the joys of internet.... just within my grasp.

As many of you may not know the internet has been in the process of being fixed for the last 3 months that I have been here. Each week it will be fixed at the end of the week and at the beginning of each new week... I DON´T HAVE ACCESS! To make matters worse I have given the house computer numerous viruses trying to use my USB to transfer info!

However, Today a man came to check out the situation. After wandering around the neighborhood for a bit he informed us that our neighborhood was inaccessible. We would not have internet any time soon. However, on his way out he seemed to have spotted a potential problem, it seems as though somone build somthing RIGHT infront of the receiver and it blocked our access for 5 MONTHS!!

He´s going to call tomorrow with the final answer.

Back from a Project

I just have arrived home from a two-week project. The first week was in a beach town called Playas the second week was in the Galapagos on the Island of Santa Cruz. This project has probably been one of the best that I’ve been involved in. We had a team of 20 volunteers; one from Canada and the rest from the states and the team dynamics were great. Everyone got along really well together, which can seriously improve the quality of a clinic. We were actually separated in two groups, one at the hospital doing surgeries; we had 2 general surgeons and 2 surgical specialties, as well as an Ecuadorian surgical team that was volunteering with two Ecuadorian med students assisting on surgeries. The other group was running clinic in town.

For me there were a couple of really great perks to this project. First, we had a photojournalist volunteering, he works freelance with lots of newspaper experience, shooting for the New York Times and other large news agencies. We had some really great conversations, and I got a break from translating twice to be on full picture duty with him, which was extremely fun. Second, Matt and Emily my really good friends from home where volunteering on this project.

There are many more stories to come with this project, but I will have to fill them in one step at a time.

The President

On the way to the Milagro hospital to take pictures of the facilities and pick up supplies, we say Dale Correa the president of Ecuador who was in town.

September wrap up

September shaped up to be a busy month, as I was involved in the planning process for the October Playas/Galapagos project. I have been working with Jone Hernández on the coast of Ecuador, unlike other MMI nationals that I have worked with, MMI isn’t Jones fully time job, she and her husband have their own Architecture firm in Guayaquil. So, she runs her projects on a volunteer bases, will less time to donate to the projects. Working with her has been a really great experience for two reasons. First, she networks a huge amount with the community. MMI almost always works in collaboration with local churches; however, on Jones projects she finds creative ways to really pull the community into the project, in many different ways. Second, I get a lot more responsibility in project organization when I’m with Jone, so I learn a lot more about the in’s and out’s of being a project director, both pre and during clinic.

With that said, I have really been enjoying being a more involved part in project organization, which has gotten my wheels turning about the possibilities of being a project director some day.

Manabi Ecuador

July marked my move to Ecuador. I’m still doing the same things with MMI, just helping now with the projects in Ecuador instead of Peru. When I arrived I headed straight off to the Province of Manabi, which is on the Coast. Part of our team was surgical and the other part clinical. The surgical side stayed and worked out of an operating room in Portaviajo while the Clinic traveled to different cities each day. This project I translated for a doctor in the traveling clinic, which was something I didn’t know if I was quite ready for, but I think I managed all right.


In this specific part of Ecuador they have a very high number of clef-lip/clef-palette patients. In our time there we saw 19 patients with this condition and did 9 reconstructive surgeries. I was able to take photos in one surgery and I was completely blown away by the procedure. Our surgeon, Richard Topazian fixed the cleft lip, the surgery was about 1.5 hours. It was a process of cutting deeper into the lip and nose to firmly attach the skin. This patient in particular, 6month old Luis, had what is called a “full complete” meaning the lip is disconnected in two places. We preformed the first and less serious of 3 surgeries this Child will need to fully repair the defect. The first to correct the lip, second to repair the cleft pallet on the inside and third will be a series of plastic surgeries to reshape the mouth, as it still looks deformed after the first surgeries. The plastic surgery phases are something that usually will never be done.

in my bubble

Oh how I've failed! jaja. I have been so busy on my trip home that I hardly look at my email, let alone write on my blog. How pitiful! I return to Ecuador next Monday. I'm sure at that point I will be able to catch up on the events of the summer.

Arequipa Connections.... Part 1

Last week we had a project here in Arequipa. This was a very interesting experience because we were a much larger group then I have been accustomed to, 61 volunteers! The team was split up into 3 different groups Clinic, Hospital and Youth, who worked in collaboration with Young Life Perú. I think that this has been one of the most impactful and challenging projects that I have been on, primarily because I had admittedly lost my passion for working on Projects. Yes, unfortunately I went to Clinic each day deeply discouraged. I had been translating for a doctor and many of the cases that came in we didn’t do hardly anything for. I couldn’t shake the feeling that all we were offering was a pharmaceutical bandage. However, as it has been in this epoch of Perü God definitely lined everything up to both encourage me and teach me a valuable lesson.

God reminded me that no matter how jaded our view becomes; he can work in all situations. For me this project was disheartening and I couldn’t see past my own nose to any unusual success story. However, after the project I was offered a different perspective and looking back, I am able to see how the hand of God was working and even though it was all around me, I never saw it at the moment.

I had to report a story for MMI Happening, and so this is what I wrote about, whether or not it gets published we will see, however this is my story:

Arequipa Connections
I recently had the opportunity to work as part of a multi-faceted project here in Arequipa Peru, we had a wide age demographic as well as diverse working groups as the team was split between Hospital, Clinic and Youth work. For the most part this was a regular project: surgeries were completed; teeth were pulled; glasses and medicines were given out. Upon seeking out some of the more in depth stories I was confronted by an interesting realization had by one of the Medical Students, while working in the Clinic. She told me that over the course of the weeks the biggest lesson she learned was “if I was going to make a difference, it probably wasn’t going to be medically.” This sounded a little opposite of our goals on projects but with a little explanation I started to gain a solid understanding, as well as respect for this point of view. She shared that the things that encouraging her the most were watching and engaging with the people she served beside. She discussed how the Medical reality of MMI’s work allows a rare opportunity for people to share their personal feeling. This honesty developed domino pattern between her clinic co-worker. They would be touched by the vulnerability of the patients and would run to each other to share the details. This union opened many door to interesting conversations about life beliefs and they were all able to challenge and encourage each other in their ideas and faith. Listening to her talk reminded me of something that I was told just before I left for Peru: “Don’t go thinking your going to make a difference, go being thankful for the opportunity to watch God make a difference.” Here was one situation where this proved true. Because of my friends observations and perspectives I was able to see how God used Peruvian Patients to wined an intricate web of connections between volunteers. This has encouraged me to not be discourage that sometime all we can offer is a pharmaceutical bandage, if we keep our ears and eyes open we can see what’s happening behind the obvious, we can catch a glimpse of how Gods working in hearts.

Im thankful to my friend Andreanne, the medical student, whom God sent here just at the moment I needed her; for a multitude of reasons. Through her God succeeded in showing me that sometimes we just need to be shown things from a different perspective. However, also she has been the last straw that’s made me acknowledge the absolute necessity of Christian community! This is something that for my first month of life in Arequipa, I lacked completely.

As I look over all that has happened in the last month and a half I can hardly fathom the turns my opinions and attitudes have taken, just through the people that God has put in my path. This is definitely going to need another blog entry to explain, so stay tuned and I’ll try not to let it go undocumented.

PS→ I often struggle with “the semi colon” If you can offer some advise on its uses and abuses (my misuses) don’t hesitate!

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I walk by this everyday and am always impacted by what a poignant analogy this is for Latin America. I also think about the artist and wonder if he/she actually realizes how cleaver it is.... and the world will never know. That’s why I love Graffiti.

“STRIKE”.... which I think is "huelga" en Espanol

Well, we had a transportation strike today and I never realized how much I have come to lean on the taxi service until I was walking hours at a time to do my daily activities! I feel exhausted from all the walking but definitely this experience deserves a little bit space on my blog for a review. The strike was over gas prices, and to my understanding ALL the transportation people were protesting against the taxes the government is putting on the already extremely high prices. In reality I often wonder how taxi drivers make a living because I can go pretty much across town for about 4 soles, which is less then 2 USD! And I can go any were in all of Arequipa in a Kombi which is 60 centemos, which is pennies!

Anyways I was actually working in a medical clinic today and we risked going out on the roads to run clinic. Despite the fact that we left the compound at 7 am, trying to miss the early morning protests and road blocks, we still hit a few. People had put many big stones in the road, which was our first mild obstacle. It was really surreal because the roads were completely empty of cars. To be honest it really felt like one of those scenes out of a zombie movie, because we were passing herds of people walking peacefully to work, and then all the sudden you come upon a road block of raging protesters smashing glass bottles and throwing rocks at your vehicle. Brian, my boss was brave enough to exit the bus and explain to the protesters that we were a NGO on our way to run a medical clinic and they thankfully let us pass, but there was a second there that I was definitely wisked away in the thrill of what we were going to do next.

The second major thing that happened is a Taxi driver came with his family in his car to our Clinic and there was a huge riot just outside our gates. His wife was actually really sick but the people wouldn’t let her out of the car. When the driver finally got out to help her there was a huge fight and honestly I can’t even tell you exactly what happened next because the swarm of people on this guy drowned my view. We ended up having to go out and retrieve this woman and her daughter and the protesters were so riled up banging there pots and pans and screaming that I don’t even think they realized that what they were protesting against.

In general protesting ranged from barricading road, burning tires in the streets, throwing rocks at any vehicle on the road, clanging pots and pans, waving banners (Oh… I saw one guy marching with a white board over his shoulder), breaking bottles in the street; which really is senseless because they protest in their own neighborhoods.

Anyways that is it for now… I have been walking everywhere and I am exhausted. A things look right now they will still be striking, tomorrow so I need to get rested up for another day of walking!!

feeling a little wordless.

The week has come to an end, and as usual Fridays classes were less productive then I hoped. I think it’s a childhood habit I have, my brain turns off on Fridays even when I don’t want it to! The next couple weeks will be busy ones as we have a project starting in Arequipa for the next two weeks. I’ll only be helping in the mornings, as I’m not ready to separate myself from my Spanish. Considering that I only have like a month left of studies before I’m off to Ecuador, I still need all the help I can get. I’m not really feeling the urge to write anything at all, so here are a few of my favorite pictures from Huancabalica (which is in the Sierra):

...where to start?

So, its not very exciting but this is my daily schedule: I wake up, eat, have some quiet time, do my Spanish homework (usually takes about 2 hours) and go to my classes at 12- 4. Its lots of Spanish but I know it’s helping. It is hard at moments to realize that learning Spanish is my whole life right now. However, I understand why it has to be when I get into a taxi or talk to friends on the street and I can only have a superficial conversation with them and lots of the time I’m nodding my head and making some kind of affirmative noise to say: “I’m listening” which I am, but really I’m not understanding completely.

After my Spanish classes I come back home, try to get some work done and then I try to do some kind of activity in the evenings. Lately this has been a lot easier then in the beginning. I am so thankful I have met some really cool people as of lately and they have been encouraging me in ways that I didn’t fully realize I was lacking before. Making friends is one thing that has been really quite challenging. Really it is such a different culture here, especially when it comes to people of my age demographic. In Canada the 20 something are living the high life, starting their first jobs (trying to recover from the debts of university) but for the most part actually having a moment to learn about who they are, apart from their family unit. Here in Peru, people my age don’t have that opportunity, and it quite obviously breeds a different type of mindset. Young people here stay in their parent’s house until they get married, and most often after they are married as well.

I’m still trying to come to my own personal conclusions about what I really think about this; it definitely has its pro’s and con’s, and a lot of times it depends on the mentality of the parents. Some are really protective and dominating, and others are happy to lead separate lives from their children, letting them develop more in their independence. Either way its been really interesting to observe the difference. Quite honestly, after living with a Peruvian family, I actually really miss my way of life in Canada, but that is probably because I was very much established in my independence there.



If this picture shows up as I think it should.... this is the view of "Misti" from my house. (its pretty hard to navigate my blog spot as it is all conveniently in spanish!!)

....because some people want to know

So, where do I begin? I can't imagine writing things for the whole world to know! Scary! How can you write something personal enough that it can appeal to your closest friend yet be abstract enough, as to not give your enemies some kind of ammunition? And so is the question I ask myself in starting a "personal blog." This honesty is something that I just can’t seem to do correctly; write publicly about my life. I begin, and then I fizzle out, I guess I just don’t find myself interesting enough. However, I’m starting to realize that its next to impossible to send personal emails to everyone, and apart from sending out mass emails that always seem so impersonal to me, THIS, right here is my next best option. So my apologies to those that have been waiting for this moment, the one where I break down and start “reporting” it has been a long time coming, but… duh duh dua duuaahhh. Its here. I’ll try my best to keep upish to date as I can.