Last week I had a flying trip back to Onzole, to the jungle communities there. Well, it was flying in that we were only there a very short day and a half. But we definitely did not fly there! Janna and I got on a bus at 9pm on Wednesday, and didn't get off it until 13 1/2 hours later! Let me tell you, that's a really long time to be sitting on one of those buses, squirming and turning and trying to find a place to put yourself so you can sleep!! There were endless delays, including 2 more police checks - the men all had to get off, police got on, and looked through bags and checked all our documents. I'm told that buses on this route are checked more because of how close the Colombian border is at the end of the trip. And then we were stopped for a very long time, could have been 2 hours, someone said that there had been an accident on the road.

By the time we got off that bus, I was ready to never see one again, EVER! But then there is the canoe trip, which to me makes up for all the preceding miseries. The river was very low this time, only a few inches in places, so it took 3 hours to get in to our villages, with the men having to pull the motor out and paddle and pole in the shallowest spots. But I am still enthralled by being on that river, so I didn't mind it taking longer. I did feel sorry for the men though, having to work so hard to get us upriver, they had left Santo Domingo at 5:30 that morning.

The purpose of the trip this time was to be there for the kids' Christmas program at the school in Santo Domingo. That little school very nearly didn't reopen after the last school year, the funding that had been coming from outside was pulled, and nothing was coming from the government, and when we were there last February it really looked as though school would not be happening for the children of that village. But there was some juggling and talking and someone in Canada took up the cause, and some funds have been raised, and school has gone ahead for this year.

The program was on Friday morning, and such a program it was!! All 140 students, and many of their parents, and a few visiting missionaries. The room was decorated, a stage was set up, practices were held, and it all went without a hitch. Included in the proceedings were a full length nativity play, Joseph, Mary, angels, shepherds, innkeepers, wise men - the lot! And during the play each class had a turn to sing a song. Which they did with great enthusiasm and volume. Now if they could just learn to carry a tune...! There was also a drama of the prodigal son, and one about the 10 virgins. There was a complicated little ceremony involving the "Christmas Princess", which was a very solemn affair. And through it all, these so very cute kids to watch - SO cute!

Then it was outside where they all lined up to receive their gifts. Many of the kids are sponsored by Compassion, who provides gifts for their kids, a very practical gift of a set of sheets. But every child received something.

Finally there was a special lunch for all the teachers back at the mission house, and a talk for them from Lloyd Rogers about being an example, and how much of an example teachers can be.

And that was it. A very long way to go, for a very short time, but worth it. I had a chance to go with my friend Nixon to visit the man who had injured his hand so badly in October with the machete. I went wondering what I would find, remembering the fiasco involved in getting it sutured. But it has healed fairly well, it didn't get infected, and looks not bad. But he has limited use of the hand, which is a problem, his work involves using a machete, which he is unable to grip, so he has not worked, or been able to provide for his family, since October. I'm not sure how they are managing. I gave him some exercises to do, and hope that in time it will improve and allow him to work again.

If you can stand to see more photos, here is a link - http://picasaweb.google.ca/heathermoore21/OnzoleDecember2008?authkey=py_sADDXJGU#

And now Christmas is coming. At least so I hear. I'm having a little trouble coming to grips with Christmas this year. It's 31 degrees out there, I wrote cards with 2 fans blowing on me, there's not a snowflake to be seen, and no Ikea Christmas trees! I read of everybody at home busily doing what you do there to get ready for the big day, and I see definite signs of Christmas coming here too. There are lights on houses, decorated trees inside the houses, and the stores and malls are packed. In the mall Santa has his house set up, and there is also the biggest nativity scene you ever saw. So Christmas must be coming. But to me it just seems completely unreal. I guess it's just the completely unfamiliar surroundings, and the lack of all my usual signals. I'm not really minding, it's just strange! But there's still more than a week to go, we'll see how it goes! One thing I am finding though - there isn't the "political correctness" that Canada obsesses about. Here, Christmas is called Christmas. There are nativity scenes everywhere, and many seem to remember just what it is that we are celebrating - Jesus' arrival on earth. And that's kind of nice.

where did November go?

November passed in a blur of activity. There were 2 major events that made the month go by in a flash. My sister Alison arrived on the 1st, for the month, and it was her first visit down here, so there was lots to show her - places to go and people to see! We travelled, went on 2 separate trips, both to the mountains. First we went south to Cuenca for a day, and then on to Vilcabamba, close to the border of Peru. It's a beautiful place, seems to have the ideal climate - warm and sunny during the day, and cold at night, so you can pull up the blankets (not something you do here in Guayaquil!) and have a good night's sleep. We stayed at a place outside of the little town a bit, partway up the mountain, and the views all around us.........oh my! We had hammocks outside our room, with views of rolling hills leading to mountains, and happy hours were spent there with books. And the dining area was a covered over area, but open, with views that I don't think you could ever get tired of. We arrived at night, went there for dinner, we could see lights off in the distance but had no idea what was out there. Until the next morning when we arrived for breakfast - we just couldn't believe it. So we spent 3 days there, did a walk, tried a bike ride on awful gearless 400 lb. bikes - not altogether successful! And had a relaxing restful time. And took one or two pictures between us!

Our other trip was to Banos, where I've been a few times now, but always enjoy, and I like taking others there too. We had a much more successful bike ride, 22 km through the mountains, one very scary section through a pitch dark tunnel, but the rest of it is fine. You get to stop off and take a cable car across the river to a waterfall, and of course we were in the Andes, so there was no shortage of splendid views along the way!

We spent 2 days there, then headed north to Otavalo, which is the area around which most of the Ecuadorian handicrafts come from. Saturdays is the big market day, and the main square in town, as well as many of the surrounding streets are taken up with hundreds of stalls with the indigenous people selling their crafts. Of course, you are expected to bargain, you never just pay the first price they ask, and I discovered a talent in my sister that I didn't know she had - she drives a hard bargain!! So we went home with a rather fuller suitcase than we had arrived with!

So we had some great times, it was good to be away from all that goes on here for a little while, but I have to say that it was nice to get off a bus for the last time. Some day I may write a book all about the joys of bus travel in Ecuador!

Then the other big event of the month was Narcisa's long awaited open heart surgery. It did indeed finally happen, that's what kept us busy between travels, and I'm delighted to report that she came through it well, and is now at home recovering and doing really well. There were so many concerns around this operation, a big one, and being done at a hospital which doesn't exactly have a marvellous reputation. But God is bigger than all that, and I had to keep reminding myself that she was safely in God's hands throughout. It was an anxious time that we spent waiting while she was in the OR, but I had a picture in my mind of God holding her in His hands while the doctors operated. And I knew she was safe there, no matter what happened.

Of course, any time spent at that hospital, making arrangements, paying for services, or even just trying to visit the patient, is always an adventure. That may be my other book - all about the joys of Luis Vernaza Hospital!! I mean, just getting inside the place is incredibly difficult. You have security guards whose primary purpose seems to be to keep you out. I think it's probably easier to get into Buckingham Palace, or the White House, than into this public hospital. Always a series of questions - "what's your business, where are you going, what to do, who's the patient, No you can't go in. Okay then let me look in your bag" - you can't take in any food or drink, or cameras, it seems. Alison had a little camera in her purse one day, and they weren't going to let her in with it - it's just not allowed. Well we weren't about to leave it with them, so we just pressed on! I mean - really!! And then you get your bag inspected again when you're leaving. And all of that is just at the gate. Don't even get me started on all the rest!

A surprise at this hospital, a lovely parklike square inside, some of the wards open onto it. (the photo is a little crooked, I was in a hurry with my apparently illegal camera!)

So Alison got a good look at a side of life most tourists don't ever get to see. The medical sytem, and Bastion too, of course. We had lots of visits with friends there, and she got to meet people who had just been names to her for so long. And we got well fed, as usual. I've decided that I don't really need a kitchen in my house, all I have to do is walk by houses around Bastion and I get invited in and fed. I could have had 2 suppers in a row on Saturday, I had to decline the second one, I simply couldn't manage it. Why do they want to feed me - is it because I look thin and malnourished? Definitely not, they are just so kind and generous and willing to share what they have. These are my friends.

Return to Onzole

Wow, another adventure filled week! I got to go back to Santo Domingo de Onzole, in the jungle, where I was in February. I loved the experience then and I did again this time too! A group of 10 of us (9 young ones and 1old one!)from Guayaquil went to spend the week helping out at a day camp that was being held in that little commmunity. We got on a bus in Guayaquil at 9:30 on Sunday night, and got off it 9 hours later. Well, actually we had to get off before that - this being Ecuador, we were stopped by the police twice, the first time just after everybody had gone to sleep, and we all had to stumble off and produce identification and be frisked. Then back on we all got, back to sleep, and 1 1/2 hours later at 1am, didn't we get stopped again! This time only the men had to get off, with bags to be searched and the rest of us got to stay on, and just show our ID again. I guess all in the interests of keeping us safe, buses do get hijacked and all the passengers robbed. But twice in one night?? As if bus travel isn't miserable enough!

We arrived in the unique little town of Borbon, at the river's edge, at 6:30 am, and watched the day get underway there while we waited for our canoe to arrive from Santo Domingo, to take us on the last leg of the trip. As much as I dislike the bus part of the journey, I LOVE the canoe part. And it was just as good this time as last time. The river was much lower so it took longer, 3 hours, but there's so much to see and experience. I am endlessly fascinated by seeing life along that river, a completely different world.

We finally arrived at our destination at noon-ish, and promply fell onto beds and fell asleep for 2 hours. And the rest of the day was spent preparing for camp.

The week we were there was for little kids, from Santo Domingo and another village further down the river. I will always remember the sight of a stream of kids appearing over the brink of the steep bank coming up from the river, the ones from downriver, having arrived by canoe, all excited and expectant and ready for some fun. They were registered, and then given breakfast, a bun and a mug of "colada", a thick warm-ish drink made from milk powder, water, some sort of starch, usually fine oatmeal or plantain flour, flavoured with sugar and cinnamon. It's sort of tasty, you just have to get past the somewhat viscous texture of it.

Then they were off to the chapel, for singing (lots of volume, little melody!), some time with the puppets that our gang brought and did a great job with, and a message. They had a devotional time in small groups with our kids as leaders, scattered around the village. And then were divided into teams for the inevitable competitions! They played all kinds of games, and competed and fought and had fun. These kids are scrappers, the cutest kids you ever saw, but boy can they fight, and fight hard, and to hurt! We were forever breaking up battles. This seems to be something that has come about since the arrival of electricity, with that, tv and movies, usually violent movies. The Ecuadorians seem to have a special fondness for "punch 'em, shoot 'em, knock 'em down" movies. This I have gathered from what gets played on every bus I get on!

But in spite of it, they had lots of fun, threw themselves into the activities, and heard all about God's love for them.

One of the highlights of the week for me was watching the young adults from Bastion working with those kids. I can remember many of them as youngsters themselves, being at camp, and now to see them stepping outside of their comfort zones and into another culture far from home, and throwing themselves into this camp - it was terrific to watch. They did a great job, and it wasn't easy! It was hot, it was wet, the kids were a handful, but they gave it their all, and loved it! It was a wonderful experience for them and they've gone home with some very special memories. And I loved being there to see it.

I wondered how I'd keep occupied while I was there, I wasn't really involved in the kids' activities, but I needn't have worried. Word got out that the "doctora" was in town, and due partly to Nixon, the young guy whose hand I had looked after in February and "cured", I was kept busy with medical needs. I several times badly wished I did in fact have the medical degree that they insist I must have. And I wished I had brought many more supplies than I had. But I was able to help with a few people, and I had taken some meds with me that I was glad I had. My worst moments came when they brought me a man who had cut himself with a machete. There's always that time between when I know I have an injury to deal with, and the time I actually see what it is, time to wonder what it is, how bad it is, can I deal with it, and time to pray for help. This one was bad, it was a long deep nasty cut through the heel of his hand - these machetes are very sharp, and there was no question that it needed stitching. I have never actually sutured, I've been shown how, and I have everything that I need to do the job. Problem was, it was all in Guayaquil - I hadn't even thought of bringing it.

They said there was a doctor in the next bigger village upriver, 20 minutes by canoe, so I cleaned the wound, dressed it, and they rounded up someone to take us, and off we went. Well, we got there, and I was soon wishing I had just kept him at home, and done my best with Steri Strips!! This was the most basic, ill equipped, decrepit "clinic" I have ever seen, worse that I could have imagined. And the doctor wasn't there, just a nurse who made a big speech about us not being from that village, and they would only look after someone in an emergency. Well, excuse me, this is one!! Finally she took him into a room that was equipped with stuff that must surely have come out of the ark. I went with him, and the job began. Oh my, it was not pretty, nobody had any fun, except the nurse, who had a good laugh when she pulled one suture so tight that she broke the needle off the suture material!! Hey that's not even a bit funny!! The poor man felt every last part of the procedure, she had given him some local, but it didn't seem to work. It was a disaster, and I was literally twitching around that room having a fit! I helped where I could, but I now know that if the need ever arises again, I will not hesitate to do the job myself.

Finally it was done, sort of, and we took him home to his little hut and I went and got him some antibiotics and pain meds that I had brought, and I pray that it is enough and he will heal without a huge infection. Who will take out those stitches? My friend Nixon, a 17 year old who wants to be a doctor, he watched me take the stitches out of his hand, he is intelligent, gentle, and wants to do it. So I left him what he will need, and told him how to go about it, and I really hope he is able to go and study medicine and one day go back and give his village some medical care. If he's serious about it, I'll do what i can to help.

We were up at 5 on Saturday morning, and away before 6, back to Borbon, and onto the bus for 11, yes 11 hours. The best that can be said for that part of the trip is that this time I took enough Gravol to avoid the problems I had last time!

And I've come back with some wonderful memories, and a deeper attachment to that village on the river Onzole.

link to photos: http://picasaweb.google.ca/heathermoore21/OctoberOnzoleTrip?authkey=yR3jhyxiR2A#

Thanksgiving

Well this is what my thanksgiving weekend looked like, just a little different to others' I know, whose photos I've seen. Not a red maple leaf in sight where I was!

We had a family retreat at camp this weekend, for families from the block 6 church in Bastion and the church in Sauces, another area of Guayaquil. The block 6 gang packed, and I mean PACKED themselves onto the red and white bus on Thursday evening (I don't think you could have squeezed another single tiny item onto that bus) and headed off. They didn't arrive until 11:30 that night. I had had a wearing week, so had decided (rather wisely I thought when I saw the number of bodies on that bus!) to go on Friday morning, so I slept in my own bed that night and caught the Posorja bus, always an adventure, and made my own way out to camp.

It was a great weekend, very relaxed, little in the way of schedules, people just enjoying being away from life in Bastion and taking it easy at the beach. They hung out in hammocks, sat around chatting, played soccer on the beach, and volleyball, kids ran around doing what kids do, and had fun on the beach, in spite of the cold. And it was cold the first couple of days, really cold compared to what we're used to in Guayaquil, to which I must be adapted because I was freezing a lot of the time. But still they went in the ocean to be knocked about by the waves and then come out with goosebumps and blue lips. Then on Sunday the sun came out, and the whole world improved! I'm so used to sun and incredible heat at that camp, because I've always been there in February and March, I just can't get used to the different world that it is out there at this time of year.

The food was great, as always, all the favourite things, with plenty of rice of course! Different groups of women took turns in the kitchen for each meal, and then the cabin groups had to take turns doing the dishes. That meant that a couple of men who had literally never done a single dish in their lives had to learn how. I'll never forget the sight of Marie Eugenia taking one man's hands and forcing them into the water and showing him how to use a sponge and soap to wash the dishes!! It was worth the price of admission!

Shrimp ceviche was on the menu for Sunday lunch, and so on Saturday night, there were 30 pounds of fresh shrimp that had to be peeled. So a big gang of us all gathered round and spent a long time dealing with those shrimp. (By the way, the cost per pound for the shrimp...$1.50!!!) For me that was one of the best times of the weekend, a bunch of us working away together, laughing and having a ball! Good memories. I even learned how, and got up the courage, to behead the big shrimp, as well as peel them - yuk!

Another memory to treasure is of standing on the beach on Sunday just before lunch and seeing one lady from Bastion, who has a very difficult life, coming out of the water, laughing and being almost a kid again, and telling me how much fun that was! Oh, that was good to see, that weekend away was so good for her.

And there was a baptism on Sunday morning, and young girl from the Sauces church wanting to declare her faith an new life in Jesus.

So it was a successful weekend, and lots of good memories were made to be taken home and remembered for a long time to come.

And now I'm into a busy time for the next few weeks, as I prepare for Narcisa to go into hospital and have her surgery in the first week of November. Lots of arrangements, and lots of prayer. On Sunday I am planning to head for the jungle again, back to where I was in February, up the Onzole river to the little community of Santo Domingo. There are going to be 2 weeks of camp there, and I'll be going with a group from Bastion to help out. This is neat to see, a group of young ones who have been to camp themselves and grown up, and are now going off to help out in another camp in a community far away. We'll be there for most of a week. I'm bracing myself for the 10 hour bus ride, I'll be sure to have LOTS of Gravol with me this time. Oh boy!

So stand by for a report on that time. I am looking forward to it, other than the journey.

back in Ecuador

Wow! Doesn't time move along when you're visiting home?! Those 3 weeks went awful fast, and now here I am back in Guayaquil, with a blur of memories of the time I spent in Canada (good thing I took lots of pictures!). It was a time of not much spare time, there was a lot of catching up to do with a lot of people. Of course, the first trip I made on my very first morning back, was to Dundas, to meet, at long last....Elizabeth Heather, my little grandaughter. And was she worth the trip from South America - you better believe it!! It was a good time to get to know her, she is at such a rewarding stage right now, 4 months old, smiling and "chatting" and responding, a little person with personality. And of course, the cutest baby there ever was!! I was able to spend lots of time with her in the 3 weeks I was home, and now finally I DO know how it feels to be a grandma.

We had an early birthday celebration for my mother, who will turn 80 in December. That was a good family time, had a riotous game of "jeopardy" where us 4 siblings were the contestants who had to answer questions about sometimes obscure facts from our family past. And the best part for Mum was that she isn't even 80!! (yet!)

I did lots of visiting with people, family and friends, LOTS of eating, was able to get in on the last of wonderful local produce - peaches, pears, raspberries, real tomatoes, corn....oh boy! I seem to have come back with a few extra pounds on me, although I'm blaming the lack of exercise more than the food. Here I walk everywhere I go, while I was in Canada I had the use of Mum's car, and so drove everywhere. Nice but bad for me! I did get in a couple of walks by the lakeshore, so clean and beautiful.

They tell me that I had the best 3 weeks of weather of the entire summer. Oh, the beautiful September days that I was treated to - sunshine, clear blue skies, some warm days, some lovely crisp cool ones. And the wonderful clean fresh air. And the quiet! Oh the quiet of Canada, I could lie in bed at night and hear......nothing, just the crickets. That probably tops the list of things I most miss, after family.

And now I'm back. It has taken me a few days of adjustment, I'm here but my head hasn't quite caught up with the rest of me. But it's coming. It's an altogether strange life that I'm now in, a life where when you go home, you're not sure that really is home, because there's a part of you that is somewhere else, and that's where the only space you can call your own is. It was definitely an odd feeling to be there just visiting, wonderful, but odd. But then when you leave, it's hard to say goodbye, and although it's good to be back here, and there were things I was missing, now I'm back to missing people and things in Canada! Oh dear, it's the "torn" life, having large parts of me in 2 completely different parts of the world. How to reconcile the two?

But now that I'm back, it's on with life here. There are all kinds of things to keep me occupied, the past couple of days I've been busy with delivering letters from Canada to people in Bastion, that's a fun task, everyone is so happy to get a letter. I'm visiting folks and catching up, and showing off photos of Elizabeth. And Narcisa's surgery is looming, she is to be admitted next week in preparation for the heart surgery. There are still details to be worked out before she goes in, and I quake in my boots to think about the running around that's ahead of us to get this surgery done. I'm praying hard for wisdom and strength in this one. And for good care for Narcisa.

The sick calls are coming in - bad cold, bad headache, blood pressure check, somebody stepped on a nail...oh yes, plenty to think about!

I'm going home!!

It's September 3, a big day for me - I'm sitting in the Guayaquil airport at gate #8, waiting for a flight to take me to Canada. I arrived here nearly 7 months ago, and the time has come for a visit home, to visit family and friends, fit in a trip to the dentist to fix my broken tooth, and most important of all - meet my grandaughter!!!! Elly is now 3 months old, and we think it's high time that she met her other grandma - "abuelita" as they say here.

It has been a whole new experience preparing for this trip, it's all backwards this time. All of the other 8 times that I have left here it's been with great pangs of sadness, as I said goodbye to my friends in Bastion, knowing that it would be a year before I saw them again. This time I was able to say - see you in 3 weeks! And that was nice. And it's so exciting to look forward to being home in Canada and seeing everybody there. But then it will be time to come back, what will that feel like? But let's not think about that right now!!

And the culture shock as I return to Canada - it's usually an issue even after 3 weeks away, I can't imagine what it's going to be like after 7 months. And what will it be like to not have the continual noise and chaos that is part of life in this land? And what if it's cold???

It will be a busy 3 weeks, I think, lots of catching up to do with family and friends. But it will be good, and I"m really looking forward to the time.

Now if American Airlines can just break with tradition for once and keep to schedule......wouldn't that be nice!!

updates

Almost a month has gone by since my last post, I'm getting worse at this! Well, life has got a lot busier in the last little while, that's why.
At the beginning of August, another short term room mate arrived, Angela, who lived here for some months a few years ago. She managed to get some time off and came down for an overdue visit. And as she is a nursing student, she spent some time with me as I went about my assorted jobs in Bastion, coming with me on visits, seeing how the hospital "system" works (or not!) here, and helping me with assessments of the children in the school. She sorted me out with a binder to keep everything in, now let's see if I can remain organized!
Then on August 14, Andrew and Kate, my son and daughter-in-law, arrived. And we've been having a fine time ever since, getting around Guayaquil, visiting Bastion, and working in a trip to Banos in the mountains for a few days.
Thus the lack of time for keeping this blog under control!

But I have been wanting to update a little, let you know how a couple of people that I've written about in the past are doing now.
First Narcisa, the lady with the heart problem that needs surgery. It has all taken a very long time, but we have had a cardiac catheterization done, which showed that yes indeed, she has a hole in her heart that she was born with, but there has been little or no damage to her heart over the years, and so she is a good candidate for the surgery to repair the defect. So that's good news. She is booked for surgery in October, after I get back from my visit to Canada. We just have a decision to make as to what kind of care she'll be admitted to in the hospital, general, where the care probably isn't the greatest (okay it's not good at all!), or more of a private arrangement, with much better care, but much higher costs.

And then there´s Michelle, the little girl who was diagnosed with leukemia, and for whom so many have been praying. She has been out of the hospital for a few weeks now, getting chemo on an outpatient basis, and she is doing well! She is eating well, staying healthy, having minimal side effects from the chemo, although she has lost most of her hair. She was able to pay a visit to her class one day last week, first time since she was diagnosed 2 months ago, and she was SO happy to be there, and those kids were SO happy to see her. She still has a long road ahead of her, but it was good to see her and her parents looking so much better than before.

a busy week

It's been an eventful week. A group of Canadians (many from my home church, Forestview) has come, worked hard, seen and experienced and learned a lot, and gone. And I have a new "grandchild".

Better start at the beginning.

Last Saturday night I, along with a number of folks from Bastion, went off to the airport to meet 17 people arriving from Canada. I went to see all of them, the Bastion people were going for really only one person - Tim Horne, back for a visit after more than a year. For them, the rest of the group was incidental! Getting there was a long awaited adventure for me - I had my first ever ride in the back of a pickup truck, a popular method of transportation here. We were having trouble getting the right bus, and the next thing I knew, to my delight, they rounded up a "camionetta", in we all piled and off to the airport. It was great, I can`t tell you how much fun I had - I grinned foolishly the entire trip! And the view is so much better from back there!

When we got there we entertained ourselves while we waited with a massage chair, nobody can laugh at themselves and have fun like these Ecuadorian friends of mine!

After a long wait, with the Ecuadorians looking at every "gringo" that came out and asking me if it was anybody I knew, our group emerged, and finally, Tim, who was greeted with Antonietta blowing a whistle and all the Bastion people popping all the balloons we had blown up while we waited. It was showstopping!!

It was a good week for the group, only a week, didn't seem very long, but it was a full week. The group from Forestview were billeted in homes in Bastion, half in Block 6, where they spent Monday and Tuesday painting the outside of the school, and the other half in Block 10, where they worked on some improvements to the church. An amazing amount of work got done in those 2 days, and it was a great experience for them all to work alongside the Ecuadorians, live with them, and get to know the community a bit, and most important, make some new friends. Also part of the team were people who have been sponsoring kids at the school, and they were able to go and meet their child in his/her home. Then on Wednesday morning everybody headed to camp with the grade 5 and 6 classes from the school, and some of the graduates from last year. Everybody packed themselves, their belongings, and supplies onto 2 buses, and left - without me. I was supposed to go with them, but that's where the other bit of excitement comes in.

Mitzi, the pregnant girl I've been helping, finally went into labour during Tuesday night, and I got a phone call at 6:45 from her mother to say they were at the hospital. So I thought quickly, carted my bags down to be sent on the bus with everybody, then jumped into a taxi and went to the hospital. Where I found her mother waiting, outside the area where the operating and delivery rooms are. Nobody is allowed in, NOBODY!! I tried, but no way!! So we just had to wait, having no idea what was happening, until at 8, a nurse came to a window and called "Cobos family". Yes, that's us!! She wanted the baby clothes that you have to bring to the hospital with you. Does this mean we have a baby? "yes" Well what is it and is everything fine?? "a boy, and everything is fine". Goodness, just like decades ago. In due course she brought the baby to the window to show us briefly, and then told us that we would just have to wait for 2 hours before Mitzi and baby would be transferred out to a room. So then I just had time to jump into a taxi and get to the buses so I could tell Erika and Linder, Mitzi's siblings who were going to camp, that they had a new nephew. Then I went back to the hospital to wait to make sure all was indeed well, and took my camera so I could take a picture of the baby to show to his aunt and uncle. Had to wait a long time, much more than the 2 hours they had told us, but finally out they came, I got my pictures and got on my way to camp by public bus, got there mid-afternoon. (I'm calling this baby my other "grandchild" because one day when I was bemoaning the fact that I would be so far away when my first grandchild would be born in Canada, Mitzi said that I could be a grandma to her baby in the meantime.)

Camp was a happy time, 45 children and assorted leaders and cooks and Canadians. The days were relaxed, not nearly as scheduled as the camps in March, and everybody had fun. The Canadians did really well, getting involved with the kids and adults, forming bonds, some of which will last a long time.

It was cold at the coast, which I found very strange, the only feeling I've ever had out there is hot, hotter and occasionally less hot, but never cold. Two of the three days were gray and windy, and one afternoon I got so cold after our beach time that I went back and made myself some tea, just to warm up. Weird!! Admittedly, I was colder that all the other Canadians, I seem to have acclimatized to the heat somewhat. But we did have one glorious sunny day, it was a perfect beach afternoon, and everyone made the most of it and enjoyed it thoroughly. It still never fails to give me a charge to see those kids playing on that beach, being children and doing what children are supposed to do: digging in the sand, playing in the waves, catching little crabs, bigger kids and adults playing soccer. I love to see it. That camp is such a blessing for so many.

There were times of singing, workshop times, devotions, crafts that the Canadians brought, and times to just hang out. Lots of wonderful Ecuadorian food, including 2 meals that involved fresh chicken. VERY fresh chicken, straight from the hen house at the Horsts' house. These chickens arrived alive and squawking, and to my horror were dispatched right there in the kitchen sink, with a kitchen knife!!! Oh dear, I guess I'm still North American, I like my chicken to come dead and featherless and wrapped in plastic!!

We came back to Guayaquil yesterday, with a bug of some sort, which was passing through the group one by one. By this morning, 3 had had nasty bouts of sickness (I'll spare you the details!) and 2 others were feeling a little queasy. We saw them off and prayed that they wouldn't get any sicker or any more of them, because having what they had on a plane really would not be any fun at all!!

And now a new week starts tomorrow. I hardly even dare wonder what it will bring.....maybe a nice boring uneventful week? We'll see.

link to photos:

http://picasaweb.google.ca/heathermoore21/CanadianGroupJuly2008?authkey=l35fbLCovTE

hospitals, lines, shakes

I probably shouldn't have asked in my last blog "whatever next", because i got my answer on Thursday night. I woke from a dead sleep to a rumbling noise and my bed being shaken back and forth rather vigorously. It didn't take me long to work it out - an earthquake. It lasted just long enough and was strong enough to get scary and make me wonder if I ought to make a move, and then it all settled down, although it took me some time to settle down again! Apparently Ecuador is on a fault line, and these are fairly regular happenings. I went onto the Guayaquil newspaper website to see what I could find out, and it was a 5.2, which seems a fair little shakeup to me! 2 houses in Guayaquil were destroyed, both squatter type dwellings, made of bamboo. When you look at some of those places and where they are built, hanging onto hillsides by their fingernails, it's a wonder more of them didn't fall down.
At this end of the last 2 weeks it feels as though I have spent most of them in hospitals, in fact it has been big parts of every weekday but one. I have got to know 3 of the Guayaquil hospitals quite well! But will I ever figure out the system, or even if there is one?? The big project was getting a test done for Narcisa, our lady who has the heart problem. When we were finally able to get her to see a surgeon, he wanted her to have a cardiac catheterization done, so we would know if she even is a good candidate for surgery, or if the damage was too advanced. This would be a simple enough process in Canada, but a whole different story here. She was admitted to one hospital, and the test done in another. And organizing that took an astonishing amount of time, and patience, and tolerance!! And many trips back and forth between the hospitals, and many people to talk to and many lines to stand in and bits of paper to be signed. It took 4 half days for Nikki and I to get it all in place, with Narcisa in the hospital all the while. A word about the hospital she was in: A very old place, I think someone said it's a heritage building! It is something from another age, big old place, built around a central courtyard, which was actually very nice. But then you go into the wards, which are the oldfashioned wards from 100 years ago, beds all lined up along both sides. As basic as you can get, this is the hospital for the poor. Men and women on the same ward, different ends, but no real dividers. NO curtains to pull around the beds to give privacy, no tracks even, there never have been curtains. Patients provide their own drinking water, toilet paper, even their own dishes, which they wash themselves after each meal and keep by the bedside. And the signs on the walls - Don't sit on the beds, Don't throw garbage on the floor, and my personal favourite - Don't spit on the floor!
All was accomplished eventually, and on Tuesday morning I was at that hospital at 7, rounded up 2 porters, a wheelchair, a nurse and an ambulance, put the patient together with all of the above, and waited for the doctor who was to come along to show up, an hour late! And finally off we went, me in the back of the decrepit ambulance with all kinds of new friends I made while we waited. Then of course we had to wait for a very long time at hospital #2, because we were late, and the doctor had got himself occupied with other affairs. But in due course it was done, I only had to make 3 trips out to get DVD's that they needed that nobody had told me about, then go and pay for bloodwork they did during the procedure! Then finally done, and back to hospital #1, siren going! All in all, an experience. And I have left lots out.
The good news of all that was that the damage to her heart is less than they had thought, so she is able to have surgery. Sort of a good news, bad news story. Good that she is eligible for the surgery she needs to repair that heart defect, but when I think about what will be involved in getting that done...oh dear! And I have a bit of a misgiving at having something like open heart surgery done in that hospital.
Thursday and Friday mornings were spent with someone else needing attention, we went to the nearby hospital, which does have a system of sorts, but involves waiting in numerous disorganized lines, for every step of the process, and there are many. By the time I emerged at the end of friday morning, my patience had worn very thin. I think this is the hardest part of my job here, the hospitals, the lines, and waiting and waiting. I went home feeling frazzled and exhausted.
But then in the afternoon I went to Bastion, made a couple of housecalls, then went and visited with Graciela, the wife of the man who had the leg ulcer. I don't get to see them anymore, now that the ulcer is all healed up, so I went just to visit and catch up. And got such a welcome, and had a great visit. Then went to pick up my nicely sharpened machete (well, I have banana trees to deal with!) from Felipe, and stayed for awhile, sat on a stool in his shoemaker shop, chatted, watched him repair a pair of shoes that most of us would have thrown out long ago, and watched the world go by his place on the main street - most of Bastion does go by sooner or later. And he knows them all.
And so 2 hours later, I went home feeling restored and at peace again. That's the good part of my job, getting to spend time in Bastion, with old and new friends. I am so blessed by knowing these people.
An update on Michelle, the little girl with leukemia: we had a call from her dad this week, saying she is doing much better than she was, tolerating the chemo and in good spirits. Good news.

whatever next??

There has been a more or less steady stream of creatures in and around my house since I arrived. You read all about the rats (I'm happy to report that they have not reappeared - yet?). But there have been lesser critters coming in and trying to join me in my home - big fat slugs in the rainy season (never go around barefoot!), little centipedes motoring along on their many tiny legs, "grillos" - rather large crickets that come in under the doors at night, harmless, but very loud if they get into a hiding place and start to sing in search of a mate, and unnerving when they suddenly fly up at you. And there is always the occasional biggish cockroach to be dealt with, that's where flipflops are indispensable! The permanent residents who are allowed to stay are the geckos, little rubbery lizards who travel around on the walls making a living eating bugs, including mosquitoes. And out in the backyard assorted wildlife comes and goes: a big toad who lives back there, making himself useful I hope, little wrens, 2 little doves with a nest, the occasional hummingbird, giant dragonflies, once a beautiful blue butterfly.

But the other day I had 2 completely unexpected guests. I got up in the morning, opened the back door as I always do, and looked out. And heard some scuffling noises. Looked again, and there scratching about under the banana tree as though they'd always been there doing exactly that were 2 half grown chickens!! I couldn't believe my eyes. My yard is completely walled, by very high walls. I had to look again, just to make sure, but yes, those were chickens alright. Great, now what?? All my friends in Bastion would have said, Keep them of course! Chickens from heaven, think eggs, think soup, think "seco de pollo" a local chicken dish, or even KFC!! But I don't want chickens in my backyard, I haven't become quite Ecuadorian enough for that yet. So I got busy, opened the back gate, got a broom and directed them to the exit. One obligingly used it right away and hasn't been seen since, and the second one came close, but at the last second veered back in. And so began the chase round and round my little yard. After awhile Katelyn, my current housemate, woke up and came to help. She had once had a job on a turkey farm and said that she could catch it. But first you have to get near it, and that chicken was not about to let anyone near it! So we chased, dodging around the banana tree, flushing it out from under the play house, and behind the ficus tree. If anybody could have seen these 2 women chasing this beast around, in their jammies...! Finally he perched for a minute, and in a flash Katelyn reached around, grabbed him by his legs and ran out the gate. And I will always treasure the mental picture I have of her, outside on the pathway that connects these houses, clutching that chicken upsidedown, trying to decide which way to run with it. And then heading off out of sight to let it go far from my gate. I nearly did myself an injury laughing.

How did they get in? I had no idea, until I finally sat down outside with my coffee to recover, and heard chicken noises. And way up there, on top of the back wall, was another half grown chicken, eyeing my yard from above. Oh no you don't, I said, and shook the banana tree at it and it flew off. Thus solving the mystery as to how they arrived.

is it summer now?

As hard as it is for me to get my head around this fact, being so far removed from everything that would usually remind me of the time of year - it is in fact July now! I'm missing all my usual signals that tell me that summer has arrived: kids finishing school, the Sound of Music festival in Burlington, the Forestview carnival, barbeques, Ontario strawberries (can you hear the agony in those last 2?!), and of course Canada Day.

But I did know that it was July 1st, and in case I forgot, Felipe sent all of us Canadians a text message first thing in the morning wishing us a happy one. And I (rather patriotically, I thought) hung my Canadian flag out on my front door. Later in the morning, we Canadians were talking about it and wondering what kind of Canada day thing we might be doing if we were at home. Barbeque? Oh yes......(again, hear the pain), a barbeque! So we decided to have our own little party that night, with hamburgers and chips and salad, and not a grain of rice in sight! The burgers had to be cooked on a baking sheet in the oven, not quite the same flavour as on good old BBQ, but we did have real Canadian cheddar cheese to put on top! And Nikki made a strawberry dessert, not Ontario strawberries, but hey, what can you do? We attached all the necessary extension cords involved in plugging in the white lights around the picnic table, tried to ignore the blinking that they now do (just added to the festive atmosphere!) And we had ourselves a Canada Day party in Ecuador. And I tried not to cry over the missing fireworks (those of you who know me well know my fondness for fireworks!).And now today is that other big July celebration for that other country up there! And can you believe it, there is an awareness of it here! More than an awareness it seems, we were in the mall yesterday and the window of the party store was full of stars and stripes stuff - flags, hats, cake decorations! And tonight there is another free symphony concert in honour of the 4th of July. Why, I wonder?? But I'm just accepting the fact, and the free concert, and looking forward to that.

But maybe we need to do some awareness raising for Canada. And try for fireworks next year?!

Well, it's only been a couple of weeks since I updated this blog, it felt like much longer - now I don't have to feel so bad!
(as I write this I'm listening to CBC radio over the internet. A little weird to hear familiar cbc voices and programs against the background of noisy buses, honking horns, and all the other Guayaquil sounds!)
It's been a full couple of weeks, with lots going on. Kathryn has been here, just went back on Sunday, and we traveled a bit, saw the sights here in G., and amongst that I carried on with my daily life.
We spent a few days in Cuenca, a beautiful old city in the mountains, about 4 hours south of G. by bus. We stayed right in the old city center, all cobblestoned streets, interesting buildings, markets, MANY churches, some quite lovely and huge, a river running through town, and a big square where I was happy to sit and watch life go by. we had a visit with Daniel who has gone to live there to go to university. And we went one day to visit Ecuador's Inca ruins, tiny by Peru's standards, but I like ruins and I may never get to Machu Pichu, so I was happy. It was cold though, 3180 feet up in the Andes, and there are clouds up there, cold damp ones! As we arrived we could hear sirens approaching, and it turned out that a couple who lived just down the hillside from the ruins had been attacked by their bull, and these were ambulances arriving. I have no idea how serious it was, but in due course, they were carried up a steep hill on stretchers, the man with his hat over his face, put into the ambulances, and off they went, sirens and all, to wherever the nearest hospital might have been. I wish I had the end to that story, but I guess I'll never know it.
link to photos of our time away - http://picasaweb.google.ca/heathermoore21/CuencaJune2008?authkey=_ia_yq4reCQ
And in the meantime, life here has gone on, with its ups and downs. Last week, a crisis hit us that has set us all back a bit. A little girl in the school, 7 year old Michelle, was diagnosed with leukemia and sent straight to the cancer hospital where she has been ever since. It's Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, and she has already begun the first stage of what will be a long course of treatment. I've been in to the hospital twice now, the first time was just as they were making the diagnosis, and there she was in a little bed on the pediatric ward, attached to an IV, scared, not eating, having been through some unpleasant tests all on her own, no parents allowed to be with her for those. It was a heartbreaking visit, seeing her and her parents, who were looking as though they didn't know what had hit them - she is their only child. And it was also hard to see the other kids on that ward, knowing that they were all there with some kind of malignancy. Cancer is a difficult diagnosis to deal with anywhere, but here, especially if you're poor, it's worse. Not only do these people have to worry about the illness, but also how they are going to find the money to pay for everything. And can it ever add up fast. Before anything is done, they are given a list of supplies that will be needed, and how much they will cost, and they have to go and pay for it all. If you're poor you can go and talk to social services, and you may be given a discount. But always - those bills, wads of them. We are so thankful that in Michelle's case we can help with that, and remove that part of the burden from her parents. This has been a blow for everyone at the school, I believe that this is the first really serious illness they've had to deal with. So they are praying for her, and sending her cards, it will be a good support system for the family as they face the long road ahead.
And then yesterday, some good news - I went to see the man with the leg ulcer who I've been seeing for 2 months now, and many dressings and many prayers later...the ulcer is completely closed!! And great was the rejoicing!! He told us recently that he had had it for 10 months before I arrived on the scene, and 3 different doctors had told him he needed to have the leg amputated! And now he's out and about, and working a bit, able to earn some much needed money. So how's that for rewarding!! How blessed I feel to have been able to be a part of that, to be used by God to help that one little family. And I have got some new friends now, too, people I feel pivileged to spend time with. Such are the blessings of working in this community.

a boat trip

Kathryn is here now, arrived last Monday evening - boy, was it good to see her! We've been out and about ever since - she's been catching up a bit with old friends and coming with me on my rounds in Bastion. It's been nice to have some input from another nurse, we've taken stitches out of a little boy's leg, done the dressing on the man with the leg ulcer (which is about a millimeter away from being healed!), taken blood pressures, and visited. And been fed, of course, often a part of these visits.

And we've had outings, the highlight so far being the one we had on Thursday. We left Caracol at 6:30 in the morning, along with Janna, Nikki and Katie Horne, and caught the bus to Playas. (This time I got a proper seat, no folding stool on a platform on this trip!) We got to Dale and Janet's house at 9, and then all of us piled into Dales' truck for the 1/2 hour trip to Posorja, a little town at the end of the road that goes past camp. I've always wanted to see where that road goes. Posorja is a port town, fishing boats, and some container ships, and there is also a huge smelly tuna packing plant.

In Posorja, Dale had a contact who had a contact and we got ourselves a boat, complete with a very nice man to be our driver and guide, to take us out for the day. And what a day it was! The weather was perfect, you could not have ordered a finer day, sunny and clear, and not too hot. Our destination was a big island just off the coast, Isla Puna, but on the way there our guide took us by a place where dolphins often hang out, and they showed up, as if they had been waiting for us. Lots of them, and they came very close to the boat, and jumped out of the water, and did everything to make us all squeal and exclaim and clap our hands. Which we did. Then he took us past a tiny island inhabited by birds, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, frigate birds, and others.

Then finally to Puna, where he put us down at a beautiful, endless, empty beach. As we arrived, another boat pulled in too, but it was just to unload a few residents of the island who had been to the mainland to get supplies. 2 donkeys and a small pickup truck appeared to help carry them and their goods home, and soon we had the place to ourselves. The other side of the island is more inhabited, apparently, towns and villages and people, but on our side, there wasn't much. A collection of beach huts, which must mean that in the busy season there are visitors to the beach, and a very small village inland a bit. And nothing more. Just what we city dwellers needed!

We had a picnic lunch, then scattered to our preferred beach activities, little boys to swim and jump off the boat, others to lie on the beach in the sun to read and/or sleep, and me to go for a long walk along the beach (with camera of course) and then to join the others for a nap in the sun. It was a lovely relaxing afternoon.

Later we decided to go into "town" thinking that we could maybe buy an ice cream, or something to drink, and see what town looks like. Well, it took some searching, but we eventually found it after a hot walk, and it wasn't exactly "town" - just a few houses scattered around a very dry and dusty area, surrounding a catholic church, a school (John F. Kennedy school!!!) and not much else. Along came a man on one donkey with another in tow, and we asked him if there was a store anywhere, and he asked what we wanted. "Oh just something to drink." Oh well, he could help, and took us to his house, where he sold us a big bottle of "cola" and 4 plastic cups, and we stood out there, with the donkeys, and had our refreshment!

Then we headed back to meet our man with the boat,which we did with some difficulty. We were to meet him at a different place, by a river, a little estuary really, which is only there when the tide is in. Our problem was that we began the search before there WAS a river, so it was a little hard to figure out where he could possibly meet us with a boat, but we eventually found him, and it was a very interesting trip out along that tidal river to the sea. Mangrove trees all along the sides, covered with all the little crabs who live in the sand, but seem to climb out when the tide comes in, huge spiders hanging around in massive webs stretched between the trees above our heads (that one was a little unnerving, I might have been better to have not noticed that!), iguanas high up in the branches, and many birds. It reminded me a bit of the canoe trip into the jungle.

And finally out to the ocean, which had become a tad choppier since the morning. Well, more than a tad, and more than choppy!! Fun for the first few ups and downs, but then I began to wonder how I could save my camera if we went overboard. We kept looking at our man, thinking that as long as he was still smiling we were okay. And he was calm and happy, and said that part is always like that, and we'd soon be out of it. And he was right.

The sun was getting low as we approached Posorja, and everything was looking so nice in that light, and suddenly he said, "look, more dolphins". And there they were, 5 of them, having a fine time, jumping and showing off, and coming so close to us. Our very patient driver circled around for ages so we could enjoy them, what a bonus that was, a perfect way to end a wonderful day.

The other girls went back to Guayaquil that evening, but Kathryn and I stayed over and spent part of Friday at the beach and in town at Playas, and got the bus back that afternoon. 2 great days!

link to photos of the day - http://picasaweb.google.ca/heathermoore21/Posorja?authkey=oeFAyWzFSPY

well you need to see more photos!

aww, now that's a cute little baby - that's my granddaughter!

Anthony, Jen & Elizabeth Heather

is that hand really that size?!

I'm a grandma - it's a girl!

It finally happened. This baby really seemed to not want to enter this world, apparently fought it every step of the way! First she made us all wait 8 days after her due date, and that felt like a long 8 days to me, much longer for Jen. Then, finally I got word at 3:30 am Sunday that Jen had gone into labour. So I fairly reasonably thought that by that evening, I'd be able to call myself a grandma. But not so, labour went on and on.....and on. Until finally on Monday at 2pm, after more than 36 hours of labour, that baby had to be fetched out by c-section. So it was a very very long wait. But worth it, we have a pretty little baby girl named Elizabeth Heather, 8 lb 4 oz. And all is well. I've talked to both Anthony and Jen on the phone from the cyber (where I had to explain to the guy why the sudden flurry of phone calls, and he's entered right into it all, asking how they all are, getting me a chair so I can sit while I talk - how old does he think I am anyway!!) They are fine, Jen is very tired of course, but doing fine. And now the distance is feeling real, how I wish I could go and see my new granddaughter, and feel her little downy head, and give her a kiss. But for now I'm glad that there's such a thing as internet, and cybers, and Skype, and I'll see her one day.

Here are 2 photos from yesterday.

lots to think about today!

Well, this day has been a long one. I had a text message at 3:30 this morning to say that Jen, my daughter-in-law, had finally gone into labour, more than a week past the due date! And now, many hours later, I still can't quite yet say that I'm a grandma. It's getting closer, but I'm not there yet!
So in the meantime, while I wait, along with everyone else who is part of this family, I've had to try to keep busy.
I went to church in block 10 this morning, and had been asked to visit a man with Parkinson's, so after church I went to see him. I took Janna to help with the Spanish, because mine is still not up to snuff (will it ever be, I wonder?). And oh, it was a heartbreaking visit. I wept when I left. This is a 54 year old man, diagnosed 15 years ago with Parkinson's, a progressive disease. It's an unhappy diagnosis for a young person in Canada, where the healthcare is good, with access to good doctors, and medications, and help at home if you need it. But to have to live with this disease here, living in block 10 in Bastion, such a poor community.........if you have no money, then you just don't go to the doctor. And if you run out of medication and there's no money, you just do without.
It was a little work to get the story straight, it sounded as though he had maybe had a bit of a stroke some months ago, he some sort of episode, and was in the hospital, but no tests, NONE, were done at the time, so who knows. Some Cuban doctor says he needs to have surgery, but nobody is clear as to what it's for, and they've told her (the man's wife) it will cost thousands! And to come back when they have the money!! They don't even have the money for a basic consultation with a doctor. He hasn't had a review in over 6 months - no money. When I arrived, he seemed not too bad, but in the space of 10 minutes, the morning med wore off, and it was awful to see. Shaking out of control, his little wife having to half carry him around the house, his young son exercising his arms up and down, because he feels as though they "go to sleep". No speech. And the next dose not due until evening.
Can I do anything to help - I don't know. That was partly the cause of my tears after I left, I feel so helpless in the face of that. What I can do is make sure he has the meds he needs and try to find him a good neurologist, and be sure he is seen regularly, and the meds adjusted when they need to be. And I'll start reading up on Parkinson's and meds, so that I have some knowledge when we see a doctor. And above all, I can pray.

My, doesn't time fly when you have a blog to try to stay on top of!! May 9 was my last post, and I feel as though I just did it. I guess it's time for an update.
The weeks seem to have been passing so quickly. I feel as though life has been less exciting than it was (I think of those first weeks I was here - camp, jungle) therefore fewer blog updates, but part of that is just me getting used to this new life. In a way I don't want to get used to it all, I'd like to keep on seeing this place through eyes that are new, and have it all still have an impact. But I have realized in the last week or so that I am feeling at home here. And I think that's a good thing. When I've been to a different part of the city and then am on my way home, and as I start to get close to my part of town, and see the Bastion hill, especially at night when all of its homes are lit up, I feel as though I'm coming home, and it's a good feeling. I am a part of this place now.

My role, which I agonized over in the first little while after I arrived, has become much clearer. I am busy now with people who need help with health care issues. My "patient" load increases by the day now. And it's always varied. Sometimes it's incidents at school - little boy came to the office crying with a sore tooth. I got out my flashlight and had a look - a rather rotten molar - not my area of expertise, that's for sure!! But I gave him something for the pain, and we told his mother to take him to a dentist (which a week later still hadn't happened, as I discovered when he came back to me for more Motrin!). Or the mother of one of the kids in the school showed up with an infected cut on her arm. She had fallen in the area behind her house several days previously, cut her arm badly, not had it seen to by anybody, and by the time I saw it, it was very infected. When I eventually saw where she lived, and where she had fallen, it became clear as to why it got so infected. She keeps chickens, and they roam around inside the house and out, and um......well, the place isn't all that clean, shall we say! So that was a week of antibiotics and dressings. And then this week a cute little girl fell and broke her collarbone, so I retrieved the brace that we had used for the little guy who broke his at camp, and now Milagros is sporting it.
I've been accompanying people to doctors' appointments, this seems to be a big part of my work now. It helps to have someone with a little medical background to help the person understand what is being said, and to ask the right questions, and then sometimes to weed out the unnecessary prescriptions after the visit, and just buy what is useful. But in the last week, I have been to 3 different doctors and come away feeling quite positive about the care each person was getting. I haven't always felt so positive after some visits.

Some updates: The lady with the heart problem that needs surgery - we took her to the surgeon this week, and he wants her to see another specialist for a heart catheterization to be sure that surgery is the best choice for her. I was impressed by him, seemed to really want to do the best thing for her, and it was nice to find that he wasn't just going to operate without due diligence. She and I would appreciate prayer for the right decision in this.
The man with the leg ulcer - after more than a month of almost daily visits, and dressing changes, that ulcer is SO clsoe to being healed. That's after many prayers and lots of advice from Canada. (I'll have to find a new excuse to go and visit, they seem to feel that I need to be fed, and often produce a tasty little snack for me!)
And the pregnant girl I've been visiting - I decided last week to take her somewhere where she would get some better prenatal care. We went to the new-ish hospital near here, and saw an obstetrician who I liked and and he did almost all of what I thought he ought to be doing, (and, as a bonus, he speaks good English). So we'll continue on there, and that is where she will have the baby, which is a much better option than the maternity hospital downtown, where I'm told they do many c-sections, some for no apparent reason.

In between all of that, I've been settling into this house, and making it feel like mine. I at long last bought a desk and brought it home yesterday, so I have finally got my computer off the kitchen table and into an "office". My "consultorio", as one of my visitors said as he looked into this room. Maybe I should hang out my shingle - it would be that easy here!

And I'm awaiting 2 big events. The first - my first grandchild who was due one week ago, but as Jen says, he/she seems to have put up shelves and bought a couch and is planning to stay in! I check my cell phone many times a day for the message saying that he/she is on the move! Stand by for that news.
And the other - Kathryn will be arriving for 3 weeks in just over a week. And I'm really looking forward to that.

So maybe life still is exciting after all.

bargains in bastion!

Last week there was an event in Bastion block 6 - a flea market held at the school. The office that I'm to share with Nikki has been FULL of clothing, sheets, towels, used and new, all sent down from Canada for this purpose. So much stuff that I've been unable to start my work at the school because there's been nowhere to work. So last Thursday was the appointed day, May 1st, a holiday for everybody. So all Wednesday evening we hauled stuff all the way from the office to the gym, then roughly organized it. There was so much stuff spread out in that gym that we could hardly believe it had all been in that little office!

We were there early the next morning for the final preparations, and then the doors opened at 9. And the shopping began!

the 3 photos below are of the same area, before, during and after

Prices were great, most items were less than a dollar, there were clothes for women, men and children, and some household stuff as well, most of it in great shape, some of it brand new.

the guys found these shirts and thought maybe they could be a cleaning team (the thought didn't last!)

The event was a success, a huge quantity of stuff was sold and people went away with necessities for their families that they were able to buy for very little money. In a way it felt wrong to be selling this stuff here, instead of giving it away, but it seems to be a better plan to sell it for a very low price. I was one of the "cashiers" and at times I was practically giving things away, when I knew the circumstances of a particular family. And I guess it helps to attach more value to something if they have paid something for it.

The money raised from the sale will go towards repairs to the roof of the gym, there are many holes. When we were organizing stuff the night before, we had to arrange it in the places where Felipe knows stay dry if it rains. There were many spots that had to be avoided.

And how does the office look now? Well, there are still an amazing amount of boxes and bags in there, but we're going to work on that next week. We WILL make that a usable office! Eventually.