The Year is winding down

Sorry it´s been awhile since my last post. I feel like so much has happened since then but there isn´t much to tell.

We had another retreat the last weekend of April which marked our 9th month being in Ecuador. I had some time to relax on the beach and reflect on the first 9 months here and how I want to live out the last 3. The place we stayed was a beautiful retreat house perched on the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean, complete with a pool and a narrow path down to the beach.

A few things I reflected on that weekend were the incredible hospitality of the Ecuadorian people and the deep faith they have despite the suffering they´ve endured. I know that I have talked a lot about the hospitality before, but it is still shocking even after nine months of being here. Unfortunately I was not able to spend Mother´s Day with my own mother, but I did visit the houses of several families which treat me as one of their own. I have even been invited to the birthday parties of people that I have only talked to a few times, just because they were friends with volunteers in the past.

It´s interesting to hear what Ecuadorians think about hospitality in the US. A lot of people have asked me if it is true that Ecuadorians that go to the US get beat up on the streets. I tell them thats an exaggeration, but with some of the things that have happened over the last few years I can´t really tell them with confidence that they won´t be harrassed in our country, and it would be even less likely that they would actually be welcomed.

As I said earlier, I have met a lot of people here with incredible faith. There are a number of people who are discouraged and depressed by the conditions that they find themselves living in, but the majority seem to have a faith that no matter how bad things get, God will provide and will not abandon them. Among many families, there is a general hope that things will be better for their children than they were for them. Being a witness to this faith has been a humbling and inspiring experience.



These last few months, I have grown much closer to my Ecuadorian friends and neighbors. That is going to make it even harder to leave. I now have my departure date and flight reservations, which makes the fact that I am going to have to say goodbye that much more real. In addition to saying goodbye to all the friends I´ve met throughout this year, the patients at Damien House I´ve spent so much time with, the adorable kids from Semillas, I think I am also going to miss living in Latin America in general. Lively music is playing everywhere you go, people in general are very open, warm, friendly, and laid back. You can drive how you want without worrying about traffic laws, etc. Anyway, I still have a few months left so I´ll try to make the most of it.

A few other things

Last month I translated for another medical group. They were from New Hampshire and did knee replacement surgeries on adults. We have another group coming in early June which will be doing foot and hip surgeries on children.

Last weekend I went to Montañita, which is a small beach town that is very popular with international surfers. I don´t surf but still enjoyed the laid-back surfer boy atmosphere.

I will be leading my second student group next week. This group comes from John Carroll University in Ohio.

I think that is it for now, I hope everyone is safe at home, thanks for reading!