el regreso

back to quito, fed, cleaned, weary, and gearing up to go out tonight for a last wild night of dancing and bonding with fellow Ayuda'nians.

what do i want to express in words at this point...surely the most impressionable moments and stories will remain in my memory for quite some time. those ephemeral thoughts and feelings are those which i want to relay.

Campo Amigo was quite possibly the best experience i've ever had in the capacities of education (both teaching and learning), personal connections, bonding, sharing, taking on the responsibility for kids and their salud, cross-cultural smiles....

mis chicas are so incredible in their strength, their determination to know as much as possible about their condition, and the love that they shared with their amigas at camp and...with me. i don't have words to describe the way they looked at me last night, as they handed me a letter with personal messages to me, or this morning, as we said goodbye...with such love and admiration and gratitude in their eyes, as i sit dumbfounded presently with tears rolling my face wondering how all this could happen in six and a half days.

it's not about the numbers, although they came in with a few 300-400s per day and left with a rare 300 after a meal. it's about the connections they made with each other and the strength they gained. it's about asking a young person for the first time, "how much insulin do you think you need?" from my own personal experience, i believe that to ask these questions and to educate kids with diabetes or any chronic condition and allow them begin to think how They will maintain their condition as opposed to a doctor or parent, is one of the greatest sparks to promoting an independent, healthier and happier life for these kids in the future. a small change, an open door to take control of your own body and personal future, is ultimately what was accomplished this week. the curiosity will remain as to how this experience will impact their future...but i will say for myself that any effort in the future to empower kids and to help them attain happy days will find some root in this experience at campo amigo...

juntos somos mas fuertes,

fotos de campamento

A shot of grupo numero seis...11 campistas, 12-15 yrs old, 4 monitores, 1 hombre :)





costume party....a beach bum with his rubber ducky (in case you're wondering, toothpaste makes an excellent sunscreen look)





one of my little carinas giving herself a correction before colacion and dancing...

Living with the Familia

What's it like to live with another family, outside of one's own, one's country, and one's culture? To become slowly part of the net, the day to day, and to be missed when spending a meal away outside of the house? Many things come to mind, most are warm and fuzzy- i get a huge, kiss and 'happy to see you eyes' from my little hermana, a handshake or high 5 from my hermano, who's ready to get the games goin, a peck for mi madre and an inquiry into my day of classes, promptly followed by a detailed account of what i ate for lunch (i have yet to satisfy her fear of me becoming 'flaco' under her care...as i play juegos with my hermanitos (board or ball games inside the casa) madre is scurrying abuot the kitchen because 'tony Must be dying of hunger after hardly eating all day!'..we help her set the table and await our padre to come home from work. it's fascinating how i've developed this eagerness as well- as he is the least known and most intriguing member of the fam for me..a medico in public health with a hand in govt policy making...a former mild-revolutionary, as my madre whispered to me, running from the policia and protesting..passionate about public health and dedicated to his family...

and here i draw all the possible parallels to my own family- some come from rational comparisons, but most so blatantly smack me and send my mind marveling at the coincidences and the connections...My mothers- always cold, reserving the hands up the back as joking punishment, always feeding me or in the process of doing so, wonderful mothers...my fathers- family men, traditional but (eek) 'cool'...passionate and selfless. My sisters- both have cow slippers and share(d) very similar 12 yo faces and smiles, braces and all...my brothers- always moving, always the 'life of the room.' more or less timid in the face of new experiences, but will always be heard above the rest...hehe. okay, before i head to class, a note about the other feelings about this new family addition...

because i slid so easily into the family unit, i can't help feeling a sense of betrayal, though i know it isn't...it probably would've felt different if the structure and personalities (and cow situation) had been distanced...but it feels so homey...so strange. i will surely miss my new family as i head off to diabetes camp to work with the ninos, but for sure i won't forget their welcoming into their own, and of course the hugs, kisses, and high fives.

much love to my family, extended and attached
un beso