to be so good at it, making notes or blogging every few days. After a year of being here my day to day isn’t much to write about, not as exciting as it used to be. But...this week hopefully I will buy my tickets to go back to the states, I’ll talk to the hospital and secure a job, and I’ll figure out exactly where I am going with my projects here.

Keep this little girl in your prayers, I am still waiting for a response from Shriners. Pray that they accept her and that I can bring her to the US with me and she can have this back surgery that she desperately needs. At this point the curvature of her spine is 90% and I can definitely tell that it has increased since I met her a year ago.

By the way, we are waiting for the 501c3! All the paperwork is in, it is being reviewed and we should have this status sometime soon! Thanks again to everyone that supports me and keeps up with what I am doing.

written 2/21

Time goes by so fast, I havent written in so long. The days are long here, but seem to pass ridiculously fast. That doesnt make any sense but thats how it feels. I have been here more than a month and will be leaving in just about 2 months. I cant believe that I first came here more than a year ago...

So much has happened, and changed. I have become a different person, or so I feel like I have. I have experience living in another culture to the fullest, something I have always dreamed of doing. I havent mastered the language yet but I am learning every day. I cant say that I am fluent but I can say that I can communicate, people can understand me and I can understand them. I had always hoped that once I lived in the culture that it wouldnt take me anytime to learn the language. Unfortunately it isnt that easy. I hope that someday Spanish comes to me just as easily as English, and I hope that that day comes very soon!

I have been spending a lot of time with the kids at the daycare.  They are so happy and beautiful! I love when I arrive and they all start yelling my name and jumping on me to give me a kiss! They always have smiles on their faces and always want to give hugs and kisses. They all have been wearing their clothes that were donated and playing with their toys. I have gotten special requests for more transformers! haha, no one can figure out how to transform them back but they all want them. I want to do more for these kids, thinking of some specific projects that can be done at the daycare itself and for the kids and maybe even their families. 

The house is coming along, slowly but surely. Could always use some construction help if anyone has time and wants to come down! We are getting down to the end, tiling and bathrooms, painting and all that good stuff. We are hoping to be done in the next 2 months. We have had several meetings with lots of different people who want to get involved, who see this place being a center to really enrich the lives of these people. We can only hope that we can help reach a handful of the people of this community and to really make this community a place that people want to visit. As of now the people of Pimampiro (only 3 km uphill) either dont know Paragachi at all or think that it is dangerous. We are hoping to change this, hoping to make this a place people want to go. 

This weekend was Carnival! What a weekend, full of paint and foam and water. These people are crazy, you cant walk down the street without getting hit with one of those three things. All sorts are covered in one or all of these things, and the best part no one works! There is a town in the Chota Valley that is known for its party, there are bands playing all sorts of music and everyone is wet and covered from head to toe in paint and foam. Definitely an experience, and they cant seem to figure out why we dont celebrate Carnival in the US. 

The old people are all super cute, a lady that works with the foundation is here right now and she does all sorts of art projects with them! They are so stuck in their ways that they dont like to do anything but color, when we give them something new to do they ask to just color. Haha! But, she has gotten them to do some really cute things.

Anyway, I am heading to Colombia tomorrow to visit my friend Paula’s family! Im super excited to go back to Colombia and to also get to see all of Paula’s family again, but Im sad because she cant be here with us. But at least I can talk to her family this time...last time we couldnt communicate very well!

Until next time...

no time for anything...but i have been trying to write...

1/23/12

Wow, how fast time flies. Before I left all sorts of things happened, but Ill try to remember them all and dedicate a blog just to that. But, for now...I have returned and it has been like Christmas! I came back with 5 FULL suitcases! The family that I live with wanted all sorts of stuff, so I came back with lots for them. I have two full suitcases of donations that I organized (with thanks to my mom!!!) and made up plastic bags for each kid. Clothes, toys, crayons, coloring books, and all sorts of other things! We are going down to have a little program with the kids and give them all of their gifts on Wednesday!! Then after that I get to help teach the parents about nutrition and hygiene! And then after that we are going to celebrate the turning on of the water!

I went tonight with the President and most of the important people of Paragachi to open the water to flow down into our amazing pueblo! We all piled into a truck and drove about 15 minutes up the mountain, stopped in a random spot on the road and all started the trek down a very steep portion of mountain. I slid most of the way down and all that I could think about was having to go back up! We got down there and Luis (the President of Paragachi) opened the pipes and let the water flow into them! A super amazing moment for these people! We already have 55 people signed up and waiting to start working on their gardens! This week we will start digging and getting ready to plant! 

1/24/12

Today was Christmas!! Galen (she is doing a GAP year here) and I loaded up a suitcase weighing about 80 pounds full of clothes and toys and all sorts of things for the kids into the bus for the short 10 minute ride down to Paragachi! We arrived lugging this huge suitcase down the dusty roads into the daycare. These kids, as always were ecstatic to see you. When each of them got their bag of goodies, they were so super excited they didnt want to put them down...the whole bag...they didnt even want to take anything out of it. Haha! We took some pictures, never as much as I would have liked to but hopefully we captured the excitement on their faces!

1/26/12

Last night we had a meeting with Ken, Vibrate Villages, and talked about all of the projects that we are working on. There is so much going on! The people finally have water, the house is being worked on, we are partnering with Potters for Peace to build a factory to make pots to filtered water to make clean drinking water, everyone wants an organic garden, and and and. So much happening and developing. 

The house is coming along, slowly but coming. My friend Paul that i worked with in Haiti is coming down the beginning of February to hopefully help us finish everything!  He has been working in construction for many years and is just the guy to help us get done! Super exciting to know that having the house finished is within reach. Most of the big things are done, its just a matter of time before I will be living there and getting everything up and running! 

February 11 we are having a huge party in the street in Paragachi, celebrating the water and the house! There will be food and performances and dancing and music and and and. Life here is amazing, people are so super happy and wanting to be a part of everything, a part of enriching their community. We are here to help facilitate this growth...and when the people want it so badly it is amazing how easily things come together!

Something to be thinking and praying about, please...there is a little girl here who needs surgery on her back, she has a 90 degree curvature of her spine. The doctors here say that it is too difficult and there is too much other tissue involvement. So, we are submitting a request to Shriners in Tampa to see if they will take on her case and perform the surgery. She really needs this surgery, the scoliosis is worsening. Hopefully the doctors at Shriners will get back to us very soon and we can take her to have this surgery. 

I have been trying to update the website, though I am not so good at it, but there are some new pictures. Thank you all for being interested in where my heart is...

12/11/11

I just realized that it has been quite awhile since I have blogged. Time is going by so fast...and I will be back in the states before long. Where to start...

Lets start with most recent happenings...I was in the Galapagos this week! I have a friend whose brother lives there, so it was a great opportunity to get to see the islands! Unfortunately I did not get to see them all but what I did see was definitely interesting. The Galapagos are not like any other place in the world especially any other island. They are brown and you wont find much life of any sort there. I mean there are turtles and iguanas, snakes, sea lions and birds. Otherwise brown, lava made landscape is what you get. It was warm and sunny and I spent some time at the beach, something I really miss living in the mountains. The mountains are beautiful but the beach...I love the beach! 

Last week was spent preparing for “the day of the youth” that happened last Sunday. We organized this day for people between the ages of 13 and 30 to give them the opportunity to share their talents on stage and to show them that the community supports them. A big problem here is that by the age of 13 these kids are not kids anymore, they are given grown-up responsibilities and having kids of their own. Most of the young people are not aware that they have any other option, for this reason the goal is the educate them that there are many other opportunities in life. The day turned out wonderful, they danced and sang and showed off all sorts of talents. Hopefully this was a step in the right direction for this community.

This week I will head back to Quito to pick up a friend of a friend. She is coming to bring art kits for the kids of Paragachi and blankets. She has a foundation as well and wants to help us out in Ecuador! We are thinking of organizing a get together on Saturday where all the kids are invited to come and get their backpack filled with art supplies. We plan to make it a fun afternoon hopefully with some food and fun! 

Otherwise I am heading back to the states next Tuesday, so this week is my time to get things wrapped up and together. I will be returning in January with my friend who will help to finish the house!! We are hoping for a date sometime in February for the ‘grand opening’! I will head to the house tomorrow and take some pictures of the progress...but they will continue working while I am in the states and when I get back we are hoping to have to only do the finishing work and then well be ready! I cant wait to be able to get things started! 

Life here is great as always, thank you for all of your continued support! 

HELP

Calling anyone who can work on my house! These guys are slow and I just want the house to be done! Anyone...anyone have time?? 

Bathrooms are built, counter tops are poured, the structural parts of the house are just about finished. The next step is to put the gait and finish the wall around the house so that we can put in the windows. We dont want bars on the windows, because of this we need to make sure that no one can have the option of breaking the windows before putting them in. Not sure how soon this will get done but this is the next big task. After the wall us up, then windows and doors, and tile and appliances and fixtures. Still alot to go but it is coming slowly. So, if you have time or know anyone I would greatly appreciate a few days or weeks of your time! 

Last weekend was the Fiestas of Sigsibamba. This is a small community up in the mountains, we paid a truck to drive us the hour up the mountain. We ate, and walked around, and watched a handful of crazy men/boys playing with a bull. They call it bull soccer, where basically they make two goals and they separate into teams, the objective is to get the bull to score. In order to do this they yell and whistle at the bull until it is angry and charges them. Dangerous, yes...entertaining...absolutely. After motorcycle races, lots of food, and a day very close to the sun we decided to return to Pimampiro. Unfortunately there were no cars or trucks...finally one guy said he was coming back down the mountain so about 30 people jumped into the truck. Little did we know that it was about to downpour...we were all packed in the bed of a pickup truck bumping along on the barely there roads and holding on for our lives. When we finally arrived we were drenched and the roads had converted into rivers, but we were alive and smiling. 

Today Im heading to Ibarra to get my chip...hopefully they have it after weeks of waiting. This means I will have internet and BBM on my phone...which in the end is actually cheaper than what I am paying now for just talking on my phone. Ridiculous! 

Let me hear from all of you...please?

11/11/11

I got an email telling me that today is a lucky day...11/11/11. It didnt exactly feel any different than any other day. I seem to lose track of days here...weeks...its been a month since I left home. Crazy...but good. At first I was disappointed since the house isnt done, I was/am really excited about getting things going...but things happen for a reason and in the right time. I am apparently supposed to be learning patience. Since up until now in my life I have had no patience maybe at 27 I will learn what it means to just sit back and watch things happen and not always be in such a hurry. One can only hope...

So the events of last week proved to be the same every day, we cleaned house, cooked, did laundry, all those sorts of things during the day and at night went out. Pimampiro was full! It was a great time of just getting to hang out with everyone and to experience the culture. 

Little did I know that I should have rested some last week, or the weekend cause this past week has been one of the busiest since I have been here. A friend of a friend arrived to volunteer, she is full of great ideas and enthusiastic to help get some things going. For instance, today we took 12 kids between the ages of 11 and 15 to Ibarra. Doesnt seem like a big deal, except for most of these girls have never been to Ibarra. Keep in mind that Ibarra is the closest city to us, about an hour away. Most of these girls are from areas in the mountains where they never get the opportunity to go many places. For this reason we collaborated with the school to take them to the University, out to lunch, to do some exploring, and shopping for things that are needed in the daycare in Paragachi. The goal of this trip was to 1. show these adolescents that there are other opportunities out there 2. help them get to know a place close to them so that they are not afraid to go there to continue their education 3. and to have a day away from the normal for them. We also talked to them about how hard that it is to finish school if they would have a baby. This is the age that we are trying to reach...kids who can make decisions and who we can educate to make the right decisions. 

We have spent almost every day in the daycare, the daycare lacks so much. There are 4 teachers and over 30 kids. The kids arrive about 7am and dont leave til about that time in the evening. These kids are fed 5 times a day (3 meals and 2 snacks), bathed, changed, played with, etc 6 days a week. I love just playing with them, feeding them, holding them to go to sleep...so many things that they dont get on a normal basis. The teachers have said that they send the kids home in the evenings and they come back in the morning with the same clothes. So sad. These kids are so happy and so full of love...and they have absolutely nothing. It breaks my heart to see dirt under their finger nails and their dirty clothes....

I have been doing some nursing stuff too! I live with a family and the mom was in an accident almost a month ago now, she has third degree burns on mostly her right foot/ankle. The first doctor that saw her told her that the black dead skin did not need to come off, for her to put vaseline and eventually it would just come off. Every day I cleaned her leg, scrubbed and tried to get rid of that dead skin. But, from the beginning I did not understand why the doctor did not remove the dead black skin so after some coercion I convinced her to let me talk to the doctor in town and have him come look at it. As soon as he saw it he told her that she needed to have it removed, so the next day she went to a plastic surgeon who removed all of the dead skin. Three days later we went to the hospital, to have the bandages changed and it cleaned. This doctor scrubbed her raw burned skin with no anesthesia with her holding her legs on the edge of a metal bowl. It hurt me, she was in so much pain that the whole way home she was moaning. So awful! I cant even imagine trying to do that in the states, Im pretty sure that most of us wouldnt be able to handle it, nor would we allow someone to put is through that torture. But, the good news is that she is walking some (which she wasnt doing just the other day) and soon she will be back to new! 

Update on the house...we have bathrooms! The guy went down to measure for the window frames, as soon as they are done then the windows go in! Step by step things are getting done...

Written 10/31

Happy Halloween! Not a holiday here but I know that everyone at home is celebrating. I cant remember the last time I was actually in the US for Halloween...I remember many more outside of the US than in. 

Life here is so nice, no time frames, no dead lines, no reason to set an alarm...just the way that I think life should be! Except when it comes to the house, these guys are taking their time...or so it seems. I will head down tomorrow or Wednesday to see the progress that has been made, Im expecting a roof on the second floor bathroom. The next big thing to get done is going to be the windows and doors, we talked to a guy today and he said he will go down and do some measurements on Monday. So hopefully in the next two weeks we will have windows. Then we just have to figure out doors. Then the floor on the second story. Once these things are done then we get to start the fun stuff! The fun stuff that will take some time to complete since things will get done as money allows. But, the most  exciting part is that once we get windows, doors, bathrooms, and floors we can start getting programs and classes together! This is what I am inpatient for!

Paraglyding, hurling yourself off of a 9000 foot high mountain landing on your butt in a field very far from where you started. Yes, this is what I did on Saturday...and now I am very sore. I believe that the soreness comes from the first attempt at ‘taking off’. We had a small mishap...I of course have an instructor flying with me...and when we tried to take off a gust of wind pushed us towards a tree. Mind you, we are a few feet in the air but heading towards a tree is no bueno so the instructor attempted to steer us out of the tree instead we landed on the hard ground. Him on top of me in a pile of kite and strings and appendages. After recovering and hiking back up the 40 feet that we had lost we attempted again. This time was a success, we flew for almost an hour! Not without insult to my body though, I am not sure if my ribs are so sore form the fall or from flying. Regardless my ribs are so sore that my stomach is upset and all night last night all I wanted to do was vomit. With the giant bruise that I have on the inside of my left leg, the pain in my ribs and back...it was all worth it!

I just finished reading the Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman, amazing book about his travels around the world on the worst transportation he could find. He travelled many of the same places in the same buses and trains that I have being in South America! But, he said some interesting things...”When you travel you imagine leaving your old self behind. But hunger, fatigue, and the aches and pains of life in a bus seat, only show you the real you-there’s no escape from yourself. Out here I could just be myself, happy, self-reliant, content, exactly where I belonged. ...a reminder that happiness wasn’t all the  external comforts but just there, within myself.” He concludes that the reality about travel is that it , “shows you things in a starker way than you could ever see them at home.”

This week everyone has vacation...apparently everyone goes to the beach and its a time to relax. All my friends that live and work outside of Pimampiro will be home, and no one will work...I assume things will be closed and there will be lots of people out and about. We will see...

Written the other day...

As I sit here in my bed, I cant help but think of all the people so close to me, right here in Pimampiro who dont have a bed or who are sharing a bed with one, two, or maybe 5 other people. I pass these people in the streets, they dont have enough food, they dont have enough warmth at night. And then I remember I am here...I am here to help these people help themselves. 

I want to complain...about taking a cold shower but then I remember at least I have water to shower. I want to complain...about the 50 bug bites on my legs that are itching so badly Id rather scratch off my skin than have them itch anymore. I want to complain...that I cant find anything because some of it is in storage and some of it is here and some of it is in the 53 suitcases I have in my room. I want to complain...because my house is taking forever to get done. But then I remember, I remember what I am here for...why I love this place and these people so much. Life means so much to them...family and friends and happiness. I watch these very old men and women walking amazingly long distances uphill and am thankful that that is not part of my every day life. Though I do have to walk up the same hill every day, and I am winded and sweating every single time! 

Life is so simple, they wake up, they work, they buy their bread for the next morning, they go to bed and do it all over again. If only it was possible for everyone in the states to live just one day, and cut out all of the unimportant things that we do in a days time. 

I have arrived!

I have arrived back in pimampiro! How amazing to come back to a place with so many people who are so happy and so happy to see me! I love this place! 

After spending two days in Miami, where all I wanted was a little bit of sun, I arrived in Caracas where I was supposed to spend a mere 3 hours which turned into 7! I got to practice my spanish and meet a few nice people, other than that waiting was getting old. When we finally boarded...we sat on the runway for quite some time. I have no idea how long since I fell asleep almost immediately after finding my seat. I awoke when they fed me, by this time I was starving...the bagel that I had in Miami was long gone. I finally arrived in Quito around 11pm...only 5 hours after my scheduled arrival time. I was the last one to pass through the doors because one of my bags was/is missing. I went through the whole process of trying to locate it and placing a claim. Hopefully tomorrow it will show up somewhere. 

Luckily Paul didnt get tired of waiting for me....and was there when I got there. Also, a friend of mine who lives in Quito was there to meet me! I missed Ecuador and its people so very much!

I will never ever get used to taking a cold shower, I know it seems like something that I should just get used to but the water here is like ice!  I am more than thankful for the house that I am staying in, I have my own room and am living with a very nice family. I made a very good friend when I was here before and I am staying with her family. The deal with the shower, no one knows why its not hot but I pray that very soon it is hot again! 

Today I spent the day in Paragachi, hanging out with the guys that are building my house and looking at...doors. There is a man in town who is going to make the doors for us, this book that he gave me to look at has doors that you would imagine on a church or castle! I kept telling him, simple...I just want simple doors! I can live in the house once I have windows, doors, and at least a bathroom. Once those three things are complete then the rest can come as I live there. We are hoping that in less than a month that is possible. But...then comes the question of security, no one wants me to live there alone. So, I guess you can say that I am on the hunt for someone to protect me! Haha! And skilled construction volunteers would be nice too!!

I want to start getting things going at the house, classes and programs but obviously I dont want to get too far ahead of myself...and I have plenty of other things happening too. Im going to be working with another guy to teach some people in the far reaching communities some basic medical care. The concern is that when things happen in these remote communities no one knows what to do in the meantime, before help arrives or before they can be transported to the closest hospital. The government has granted us the ability to make available basic items in a central location in each community. 

Tomorrow I will be visiting the “old people” (the government provides a lunch 6 days a week to people 65 and older, they have a building and some land) and seeing the progress that they have made  with their gardens. They have planted and already harvested their first crops since I left! Cant wait to see their smiling faces! 

Paul is super busy with all of the projects going on, he just cant seem to share everything all at once, I keep learning more every day. So much has changed, not so much change, but advanced since I was last here. It is amazing how involved the community is and how much they are helping us help them! Speaking of which in Paragachi 2/3 of the people now have irrigation water! Only a little more time to go and the entire community will no longer be brown and dusty....but green! 

Such amazing things happening...