This was written by Hector Hurtado of the Guayaquil South Rotary Club.
“To be a Rotarian is a good thing. You have the opportunity to know very kind people and beyond, you have the chance to improve yourself as a person, helping others to have a better life.
"Last weekend, I feel excited looking at a Rotarian army arriving to “Hospital Universitario”. It was an army with weapons, but not for war, army for peace and for humanity.
"John Kenny, RI President, has challenged us to take the future of Rotary in our hands. We have assumed it and we will comply with it, because we are committed with service above self.
"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once says: “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think”. Medical mission Rotarians, welcome to Guayaquil, you honor our home and our land.”
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Policia, and Another Busy Day
Wednesday, November 11th...
The 4th day of the mission. Up and out at 8 am. Most of us were refreshed from our off day. When we arrived at the hospital, we were told that there were over 1000 people looking to get in for eye exams. The policia were called in to settle the crowds. The hospital complex is gated, so we are a good distance from the gate and not in harms way.
We worked efficiently today despite having less and less interpreters as the week goes on. It is a good thing we are learning our Spanish… although today even the interpreter had trouble with “nerve palsy”. I think we saw around 290 today including some interesting children. The people are very polite and appreciative.
Again we worked past 5 but were out a little earlier today. Many of us stayed in and ate at the hotel restaurant tonight.
The 4th day of the mission. Up and out at 8 am. Most of us were refreshed from our off day. When we arrived at the hospital, we were told that there were over 1000 people looking to get in for eye exams. The policia were called in to settle the crowds. The hospital complex is gated, so we are a good distance from the gate and not in harms way.
We worked efficiently today despite having less and less interpreters as the week goes on. It is a good thing we are learning our Spanish… although today even the interpreter had trouble with “nerve palsy”. I think we saw around 290 today including some interesting children. The people are very polite and appreciative.
Again we worked past 5 but were out a little earlier today. Many of us stayed in and ate at the hotel restaurant tonight.
The Guayaquil South Rotary Meeting…
The Guayaquil South Rotary Meeting…
Tuesday evening - off to the Rotary meeting. The Guayaquil South Rotary Club meeting is held at the Circulo Militar, an establishment for retired military….similar to our VFW. Guayaquil South has 19 members.
The meeting’s program was the visit from the District Governor (who we met at lunchtime). They graciously welcomed us. They began their meeting with robust singing of the Ecuador national anthem followed by speeches from various people including DG Connie, David and Hector from Harrisburg Keystone who organized the mission. Their District Governor gave a brief speech then it was time for dinner.
The first course was cold octopus and some other cold fish. Ralph and Ken ate theirs up but I had a hard time eating something with suckers on it. Merlot was served…and the glasses were kept full throughout the evening.
The main course was a generous piece of beef with a chocolate sauce and a side of quinoa. At first this beef/chocolate dish seemed odd, but the combination was delicious. The Merlot went brilliantly with it. I was glad I didn’t fill up with octopus! We found out later that the Rotary Club had flown in the chef of the President of Ecuador from Quito to prepare the meal.
Before dessert was served the entertainment began - an Ecuadorian folk band - Ganchozo -which played all authentic local instruments. The music was upbeat and delightful. Eventually, the good music and wine had almost everyone up and dancing. Ralph was a buzz saw! Ken has video proof. There was even a congo line… It was not the kind of Rotary meeting we are used to! We finally loaded back into the busses and returned to the hotel by 11 pm. It was a fantastic evening!
A Highlight, While in Some Low-Light
Tuesday November 10th…
A day off! We began our day with a walk along the revitalized Guayaquil waterfront, known as Malacon 2000. Many beautiful sights, monuments, gardens etc. The Rio Guayas (Guayas River) is interesting in that the current flows one way with approaching high tide and flows the opposite way with approaching low tide.
Later in the morning we were supposed to meet with the Mayor of Guayaquil, but he was out-of-town so we met with the vice-mayor. The Rotary District Governor for Ecuador (one DG for the whole country) was also there. Many speeches, some in just Spanish and some in both Spanish and English. The highlight was Miss Guayaquil who posed for pictures with many of the Rotarians.
Ecuador has major power issues right now because they rely mainly on hydroelectric power. The rainy season has yet to start so there appears to be rolling brown outs. Traffic lights are often out in different parts of the city which backs up traffic. It was a little annoying in city hall as the lights kept pulsing brighter and dimmer.
We had lunch at the Yacht Club on the Rio Guayas which lasted until past 2:30. Many of the Guayaquil South Rotarians joined us. We were then off to Cerro Santa Ana, a large hill with a lighthouse and chapel on top and 490 steps to climb up. We all made it up eventually to the top of the lighthouse for a fantastic view. Then we went to the handcraft market for some serious haggling and shopping.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Today's Message Brought to You By the Letter "C"
Monday November 9th…
The 3rd day of the mission was just as busy as the others. 295 patients seen by the eye team today brings us up to around 800 total . For the 3rd day in a row, our efforts to finish by 5:00 were thwarted by the great demand. We finished around 6:20 today and were totally exhausted.
We helped some people with very high prescription to get glasses. We are seeing all ages on this mission and have had typically 10-15 each day that are in need of surgery, especially for cataracts. The sun exposure in equatorial areas plays a much more damaging role than in our latitude. Fortunately, we were able to bring along trunks of donated sunglasses to give away. Patients needing surgery are being recorded and we are hoping that arrangements will be made through the local hospital.
I also saw one of the worse eye infections I’ve seen in my career today. I treated her with our top-of-the-line antibiotics drops. Unfortunately, I expect her eye to be permanently scarred. She did have decent vision in her other eye.
There are 30 Rotarians staying in our hotel from Ontario Canada here on a wheelchair distribution mission. It is a small world when you are a Rotarian!
Spanish lesson - The “C” on the shower faucet stands for “caliente”, not “cold”. Katya found out the hard way!
Dinner tonight was at our hotel…a lovely restaurant called the 1822 Restaurant commemorating when Simon Bolivar came to Guayaquil to form his alliance. Excellent food and great conversation with Dr. Bob, Kay, and District Governor Connie recounting interesting aspects of past missions including varied "restroom" accommodations. Many belly laughs! Tomorrow we have an off day for sightseeing and the local Rotary meeting.
The 3rd day of the mission was just as busy as the others. 295 patients seen by the eye team today brings us up to around 800 total . For the 3rd day in a row, our efforts to finish by 5:00 were thwarted by the great demand. We finished around 6:20 today and were totally exhausted.
We helped some people with very high prescription to get glasses. We are seeing all ages on this mission and have had typically 10-15 each day that are in need of surgery, especially for cataracts. The sun exposure in equatorial areas plays a much more damaging role than in our latitude. Fortunately, we were able to bring along trunks of donated sunglasses to give away. Patients needing surgery are being recorded and we are hoping that arrangements will be made through the local hospital.
I also saw one of the worse eye infections I’ve seen in my career today. I treated her with our top-of-the-line antibiotics drops. Unfortunately, I expect her eye to be permanently scarred. She did have decent vision in her other eye.
There are 30 Rotarians staying in our hotel from Ontario Canada here on a wheelchair distribution mission. It is a small world when you are a Rotarian!
Spanish lesson - The “C” on the shower faucet stands for “caliente”, not “cold”. Katya found out the hard way!
Dinner tonight was at our hotel…a lovely restaurant called the 1822 Restaurant commemorating when Simon Bolivar came to Guayaquil to form his alliance. Excellent food and great conversation with Dr. Bob, Kay, and District Governor Connie recounting interesting aspects of past missions including varied "restroom" accommodations. Many belly laughs! Tomorrow we have an off day for sightseeing and the local Rotary meeting.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Incredibly Productive Day
Sunday November 8th…
The second day of the mission. We were on the bus at 8am and at the clinic by 9. We were better organized today in terms of clinic flow. Less interpreters but our Spanish is getting better. Everyone stayed extremely busy all day. The eye team saw 314 patients today. In 2 days we have served 519 people… over half of the intended 1000 for the week.
The dental team had a slow day yesterday, so they split up and half of the team went into the villages to see if they could find more patients to help. Apparently this was successful as both the split teams had productive days.
Another enjoyable dinner as 13 of us walked to a steakhouse in the city. While the restaurant is known for it’s steak, Ralph’s grilled sea bass looked awesome! Now I’m enjoying watching the Eagles vs. Cowboys on Sunday night football.
The second day of the mission. We were on the bus at 8am and at the clinic by 9. We were better organized today in terms of clinic flow. Less interpreters but our Spanish is getting better. Everyone stayed extremely busy all day. The eye team saw 314 patients today. In 2 days we have served 519 people… over half of the intended 1000 for the week. 
The dental team had a slow day yesterday, so they split up and half of the team went into the villages to see if they could find more patients to help. Apparently this was successful as both the split teams had productive days.Another enjoyable dinner as 13 of us walked to a steakhouse in the city. While the restaurant is known for it’s steak, Ralph’s grilled sea bass looked awesome! Now I’m enjoying watching the Eagles vs. Cowboys on Sunday night football.
Off to a Great Start
Saturday November 7th…
First day of the mission. Up and out by 9 am this morning. (We got an extra hour to sleep in due to our late arrival). Wonderful breakfast in the hotel with fresh pineapple, guava juice, eggs and pancakes, and very good coffee.
We had an hour drive to University of Guayaqul Hospital which included a switch of busses alongside the roadway when our bus broke down. We had a very warm greeting by the local Rotarians - they all lined up a shook everyone’s hand. It took us about an hour to get the clinic setup and our equipment unpacked.
Once we were up and running, Ralph, Ken, Ken’s daughter Andria, and Joe’s daughter Katy were in the visual acuity testing area. Joe was in the eye health evaluation area all day. We have 6 optometrists from Denmark on the mission. The Danish eye docs refract but they aren’t medically trained like American optometrists.
Today we saw 205 people - mostly adults but some children. Many needed glasses, especially reading glasses for the over-40-year-old people. The people were extremely appreciative and showed their gratitude with handshakes. Dr. Amy even got hugs and kisses.
We worked past 6 pm since we had a late start and were quite exhausted by the end of the day. I hear we had people lined up outside for a long distance. Many had to be told to come back tomorrow.
We got back to our hotel around 7pm. 14 of us, including the Etown group, walked a couple of blocks to La Canoa for Ecuadorian cuisine. Sea bass, fried plantains, and Ecuadorian cerveza were some of the items consumed. Our walk back took us through a park inhabited by large iguanas who were sleeping in the trees.
First day of the mission. Up and out by 9 am this morning. (We got an extra hour to sleep in due to our late arrival). Wonderful breakfast in the hotel with fresh pineapple, guava juice, eggs and pancakes, and very good coffee.
We had an hour drive to University of Guayaqul Hospital which included a switch of busses alongside the roadway when our bus broke down. We had a very warm greeting by the local Rotarians - they all lined up a shook everyone’s hand. It took us about an hour to get the clinic setup and our equipment unpacked.
Once we were up and running, Ralph, Ken, Ken’s daughter Andria, and Joe’s daughter Katy were in the visual acuity testing area. Joe was in the eye health evaluation area all day. We have 6 optometrists from Denmark on the mission. The Danish eye docs refract but they aren’t medically trained like American optometrists.
Today we saw 205 people - mostly adults but some children. Many needed glasses, especially reading glasses for the over-40-year-old people. The people were extremely appreciative and showed their gratitude with handshakes. Dr. Amy even got hugs and kisses.
We worked past 6 pm since we had a late start and were quite exhausted by the end of the day. I hear we had people lined up outside for a long distance. Many had to be told to come back tomorrow.We got back to our hotel around 7pm. 14 of us, including the Etown group, walked a couple of blocks to La Canoa for Ecuadorian cuisine. Sea bass, fried plantains, and Ecuadorian cerveza were some of the items consumed. Our walk back took us through a park inhabited by large iguanas who were sleeping in the trees.
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