We left Quito at 7:30 Wednesday morning and arrived in Otavalo around 11am. Along the way, we made a stop on the side of the road and Dr. Wedemeyer, our group leader, got us all this awesome Ecuadorian fruit to try called cherimoya. It had a texture slightly smoother than a pear and was really delicious and sweet. We also passed by some gorgeous scenery- Cotopaxi volcano, lake San Pablo, and a skyline full of mountains . The road we drove on to get here was the Pan American highway, which extends all the way from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, the most southern point in South America. Crazy!
Upon arrival, we got settled into our rooms. We're all with a buddy (mine's still Katie) in cabin type rooms in a cute hostel. Between the cabin feel and eating our meals as a group in a dining hall, we've decided it feels like big kid sleepaway camp. They served us quinoa patties for lunch, then we spent the rest of the day exploring the area by bus as a group.
In the Otavalo area, there are about 70 Indian villages with indigenous populations that actually speak a language called Kichwa rather than Spanish. The women dress in white blouses embroidered with jewels, a dark double layered skirt, and lots of bright colorful jewelry. This is a big difference from the jeans and American clothes that seem to be a status symbol in Otavalo-where a pair of nike's cost at least $150! Our first stop was one of the indigenous villages where we met a local women who makes woven mats from corn stalks to sell at the market. Her house had no windows because they believe that windows let in evil spirits. Also, they only believe in traditional medicine unless it's absolutely necessary to go into Otavalo and receive modern care. I also met a couple of adorable little girls that showed a few of us their pet bunnies and chatted with us in Spanish for a while. The kids here have been so sweet and excited to talk to us, I'm sure 30 gringos in their tiny village is quite the spectacle!
Next, we went to another village where we saw an elderly couple making woolen goods by hand. They cut the wool over and over again with two bristle brushes until it's soft enough to use. It takes them about 2 weeks to make a scarf and 2-3 months to make a poncho doing it that way! Luckily they also have a wooden machine to make some goods using a faster process. I made my very first purchase of the trip, a black and gray scarf for all of $3.
Our last stop of the day was Quinchuchui, which is where Zoli, our tour guide, lives and she was nice enough to let us see her home. We met her pet monkey Lucas and saw a more modern version of an Indigenous Ecuadorian house, complete with a refrigerator and beautiful decorations. Once in a lifetime, each member of the community is chosen to buy and cook a feast for the entire village and this year it's Zoli's turn! The festival is a celebration of the sun and we've all been invited to attend on Sunday so I can't wait to see what it's like.
On Thursday, we got up and had breakfast as a group then took 9 taxis into Otavalo (the hostel's in a small village called Peguche a couple miles away) to take a tour of the local health system. We spent the morning at the Haga Wasi clinic, where they practice traditional medicine. We met a yachac healer who uses herbs, vegetables, and fruit he collects from the rainforest to do cleansings and relieve ailments. He learned the art from his grandfather, who he claims lived to be 128! We also talked with a woman who does diagnosis using eggs and live guinea pigs she rubs on the patients bodies. Lastly we saw the birthing area where most of the women give birth standing up holding a rope. It wasn't like anything I've ever seen before and I'm actually scheduled to get a cleansing for $5 from the yachac on Saturday morning so it should be an interesting experience!
We also went to the hospital for the entire region, which was much more modern but still very different than a US hospital. Some contrasts were that the ER had only 3 beds in it, we were able to walk around any part of the hospital without sterilizing or showing ID, there were random stray dogs wandering the halls, and much of the birthing is done standing up there as well.
After the hospital tour, I went with 2 other students and got a heaping plate of rice with shrimp and veggies for lunch at a local restaurant for $3. Then we wandered around the shops and marketplace a little before Spanish lessons from 3:30 to 5:30. We worked on irregular verb conjugation in groups of 4 and I'm starting to feel much more confident in my speaking abilities.
Before dinner, Katie and I were hanging out in the room when all the sudden it went completely black! The power stayed off the rest of the night and in to the next day and we were told it was because of the rain...even though it rains nearly every day here haha. I guess it's all just part of rural life in Ecuador.
On Friday, we had our first health brigade to give care to the local community and it was an amazing experience. The village was only about 4 miles from the hostel, but due to the poor road conditions the drive took nearly an hour. In 5 hours, we saw 90 patients from infants to the elderly, with problems from arthritis to acid reflux to the flu. The people were so appreciative for our help, even as we struggled in groups of 3 to understand their often broken Spanish mixed with Kichwa. There was a sharp contrast between the backdrop of the lake and mountains creating the most incredible scenery I've ever seen with little shacks lacking 4 walls and people with severe cataracts or their teeth rotting out from lack of dental care.
We arrived back in Otavalo in time to eat lunch before Spanish class. We worked on the past tense and I did pretty well, except for the time I mixed up the verbs "to undress" and "to get fired" and said that my boss undressed me! A group of 8 of us walked the 40 minutes home, making a detour at a waterfall but it was unfortunately dark by the time we arrived so I think I'll go back tomorrow. For dessert tonight we had a tree tomato ice cream that sounds weird but was pretty awesome. Well, I think that's about all. We have quite a bit of free time this weekend so I hope to do lots of exploring.
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