Sunday, November 28, 2010

Censo 2010 y Thanksgiving!

Today is eerily quiet and tranquil in Quito...no honking on the streets, no loud trucks/buses going by. This is because it is Census day here in Quito, and they have put an "immobility law" in place from 7am to 5pm. Everyone is to remain in their houses and wait for groups of high school students to come around and bring the census forms. There is no transportation available.  The only people in the streets besides the high school students are policemen and military personnel!! There are no masses at churches this morning however they will have mass later tonight, despues del censo.

Yesterday I hosted my very first Thanksgiving dinner!! It was my first time cooking most of the items on the menu, which consisted of cheeseburgers, mashed potatoes, stuffing and apple pie for dessert! Everything turned out well, except I knowingly used the wrong kind of butter in my apple pie because I was in a crunch for time and didn't want to return to the mall to find two sticks of unsalted butter! It didn't turn out horrible, just was a little off on the taste...next time I will use the correct kind of butter, and definitely add cinnamon and spices to the recipe. I had 11 people attend my first Thanksgiving, pictures below!!

I started grilling the first hamburger, and was having some difficulty, so I told Marco that in America, grilling is a man's job.  He took over after that : ) and grilled the rest of the hamburgers perfectly!

First attempt at stuffing! It was a little crispy, since it wasn't baked inside of a turkey. I also forgot to add some seasoning, so it was a little bland, but overall everyone like it!

Happy Thanksgiving! The table is set. The guests included Marisa, Elena, Lupita and her boyfriend Edwin, Marco and his son Felix, Darío, José, Pablo and his wife (can't remember her name this moment!)

This is the oven I get to use at the centro...There is no thermometer. You turn it on with a match, turning the knob at the bottom until the gas ignites. I don't like turning on the oven, so I make Marco or José do it.

My homemade apple pie...with the wrong type of butter. 

After dinner, we all drank hot canelazo and danced in the kitchen to cumbia music

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

La Cofia

Yeaaahhhh.....I am about to go purchase one of these, cofias.....the cofia is a little hat that nurse pin on top of their head. They are still used here in Quito to give nurses a distinguished look, to separate nurses from the rest of the personnel. Why can't we just have identificacion badges with "licen" printed in large red print, like in the states???? Que molestoso!!!! So, starting next week, I will be wearing la cofia on top my head while I am at work...wish me luck!

"La presencia de Dios de la vida en nuestro campo de trabajo; nos dará una creatividad desbordante. Nada nos detiene frente a los problemas y dificultades. El corazón es inagotable cuando caminamos con Dios." Padre José Carollo

Friday, November 19, 2010

Nurse unwillingly becomes patient

I fell by a bit of bad luck this week, and consumed an undercooked piece of chicken...while at work, of all places!! It wasn't even from a vendor off the streets. In any case, I diagnosed myself with Salmonella induced gastroenteritis, and read that the course of infection typically lasts 4-8 days. I had severe abdominal pain for three days, which I likened to "cuchillos en mis intestinos" and I was being stubborn, just telling myself that it would pass, it would pass.  No need for medical attention. Well I wasn't eating or drinking anything, was dehydrated, weak...etc. Course of infection wasn't just "passing by" like I had hoped, and on day 4, Thursday, I was miserable. I cried for the first time in Quito. I just wanted Saltines and Ginger Ale! And some toilet paper, that was the real kicker.  I went to my bathroom in the afternoon and there was no TP, so I asked Judith, the cleaning lady, because sometimes she forgets,  and she just smiled and said in spanish "sorry, there isn't any...I will ask tomorrow!" That was a large joke, because at that point I knew I had several trips to the bathroom in my future - I had those gut feelings...So I went, in misery, and bought myself some tp.

Today, I finally gave in. I went to the hospital, I had lab exams of both blood...and stool...and it was determined I had a really bad infection. I had IV antibiotics, a liter of fluid, and some pain medicines...and finally, I am starting to feel better! I still haven't eaten a full meal since Sunday, but I am definitely starting to be able to eat some things, and I have a lot more energy!  I think I've learned my lesson, so IF there is a next time (hopefully not...as I will be avoiding chicken for some time now), I will go to the doctor at first stomach pain!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Yo aprendí el truco!!!

...to having a hot shower! Yes, I have finally learned the trick to having a hot shower! José showed me exactly how far to turn the shower handle so that I would actually have HOT water, not just water that was tolerably warm to stand in.  SOOOOO HAPPY FOR HOT SHOWERS!!!!!!!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Birthday Pizza Cake!

Blowing out my candle on my Birthday pizza!
"If you can value truth above approval, and friendship over beauty, wealth or fame, If you can share your gifts and talents wisely, leaving someone better off when you came. If you find happiness in simple pleasures and see the rainbow, not the falling rain, If you have faith to keep right on believing in miracles that no one can explain, If you can look until you see the good in others and keep your spirit honest, true and free, Then you'll be, not just happy and successful, but the woman only you were meant to be. " Emily Matthews

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Photos of ER!

Main 6 beds of our ER

Triage Room

IV carts...the milk jug is our sharps container

Our one monitored bed with crash cart/suction

Old School EKG hook ups

Cart next to our "cardiac bed"

Sunday, November 7, 2010

El Chulla Quiteño

Song of Quito!

Click link above and get ready for some magic. Lyrics below:

Yo soy el chullita quiteño
La vida me paso encantado,
Para mi todo es un sueño,
Bajo este, mi cielo amado.


Las lindas chiquillas quiteñas
Son dueños de mi corazón,
No hay mujeres en el mundo
Como las de mi canción.


La Loma Grande y La Guaragua
Son todos barrios tan queridos
De mi gran ciudad,
El Panecillo, La Plaza Grande
Ponen el sello inconfundible de su
Majestad


Chulla quiteña,
Tú eres el dueño
De este precioso
Patrimonio nacional
Chulla quiteña
Tú constituyes
También la joya
De este Quito Colonial

Friday, November 5, 2010

Joy > happiness


"There's alot to be said for a clear conscience...there is a tremendous tranquility born from knowing that you are doing the right thing for the right reasons."
Matthew Kelly, The Rythym of Life

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Día de los Difuntos

Guaguas de pan...en Piña, Frutilla, y Durazno
November 2nd, here in Quito it is Día de los Difuntos; in Mexico its more commonly called Dia de los Muertos, and for Catholics we know it as All Souls Day.  It is a feriado in Quito, and alot of places are closed for the day. Many people are just lounging around, out in the park, enjoying the day.  It is custom to eat Guaguas de Pan and drink Colada Morada (a hot drink made with blackberries and blueberries, other fruit and spices). I had a guagua de pan with frutilla filling this morning for breakfast.

I then worked from 0730-1500...I was supposed to be done with work at 1330, but the nurse who was coming to relieve us was over an hour late. Whoops! No pink slips filled out; this is just part of life in Quito. People are late, it happens, and we stayed until she got there. I had a great day at work too, I'm becoming comfortable with how things are done, and people are starting to know me too! I even made a couple jokes; which its surprisingly difficult to tell jokes in a different language. I work with the same people tomorrow and Thursday night, so those should go well too. It's amazing now that I have less anxiety about learning the unit how much more I can focus on the patients! I cannot emphasize enough how much more enjoyable work is now that I'm not so anxious. I celebrated with an algodón de azucar (cotton candy) that I bought from lady sitting outside the park. Mmmm...and tonight, I'm venturing out to get empanadas because I have some weird inexplicable craving for them...

Monday, November 1, 2010

News flash:

The Jonas Brothers are in Quito!!!! Hahaha we are watching the news, and they are playing a concert at El Estadio Olympico Atahualpa.  So sad I didn't know about this beforehand, I would totally be there right now...

Halloween in Quito...

passed like any other Sunday! There is no meaning to October 31st in this city. It was one of the hottest days we've had in Quito since I've been here. I went out walking - through an area called "La Jota", which is just a street nearby that has a lot of commercial activity - shoe stores, peluquerias (hair salons), restuarants selling encebolladas, morocho, empañadas, ceviches, arroz con mariscos, florerías selling rose bouquets for $1, stores selling watches and DVDs and all sorts of things...however, there's no book stores in the whole area.  I ended up buying a nice warm jacket with a hood for $15. Mind you, I said it was one of the hottest days we'd had so far - I was in a t-shirt and shorts when I returned home; but by 5:30 when José and I walked to church, it was cold and I had on my jeans, my new jacket and a scarf (the weather changes as much here as it does in Indiana)! We went to a new church that neither of us had ever been to, La Iglesia San Ignacio - I liked this church much better than Cristo Resuscitado, the one that is next to Tierra Nueva, and this church is closer - only a 15 minute walk through La Jota.

After church we walked back, I tried the morocho - basically rice milk, kind of like sweet rice pudding but more a drink.  It was really good.  Then I made José teach me all the songs we sang at church, because I don't like not knowing the songs, and because he's a good guitarist so we played music and listened to You Tube videos and sang for a good three hours.  Although it was no trick or treating, it was still a good time!

Today I ran through El Parque de las Cuadras - it is a very safe park, it has guards at three different locations, and it's not very big.  It's nice to be able to run again, but I still have to take breaks about every 10 minutes. I have adjusted to the altitude though, my Hemoglobin was 15.3 last week!! Normally my Hgb is low, and I take iron.  No need for iron here!

Tomorrow I'm back to work. . . will take pictures of the unit soon.