2 weeks in Otavalo

We have just returned back to Quito after spending the last couple weeks in and around Otavalo, a smaller town about 2 hours north of Quito. We saw and experienced all sorts of different things, many involving the indigenous culture and lifestyle in the high mountains of Ecuador. A brief laundry list of activities:

-Visiting the Otavalo crafts market - reportedly one of the biggest of its kind in all of South America. Countless indigenous families from all over the area arrive in Otavalo every Saturday to sell different products, ranging from every imaginable wool or alpaca woven product, to wood and jade carvings, paintings, jewelry, musical instruments, purses, swords, traditional pipes, hammocks...you name it.

-Visiting various clinics and hospitals in the area to observe and recognize the different models of delivering healthcare. The most interesting was the Jambi Huasi Clinic where, under one roof, is a traditional healer (much like a Shaman), a traditional partera (midwife), a healer that uses guinea pigs to make diagnoses, and Western type doctors such as pediatricians, obstetricians, dentists, internal medicine, and family practice.

-Visiting the homes and shops of traditional craftsmen, artesans, and musicians. We were able to see how these people make their products, view private musical performances, see a curandero (traditional healer) perform a cleansing ceremony on one of the students, and get a glimpse at life in a traditional setting.

-Setting up several health brigades where we would see and treat as many patients as possible. This was challenging due to the language barriers (not only Spanish, but many of the older generation there only speaks the native Quichua language), but also because of our limited knowledge of medicine as first year medical students. Also, our treatment options were limited due to the small selection of medications that we had brought with us. Nonetheless, it was a very rewarding and growing experience.

-30+ of us participated in a Temezcal ceremony - a traditional spiritual ritual involving a sweat lodge. It was an experience that can not really be described adequately in words...extremely profound, a bit scary, very moving, unforgettable. If you want to learn more details, I am sure that searching for Temezcal on Google will yield some educational and interesting sites.

And of course, much much more. We have a day and a half to recuperate here in Quito, and then we leave for the rainforest Sunday morning. We will spend 4 days there, return to Quito on Thursday, and the program ends on Friday. Time is flying by, which is alright with me. I am really enjoying my time here, but I will be ready to return to the states when the time comes.

Note: Sorry for the lack of pictures, blogger does not feel like letting me upload any lately.