… okay, maybe more than one.  Rachel and I spent four hours early this morning in the emergency room at Hospital Vozandes, right next door to AAI.  Here’s the story:

About four weeks ago, you’ll remember that I mentioned that our trip to Cuenca was affected somewhat by what I thought might be a diverticulitis flare-up.  When we got back to Quito, I found a pharmacy and self-medicated.  I bought a ten-day regimen of the antibiotics I’d been given in the States (thank the Lord for medical records), and thought I’d licked it.

About a week and a half ago or so, I noticed the return of some pain.  I sorta ignored it, until a couple days ago.  At about 3:30 in the morning I woke up with significant lower back pain that felt more internal and localized on my right side.  It was either the following day or the preceding one that I also noticed for a while that my urine looked pretty dark, as though it might have blood in it.  (Sorry … I know you didn’t really ask.)

I’m sure some of you have already figured out how this story is gonna end.  I’m not sure how I missed the signs.  I think I was too obsessed with the possibility of lower bowl necrosis due to severe diverticulitis.  Anyway, last night I started to have really bad abdominal pains, bad enough that I had trouble standing or lying straight.  We went to bed, but it rapidly became apparent that I was in too much discomfort to sleep.  I decided, after several promptings from my much wiser half, that this wasn’t normal, and that we should probably go to the doctor.  I think we headed out about 11:15 or so.

The cab ride down the hill was brutal.  Every bump rattled very tender innards.  I think the cabbie was afraid I was going to die in the cab, so he put a rush on things, even running red lights.

Well, long story a little bit shorter, we got there, got me onto a bed in an E.R. bay, and got assigned a young doc who’s English was pretty good.  After poking, prodding, taking blood and tinkle samples, and the like he came back with the verdict.  Kidney stones.  (Yes, yes, I know.  You’re all very smart for having figured that out before me.  Now shut up.)  They gave me a shot for the pain, which did virtually nothing.  I was literally writhing around on the gurney.  They started an IV for me, gave me another shot for nausea (after I threw up because it hurt so bad, which I thought was kind of backward), then after a while gave me another (evidently stronger) painkiller intravenously.  Oh, that one worked.  About five minutes later, Rachel said I started snoring.  I remember being very annoyed when they came and got me to take me to the ultrasound room.  I think I offered to sing as they were wheeling me down the hall, and told Rachel to ask the ultrasound tech whether he could tell if it was a boy or a girl.  (She declined.  She woulda been a lot more fun if they’d given her a shot, too!)

They sent me home about 4:00.  I’ve thrown up once since, probably because I tried to take one of the painkillers they prescribed on an empty stomach.  The stuff I’m on is takin’ the edge off to the point that it’s manageable and I can sleep.  Guess there’s not much to do but wait, eh?  This is by far and away the worst pain I’ve ever suffered, and the doc said that it’s a small one.  I guess “basketball” is smaller than some things, but that’s about what if feels like.  The added indignity of having to pee into a strainer doesn’t really make the whole experience any more palatable.

By the way, you wouldn’t believe how cheap the meds were.  The initial round (2 types x 10 days) of antibiotics cost us $19, and the two kinds of painkillers they prescribed last night only cost $8.  A four hour E.R. stay, bloodwork, U.A., I.V., two shots for pain, one for nausea, and an ultrasound only cost us an additional $130.  It’s money we really don’t have, but can you imagine what that woulda cost state-side?  All in all, this is a great place to be sick, and our experience at Vozandes was one that left me with a very favorable impression of the state of medical affairs in Quito.

Today was Elementary Fun Day, which means the Senior class sponsored an afternoon of games and events for the elementary classes. There was (of course) a dunking booth, complete with school principals and gym teachers, as well as a kissing booth (there is a picture of Rick with a red lip print on the top of his freshly shaved head!), rappelling, love seat, bean bag toss, pillow fight, etc. The seniors are raising money to help with their senior trip, but I think the elementary kids felt a little special, too.

It was fun to see all the kids and their parents there. It surprised me how many of them I know by name! At the beginning of the year I was wondering if I would ever feel that I knew the kids. I think I am making progress! Even more than that, I find that I know more about their personalities, their group of friends, and ways in which God is working in their lives. It is wonderful to see how they are growing in their understanding of the Lord, and how that changes the way that they relate to one another. So many nights, as I drift off to sleep, I find myself thinking of them and praying for them all.

The seniors seemed to be having a good time, as well. I think all of them bore the mark of the kissing booth and most of them had been photographed while sitting in the ‘love seat’ (having been sent there by some of their peers). The seemed to do well in interacting with the younger kids, and many of their younger siblings seemed to enjoy the attention. It amazes me to think that most of them will be off to college by next year, starting a whole new stage of their lives! I pray that we have equipped them to face this challenge when it comes.

Once again, there is a certain element of nostalgia surrounding this event. As a senior at Alliance Academy, I remember running the Pin the Tail on the Donkey booth for the elementary kids. It seems so long ago, and now I see the current seniors preparing to embark on a similar journey after graduation. I pray that God will guide them and protect, as He did me!

… where you realize you’re living in a different world:

Rachel and I were walking down the street late yesterday afternoon with a couple of friends, both of whom have lived in Ecuador for many years. Traffic was snarled, and many of the drivers were signaling their desire that the car in front of them go faster by honking their horns. I commented that the sound of the car horn was quickly becoming one of my least favorite noises. The lady we were walking with said “You should have been here when we ran the last president out. Everyone was driving around honking!”

Shortly after we got here, we posted a video of our apartment. Since then, we’ve been slowing trying to get it more “homey”. We thought we’d share another video with you now that it’s a tetch more furnished.

Also, for those that are interested, we have a Youtube channel with a few vids we’ve taken various places here in Ecuador. You can take a look at them here.

I was talking to a state-side friend last night.  He made the mistake of asking how I was doing in a way that made me think he really wanted to know.  So I told him.

We’re feeling very disconnected from most of the things that bring us comfort.  Those sharp, initial pangs of homesickness have faded into something more like an ache now.  They’ve even subsided to the point that we’ll go whole days at a stretch without thinking about how much we miss things.  One thing still lingers, though.  We ache to feel connectedness to our home.  Being here, far away, is made so much the easier by little connections.

You really can’t imagine how meaningful every little thing is.  Whether it’s an email, a phone call, a comment left here on the blog … each simple little thing that reminds us that you still think of us keep us going for days.

I don’t mean to lay a guilt trip.  So many of you have done so much to stay in our lives, and we appreciate it more than you can know.

Yesterday was such a glorious day, that we had to go up on the roof for a bit. I took a camera. Rachel was particularly gorgeous. I thought I’d share.

Today we finally did one of the “touristy” things that most people do in their first week in Quito. We went up the Telefèriqo, a cable car ride that takes you up to nearly 14K feet. The view of Quito from up top was unbelievable, even on a day that was pretty cloudy. If you really wanted to, there are trails that you can hike that take you up to the summit of Pinchincha Rucu, the extinct volcano peak that’s nearest Quito. We didn’t want to. Here are some pictures, though:

I just realized that I’ve been counting wrong.  I think it all started here, where I made a miscalculation and started thinking that we’d already been here six months.  We haven’t.  At that point, we’d just passed four months.  A week from today, we’ll have been here five months.  The six-month mark won’t come until mid-Mach.  I’m not sure what I was thinking.  It’s really a good thing I’m not a math tutor or anything.

By the way, our friends the Summers’ wrote a fluffy post about what a fluffy post we wrote about them.  You can see it here.  Oh yeah, and they keep stealing my pictures.

I think that’s gonna be the title of my memoirs. Further, I’ve learned a lesson. The lesson is that no one wants to hear me blather on about my man-crush on Bono. Noted.

So, today was our first day back to school after a four-day weekend off for Carnaval. Carnaval is a four-day celebration that immediately precedes Lent, and corresponds to Mardi Gras in the States. Many countries in S. America really celebrate Carnaval, but in Ecuador it’s pretty much just water balloons and silly string. Actually, the police were threatening that anyone caught flinging water in the city limits of Quito would spend a night in jail, no questions asked. We didn’t get wet.

On Monday, we took a day trip with some folk from the school. My Spanish teacher, Aura Morillo, came along and told us SO much about this amazing country. She’s very passionate about Ecuador, and it’s contagious. We traveled south from Quito to Latacunga, Ambato, Lasso, Quizapincha, and Pujilì. We saw lots of beautiful countryside, farms, and haciendas, stopped for a typical Ecuadorian lunch of fritada (yummy fried pork chunks), and shopped for ceramics, leather, and other goodies. It was a long day, (7:00 am to almost 11:00 pm), but was completely worth it. Below are several pix from our travels.

At the very bottom is a pic of the new landscape of our living room. We finally found some chairs (”butacas”, a Spanish word I actually taught Rachel!) we liked. Of course, when we went to get them, they only had one chair left. They did, however, tell us that they had a “pouf” in the same color. We told them that that sounded like a personal problem, and thanked them to keep it as such. Evidently “pouf” (pronounced “poof”) is what they call ottomans in Ecuador. It’s essentially the same as the chair, except without the back. I wasn’t super gung-ho on the idea, but they’ve grown on me. At least we can have company over and not sit them on the floor now!