Wandering with Tedder and Tamara

*Tamara posting*

Sunday 6/24

We had a down day today, mostly because we had to do laundry. That was fine for the washing, but the building only has one dryer, and we spent the rest of the day checking on it to try and get it when it was free. It meant that we didn't have any warm clothes to wear so we just worked on stuff at home.

I cooked an artichoke I'd bought at the local market and it was really good. I'm pretty sure they don't grow here in Ecuador, but possibly are imported from Chile. In any case, they are quite a bit cheaper here than at home.

Monday 6/25

Volunteering went well today - I spent a lot of the day in the filing room, but got to spend a bit of time with the 'other' medical doctor who is also very friendly. He likes to joke around a lot, and it is obvious that the kids really like him.

Ted went off to meet with some HU folks that were in town. They weren't in, but the front tire of the bike was basically flat, so he had to fill it. We don't know why it was suddenly low, though it did spontaneously become low in Guatemala too.

From our apartment we can hear the buses shifting on the street. Ted taught me to recognize the sound of the blowoff valve, meaning they are turbocharged. It makes sense- we are above 9000 feet.

In the evening, Ted got to meet the HU folks for dinner. He says they were delightful, and there were about 8 people at the gathering.

Tuesday 6/26

I wasn't feeling well this morning, and decided it probably wasn't a good idea to do the volunteering today. I think it is just the food or water since they are just the normal stomach symptoms. I was feelin better by the afternoon, so I went ahead with my Spanish lesson.

We had a late lunch at a fantastic Italian restaurant and gelateria - Ted says it is the best ice cream on the planet. I have to agree that it is very good! The food there is excellent as well. I'm glad Ted got that recommendation from the HU folks.

Ted only slept two hours last night, so he wasn't feeling great. He worked on a bunch of trip photos.

Wednesday 6/27

I'm still not feeling great, but did my volunteering and cut my Spanish lesson an hour short. I watched and tried to help out the dentist today at the clinic, but there isn't much I could do without knowing the names for the instruments, etc. One thing bothered me though - he does all the fillings without any novacaine or other anesthetic. I can't imagine how much that would hurt! I asked if the reason was because the anesthetic is expensive, but he just said it isn't necessary. No wonder some of the kids were really scared of coming in to see him!

Some of the kids were bored while waiting for their siblings to be examined and treated, and I remembered that I had a packet of colored pencils and my notebook in my backpack. The kids loved drawing pictures for me :) One little girl (5) came and sat on my lap, but then it was her turn in the dentist's chair and she just started sobbing. She didn't stop crying the whole time she was being treated. It was really sad :(

Ted did some grocery shopping, and got an appointment to see an english-speaking doctor about his sleep.

6/28

I'm feeling sick still - no real big problems with diarrhea or vomiting, just don't feel good. I didn't go to the clinic or do my Spanish lessons today - hopefully the extra rest will help me get over this bug.

Ted has been cranking out the photos, mostly because of how much trouble he's had sleeping.