kateoutsidethestates-blog - Tumblr blog

[kateoutsidethestates-blog]

Buenas! Sorry it has taken me so long to write a post! The WiFi in Ecuador was basically non-existent and we were in the field most of the time we spent in Lima. Then, we had a four day weekend so a few of us (all of my we/us’s mean the interns) went to Máncora, a beach town in northern Peru. I just got back to Lima and I wrote this on the plane while a baby screamed in my ear. So this is going to be a long and probably ramble-y one.

Ecuador was absolutely phenomenal. We were grouped in with this year’s Leadership Corps, a more intense version of the service learning trip where you read articles, have discussions, visit sites and other NGOs, and overall learn a huge amount about MEDLIFE and NGO work in general. All the new staff, some key old staff, and even the founder of MEDLIFE were there which led to some really interesting perspectives during the discussions. Many of the staff are from Peru and other parts of Latin America, so they bring so much information I wouldn’t have otherwise learned.

One of the very first things we did was a long hike at extremely high elevation. After two days acclimating to the altitude and listening to local leaders, doctors, and NGOs give presentations, we hiked to Llillia. Llillia is a tiny community high up in the mountains of rural Ecuador. Llillia (pronounced like jeejah, from the native language of Ecuador, Quichua) is like a lot of rural Ecuador. There is not a lot of formal infrastructure, no easy access to health care, and many of the people are very poor. Many of the older people do not speak Spanish, which adds another barrier to access. However, Llillia is special in that it is the birthplace of MEDLIFE. We did the same hike that Dr. Ellis did that day: over eight miles of walking uphill to an elevation of 4000 meters in the very cold (it’s winter in South America) and pouring rain with our stuff on our backs. Then we discussed the issues inherent in and facing service learning as a whole. After that, we slept on the concrete floor of the school in a heap trying to stay warm. The next day we held a mobile clinic for the community with doctors, dentists, a nutritionist, and an OB/GYN.

This was one of the most impactful things I have ever done. It’s one thing to know about and understand poverty, but it’s another to experience it. To walk for miles on the muddy, uphill path carrying a heavy burden like many of the residents have to do. To sleep without a bed or heat in the biting cold like the children of the community do every night. It’s an extremely humbling experience that makes you feel so guilty for all the things you can’t do to help and all the privileges you have.

Dr. Ellis made a point of telling us that we weren’t necessary when we were in Llillia. What he meant by that is one of the most important and also most missed lessons of service learning: privileged college students are not helping people by physically building staircases or “assisting” doctors. If you were to simply donate all the money spent on the trip to MEDLIFE and not go the whole thing would run just as smoothly. They do not need westerners to come in and save them. There are well trained doctors who know the healthcare system and engineers who can build infrastructure in Ecuador and Peru. What they need is capital, resources, and help bridging the gaps in the current system. When we go to the communities we are there to learn, and it’s a precious opportunity. It’s an opportunity to open your eyes to the world around you so that you can go home to spread the movement, raise the money, and empower people to change things for themselves.

We intended to go to Tena, a jungle community in Ecuador after staying in Riobamba and Llillia. However, serious mudslides meant that we could not get there. Instead, we did more clinics and visited more places in Riobamba and it’s surroundings. One day we hiked Volcán Chimborazo, an active volcano and the highest mountain in the world. Well, technically. Thanks to the Equatorial bulge the peak is the furthest point from the center of the Earth even though it isn’t the tallest from base to tip. It’s so tall that plants can’t even grow on a lot of it! It was absolutely beautiful (see pics). Some cool relatives of the llama and alpaca called vicuña, whose fur is worth a crazy, CRAZY amount live there too.

Pretty soon we were in Lima. We toured the southern cone (see my previous post for more information about that) and learned about urban migration. We got to attend an amazing night meeting, one of the aspect that really stands out to me about MEDLIFE. MEDLIFE is founded on the concept of listening to the communities and attacking problems with a 50/50 approach. If MEDLIFE works with you they provide resources and assistance, but you have to be organized, work hard, and show up. Night meetings are part of the process of feeling out the needs of the community and if they are able to work with MEDLIFE to meet them. MEDLIFE’s local organizers go to these meetings and allow all community members to speak their mind and argue for what they want. They also work with community leaders to better organize. It was an awesome thing to see.

After the official end of leadership, we started our real internship. We were out working with a service learning trip (SLT) to build a staircase and put on a clinic. We also did some general office work. After only three days we had a four day weekend for Fourth of July (we follow the US holiday calendar in the International office). After the stress, lack of sleep, altitude, and gastrointestinal issues of Leadership Corps, it was a very necessary break.

I went to Máncora, a beautiful beach town in the north of Peru. Since it was winter, we got to stay in a beautiful bungalow on the most pristine beach I’ve ever seen for a very good price. The sand was amazing, the water was gorgeous, and they even had a happy beach dog named Lalo who would run in the ocean with us and beg for our leftovers. We ate amazing seafood, relaxed on the beach, and even swam with sea turtles! There were so many of them and they bumped into you and acted like needy puppies! Pictures to come later (if the tour guide is to be believed).

It’s been an amazing experience so far and I’m so glad I came. I’ve been pretty homesick though and am not sure how I feel about having to go straight to Jordan after spending so much time away. It’s harder and scarier than all the people who gush about study abroad made it seem. I miss you all very much.

That’s all I have. Now it’s back to work at the office. I’ll update you again (sooner this time I swear). Chao chao!

[kateoutsidethestates-blog]

Today the wealth disparity in Lima was extremely evident. We spent the morning in the southern cone communities. Lima is in the desert, so the people who live there depend on the rare water trucks to bring water high up on the side of the mountain. Many store the water improperly in former chemical barrels and the water is expensive. There is a lack of infrastructure, and the homes are often built on such steep inclines that pregnant women have fallen and induced early labor. The communities are not recognized by the municipal government and face many obstacles to gain it. On the other side of the wall from these communities there are 2 million dollar homes with pools.

When we returned we went to the Barranco neighborhood. It’s everything you think of when you think of South America. The Spanish architecture, the art, the culture. We split several pieces of cake and drank fancy cappuccinos. We shopped for handmade jewelry. It was amazing, but the contrast gives you whiplash.

[kateoutsidethestates-blog]

Things I never thought I’d say: taking this shower in this communal bathroom covered with the hair of strangers is the best moment of my life.

Things I wholeheartedly mean: taking this shower in this communal bathroom covered with the hair of strangers is the best moment of my life.

I guess it never occurred to me how greasy and smelly I would get after traveling for over 24 straight hours. Or how nice laying down in a bunk bed in a dorm with 6 other people would be after spending so long wide awake in airport purgatory. In summation: Day one we are grateful for the little things and FINALLY on the ground in Lima!