Quito
Quito is a beautiful city that is located high in the Andean Mountains. I hope to share with you on this page some of the facts, observations, and experiences we have had while in Quito. This will include items about the city, the families with whom we are staying, the houses, the sites, and the medical facilities. Quito has about 2.5 million people and is the second largest city. Guayaquil is the largest city and is located on the coast. There seems to be an animosity between the people of both cities. Guayaquil wants to be the capital, but history has allowed Quito to remain the capital. The Quitenos believe that people in Guayaquil drive more crazy (If that can even be realized. For the entire time here, we feel that we have constantly been on Disney’s ‘Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.’), they speak more rapidly, and there accent and pronunciation is harder to understand. Oh, there is also more crime and the city is less safe.
All of our families have been wonderful. The families range from newlyweds to older couples with grown up children (ages 25-25) still living at home. One student is living with a widowed mom and her son. Dr. Cozart is living with a newlywed couple. Two students have families with young children. The family unit is strong and nuclear. Children live at home until they get married or move away for a job in another city. The food is varied among the families, but most often fruit is served in the morning with juice, coffee, and bread. We eat lunch at Academia Cotopaxi, and then we return to the home for dinner. The families or mothers here really like to feed us. Our plates and their offerings exceed our stomach capacity. These families have hosted foreign students before, so their ability to adjust and help us has really made the transition easier. They use Spanish, but some families rely on English more than others; it depends on the student. In some families only Spanish is spoken. Five of the seven families live close to Academia Cotopaxi so it is easy for us to walk to school. For the first two weeks, Lauren, Katie, and Anna were being walked to school by their “moms.” Allison and Shawanda have taken a cab each morning since their homes are about 2 km away.
The homes here are either apartments or townhouses. On the outside, most of the apartments and house in Quito are not “finished.” I was told that there is a law that says a home cannot be taxed if it is still in development or being constructed. Thus, I am sure the outside and some interior items ahve been left alone so that families do not have to pay taxes. This leaves a disillusioned view of the outside. Once inside these houses, the decor is modern or Latin in flavor with tile and wood floors.
Trash basket outside of home
Laundry and Gas supply
The picture on the left shows you a street view of some of the houses and the trash basket. Families place their trash bags into the baskets. They are elevated so that the dogs in the neighborhood don’t get them. The picture on the right shows the outside and covered laundry area that many homes have. Families may have a clothes dryer, but it may be used on special occasion since electricity and gas are expensive. The two blue canisters are gas that are used for hot water and the cooking stove. (Notice how and where they are placed. There are not really any safety guidelines or laws for securing these canisters.)
Medicine, Doctors, and Hospitals
Many of you probably had concerns about the medical facilities and treatment here in Quito just in case something happened to a student. Well nothing has happened to any of the students…Yes, I thought I would sacrifice my body for the blog so that I could report on the medical facilities here. Due to our incredibly well connected partners at Academia Cotopaxi, we have access to some of the best doctors in all of Ecuador.
I had a high fever on Thursday and was confined to my bed the whole day. I was urged to seek medical attention on Friday. With trepidation, I went with a driver from the school. I was extremely nervous due to a potential lack of Spanish vocabulary in the area of sickness and health, the potential procedures in a different country, understanding of the check out process, and of course the potential costs. The nurses were extremely helpful and nice. They repeated or slowed their speech when I didn’t understand. The doctor was fluent in English and that was reassuring in understanding my situation. The procedures were the same as any medical exam in the USA. My vitals were checked and any other procedures or tests required were similar as in the USA. Check our was easy since the bill was simplified and I didn’t have to worry about a deductible or insurance forms. Finally the total amount on the bill came…$180. Most of that went to an H1N1 test that the doctor insisted since I was a foreigner visiting the country. The actual visit and consultation by the doctor was only $40. The basic lab tests were only $5 each (urinalysis, blood work, etc.).
Now, everyone is overworked about the H1N1 virus. I was appalled when I left the USA and Newsweek had picture of a pig’s snout sticking out of a pen. In reality, this virus may be more easily spread among people, but the strain is actually a low grade form of Influenza. When I met witht he doctor this morning for a checkup we actually discussed the virus. He had just given the previous week and presentation to the hospital staff on the H1N1 virus. Basically, the strain has been known for 30 years. It is not new, and it is not an extremely dangerous form. I still got checked. (Don’t read if you have a weak stomach.) The doctor took an 8 inch cotton swab and stuck it in my nasal cavity to swipe for mucous. Ouch and uncomfortable. Then he wanted to ease my symptons by hooking me up with a mask so that I could breath a mucous destroyer medication. Then the nurse took me to the sink to rinse vigorously my nasal cavity with saline solution. I havenot had this done before, so for me it was liberating and annoying at the same time.
I went home feeling a lot better. The H1N1 test was $105, so the rest of my exam was only $75, and this was without insurance. There is more to this story, keep reading. Friday afternoon I started getting severe abdominal cramps and pain. I woke up at 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning doubling over in pain. I took some medicine, but it didn’t seem to help. I couldn’t go back to sleep and with more pains coming, I decided that I should wake my family to take me to the emergency room (in a foreign country!). What are some stories you all have heard about foreign medical help? I also called Dr. Bill Johnston from AC so that he could alert the doctor and come for moral support.
Boy was I over reacting and being a baby. The private hospital was clean, not busy, and friendly. I was joined by 2 other patients in the emergency beds. The modern facilities and Spanish speaking people made me feel right at home in a hospital in Southern California, Las Vegas, or San Antonio. The intern doctors and nurse checked me out, took blood samples, and made other tests. I was there for about 2 hours. I thought I had appendicitis. They told me it was my diet!!! I haven’t been eating enough fiber and fruits while here. It makes sense in my family here. The girls have done well with a lot of fruit and fiber. My family’s diet consists of ham and cheese sandwiches on white toast in the morning and burritos or hot dogs for dinner. No problem. Since then, I have eaten less, consumed more fruits and vegetables, and took in more fiber.
The hospital was more than hospitable when I checked out. They allowed me to pay my bill with a credit card. For the lab work and doctor’s exam in the emergency room, my bill without insurance was $76. I can’t wait to come back here for my annual physical, plastic surgery, and root canals. It was so cheap.
I can now say with assurance that the medical facilities provided to our group are incredibly professional, clean, and helpful. Everyone should sleep soundly knowing that we will get the best treatments at low cost if anything should happen. They should also not be nervous. I have tried it and it is a great experience…not that you should try it, but you get the idea.
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