I don't even know how to begin. Amy, Curtis, and Braden took me to the Indy Airport. I checked 2 big luggages. One was 50.5 and the other was 68 pounds. I paid $80 for the extra baggage and extra weight fee. I took a backpack and a over shoulder back for my clothes and personal items. As I waited to board my flight, I thought through my expectations of the trip and tried to throw away those ideas.
I got through customs with no problem. Thank God! I met my friend and roomie Katrina at the hotel we were staying at. She's a PA student from AZ. The next morning Paul and Nelda Johnson met me at the hotel. It was so fun catching up with them. They are just amazing people. The bus ride from Quito to Riobamba was a doozie. Paul said to me before I got on the bus..."It's a straight shot". Straight shot compared to what?!! I got motion sickness. And no, I didn't even think about putting the scopolamine patch on until later. I think it works better when you put it on before you get on the bus.
We ended up staying at a military compound. Katrina and I shared a room. It was an admiral's suite as we found out later. We were made to move to a different room later that week. We ate at the mess hall in the morning and evening. The hospital provided our lunch. All I can say about the food is...there's a lot of chicken and rice! One sometimes two times per day.
The hospital was not finished when we got there, but by the next day it was "finished". It was a new hospital built by the government but can be used by military and civilians alike. We had to use duct tape to fix lights, tried to rig up a way to get rid of waste anesthetic gas (not successful), one room had ventilation and the other not. Mind you, this was a new facility :-) We had 2 anesthesia students with us. Megan had the non-ventilated room and Kate that the ventilated room. Megan had the old machine, and Kate had the new machine-though it was in spanish. LOL. Ralph was another anesthetist that went. I learned a lot from him. We did hernia surgeries, OBGYN, pediatrics, vascular surgeries, etc.
I learned a lot about myself. I learned that sometimes I'm not as flexible as I need to be. I learned that I am drawn to people that need my help. I learned that God is God and I am not. Even though it was a Christian based organization, some people on the trip were more not as serious about their faith. I wonder if some even believed.
On our free weekend. Chris, Jon, Julio, Carlos, Giselle, Katrina, and I went to Banos, which was 3 hours away one way. Despite the scopolamine patch, I got serious motion sickly. Miserable! We had fun. We went zip lining at this sketchy zip line place and I prayed hard. Glad to be alive. Only 3 of us went-Julio, Jon, and me(of course). We had to hike down the ravine. The 2 guides used this non stable looking pulley pulling us across the ravine. We had to hike 800 feet almost straight up. I was tired. By the time we got to the top, it was too late to back out :-) It was soooo fun! loved it!
I met many neat people. Helped many people. Learned more about people. God is good.
I am grateful for friends who have donated money for the trip. All the money went to buy propofol and sevoflurane (anesthetic gas). Sevoflurane was about $230 per bottle. Let's just say we worked hard in trying to get through the 2 weeks without running out.
I am so blessed to have the life that I have. That's why I want to give back. I want life to be more than just about me. Too many people think like that. Too many.