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

pics2

for those dreamers of a better political system, perhaps
it says 'imagine a government of people, of children'



and in case you didn't know ALL the consequences...muy muy interesante

fotos!!!

a couple of notes>

the bicycle...don't let it fool you by its dashing looks...it was not made for functional purposes

it may look like a nice lunch by the waterfall..but look closely> i made a crucial error....yep. no can opener. though i am proud of myself for restraining stubbornness and trying to crush it open with rocks.

the corn in this country...huge!

and kids up on the fence...what else can i say. it was safer than being in the stands!

Tony vs. the Volcano

Hola a todos!
Writing on my final morning in Banos before heading back to Quito to meet up with my grupo...entonces my solitary travels are coming to a close, but the adventure is just beginning.
When i left off last, i was in Otavalo...my lodging there was about 4km outside of town, up amidst the hills and clouds. My days consisted of hiking around the area and my nights playing cards and drinking 99cent boxed wine with new amigos. I attended the biggest Saturday market in ecuador in town, in which i used my rarely used haggling skills (thanks to non-haggle US style) to haggle a alpaca hat and sweater...(i like the word okay?? and to prove it: origin 1577, "to cut unevenly" (implied in haggler), freq. of haggen "to chop." Sense of "argue about price" first recorded 1602, probably from notion of chopping away).

anywho, i left the northern lands with a Canadian amigo to catch a futbol game in Quito that evening between the two local teams. it was a great experience, though we missed the only goal (5th minute) and it felt as if i were back at a high school sporting event. perhaps because we were sitting in La Liga section whose avg age was 18. there was much jumping up and down and singing to a huge drum beat...all i could think of was that perhaps the drum rekindled a kind of animal instinct..because when it got fast enough, they would all mosh around and run down the stands towards the fence, knocking into the person in front. i partook in the bouncing but not the running of the adolescents. though i couldn't really make out the chant, i heard some key words...¨Che Guevara,¨¨Marijuana,¨and ¨Cerveza.¨....Go Team!

hopped a bus to Banos, a nice town south of quito that promises fun outdoorsy activities. i had heard rumors that there was an active volcano near Banos that was indeed active. I witnessed this first on the bus nearing the area, when all of the locals started oohing and aahing out the window. plumes of smoke out of the volcano Tungurahua ('throat of fire'). okay, i wonder, if the locals are ooh'ing, and i'm headed TO the volcano, am i really that crazy??? apparently so...However, turns out that Banos is on the west side and there's not much threat as opposed to the spewing direction of the east (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5186180.stm). so of course what did i do that first night? yep! went to get a closer look! actually it was just a better view up a near mountain, and let me tell you july 4th has nothin on Tungurahua. gorgeous. granted, it's probably not too considerate of the locals (and my own life) to goad the volcano into erupting so we can witness it from a distance...but we did. And it did. Our guide told us an enlightening story as well...see, there are two other volcanos in the area, but aren't really active. And these two volcanos are Males, while Tungurahua is a Female (important info). So Tungurahua is obviously pregnant and is currently giving birth (and What a birth!). but there's a debate going as to which volcano is the father...i guess we'll never know...

oh, and yesterday i went bike riding (mostly downhill) to see some waterfalls etc, but the road was closed to an active landslide...what is it with all this activity??...but i was actually relieved, here goes with the consideration of others again, to see the activity- rocks tumbling down the closed off area every 5 minutes or so- and enough so to say 'yep, that's not such a good idea to pass.' now, if there hadn't been visual signs, i woulda thought- i can pass that! so it was with good reason i headed back, uphill mind you, to Banos, stopping on the way to chill out at mini waterfall for lunch and reading.

so my friendly readers, i bid you adieu...pictures are coming, as soon as i get to a faster connection.

un abrazo y un beso

bienvenido

Hola amigos...

though i am a bit caffeine deprived this afternoon after a wonderful meal here in Otavalo, Ecuador, i shall write an entry of the day¨:

the traveler's life. it was surely missed this past year. life is so simple these moments. wake up, find breakfast. perhaps hike a trail or tour the town. find food. do some reading, writing. umm...more food. socialize, meet people. enjoy the moonlight.

i am quite tired after an adventure through crazy paths not meant to be traveled by tourists heading into town from my hostel in the hills. i chose the simpler of the paths from La Luna hostel, perhaps an 1-2 hr circular hike. well, as i had been told, the map wasn't all that helpful. so i took some chances down (actual) cornrow paths before coming to mini-cliffs barring entry to a larger path i spotted. so i chatted to a couple of cows about the weather, altitude, etc, before heading back up the path.

here's a good spot to chat about these great heights. the ecuadorian highlands a just a tad higher than foggy bottom (aptly named for being swamply located at sealevel). about 10,000meters higher on avg. physiofans, what does that mean for us human beings used to lower altitudes? that's it-less oxygen, more rapid breathing and a couple of days to adjust (renally perhaps). in the meantime, whereas in dc i could walk a couple miles without trouble from the ole windbags, here in highland ecuador i walk up an incline for a couple minutes and i'm huffin. mmm yes.

long story shorter, and after bumping into some indigenous who probably had not tasted the new Tangerine Frappuccino Juice Blend at Starbucks, for shame, and did not seem to speak the spanish i knew, i found my way to an actual road which took me to town.

Breaking it down, it is 232pm, i have already eaten 2 meals and have toured the country side without being eaten by wild dogs or ridiculed by pigs on the roadside for my blue, cambodian hat...quite an accomplishment mind you. the rest of the day? finding coffee (i may have ditched the whole 'wean body off caffeine during school breaks' idea), visiting a local grocery store, and finding my way back to my lovely hostel (http://www.hostallaluna.com/about_us.html).

pics to come. love is already being send via airwaves to the states, puerto rico, or anywhere else my vicinos lie.

hasta luego!