Cuyi Delicious

Wondering what was on the menu most days? Well besides potatoes, in the sierra we always have plenty of cuyi (guinnea pig). Sorry Nirali, close your eyes! (And Tina, only tell Timmy that I'm eating his pets relatives if you feel he's up to it).

Home Visits.

Just evidence that I was actually there ; ) (Janice, I’ll return the shirt!)

Doctora Babena

Babena came in because she was having diarrhea, but got more than expected. Here she is listening to her grandson's heart. The Waorani, while considered a violent indigenous group, are now most often incited to retaliate - such was the case with the recent spearing of a trespassing lumberman.

Tree of Life

The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. Psalm 104:16. A tree on the Rio Chichugui, Waurani territory.

Wau Elegance

This is one of the elegant Waorani women of the community of Nuneno. The group of women here were straighforward and unusually talkative, particularly Marta, the health promoter. Births here are at home, with mothers and sisters helping, as there are no trained midwives or experienced parteras. For more information on a movement of Indigenous Midwives in Ecuador go to www.amupakin.com!

How beautiful are the feet of those

We were on our canoe (a very modern metal one) to a Waorani community that Compassion International works in (www.compassion.com) sponsoring children to go to school and providing medical care (in this case me). This was an accidental picture of Romelia's feet... but aren't most beautiful things in life accidental and unexpected?

Ciudad de Coca

So apparently this is one of the more dangerous cities in the country, due to factors such as the narcotráfico and tensions between indigenous populations vs the petróleros and the lumber folk. Just to share, this the view I was tortured with for many hours on the rocky road to the Puente de Tiwino. Horrible thing was that the only thing I could think of was that I needed to pee. What a painful experience.

Leaving again.

Am finished with my two month rotation in Shell, at the hospital, and am back in the world of community development. Am again in Quito preparing for a trip to the Sierra communities outside of Riobamba. And the schedule is looking good. Today I leave for the Waurani community of Taxococonanaco (phonetically at least) with Compassion International to do some well-child checks. Apparently the kids have been taken out of their jungle communities and are waiting for us in a small road-side town. The drive is about 23hours from where I am now... near El Coca (aka near Columbia).

Am very sad to have left Shell. Funny thing was that I left a lovely house full of women: including Kristen, an adventurous older Swedish lady who loves to dance, Elizabeth, a gentle pre-med student from Ohio who is a fabulous chef, Bonnie “Bonboncita” Chen a wild M4 from UCSF who has a contagious laugh and a talent for telling stories (and who is currently contaminated with big bad jungle scabies) and various other guests…. And now I’ve moved into a quiet Swedish Hostal where the residents are generally conservative middle-aged working men from the Iglesia del Pacto. Big change in house dynamics.

Ok my dears. I’m off to the bus station now. Off to Taxococonanaco .

A moment ago.

Just a moment captured in the city of Esmeraldas, where Texaco has a massive petroleum refining center and where corrupt government officials have sold off logging rights in national parks, leaving the once-emerald coastal province stripped bare and writhering in drought.

Gifts for Life?

These are the lovely hand-pumps that are installed at wells, often before a community receives "agua entubada" (running water). More than 2 million people die every year from water-borne diseases. Clean water one of the best regalos you can give a community. Are the gifts I give ever meaningful? hummm. This Christmas, I'm thinkin' of shopping at www.giftsforlife.org.

Borbón

Last week I went to the devastatingly-deforested Province of Esmeraldas with a group from Water Projects (Community Development) and Life Water (a EEUU/US based NGO), to take a look at some wells. Here you see a rincón in the city of Borbón, where the water runs acouple hours a day and the HIV/AIDS incidence is unsualy high compared to the rest of Ecuador... thanks in part to poverty and prostitution.

El Wawa

This is just a cute 31weeker (which here in the jungle usually means the baby does not survive). By now he was off oxygen, gaining weight slowly, and making his mother wonder when they could go home! Wawa, is Kichua for baby.

Life as Art.

I simply love this picture. Again, thanks to Doctorita Bonnie "Bonboncita" Chen for documenting this. Wonder how cotton ball are made? Here in Shell the nurses, when they have a free second, sit down and hand-roll cotten balls, dipping their fingers occasionlly in a little cup of water. So here's the proof. Life is art.

Free Air!

Does this freak you out? If not, it SHOULD!. This wasn't my patient but when Doctorita Bonnie Chen (my fellow "interna," aka medical student) showed me this I was impressed. Apparently the lovely gentleman he had some anaerobic gas-forming abcess that developed from his incarcerated incicional hernia. For my dear medically-savy-sisters: they went in, cleaned him up, cut out the rotten parts, and stiched him back up, and killed the bad bugs. All ended well and he later cam in bringing in half a ton of queso fresco del oriente (greeeeat cheese) for everyone.

World Cup Mania

So the 2006 World Cup celebration has officially begun for Ecuador. Tying the game with Uruguay this weekend meant Ecuador has now officially qualified... for the second time in history! This guy, like Duther and I, was there at the game to document the craziness. Brasil (of course) and Argentina (ugh) are also qualified.
See you in Germany, 2006?

Dra. Priscila

I guess sometimes I can be helpful. Here, still in Charapacocha, I played doctor with the help of Dr. Steve, diagnosing cutanous larva migranes, listening to pulmonary tuberculosis, considering leshminiasis, and treating lots of pain, impetigo, and other bad "bichos."

Prayer in Charapacocha

Charapacocha is a Shuar community that has been touched by the waves of falcipirum malaria sweeping north from the jungles of Peru. Doctor Steve, Nurse Elisabeth, Pastor Herman, and Medical Student me were there last week doing malaria tests and running a clinic there. While there, Pastor Herman also led the church and its children in prayer. I know I should follow suit. But when I speak are you listening? Jeremiah 29:12-13

Fixin' the finger

I had a hard time deciding whether to put this picture up... but its the least dramatic of them all. This picture is of a gentleman who was working on the tunnel San Fransisco here... a rock slide nearly severed his finger. There are several men who come in each week from the tunnel work crew with a variety of injuries. Do let me know, for the non-medical people, if this photo is a little too much.

So I am working

So I am actually now in Shell working... basically q3 (every third night) in the small 3-room ER. Am seeing lots of fever and diarrhea, ascaris-induced pancreatitis, trauma, deliveries, ect.

My favorite person on the floor this week is Moises, 13 year-old boy who fell out of a tree with an armed weapon while hunting a tasty rodent. The firearm exploded on inpact and shot bullets into his leg and thigh. Today I helped put in his skin grafts. The cutest person on the floor this week is a 1.2kg, 2 day-old baby girl (no name yet), product of a 33 week-old gestation in a severely preeclamptic 23 year-old mother who was finaly induced. The bravest person of the week is definately Don Carlos M., cachectic 48 year-old gentleman with terminal colon cancer who comes in every day for his 8mg of morphine and dressing of his developing abcesses vs fistulas (no more surgery in his case). He always smiles for me and today he came in with glaring white sneakers that his wife had just bought to encourage walking.

Sorry for the unusual narrative. Will try to be more traditional next time.

My friend the bug

I was reading Bendiceme Ultima (great book by Rudolfo Ayana) in my hammock one morning when I noticed I was no longer alone. Here's who was sharing my personal space. Very cute. By the way, if you are, perchance, looking for classic Ecuadorian literatute, try Cumanda by Juan Leon Mera (my current read). Many streets and buslines named after the author. He's something special.

Taller than Everest

So this is my favorite view (thus far) of the tallest point from the center of the earth. Don't have the numbers on me, but "Google it" and you too will discover this nugget of truth. Shawna first read this to me from her guide book several weeks ago and since then I've been proudly sharing it with anyone who listens. Now that includes you.

Burdened with gifts

This space is saved for my commentary on our follow up trip to the communities (particularly Apunag, Gaunan, Shanuaycu, and Puuhuaipamba). Still slacking about writting it all. But patience and it will come. :) love to you all. pri

Sra. Mishqui

This is the beautiful Sra. Mishqui, currently thirty-some, wife of Segundo Andres Mishqui and mother to her 8yo neice Maira. Lovely woman, very generous, cooks great cuye (guinnea pig) and potato soup.

Field Visits

Again in Apunag, we made our way on our house visits... but it seemed like only the very old or young folk were at home. Where were they? In the fields of course. By 7am every morning everyone is working. So Simona, Socorro and I made our way to where everyone was. Here we are visiting with some gentlemen in the potato and barley fields. After each visit were we given many gifts, namely potatoes and raw eggs.

Mother and Child

In Apunag, a community of some 60 homes, two hours or so outside of Riobamba, Socorro and her 2mo son, were our guides. Clambering up and down the mountain at such an altitude, I sometimes felt faint... but not this young lady. What is interesting, is that though the landscape is composed of massive mountains covered in dull velvety colors, the Quichua people love intense colors and clothing. Red, the color of blood and sacrifice, is a favorite.