Adios Ecuador!

Just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that I am home and that this will be my last update on the Ecuador blog. I still can't believe how quickly time flew by. I finished my semester on May 15th and celebrated the end of my program with fellow classmates and professors that same evening. Bright and early on the 16th I ventured out of Ecuador for the last time. Two wonderful college friends (one who also has a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship and the other studying on a Fulbright scholarship) currently reside in Bogota and I figured there was no better time to visit Colombia. Luckily, the visit also coincided with visits from two other friends from the States making us quite the motley crew.

Bogota is an amazing city. Although quite large compared to Quito, I loved the diversity of the different neighborhoods and of course, it is always great to visit a new place with friends who already know the way around. We spent the majority of our week exploring the city of Bogota but also enjoyed a quick trip to Villa de Leyva, a beautiful colonial town where we ventured on a night time horseback ride, hiked to waterfalls, and enjoyed the sleepy nature of the town.

I arrived back to Quito the morning of May 25th for a whirlwind two days filled with packing and goodbyes before heading to the Quito airport for the last time the morning of May 27th. I have been home now for just about a week and I know I am still experiencing reverse culture shock. Leaving is always bittersweet, sad to leave but at the same time, happy to be back home. I have decided to return back to Iowa, at least for the next few years, as I am starting medical school in the fall. Thanks for reading my blog throughout the year and I hope to hear from everyone soon! Hasta pronto!

April!

I can't believe how quickly the month of April has slipped by. Exactly one month from today I return home to Iowa! After living in Ecuador for eight months, my life here seems completely normal and routine.

• I no longer wake up to the gas truck that drives around the neighborhood at 6am honking its horn so people can run out of their houses and flag it down to replace their gas tank
• I know to always wear a variety of layers because the weather changes about 20 degrees on a daily basis
• Whenever I buy something worth more than $5 I try to break a $20 bill because I know that otherwise I won't have change for the bus
• I now have the ability to walk and pretend that I don't hear all of the horrible "piropos" (cat calls) made by every single male I pass (from 12 year olds to 80 year olds....no joke)
• I love walking around the corner from my apartment to the "Almuerzo" restaurant where a full plate of rice, chicken/fish, salad (which consists only of onions and tomatoes), lentils, and juice is only $1.40
• I hear myself using all kinds of "Ecuadoriaisms" when I speak in Spanish...

And these are just a few examples. I really and truly have enjoyed my time here but as it comes to a close, I am excited to return home and start on a new adventure. But before I start down that path, how about a quick recap of what have I been up to for the past month.

April started with two world cup qualifying soccer games where Ecuador played against Brazil and Paraguay. I have to say, they were two of the most frustrating soccer games I have ever watched because Ecuador played so well, but could not seem to score a single goal. Despite the frustration, I still enjoyed immersing myself in the ambiance at the soccer stadium which was full of thousands of bright yellow jerseys and extremely animated fans. Following soccer in Ecuador, I proceeded to watch Carolina win the basketball National Championship (Go Heels!) with a motley crew of gringos and feel extremely nostalgic for Chapel Hill when I walked outside after the game, and there were no fires in the street.

The day after the Championship we started our week and a half long vacation for "Semana Santa" (Holy Week), and I was off to Chile and Argentina. I spent the first part of the trip in Santiago catching up with Shepherd -a current Rotary Scholar in Chile and good friend from Chapel Hill- and Grace - a good friend from Iowa City. Upon arriving in Chile, I felt like I had entered an entirely different world. Everything was so clean and organized. Cars obeyed traffic signals, buses had official stops. It was extremely different from Ecuador. I enjoyed a few days exploring the city with Shep and Grace which included a visit to La Moneda -the presidential palace where Allende was shot- and La Chascona -one of Pablo Neruda's beautiful homes. For the weekend, we met up with Hudson and Amit, who were on the tail-end of their travels, and went to Valpariso, the UNESCO world heritage site known for its fishing culture and brightly painted buildings. I said goodbye to Hudson and Amit after the weekend and took the overnight bus to Mendoza, Argentina. Despite the 1 am wake-up call to go through customs, the journey was uneventful, and I arrived bright and early at my sister's host family's home in Mendoza.

Mendoza is a beautiful city with tree-lined streets, a gorgeous park, and many outdoor cafes and restaurants. My sister Anita had been in Mendoza for about a month before I arrived and she was a lovely tour guide, when not occupied with classes. I spent my days sipping mate in the park with Anita and her host sisters, taking a "Bike and Wine" tour with fellow Carolina students who are studying abroad in Mendoza, and enjoying the company of Anita's wonderful host family. After having Anita visit me in Ecuador, it was great to have the chance to visit her and see what her life in Mendoza is like.

After a week and a half of vacation, I am back in Quito once again. Sadly my arrival was met with the realization that I have two weeks of class left, and many final projects and exams to complete. My semester officialy ends on May 15th and there is much to do, so I must be off! I hope to write again soon!!!

From Quilotoa to Machu Picchu

As promised, I am attempting to update my blog more often this semester. After an amazing trip to the Galapagos, I returned to Quito to a very interesting set of midterm exams. Although I am at what is supposed to be the one of the best universities in Ecuador, I am still amazed at the difference in the quality of education. My classmates, who are extremely intelligent, and are all already involved in the professional sphere ( as doctors, lawyers, sociologists) cheat on exams and copy/paste entire paragraphs of text from articles into their papers without citing the original article. I think a lot of them spent their high school and college years learning my rote memorization and the masters program is structured really differently. It just makes me so thankful for the great educational system we have in the States.

Aside from more educational realizations, I also enjoyed one of my favorite weekends since I have arrived in Ecuador. For Carnaval, instead of enjoying parties on the beach, I spent the first part of my weekend in a small community about 2 hours from Quito called Langulo with my public health classmates. We went as part of a group of doctors who gave free medical exams while we provided a variety of public health interventions. My specific group was in charge of teaching children about hygiene. Each child made a sock puppet and then we taught them how to take care of their puppet and themselves by brushing their teeth, washing their face, washing their hands, etc. After Langulo I headed directly to Quilotoa to meet up with Amit, Hudson, Angella, and Ingrid. Quilotoa is volcanic crater lake and is known as one of Ecuador's "most staggering sights". It is a bit off the beaten path so it was a great place to get away for the weekend. We spent one day hiking around the rim of the crater and the following day hiking down to the water and back up. We stayed at an amazing little hostel called Cabanas Quilotoa where we recieved a delicious breakfast, dinner, and room to sleep in for $10. The views and company were spectacular! After arriving back in Quito I had about a week and a half of normalcy before my parents and friend from college, Jamie, arrived.

My parents visit was wonderful. I had a great time showing them my favorite parts of the city, enjoying my Mom's delicious Indian food, and listening to my Dad attempt to speak Spanish. Following a week in Ecuador, we headed to Peru to meet up with my little brother Nikilesh, and hike the Inca Trail. While the altitude in Cusco and on the trail proved to be a bit of a challenge, especially for Nikilesh, we enjoyed our 3 day hike (about 30 miles in total) to arrive on the 4th morning at the Sun gate with a spectacular view of Machu Picchu. We hiked in a group of 14 people from the US, Canada, and Japan. Our two guides (Ruben and Hugo) were extremely knowledgeable and encouraging throughout the trek. Ruben, our main guide, had an amazing accent and funny phrases that he loved to repeat in English over and over again. We trekked with the company SAS Travel(http://www.sastravelperu.com/) and I highly recommend them.
The food was delicious with hot tea every morning in our tents, garlic bread to snack on when we arrived at our campsite, and an amazing variety of veg and non-veg options at every meal. Despite the fact that we were hiking during the rainy season, it only rained for about 45 minutes throughout the four days. We were all pretty exhausted when we finally arrive at Machu Picchu, but I think that hiking for 3 days and being able to see other Incan ruins and absolutely breathtaking scenery along the way made the arrival even more amazing. For the last two days we were hiking on the actual Inca trail that has been used for hundred of years and has never been refurbished. If you are thinking of making the trip, I think trekking is definitely worth it!!!

Looking down on Machu Picchu with the Rao family

Machu Picchu!!!

The entire group after arriving in Machu Picchu

I arrived back in Quito two days ago and I think I have finally caught up on my missed sleep and lots of school work. Things are going to be quiet around here after having so many visitors but I know there are more adventures to come. Much love!

GALAPAGOS!

Mi vida equatoriana has continued to be filled with exciting adventures since I last wrote. For the first few weeks in February I enjoyed spending time with Anita and Jon (a friend of Anita's from UNC). We explored parts of historic Quito which included climbing the Basilica, a beautiful church containing 24 different chapels and a breathtaking view of historic Quito for those who can brave the practically nonexistent stairs and mesh platforms. Crowded around a laptop in the living room Hudson, Amit and I cheered on the Tar Heels to an amazing victory over Duke and just a few days later Amit's parents arrived for their week long trip to Ecuador. We spent Saturday roaming around the market in Otavalo and came back to Quito only in time to pack and get a few hours of sleep before Anita and Jon departed at 4:30 am for Buenos Aires and at 7 am I was on my way to the Galapagos with Amit and his family!

The Galapagos Islands are located over 1000 km from mainland Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. With 12 main islands and 12 minor islands, the Galapagos is an animal lovers paradise. I was a little nervous about spending 5 days on a boat but luckily the Yolita II turned out to be an amazing way to experience the Galapagos. Thanks in large part to our extremely friendly and knowledgeable guide, Washington, I learned so much about the different animals and ecosystems present in the Galapagos. Our daily itinerary was extremely variable as we traveled to four different islands but in general we had an early breakfast aboard the boat and then began the day with a "wet landing" (meaning we left our bigger boat in dinghy's that stopped 10-15 meters from the shore of an island and we waded through water to arrive at the shore). After arriving on any given island we spent anywhere from an hour to three hours traversing the island by foot with our guide Washington who pointed out and explained all the different animal species, land formations, and fun facts. We would then return to our boat in time for lunch or sometimes a morning snorkeling expedition. Snorkeling has to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. You feel as if you are part of the ocean. All kinds of gorgeous schools of fish, turtles, sea lions, and sharks, swim around you as if you were invisible. The water is crystal clear so you can see absolutely everything. After snorkeling and lunch we often had a few hours to relax on the boat. I spent the majority of my time reading Barack Obama's Dreams from my Father (which I highly recommend) and playing extremely intense games of scrabble with the Gupta family (in which Amit's mom blew us all out of the water in every single game). In the afternoon we would dock at a different part of the island and have time for snorkeling and swimming from the various beaches. In all honesty, words cannot describe how beautiful all of the islands are and how amazing it is to be so close to such unique wildlife. Instead of continuing to ramble on, I am just going to add loads of pictures with captions for all of you to see the beauty for yourselves.

Our Boat: Yolita II

The Beach of Santa Fe Island

Espanola Island with the Gupta Family

The infamous Blue Footed Boobies

By far my favorite..the baby sea lions

Land Iguana

Nazca Booby and Chick

Lonesome George-the only remaining Abingdon Island tortoise

Crab

Frigate Birds flying over our boat

Marine Iguana

Baby Sea Lion

Gigantic Cactus-Espanola Island

Just taking a nap

Amit and I-Santa Fe Island

One of 6 male Turtles at the Charles Darwin Research Station

Sunset-Floreana Island

Our Galapagos Itinerary

Day 1	BALTRA / SANTA CRUZ (Bachas Beach)
Day 2	PLAZAS / SANTA FE
Day 3	ESPANOLA (Punta Suarez / Gardner Bay)
Day 4	FLOREANA(Punta Cormorant / Post Office Bay)
Day 5	SANTA CRUZ (Charles Darwin Station / Highlands)

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!!!