Tuesday morning, we had our second and final health brigade in Otavalo. We returned to the same clinic site we'd worked at on Friday, but still stayed quite busy with new patients and people we'd seen the first day that had to come back a second time since we'd run out of medicine.
This time, Katie, Carrie, and I volunteered to be the team in charge of eye exams and it's amazing how many people here are in need of glasses or other specialized eye care. Our selection of glasses consisted of about a dozen donated pairs of random prescription strengths strewn on a table. Despite the difficulty of finding a pair that worked, we had 9 successes and it was all worth it to see the amazed look on a patient's face when they could see fairly well after often times having had years of poor eyesight. Unfortunately for other patients, we didn't have the proper resources to take care of cataracts or other degenerating illnesses so the best we could do was tell them to see an opthomologist. Our group saw a couple of patients outside of eye exams as well, including a 19-year-old who was so confused as to why she had abdominal pain each month one day before her period began (we gave her some ibuprofen and assured her it was totally normal).
Late Tuesday afternoon, we had the opportunity to experience an Ecuadorian sweat lodge, or Temazcal. We arrived at the edge of the hostel property to find a wood structure covered with heavy blankets, so it ended up looking like a large camping tent. We stood outside shivering in our bathing suits, then crawled inside and the 30 of us sat huddled around a large pit in the center of the structure. The leader tried to get us to snort tobacco prior to entering, claiming it was good for respiration, but me and a bunch of the other girls refused. I've had enough strange substances in me already this week, thank you very much! The Indigenous leader explained to us that what we would experience in the next hour or so would be a rebirth and the pitch black tent actually symbolized the mother's womb.
There was a large fire kindling nearby and red hot coals were brought in during four subsequently hotter sessions. First, seven football sized coals were brought in, placed in the pit, and sprinkled with insents, then after the door closed water was poured on the burning coals creating an atmosphere thick with steam.
After approximately fifteen minutes in the sauna-like enclosure, the door was opened and we had a much needed break with fresh air. This was repeated three more times, so by the end there were 33 coals in the center and it was practically boiling to the result of us dripping with sweat as though we'd just gotten out of the shower. During each session, the leader shared different life lessons. We were reminded about the earth's strength and power, then told about our own power inside each of us. She explained we have the strength to follow our own path and live a full life, even if that's not necessarily the path others want you to take. We also sang songs a a group, one that went:
Cambia todo lo que toca
Todo lo que toca cambian
You change everything you touch
Everything you touch changes
We also sang yo soy la luz, or I am the light, and did an awesome rendition of "I'm like a bird" by Nelly Furtado that one of the girls suggested would fit well with the theme. We were told to remember the feeling of singing and chanting together as a group so if we ever feel alone we know we're never really alone in the world. Lastly, she told us to think about our spirit life and think about what our purpose is in the world as we emerged out of the tent. I had no idea the activity would be so spiritually oriented, but it was a fascinating glimpse into some of the beliefs and culture here and I'm definitely glad that I participated.
After all of that, I had no idea that dinner Tuesday night would be almost as much of a new experience. Katie and I went to the room and changed, then arrived back at the sweat lodge site to find a bunch of the hostel workers shoveling dirt out of the ground. it turned out they were digging up our dinner! Earlier in the day, they'd burried chicken, corn, veggies, potatoes and pineapple over hot coals and we ended up with a delicious schmotgashborg of food piled high on our plates. As we sat around the fire chatting and enjoying our last meal together in Otavalo, I realized I was really going to miss both the place itself and just being all together as a group, since once we arrived back in Quito we'd be scattered around the city with our respective host families.
We left around 9:30 Wednesday to make the two hour return trip to the city. Along the way, we made a stop at a rural health clinic high up in the mountains that covers about 5000 people over 8 communities. They do a mix of traditional and western medicine depending on the situation. One thing I thought was interesting is the fact that most of the births are done at home not in the clinic, with the nurse or doctor traveling to the patient rather than the other way around. The clinic doesn't have a close relationship with the government and relies on donations of money, supplies, and time-one of the doctors they've had as a volunteer the past few months was actually a former Interhealth participant.
After a bumpy ride on a bus that struggled to make it up the mountain terrain, we arrived at our host families apartment around 2 o'clock. I rested for a few minutes, then 7 of us met up and took a 10 minute cab ride to check out old town Quito. We walked around the stone covered streets, taking pictures of the beautiful plazas and churches while enjoying ice creams in the hot afternoon sun. We only had a few hours to explore, so I definitely want to return on a day when I have more time.
Today we held our first Quito clinic, which took place in a large room in the back of a market selling goods from produce to clothing. Most of our patients were either workers in the marketplace or their children, some of the families so poor they live in one room houses sharing 3 beds with up to 10 family members. My group saw some pretty interesting cases, with one woman's main complaint that she had gained weight and wanted a pill that would allow her to lose it. If only it were that easy! Another patient had depression and her story was extremely emotional. She works from 4am-4pm each day while her husband sleeps around with other women and refuses to help with the housework since that's a woman's job. Luckily there was a psychologist and she scheduled an appointment, but it was hard not having the same resources you'd have in the US to refer her to. Among the other patients, we saw a woman who'd been attacked on her wrist so deep her thumb no longer functioned, a family with three little boys for well-child checkups, and a little 9yo girl who hadn't been able to see well for 3 years because her family couldn't afford to send her to an eye doctor.
After that busy morning, we returned to school, ate lunch, then some of the students did presentations on topics pertaining to health in Ecuador. I came home to clean laundry hanging up in the sun room thanks to my wonderful host mom. Some of the other program participants haven't been so lucky and have families that clearly don't want them there, so I'm very grateful I have Olga who goes above and beyond the required 3 meals a day and treats me like a daughter. That's about all for now, this weekend is completely free so a bunch of us are heading to a town about 2 hours away called Mindo that has zip lines, rafting, and a butterfly garden!
Picture 1: Tuesday night's dinner being dug out of the ground.
Picture 2: Wednesday morning's clinic.
Picture 3: Street in old town Quito.
Picture 4: At the health brigade this morning.
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