Las aventuras en Ecuador

“‘Remember what Bilbo used to say: It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.  You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.’” – J.R.R. Tolkien

“Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art.” – Frank Lloyd

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” – Ovid

Every three months at the Albergue we are aloted a week off for vacation, and this can be very important.  I am a firm believer in the concept of rest, that in order to do something well you have to be charged.  However, this also comes with the idea that that rest precedes time in hard work.  Anyway, in addition to a time of refreshment, when someone from the U.S.A. comes to Peru without a visa, they can receive 90 days and then exit the country to renew their time.  I have been in Peru for over 3 and a half months now, and it was time for a break and a fresh set of days.  So…I went to Ecuador!

My friend Juan is from Piura, a city about 6 hours north of Trujillo in Peru and a good launching point for reaching Ecuador.  The both of us first went to his home in said city.  Piura is a cool place, reminiscent of Trujillo but more concentrated, smaller, and hotter.  It is quite easy to walk where you need to go, and because of its smaller size taxi is a more common form of transportation (as opposed to the rampancy of micros in Trujillo).  We stayed there for a bit (and ate really well!)  Below is a pic of delicious ceviche as well as the Plaza de Armas de Piura.

Bueno, from there we traveled up to Ecuador, about three hours to the border.  Peru and Ecuador certainly are neighboring countries that are similar, but it is also evident right off the bat they are different.  On the Peruvian side the officials use their notebooks and pens and are a bit disorganized; however, 50 yards away on the Ecuadorian side, there are computers that print the immigration details on your passport and people professionally doing their job.  We got back on the bus and headed to our destination, and throughout the trip the cleanliness and order in comparison to Peru came into view.  The countryside is greener, void of the overflow of trash, and the road system is noticeably more pleasurable.   Peru is a wonderful country that has been my home, yet it was interesting for me to observe the comparisons between Peru, a developing country, and its neighbor up north that is noticeably more, for a lack of a better word, advanced.  A couple of other points: the food of Ecuador does not touch that of Peru, and I noticed that the people of Ecuador are very nice and kind, yet more reserved and quieter.

About three hours from the border we arrived in Cariamanga, a charming little city in what I would call the High Coast, not quite in the mountains but high up nonetheless.  We found a great hostal upon arrival for a great price (15$ each person for two nights) and explored a bit of the city.  There was also a carnival going on, finishing up its last night before leaving.

The highlight of the trip came the following day, when we did some hiking!  This turned out to be intense.  It took us about three hours or so to get to the top of this big hill, through some rough terrain.  Once up top, we decided to jump to neighboring mountain/hills on the path that was up there, but when we got further along we decided to head down.  However, we headed down on the opposite side of the hills, away from the city, and found ourselves in an area where there was no path.  We had two options:  retracing our steps and finding another way to head back down, and making our own way through.  We chose the latter.  This began with a trip down a mini cliff, where I grapped a root for support.  Well, as I began my descent, the root snapped and I went sliding down!  Gracias a Dios, a stopped at the bottom with nary a scratch!  We then, lost in the forest of Ecuador, made our way through the brush, over fences, and past the clearings to the city finally!  Overall we were out for about 6 hours, and it was an adventure!

The next day we headed back to Piura, where I once again experienced the hospitality of Juan and his family, and the day after that back to Trujillo.  So, obviously it was a short trip, but at the same time a great opportunity of refreshment and a lot of fun!  Adventures, ya gotta have em’!

There is quite a bit to say as far as what I have been up to as of late at the orphanage, but I’ll have a post with regards to that later on.  Enjoy the photos, y hasta la proxima!

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Vital Signs

“Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.” – A. Sachs

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” – Jesus Christ, Luke 9:25

This post could be a complex exposition on the circle of life, or a discussion on what I believe is the significance of death, but instead I want to share with you some experiences that touch on these two interweaving themes.  First, why don’t we start with the latter?

So, I went to a Peruvian hospital.  No, I didn’t go to a Peruvian hospital, or, that is, I didn’t need medical attention that warranted it, but I went with the possibility of donating blood.  You see, a family member of one of the workers at the orphanage had a medical complication and received a blood transfusion, and that blood needed to be given back to the blood bank, paying back the loan, so to speak.  It turned out I couldn’t give blood because I had been vaccinated for Hepatitis A & B less than six months earlier, and I am supposed to be tested to see if those immunizations worked.  Anyway, this experience was a reality check for me.  We really have it so good in the States, on many levels, and the medical attention is no exception (if you have insurance or the money).  First off, the hospitals are simply mobbed with people.  You go there and it is reminiscent of the New York Stock Exchange.  Lines populate the edifice, and people form lines to wait for a ticket, to return later on to wait in a line to then receive medical attention.  For me even to be seen if I could give blood, the brother of that worker had gone early in the morning to get a ticket and was waiting later on for us.  While you wait, various people come inside attempting to sell chocolate or other novelties, vending as if we were at some tourist attraction.  To top it off, outside I saw an interesting sight: a nurse walking on the sidewalk holding the IV bag of a patient in her hand while they both made their way to the hospital.  The hospitals are characterized by an abundance of necessity, a lack of assistance, and an evident lack of order.

I am not about to say I am a full supporter of the health system in the U.S.A. (I actually have quite a bit of qualms with it, including the idea that many people don’t have the financial capability to be seen), but we should sure be grateful for the caliber of the practitioner, the education of our future doctors, and, when we do receive attention, the facility and quality of our visit for treatment.  That gratitude should be accompanied by a responsibility in regards to your own doctor visitations as well as wisdom in the treatment of your own body.

Though death takes a very real physical form in hospitals, there are other manifestations of dying.  In the orphanage where I am a volunteer, there are other types of battling between life and death.  Recently I came face to face with one of them, and it was a new experience for me.  On a seemingly normal night here, one of the children erupted in anger.  I will not disclose much information here, but this child has been experiencing a great deal of difficulty lately,  and a simple punishment for not obeying led to a passing of a boiling point.  Some other kids ran to get my help, and I eventually helped to restrain the child for a good fifteen minutes trying to reach a state of calmness.  It was very intense, and I tried to speak loving and comforting things while this child was in the midst of an emotional and spiritual war.  Some of these kids have been abandoned and scarred in profound ways.  Some, in their previous upbringing, have had death spoken over their lives.  We are soldiers fighting for good here, and in many ways you can be too.   Prayer, supporting orphanages, even just being a voice for those around you, diffusing the knowledge of what’s going on here and in other parts of the world.  Anyway you can make an impact is worthwhile.

And lastly, I’d like to leave you with  a little bit of life.  When life is tough, it would do us some good to look at the world through the eyes of a baby, full of wonder, hope and innocence.  There is still a lot to rejoice in and smile at , and a baby knows that lesson better than many of us.  There are not much more joyful reminders of the good in this world than new-born babies, and I had the privilege to be at the presentation of the baby of one of the workers here at the orphanage.  The precious little niña is named Judit Raquel, and I hope these pictures uplift your spirits!  Hasta la proxima!

By the way, on the topic of life, I just finished watching Slumdog Millionaire again…what a great movie.  If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.