international Clinical in quito, eCUADOR
... To begin to sum up my 10 day trip to Quito, Ecuador seems like an unfathomable task, but I am going to try my best. I would like to start off by saying it truly was the best experience of my entire life. Flying into the Ecuador late at night and seeing all of the beautiful lights as soon as I woke up from a measly airplane nap was the my first instinct that it was going to be a trip of a lifetime. It was so beautiful. We started out our week by exploring Quito and all of the wonderful scenery it has to offer. We went to a famous artists home, the Basilica, and ended our first day counting thousands of vitamins for our week at clinic. Our week of brigade began on Monday and it was the most eye opening opportunity I have ever been given. We were able to see a little over 500 patients in our week of brigade. We would register each patient, take their vitals, complete any necessary labs they needed, and then they would see the doctor. The doctor would do a full assessment on each patient and diagnose any problems they came with as well as come up with a treatment plan. The patients’ last stop was pharmacy where we provided each patient with medications needed to treat their illness, along with vitamins for 90 days and a new toothbrush and toothpaste. I saw so many smiles and was given so many hugs and “gracias” that week, and I will forever remember each of them. These families rely on Timmy Global as their only source of healthcare. Timmy Global has an organization stationed in Quito and sees patients every 3 months. We were lucky enough to be one of three nursing schools that come to help Timmy on one of their brigade weeks. Usually medical students are given the opportunity to go. Our brigade week quickly came to an end after visiting 5 different villages in 5 days. The common problems that patients came to clinic for included hypertension, parasites, arthritis and chronic pain issues. We saw individuals of all ages at clinic, and when assigned to scribe for a doctor we learned so much about disease processes of the Ecuadorian people. After our week at clinic we took a weekend getaway to a rainforest town known as Mindo. Mindo was a place where many tourists came. It had tons of shops, restaurants, and attractions for us to enjoy. We started out our weekend by ziplining through the rainforest in the pouring rain, which was the most exciting thing I have ever done. I was able to zipline on 10 different lines, and one of the runs I was able to go upside down. SO COOL. We then spent the rest of Saturday exploring the town and ending the night doing salsa at the disco teca. Sunday we jammed as many activities in as possible. We took a 5- mile hike to a huge waterfall, in which we dove into with our clothes and shoes on. Completely worth it, but SO COLD. We then grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed out to go white water rafting… or at least the Ecuadorians form of white water rafting. It was so amazing to me that we did all of this in two days and not once did we sign any consents or waivers. We knew some of the attractions were a little risky, but we were all up for the adventure. Sunday night we headed back to Quito where we would spend our last two days with the community health promoters and doing home visits in the villages. On Monday, I was feeling a little under the weather, so I sat out of most of the activities. The other students taught the health promoters massage techniques, stress and relaxation techniques, as well as a few fun group activities. On our last day in Ecuador we woke up at 4 am and went on a hike up the mountains where we were able to see the sunrise over Quito. It was breath taking. We then spent the day doing home visits in the community and seeing where some of the health promoters lived. We even had the opportunity to share a snack with a few of them in one of their homes. The time finally came where we packed our bags and headed out for our final dinner with all of the Timmy Global staff at an amazing restaurant that overlooked Quito. Saying our goodbyes a little harder than I expected. I never knew I could get so close to the Timmy staff in such a short amount of time, but we were definitely going to miss all of them. Before we knew it our 10 day trip abroad was coming to an end and we were catching the red eye back to Cincinnati. I will never forget the people I met, the families we helped, and the fun we had together.
I don’t think anyone realizes what life is truly like until you go out and explore it from all perspectives… so I thank Ecuador for giving me the opportunity to learn how to care in a new way, make friends who will have a lasting impact, and most importantly for a chance to give back to the ones that deserve it most. Ecuador has, and always will have, a special place in my heart.
I don’t think anyone realizes what life is truly like until you go out and explore it from all perspectives… so I thank Ecuador for giving me the opportunity to learn how to care in a new way, make friends who will have a lasting impact, and most importantly for a chance to give back to the ones that deserve it most. Ecuador has, and always will have, a special place in my heart.