Spring Break – Part I: Iowa

One of the classic aspects of the Manna Project International model is the fact that we host university spring break groups. Our first group came for nine days in February from the University of Iowa Medical School. I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with behavior and work ethic of this group, not to mention the extreme joy and humor they brought to the Manna house. I have to admit that I was slightly worried how a group of students from Iowa would be able to handle life in Ecuador, but Abbie and I (the MPI group leaders for this trip) never ceased to impressed by these students.

As these are all medical students, their principal project involved volunteering in local hospitals. We focused our efforts at three major urban hospitals in Quito: Hospital Tierra Nueva, Hospital Eugenio Espejo, and the Isidro Ayora Maternity Hosital. The first of these hospitals is actually private, but they are famous throughout the region for their quality of service as well as their affordability. Insurance through this hospital is a mere $3.00 a month, with which patients receive medical attention considerably superior to that which is provided in the public hospitals at comparable prices. Though this is a small hospital, they do their best to provide as many services as possible to local Quiteños. I get the impression that are students all thoroughly enjoyed their experiences at this hospital, being provided the opportunity to observe and assist in the Emergency Room, Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychology, Physical Therapy, Radiology, Dentistry, Obstetrics, and General Hospitalization.

The other two hospitals are large public hospitals that serve thousands of patients a day. Espejo is a specialist hospital located in one of the tallest buildings in Quito with just about every possible speciality available in Ecuador at an extremely low-cost. The Maternity Hopsital is also public and, due to its clientele, is a very exciting place to care for mothers and babies. Because so many of these mothers cannot afford quality pre-natal medical attention for themselves and their children, many babies are not born fully healthy and immediately have to go into intensive care. Although several of our medical students are not planning on going into maternity care and obstetrics, I think they really appreciated the experience of understanding just what it takes to bring life into this world.

With each trip we provide a weekend excursion that serves two primary purposes: (1) relaxation and diversion after a strenuous week of work and (2) a chance to reflect upon and evaluate the experiences gained and knowledge learned during the week. Iowa chose to take their excursion to Volcán Cotopaxi, a majestic glacier-capped volcano towering above Quito at 5897 meters (19,460 feet). What most of the group chose to do was drive up to 4500 meters and bike downhill some 28 kilometers through Cotopaxi National Park. I have to say that this was a great bike road surrounding by the amazing scenery of Volcán Cotopaxi, Volcán Rumiñahui, and the Limpiopungo Valley filled with Andean grassland and wild horses and llamas.

Fortunately for me, two students chose to not only ride bikes down the mountain, but also attempt to summit the mountain. Because we are so close to the equator, this climb must be done during the night; therefore we woke up at 11:45pm the previous night to complete this climb. We were on the trail by 12:45am and continued the climb, complete with gaiters, boots, ropes, and ice axes, for the next five hours. With about 25 people leaving the refuge together between 12:45 and 1:00, I was the first person (of only nine) to reach the summit just at sunrise at 6:00am. I will not deny that this is one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but I would not have been able to accomplish it without my guide. He did an incredible job of setting a very, very slow pace, but a pace which required minimal breaks. Although I have never walked on such a steep slope for such a long time, I never felt excessively tired or too sick to stop moving and I attribute this to the pace that my guide set for me. I will always remember what it felt like to reach the top: the view, of course, is breathtaking, but more than anything, you just feel like you are on top of the world. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but after completing a climb like this, one really feels like he or she can do anything.

I have included several pictures from the week here, but the entire album (along with pictures from the Carnaval parade) can be found by clicking here. Oh, by the way, did I mention that I did this on my birthday. Yes, I had a great birthday topped off by a night of dancing with my MPI Program Director friends and new-found friends from Iowa. I actually made it to the point of being awake for all 1440 minutes of my birthday (midnight to midnight)!