Kirstin’s Blog

last few days

I actually baked cookies- from scratch! Somehow they look and taste like chocolate chip cookes, except for the charred ones… I was pretty impressed with myself though. I also babysat for Dan and Christina so that they could go out to dinner. It was fun, but crazy as they have a 3 yr old and a 16 month old. We played, the 16 month ate playdoh, we read books. It was impressive how short their attention spans were. It was good for Dan and Christina to get a date night. Then the next day in the ER I went for my first ambulance ride ever, but as the dr not the pt… I had to ride with a child that had been involved in a motorcycle accident in order to get a CT done in the next town. The ride was insane, bouncing around trying to hold her still so that she did not get injured further. Then there was no one there when we got there, we called and were told that they would be there in an hour. So we had to drive back to the hospital only to return to the CT an hour later. It was completely insane, but she was OK and that is all that matters. I’m on call again tomorrow, so hopefully its just as calm as the other calls and I get some sleep so that I can have a fun Fri!

My free Sat

I got to sleep in this morning until 9:30, it was so nice. Then I cut my mango up along with a peach and had that along with strawberry yogurt and iced peppermint tea for breakfast. Around 11:30 am a group of us left for our bike ride out to Madre de la Tierra and the pool/aquarium. The ride out there was all downhill, which meant that the ride back was all uphill haha. My butt and inner thighs hurt from the bike…

At one part of the trip we passed a “limon” tree, which were green and looked like limes. We stopped and picked one each from the lower limbs. At the pool we saw the contestants for a local beauty pageant taking their bathing suit pictures. We got changed and showered and got in. The water was so nice and warm and the sun was beating down, so it was just gorgeous. We also went to the aquarium where I saw some beautiful and dangerous fish, turtles, caiman, and fish native to the region. Some were huge, one being the paichi, one of the largest fresh water fish which was very whale-like. They have lungs and breathe the air.There were piranha as well, one of the species which was vegetarian- I liked that one. There was a species of small fresh water shark, and the most dangerous turtle, called the matamata (mata in English means kill). On our walk back to our houses after returning the bikes we borrowed we passed a guava tree and were able to get some fresh guava down to take back with us as well.

It was so much fun to enjoy the day with some friends that I met here and to get some (or a lot of) exercise. Once I got back to my house here it was raining, thundering and lightning. We actually lost power for about 5-10 min. I am on call again starting at 8am tomorrow morning, so I will end this here and put pictures up tomorrow during the day if I have time!

this week…

so I finally have some time to write about this whole trip so far. So much has happened its hard to believe that it has only been 6 days. I arrived in Shell on Sunday and was greeted by Dr. Dan Benedick and his wife, Christina and 2 kids who showed me my house here, how things worked in the house and then showed me around the hospital and town after I had a chance to call home and rest. I was able to buy fresh mango, peaches, swiss chard, broccoli, and carrots for less than 3 dollars. That was awesome!

I started at the hospital on Monday morning at 7:30 am. It was so nice to start the day with a church service before rounds. Rounds were a bit difficult that first day as there were many medical terms that I did not know, but I felt like I was able to get the basics at least. I then started working in the ER with one of the other interns which is where I have been working the past few days. I took my first call with one of the interns last night which was extremely calm compared to calls that I have had at hospitals in the US.

On Monday I had a very fun adventure with the residents from the Family Medicine program in Quito. I was “kidnapped” after the days work was over for those not on call. I was told to get changed and meet them at their house, but not for what reason. I arrived and was asked “estas lista?” (are you ready?) When I asked for what I was told “para whatever!” So we (the 6 of us) piled into 1 car and off we went. The first place we went to was the Casa de los Monos (monkey house) which was closed, then we tried to go to another town for ice cream but that place was closed too. Finally we headed back towards Shell to a town called Puyo. There are more restaurants and shops there than in Shell. They took me into a store and showed me the selection of “fundaditas” (fanny packs) which I should consider buying. They all use them in the hospital since no one wears white coats. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am not the (proud?) owner of a fanny pack which I wear at work every day. I will get a picture of this and post it eventually. We finally made it to an heladeria (ice cream shop) and then to the restaurant for dinner- after the ice cream, haha. It was a very different but fun night.

Tomorrow I am going to ride a bike along with 3 girls from here to a place with a pool and restaurant. They said that it will take an hour and a half to get there, which is a long bike ride, but it is supposed to be a beautiful place and I am looking forward to it. I will write about it tomorrow night and hopefully have some great pictures to post!

officially here and with internet!

So I officially arrived in Shell on Sunday, after 1 night in Quito. I wish I had given myself more time in Quito, but maybe I will get back there during this month to travel more. The taxi ride to here was very long- 5 hours. I was picked up a little after 9 am at the guest house in Quito and arrived in Shell around 2. It was beautiful along the drive though. We went through towns with different tourist attractions due to the jungle and volcanoes, some of which are still quite active. There are many waterfalls, and the plants are gorgeous. I got to take only a couple of pictures along the drive or it would have taken much longer than 5 hours. I will post those pictures later this week as I am in the process of getting ready for work this morning. Here I have a house with a kitchen, bathroom with a shower, 2 bedrooms with bunk beds, a living room and a laundry room with a washer and dryer. So far no one else is living here with me, but we will see over the month. All of the doctors, residents and nurses are very nice and helpful here. I have spent 2 days in the ER learning the paperwork and helping to see patients and “poner curaciones” (give treatments for wounds). Today I am on call with an intern and a resident, but I am considered an intern here as their school system is different than ours. Here a 4th yr student is an intern. Depending on how things go this week I will either be on call with another intern again next week or will start taking call by myself with the resident. I have so much more to tell about this week so far, but must get ready to be at work at 7:30, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. The important thing is that everything is going well so far, and I am enjoying my time here learning and taking in the warmth! My skype is also now working so anyone who has it can contact me through my name: kiryston. Thanks again to everyone for your support and prayers.

Florida Pics

Florida

So my week in Fl with my grandma is over tomorrow morning. It has been so much fun to spend time with her and to see my aunt and uncle! It has been cold here, and windy but I had a great time being able to take my grandma shopping, out to lunch and to a play! I’m also testing my ability to add pictures to this blog with this post so we’ll see how it goes! These pictures were taken at the condo/motel that my aunt and uncle are managing during their retirement.

Hello world!

Hi! I am so excited to be starting this adventure. Thanks for checking this blog and I hope to be able to continue adding to it as often as possible! I will try to add pictures as I can as well! I am currently in Florida with my grandma for a few days before I leave for Ecuador on Sat. I will be in the process of updating all the information while I am here and then will start the real blog.