Transitions

So, I guess I didn't do the greatest job at keeping up with this blog, but now that life is somewhat under control these days, I thought I'd give this blog a little more life :)

I understand that this is extremely tardy, but just for completions sake, I'll briefly explain my last couple of days in Ecuador.  My last four days in Quito were basically spent completing my Ecuadorian to-do list.  I spent most of my time in the Centro Historico, exploring every nook and cranny of the streets, churches, and museums.  I finally embarked on my climb to the top of the picturesque Basilica!  I can say, however, the most exciting point of the last week was my trip to Cotopaxi, one of the tallest active volcanos in the world.  My fellow dental program friend Jean and I rode with Dr. Ortiz and his assistant to Cotopaxi National Park, then made our hour ride through rough Ecuadorian terrain to the base of the volcán.  After downing some té de coco for the altitude, and embarking on the toughest hike I have ever done, we made it to the Refugio--15,780 feet up!  This was as as far as we could go without having a guide and/or ice picks, so we stopped here.  As we started our decent, it began to snow!  My Southern blood never thought it'd see snow in late June, especially in tropical South America!  On our way back to Quito, Dr. Ortiz's car decided it just couldn't take the rough terrain anymore, and it broke down in a little pueblo about an hour from town.  After waiting a while for a tow truck, it finally came with another nice surprise--we get a ride back to town, in the car that was being towed on top of the truck!  Only in Ecuador!

Two days later, I was leaving Quito on 3 hours of sleep and the hope of seeing my family that night.  However, traveling almost never goes as planned!  Quito to Guayaquil was smooth sailing;  I was on a plane with a group of elementary school students on their way to the Galapagos...que linda!  However, during my short layover in Guayaquil, my name was surprisingly called over the airport's sound system.  I was led underneath the hanger so that they could search my baggage...so weird.  Maybe it was because I was from Quito?  I still don't know.  After being told "tienes una voz de un ángel" by the nice but slightly creepy Ecuadorian on my flight from Guayaquil to Miami, going through US homeland security, customs, re-checking my baggage, going through the security check, and finally making it to my next flight gate with coffee in hand, I received a text that my flight to Birmingham was cancelled.  What?!?!  After debating with the American Airlines workers, thinking they booked me a flight with Delta to Atlanta, literally running through the airport to a different terminal like a mad woman, finding out they didn't really book me a flight, having to find my baggage again because I thought it was now in Atlanta, and breaking down because I thought I was going to have to go another day without a shower while sleeping in an airport, I finally wound up at the AA counter.  Praise the Lord for his sovereignty, because at that moment, I spotted my friends Haley and Lucas, who were on the same cancelled flight coming back from Haiti!  AA promptly put us up in a hotel for the night, gave us free meals, and I even made some new friends, who were coming back from Haiti, Peru, and the Bahamas.  I was finally reunited with Nate and my family a day later than expected, but clean and well rested :)

July and August were spent wedding planning, job searching, enjoying the warmth of the summer, GRADUATING (!!!), and celebrating the wedding of my future sister-in-law!  I am now well into my master's program, which I love--epidemiology and global health.  Transitions to living and going to school in Birmingham have been challenging, but the Lord has really guided both me and Nate through every step.  I'm looking forward to soaking in every second of the next 7 months and 22 days until we are married!

On my ascent to the top of the Basilica

We made it...a snowy 15,780 feet up!

The views of Quito on our last-day hike

Graduation!

Love,

Courtney

La Última Semana

The countdown is on:  I officially have four full days left in Quito before I embark on my 12-hour adventure back to sweet home Alabama.  It's kinda surreal to think about going back home;  no dinners with Rosita and my 6-9 roommates (depending on the day), no taking the claustrophobic Metrobús to clinic, no more suctioning large amounts of spit and/or blood out of curious Ecuadorian mouths, no more crazy karaoke sessions riding with Dr. Ortiz, no more panaderías / fruterías (what am I gonna do?!), and no more Spanish immersion.  Life as I have known it this past month will cease to exist.  Even though certain times in my life have ended before (Pine Cove and undergrad at UA immediately come to mind), it's still hard to find a balance between the excitement of being comfortable back home and leaving something so beautiful behind forever.

Last week, we visited El Mitad del Mundo (for my non-Spanish speaking readers, the Equator!) after clinic one afternoon.  Yes, it is a huge tourist trap, but it's pretty much a necessity to take a picture straddling the northern and southern hemisphere.  So, we did just that :)  The actual Mitad del Mundo monument was found to be incorrect after GPS technology came around, but it was still fun visiting.

Right as we got to the monument, it started pouring down rain!  But, as I have learned, the weather here changes by the minute, and 10 minutes later, it was beautiful. 

Amigas!

After getting the touristy part out of the way, we set off to find the REAL equator, which is about 240 meters to the north, but not before getting literally attacked by llamas in la plaza del toros (bull ring).

Scary.  For real.

Anyway, we found el Museo de Inty-Nan and finally were able to straddle the REAL equator, proved by GPS technology and various water-draining and egg-balancing demonstrations.

Straddling the real equator!

It really is so beautiful here.

The rest of the week was spent bargaining at the Mariscal market here in Quito, trying cuy (it's so good!), browsing around various museums, and just taking in the city.  For clinic, I'm back at Seguridad Social;  even though the 5:30 AM mornings come early here, I am so glad to be back...it's my favorite clinic.  I have three days left in the clinic, so I'm trying to take in as much as possible, which is incredibly easy with the doctors and assistants I observe.  They make me feel like a part of them...I have even been talked to by the patients as if I were from Quito!  I feel like I really know this city, inside and out.  In the mornings, I am a part of the personal lives of Ecuadorians;  in the afternoons, I'm another gringo tourist.  I have seen both sides of life here.  What an incredible experience, and I still have four more days :)

Un abrazo muy fuerte,

Courtney

Past Halfway

This past Saturday was the halfway point in my Ecuadorian adventure.  Honestly, it feels like I've been here for forever, and I can't imagine having two more weeks in South America.  On the other hand, I feel like these next two weeks are going to fly by.  I'm ready to be home to see family, friends, and especially Nate, but I know that the Lord has me here for a purpose;  a purpose that I am still searching for.

So, this past Friday afternoon, me, Sam, Jenn, and Cameron braved the public bus system and traveled 2.5 hours away from Quito to a town called Otavalo.  It was the most traditional Ecuadorian town we had visited yet, with an extremely large population of indigenous people.  It is also famous for its Saturday artisan and animal markets.  We arrived and found our hostel, Hostel Chasqui, at sunset.  Luckily, our hostel was on the side of the mountain and had an AMAZING view of the city at dusk.

We asked the owner of our hostel, Roberto, what the best dinner restaurant was, and he told us "Taco Bello!"  And yes, it is in fact pronounced like Taco Bell.  We were pleasantly surprised that it was incredibly fresh and incredibly delicious...and only $2!  The town basically shut down at 8 PM, so we got a good night's sleep and awoke early to get to the famous animal market.  Little did we know what awaited us!  It was insanely overwhelming and crowded with a TON of animals!  We were watching where we walked so we wouldn't step in poop, and trying not to get attacked by wild hogs, and trying to avoid all the chickens flapping around everywhere!  It was an amazing, truly Ecuadorian experience that I will never forget!

Indigenous women holding "cuy"--guinea pig!  An Ecuadorian delicacy!

We then made our way up to the artisan market, where we haggled over alpaca, leather goods, and artwork.  Apparently, I am a fierce bargainer and I feel like I walked away with some pretty good stuff :)  Afterwards, we rewarded ourselves with some helado de paila (kettle ice cream) y fruta...the most AMAZING dessert ever...and kinda healthy as well!  I also found a new fruit that I love...guanábana!

We then took a short taxi ride up one of the mountains to the Cascada de Peguche...so beautiful.

After that, we just had a very late lunch at a cute, outdoor place called Green Cafe, then caught the bus back.  The next day, we got up and took another 2 hour bus to a nearby village called Mindo.  This is an extremely small town in the Amazonian cloud forest known for its amazing diversity of butterflies and birds.  It's also a great place to go canopying, which is exactly what we did after hopping on a chiva bus to go up the mountain...typical Ecuador!

Doing the "Superwoman" with one of our guides!

Canopying was AMAZING.  Zipping through and over the Amazon forest, hundreds of feet in the air, is unlike anything I have ever experienced.  I was so overtaken by the vastness of it all, and the strength of creativity the Lord must have.  Que beleza!  Afterwards, we went to a coffee plantation and tried some famous Ecuadorian coffee.  We were expecting this huge touristy experience, but it was just a house of the side of the road with three people sitting outside just drinking coffee...they told us just to go look around their backyard plantation, with coffee they ship all over the world!  What did we expect in a town with one paved road?  What a neat surprise!

Coffee beans...yum!

We then went to a local juice bar, and ended up staying there for a long time, just talking to the owners.  One was from Uruguay and one was from Portugal.  It's so neat the people you encounter while traveling.  Everyone has a story to tell, and they are usually eager to tell it to you.

Sam, Jenn, and me at the Juice Bar

These past two days, I have been at a new, private clinic that specializes in orthodontics.  I do like the change of scenery, but I also miss the Social Security Clinic.  I'll be back there for my last week here, though.  Today after clinic, we visited El Mitad del Mundo...the Equator!  I'll save that for my next post, though.

"Y a Aquel ques es poderoso para hacer todas las cosas mucho más abundantemente de lo que pedimos o entendemos, según el poder que actúa en nosotros, a él sea gloria..."

Efesios 3:20-21

Un abrazo fuerte,

Courtney

Week thus far...

So, this has been a pretty normal week...no trekking through the Andes, no climbing down waterfalls, etc, etc.  Clinic, class, clinic, class.  I really like working at the Seguridad Social Clinic here in Quito.  It's in the Centro Historico, the oldest and most historic part of Quito.  I've been helping a lot with wisdom teeth removal this week, in addition to viewing a lot of endodontic procedures, and observing the pediatric dentist (which I love!).  The people at the clinic are so great to me, and it makes it that much easier to get over the language barrier and really just learn.  I'm supposed to observe from 7-11, but the patient stream usually ends about 10:30, so the dentists have been taking me around the Centro Historico and out to lunch!  I have discovered my favorite postre (dessert) in Quito...quimbolitas!  They are a type of sweet tamale with raisins.  Since the dentists usually pick my lunch for me, I ended up eating pig skin ceviche (cold soup) yesterday;  it was so, so good, except for the bits of pig skin.  I ended up giving them to Dr. Ortiz after he noticed me picking around them :)

Also, last night we decided to be cultural and go to Teatro Sucre to see a play.  We didn't really know what was showing, but we ended up seeing a show about two clowns who were homeless.  It was an interesting mix of humor and sadness...I'm not really sure about how I felt about it, but I'm glad I experienced some sort of artistic culture from Ecuador (specifically, Guayaquil).  I'm hoping next week to attend the Ecuadorian Ballet, which I've heard was so great!  Tomorrow, some of my amigas and I are going to a town about two and a half hours away called Otavalo.  Otavalo is famous for having the largest market in Ecuador, so let me know if you want a souvenir!  We're staying there until Saturday night, coming back to Quito, then leaving Sunday morning for a nearby town called Mindo.  This is a town in the cloud forest, so we'll planning on going ziplining!  It'll be the perfect end to a hard week's work.

Class at El Parque Carolina

Estatua del Plaza Independencia

Un abrazo fuerte,
Courtney

El fin de Semana en Baños

What. A. Weekend.

Friday, I opted out of clinic for a tour of the city.  We went to three important places:  La Libertad, La Virgen del Panecillo, and El Parque Itchimbia.  La Libertad was just another lookout point of the city, and a war museum from the Battle of Pinchincha.  We didn't go to the museum, but the view of course was gorgeous, as is everything here!

La Virgen was so fantastic up close and personal...the statue is just insanely gorgeous and huge.  Pictures just do not do justice.

Then, we went to the same park I visited the day before, El Parque Itchimbia.  It very well might be my favorite spot in Quito...one day in the near future, I would love to visit it at night.  Of course, I had to take a jumping picture with Nicole and Jean :)

After our tour (and waiting in traffic for 45 minutes), we had to rush back to our homes to pack for a weekend in Baños!  Baños is a town about 4 hours away from Quito, known for its natural, hot-water baths, cane-sugar taffy, beautiful scenery, and ecotourism.  The drive there was amazing;  Ecuador is seriously one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen.  The next task was finding the hostel that my host mom recommend, Llanovientos.  This was my first time staying at a hostel, and it was not sketch at all!  In fact, it was nicer than some hotels where I've stayed.  The night we got there, we had a nice dinner and checked out a local salsa club, then got to bed pretty early for our huge day on Saturday.  We woke up, had a great breakfast, then decided to go canyoning and biking!  Canyoning was AMAZING.  We climbed down 5 waterfalls in total, ranging from 8 meters (27 feet) to 34 meters (112 feet)!  It was such a fantastic experience.  

Afterward, we had our bikes brought to us at the bottom of all the falls, and we biked 12 kilometers (8 miles) through the Andes to views about 8 waterfalls.  Well, this was quite the adventure for many reasons:  1. It was pouring down rain.  2. We were biking on the road, and Ecuadorian drivers are crazyyyy.  3.  We only saw one waterfall.  4.  We all just hopped on a bus at our destination to take us back to Baños...not okay in los Estados Unidos.  But overall, it was SO fun!

After getting cleaned up, we had an AMAZING dinner at this restaurant named Casa Hood.  It was so hip, and had the most amazing chai tea I have ever tasted!  It was the perfect warm and cozy restaurant with a fireplace and a library after a long, tiring, cold day.  We then walked to the "Agua Santa" to try out the hot baths, but honestly, it was so gross.  Lotsa old men stewing in a place that looked like the hot tub in the locker room at the Y...not okay.  It's called "Agua Santa," because someone claimed that they saw the Virgin in the waterfall at some point in time.  Therefore, it's now deemed "healing waters" and people come from all over to drink it...they even sell it bottled!  We ended up bartering for a bus to take us up the mountain to this place called Cafe del Cielo, so we could use their 5-star jacuzzis...best decision yet.  The next day, we took a quick trip to the market in town, and then came back to Quito.

Prayers for this week...exhaustion.  I am so tired, and want to have the strength to keep on initiating and not staying in my bubble.  I also want my quiet times to be something enjoyable, not just another check off the list in the mornings or evenings.  Waking up at 5:30 AM after full days is just plain hard.

Can't wait to see everyone back in the States!

Los amo a todos,

Courtney

Una Gran Vista

I have absolutely loved my first week in Quito.  There have been some rough spots, but overall, I am incredibly glad to be here!

Starting from where I left off, we had another day of Spanish classes on Tuesday from 8-4:30, and then one of my roommates Jean and I met the dentist we'll be working under for the rest of the month, Dr. Ortiz.  It was a little frustrating, because he spoke no English whatsoever, and we are just conversational in Spanish.  But, it all worked out.  We learned that there are three sectors of dentistry in Quito--public, private, and Social Security.  Jean worked in the private sector this week, while I worked in the Social Security sector.  So far, I've assisted with a couple of general procedures.  I've been able to assist with wisdom teeth (muelas del jucio) removal and taking the stitches out of a patient's mouth that had his wisdom teeth removed the week before...what a learning experience!  It was so surprising to me how similar the clinics are to the ones in the States, but then again, Quito is a very modern, cosmopolitan city. Proof:  I heard N*Sync on the clinic radio today.  If that's not modern, I don't know what is... :)

Since rotations have begun, I'll go to the clinics in the morning (I get picked up at 6:30 AM...ahh!), then class in the afternoon with the rest of the CFHI students.  Yesterday, we were able to take merengue y salsa lessons after class;  much to my surprise, it turned into an intense aerobic workout, complete with a teacher straight from the '80s!  So fun.  So hilarious.  Then, we all took our newly found dance skills to la discoteca in a pretty touristy area called Mariscal last night...que divertido!

Tomorrow, we're going on another tour of the city, then leaving for a city called Baños for the weekend. Baños in this case is translated "baths," because the city is famous for their hot springs;  it also has biking, hiking, and white water rafting...basically an outdoor lover's dream!

Dr. Ortiz has taken a liking to ending our rotations half an hour early to show me around the city...so, I have some great pictures!

Que belleza...one block from my house

In the upper right is Cotopaxi, one of the tallest active volcanos in the world

La Basilica

Vista del Parque Itchimbia

La ciudad de Quito!  You can see La Virgen de Panecillo in the left

La Virgen de Panecillo

La Valle, a view from the other side of the mountain

Un abrazo muy fuerte,

Courtney

Quito, Finalmente!

I am finally here in Quito!  My journey so far has been exhausting, but I absolutely love being in South America, and hearing Spanish all the time!  Everything here is just SO different than in the States...I guess I can start from the beginning.  I had such good luck with my plane rides, and on the one to Quito, I sat by a girl who is here studying from Oregon.  There were a ton of students on the plane here.  Also, the altitude here is no joke.  The minute I got off the plane, I could feel that I was 10,000 feet above sea level.  My head hurt, and I had trouble breathing when I went to sleep, but other than that, I am adjusting well!  Customs went perfectamente, and my luggage was right where it was supposed to be!  Two other students and I were picked up from the airport, and taken to our host homes.  I am staying with Rosita, the director of the language school where I am studying, her daughter Pricila, five girls in my program, and two guys in my program.  Oh, and a super cute dog, Winni :) Needless to say, mealtimes are always exciting!

Yesterday, my first day here, we had orientation and a placement test in the morning.  For lunch, we went to a local market and had fish, rice, tomato and onion salsa, fried yuca, and grapefruit juice...it was one of the best meals I had ever had...for $2!  Que rico!  Then, we went on a walking tour of the city and learned the bus systems (el Trole) on the way.  On one bus, there was a mariachi band playing in the middle of everyone!  Our profesores, Luis y Jorge, told us that it's very normal, like the subway performers in NYC.  We also learned that the weather here changes almost hourly.  It could be nice and sunny in the morning, but by noon, it could be raining and cloudy.  Lesson learned:  always carry a rainjacket.  We were all exhausted by the end of the day.

Today, we had Spanish classes from 8-4:30, and we will have the same tomorrow to ready ourselves for the clinics on Wednesday.  Since there are only two students in the dental program (including myself), we were told that the dentist would pick us up from our homestay, and bring us back home in the afternoon...tenemos buena suerte!  The locals (los quiteños) have a very nice temperament, and that has made things so nice, being a gringo and all.

Just a couple of pictures to share!  I'll put more on my Facebook...

This is right outside my door...the morning views are just gorgeous!  The volcano is Pichincha.

Intersection of Villalengua and Ave. Americas...the bottom of the main street that I live on, and a major street in the city of Quito.

Pichincha, an active volcano from Ave. Agosto...about 2 blocks from my school.  The field that you see is a fútbol field for a high school for gringos only...weird.

Mi cuarto!

La mesa en la casa de Rosita

The living room, and some of my compañeros de casa

Un abrazo fuerte,
Courtney

Here I go again...

So, I never thought I'd be back to the blogging world after keeping up a LiveJournal for 3 out of my 4 years of high school, but here I am!

2011 has been such an exciting and trail-blazing year thus far, and I think it's only appropriate to keep a blog so I can remember it all, especially this next year coming up.  This is a quick little catch up...

January 1, 2011

Nate asked me to marry him!  I'll be Mrs. Williams this upcoming May 6, 2012, and it cannot get here soon enough!

April 27, 2011

An EF-4 tornado ripped through my town, Tuscaloosa, AL, destroying friends homes, wiping out entire neighborhoods, killing 42 people, and pushing back my graduation to this August.  My heart is still there.  T-Town, never down.

June 4, 2011 (tomorrow!)

I leave for Quito, Ecuador to volunteer at a dental clinic and to take a couple more Spanish classes.  This will be my first time to South America, and I'm so pumped to start this fantastic journey!

I'm gonna try to update as much as possible and post a TON of pictures!  I'm so thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in such a beautiful place, and my prayer is that the Lord can use this trip as a kind of spiritual renewal to get my focus off of myself and onto others.  Lately, I've had so much to think about--wedding plans, the city of Tuscaloosa, my masters program, graduation in August, future job opportunities--that I just want time away from myself to focus on the Lord and his will for me in Quito.  I pray that in the month I have there, I will be able to build true relationships with people and be "todo allí" (all there), not just missing my family and friends.

Next post:  Quito!

Un abrazo muy fuerte,

Courtney