The First Trip Of Public Health

So as of right now, I just got back from our first Public Health field trip. We went to Otavalo (which is the market town, but we didn't go to the market) and Cotacachi. Our first stop was a hospital tour in Otavalo, and it was really cool. The hospital is famous for it's "Vertical Birthing", which is when a woman can choose to stand or kneel to have a baby. Everyone thought it was super cool, but I thought it was weird and would not have enough faith in the person who is supposed to catch the baby as it basically falls from your body. Not to mention the stuff they had for props (like ropes from the ceiling and bars on the walls) looked more like something between a playground and a Petsmart. Not the way I will be birthing children, that's for sure.

The hospital was also really unsanitary, but still one of the nicest in the area. I hope to god that I never get hurt in Otavalo, but more than that I hope that if I do they take me to that hospital rather than the clinic we saw next...

The clinic was an indigenous, traditional medicine clinic. They told us about their use of herbs and "special powers" to heal ailments, and then we were really treated. We got to witness a traditional "Limpia Cuy" ceremony. Which means "Guinea-pig Cleaning", to clean the "bad air" from someone. Crock of shit? Yes.

So basically this woman asks for a volunteer (I did and THANK GOD I WASN'T CHOSEN), and picks a guy named Sam. He takes his shirt off, and this woman goes and gets a LIVE guinea pig. She holds it around the neck so that the body dangles, and basically uses this flopping guinea pig to beat and wipe down Sam. So as she's torturing this animal, it begins to pee. And she just shakes it really violently to "get it all out" and then continues to hit Sam in the torso with it. Meanwhile, this guinea pig's organs are slowly becoming dislodged, and you can see them start to lump up in the butt area. But it is still alive.

So after she finishes the whacking, she throws it on the ground and goes to get more supplies. The poor thing is huge at the bottom and tiny at the top because it's innards are all torn up, but still it is breathing and looking around.

She comes out with a knife and we assume she will finally put it out of it's misery. But no, it gets better, she starts to skin it ALIVE. I have no idea at which point this poor animal died, but I know that I am probably going to hell for witnessing it.

After she has completely skinned it, she begins to rummage in the intestines...I'll spare you the gruesome details, but basically the intestines are supposed to tell you what is wrong with you. She told Sam he has gastroenteritis, a bad back, and then pulls a HUGE parasitic worm out of the small intestine of this guinea pig and tells him he has worms. Sam, I think this is ridiculous, but you should still go to a doctor ASAP, just in case.

Meanwhile, I cannot watch anymore, and I turn around to see what the rest of the group who couldn't watch was doing. I did so just in time to see Whitney stiffen and fall over and then proceed to have a mini-seizure. So everyone runs over to her (including, thank god, a legitimate nurse from Germany that happened to be volunteering at this clinic) and tried to revive her. [Who also comes to help? The guinea pig woman with her NOT WASHED HANDS full of oil to put on Whitney's head "to help"]

Long story short, she was ok and refused to go to the hospital (wise decision), and seemed fine the next two days. After that we went to our hostel, which was REALLY cool. CIMAS really hooked us up on this one. We had free time and then a delicious dinner and then I went to bed.

This morning, we got up and had a delicious breakfast, and then left for Cotacachi. There we had a demonstration of the "Vertical Birth", complete with dolls stuffed up dresses. It was weird, we all got the concept without the demo.

After that we just had free time until lunch; the restaurant was really good, but I had been there on the last Zona Norte field trip, so I knew it would be. And then we came home....

No one is here, which means that probably there will be no dinner for me. Dumb. But I made it, so whatever.