Today was my first time in a foreign hospital, and it was not what I expected at all. The hospital we visited was a level one hospital, which is the lowest level. This means that they don’t do any major surgery’s there. We got to see a delivery room, an immunization room, and some other offices. It was much smaller than I expected it to be. Most hospitals in the United States are very large, but this was only one floor, and part of it opened to the outside. The inside of the hospital also looked very different. Instead of have comfy chairs, televisions, and magazines to read in the waiting room, they just had plastic chairs. There were no bright pictures on the walls. Since the government owns this hospital, everything is free; seeing a doctor is free and all medication is free. This was a very surprising fact to hear since health care is so expensive in the United States. I wonder if health care was more easily available in the United States if Americans would have a longer life span. In general, the hospital didn’t look nearly as advanced as the ones in the United States. But, the life expectancy rate in Ecuador is only 2 years younger than that of the United States. Judging by how the hospital looked, I would have assumed it be much lower. Today in class I learned about the traditional and modern medicine that is used in Ecuador. Since tradition is so special to the people of Ecuador, many apt for the holistic or traditional approach to medicine. This includes using a lot of herbs to cure sicknesses instead of medicine. Although this method might be effective for small sicknesses like a headache or a stomachache, it is not effective for more advanced sicknesses. Sometimes modern medicine is the most effective way. But, many indigenous people do not believe in modern medicine. This sometimes makes it difficult to treat them. Aside from visiting the hospital, I also had a cooking lesson today. We made fresh tomato juice, meat, potato soup, tomatoes and onion salad, a corn and egg dish, and fruit for dessert. The soup was defiantly my favorite. It was very hearty and had a vibrant orange color from the oil we used. The meat was also very good, and the flavors were very similar to those of the United States. I did not like the tomato salad, but only because I am not a fan of tomatoes. The egg and corn salad was very different. I would have never thought to combine the two foods. It was not my favorite dish, but I am happy I tried. The dessert was also very delicious! It was made out of a large fruit that was shaped like a flower. We took the skin off the fruit, cut it into small pieces, and then took the seeds out. Then it was baked with some water, sugar, and pieces of wood. I was skeptical about eating something flavored with wood, but it tasted just like cinnamon. Once the dish was finished baking, it tasted much like apples and cinnamon. Overall, I have really been enjoying the food in Ecuador. On my walk home from school today I stopped at a local bread store. I bought two different sweet bread and both tasted amazing! The best part was that they were only 80 cents! The chocolate and coffee is also much better here compared to the United States. I am hoping I can continue to cook Ecuadorian food for myself once I am back in Wisconsin. Tonight, I also gave my host family a few things from my home. Since I was staying with them around Christmas time, I thought I would bring a few things that connect to my Christmas tradition back in Wisconsin. I brought them a book, The Night Before Christmas, a candle that smelled like a Christmas tree, and also some Christmas candy. From the pictures in the book, my host family was amazed at the amount of snow that was on the ground. They also loved the smell of the candle, since they do not have a real Christmas tree in the house. Since they shared so much of their tradition with me, it was really fun to explain my traditions to them. My host mom then shared with me the history of her father. I found out that he used to make jewelry out of gold in Ecuador. He was famous in Ecuador for his jewelry. There is also a street in Cuenca named after him. After living with my host family for over a week now, I feel very comfortable around them. We are now better able to understand each other and make jokes. It will be hard to leave them and stay in hotels for the rest of the trip. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to do a homestay and learn first hand what it is like to live in Ecuador.
