What I will miss....what I won't

Time seems to have gone by so rapidly. Justin and I can hardly believe how fast the last two months have flown. Already we're on the last leg of our trip, and I think we both feel we could easily spend a few more months here. With only a few days left before we head off to the Galapagos, I've been rather nostalgic about my time here. I've been brewing over this post for the past several days, so I hope you enjoy it (and forgive it's length).

Let's begin with the things I'll miss:
1.) The ADVENTURES :)
This is Justin ready to take on Ecuador in his dashing locally made hat. While I don't mean for the list to be exactly in order, I have to say that all the adventures we've been on have by far surpassed what I would have imagined. What fun it has been to pick a place from the guide book and without too much expense go off on a wild weekend vacation!
Whether it has been speeding dangerously down curvy truck-filled roads on bicycles or...
daring to climb to intimidating heights, we have seen and done it all. We still have a few adventures left here, and I will miss them dreadfully when we're gone.

2.) The FOOD
Have we mentioned the food? Maybe? Occasionally? While I can't say everything we've eaten has been amazing (see What I won't miss...below), pretty much the food here has been awesome.

Here's me eating yet another pizza, and yes, I ate the entire thing...in about five minutes. That incredible, just made, vegetable pizza cost a whopping $4.

And of course, the food on the coast was even cheaper and just as good. Shrimp caught that morning, patacones (fried plantain... a type of banana - difficult to explain but very good), and, of course, rice; all for $2.50.
And then there's the ice cream. Heaven.....on......earth. I'm quite sure that I have never had a chocolate ice cream cone as good as the three (ahemm) that I have had at Fruiteria Monserati in Old Town. Actually, I'm positive. How much did it cost? you ask. Sigh, a horribly expensive $1.30. Painful, really.
And finally, oh so sweetly, the Panaderias....on every corner...with freshly made, wonderful bread and pastries...for about 20 cents each. Oh, how I shall miss my Panaderias. Very, very much. What will I use to make my hot cheese sandwhiches for breakfast each morning? What about my occasional lunch of Pan de leche and a banana (all for 25 cents)?
What probably appeals to me the most about the food is the wonderful combination of flavor and price. I don't have to sacrifice my taste buds or rob the bank. Yes, I shall indeed miss the food.

3.) The SCENERY
Only in Ecuador do you have such an amazing range of Coast, Highlands and Rainforest.



I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. I only wish we had time to represent the Rainforest better. It's been like dining on fine wine every time we venture to a different city or place. I just can't seem to get enough. For such a small country (comparatively), Ecuador is rich indeed.

4.) Our work in the HOSPITALS
It's been all that we hoped it would be and more. The pediatricians have been so nice and so willing to teach that Justin and I both feel that we've had a valuable educational experience. Over the past few days we've been responsible for examining patients (children and adults alike) and reporting our findings back to the doctora. It thrills me to say that I'm now comfortable examining a patient, taking a history, coming up with a diagnosis and plan of treatment, and reporting all of this to the doctor.... in Spanish. No, it's not perfect, and perhaps it's not pretty. But I can do it. How exciting is that :)

5.) The CULTURE
In a land where you can actually tell exactly what town/village some people are from just by how they dress, Justin and I have both enjoyed our opportunities to interact or even just observe another culture...almost another world. Whether it's the elderly man riding his pack mule on the busy paved road, or the indigenous woman with her distinctive clothing, or the perfectly dressed young equatoriano professional...Ecuador is a wonderful place to see both old and new.

6.) Justin's RANDOM posts
Need I say more :)

7.) The sweet Downs Syndrome Guy at the gym
Every day I go to the gym he's on the stationary bike pedaling away enthusiastically. He always greets me with a smile....and a rather crumpled flower. These flowers he brings out of his sweat suit pocket. Why he's chosen to give them to me when I've never seen him give them to anyone else, I don't know, but I enjoy them all the same. I'll miss someone giving me a flower everyday when I'm back home.

Now for what I WON'T miss:

1.) Some really gross food groups
Such as cow intestine...
or SPINE!

2.) The WATER
'Nuff said

3.) The STARVING dogs
I thought about posting a picture of one of the starving dogs I've seen here, but it was just too heartbreaking, so I posted this picture of a sad-looking dog instead. While people in Ecuador are definitely taking steps to prevent malnutrition in their children, the dogs seem to have been forgotten. Dogs are near and dear to my heart, and to see them hurting or hungry absolutely breaks my heart. Some cities were worse than others, but all had many, many strays scrounging around for any scrap of food they could find. Just thinking about it is making me upset, so let's move on.

4.) The Roads
While I actually took this picture off the internet, it's fairly representative. There is no such thing as a relaxing car ride in Ecuador. Their "nice" roads have fewer potholes, but the effect is pretty much the same.

And with an Ecuatoriano driver at the wheel, the effect is something like this :)
The absence of shocks (having long since been beaten out) and the lack of any traffic regulation make any lengthy drive an experience in endurance.

5.) The Buses
Now, believe it or not, I actually appreciated the buses quite a bit. You definitely can't get around as easily or as cheaply as we did in the US. The buses gave us an enormous amount of freedom. But they also left you looking a bit shell-shocked (see above pic). When combined with the road and driving mentioned in number 4, complete with about 50 people and perhaps a car-sick kid or two (re the trip home from Mindo where Justin got to perch next to a vomiting tyke), it's not the greatest experience. There's no real resting and you definitely can't read to distract yourself (unless you have a stomach of iron), so you arrive at your destination pretty much exhausted.

6.) The DIRECTIONS!!!
Why, oh why, are Equatorianos incapable of giving accurate directions? This was not an experience unique to me and Justin. Every gringo we've encountered on this trip has lamented the same thing - hours spent travelling in circles, walking miles, taking five buses all because no one seems to really know how to get anywhere. (Perhaps this is another explanation for Latin American "time") . Three blocks could mean twenty, and not necesarily in the direction in which you were pointed. I have a few bald spots in the back of my head.

7.) And FINALLY!!!!!! The very last thing I'm not going to miss about Ecuador....(drum roll please)....

Our Short White Coats!!! Thursday was our very last day to wear them, and we made a video just for the occasion - enjoy :)