2009!!

It has been quite a while since my last post and I apologize for the delay in blogging. The end of last semester simply flew by and before I knew it I was on a whirlwind trip back to the States for medical school interviews, the holidays, and lots of snow and ice in Iowa! I arrived back in Quito on January 10th and moved into my new home. While I absolutely adored my host family and will always cherish the time I spent with them, it was time for a change. I currently live in an apartment with a fellow Rotary scholar (Peter) and a PhD candidate in public health (Darlene) who is studying water borne disease on the Ecuadorian coast. It was wonderful to be home for the holidays but a small taste of family made it hard to come back to Quito again. Luckily, part of the family came back with me! A day after I arrived in Quito I was back at the airport picking up Anita who is visiting Ecuador for a month on her way to spending a semester abroad in Mendoza, Argentina. We have gotten nice and cozy in my small bedroom and I already know how much I will miss her when she leaves in a few weeks.


Back in Quito, it only took my first bus ride to school to feel like I was back in the swing of things. The same cheerful old man who sells the Diario (daily newspaper) and Manuel and Jorge (my two favorite bus vendors) made me feel right at home. It was a bit strange to arrive at the University to be blinded by mini-skirts and popped collars (I strangely didn't see a lot of those back in Iowa). Luckily, I soon found familiar faces and began to settle back into my routine. This semester I am enrolled in 3 public health classes (Nutrition, Health Administration, and the Politics of Healthcare). Each of them is extremely unique and fascinating, and my professors are incredible, but I can already tell that I am in for a tough semester. I did however manage to create a better schedule for myself where I only go to the University 3 days a week and have Tuesdays and Thursdays open to spend my day at the Street clinic in the Camal market in the

South of Quito. It was really wonderful to return to the clinic after a few week lapse and hear the holiday stories of all the patients. They are really some of the most wonderful people I have had the opportunity to get to know in Quito. While attempting to take pictures for fundraising letters for the clinic, Juaquina (pictured left) requested an individual picture with each of us and is anxiously awaiting the printed copies. She sells the most delicious avocados in the market! Here is a view of the south of the city from the windows of CENIT (the organization that I volunteer for).

Aside from settling back into a routine at the clinic and school, I have managed to squeeze in a few weekend excursions. Anita, Amit, Peter and I ventured to Mitad del Mundo where we stood in both hemispheres at the same time and witnessed the phenomenon of water falling straight down a drain as oppose to spiraling in one direction or the other. Last weekend we also traveled back to Mindo to enjoy a weekend away from the city. We once again canopied through the cloud forest, visited the butterfly garden, and took a beautiful hike to La Cascada Reina (the queen waterfall). As much as I enjoy Quito, time away from the city is always greatly appreciated.

I have made a resolution to update my blog more frequently so you will be hearing more from Quito very soon!!!