What I did on the plane ride home from Ecuador (when I should have been sleeping!! :)
July 15, 2010
Ecuador photos updated
Recent Ecuador photos can be found aqui:
http://picasaweb.google.com/adrienzap/ProteccionAnimalEcuadorIbarraEcuador#
http://picasaweb.google.com/adrienzap/ProteccionAnimalEcuadorIbarraEcuador#
July 13, 2010
3 weeks later...
3 weeks and 367 animals later (I think that's the final count... I lost track around 30 so I have to check my notes).... I am sitting in the Colombia airport at the same cafe I was at when I blogged 3 weeks ago - it seems like it was just yesterday, but at the same time, it also seems like it was lifetimes ago.
This has been an long 3 weeks filled with blood (lots of blood), sweat (mental as well as physical) and tears (and I'm sure a lot more are coming once I get home and internalize everything that happened). In the meantime, photos are being updated aqui:
www.picasaweb.google.com/adrienzap
This has been an long 3 weeks filled with blood (lots of blood), sweat (mental as well as physical) and tears (and I'm sure a lot more are coming once I get home and internalize everything that happened). In the meantime, photos are being updated aqui:
www.picasaweb.google.com/adrienzap
July 10, 2010
machismo es violencia
There is a billboard campaign in Ecuador promoting non-machismo male attitudes and anti-domestic violence. The slogan is "machismo es violencia" (Machismo is Violence) and there are catchy signs and billboards around Ibarra. Does it work? Probably not.
Today was mostly a good day in the clinic. Twelve surgeries (including 3 street dogs EL and I caught with a dart gun this morning) and an overall good, normal high-volume spay/neuter clinic feeling. Until the niños showed up.
One of the street dogs we caught (whom I nicknamed "Tank") was a big, 80+ pound Rottweiler mix that I darted as he was trying to rape a 20 pound female in heat. After surgery and recovery, we put him outside the clinic on a little abandoned side street, gave him an injection to reverse his sedation, pulled out his IV catheter and stood back. JS stood guard over him for a few hours to make sure he was OK, and after a snack of bread and cheese, we were happy to see him back on the street, minus 2 very large testicles!!
A few hours, JS and EL came into the clinic in a hot panic. A pack of children ran up to poor Tank (who was sleeping/passed out on the sidewalk) and attacked him with rocks. One fat little niño hit him square in the head and cut his ear open. Apparently JS and EL chased the little monsters, and the ring leader ran into a church. EL chased him inside and ripped him a new one, along with the pastor/church lady, who screamed at him for trying to hide out in a house of God.
Poor old Tank slept off the last bits of his anesthesia in the clinic bathroom, and we decided to keep him overnight. Considering what he had been through today, a nice shelter, pain medication and bread was the least we could do.
This was probably the most disturbing, depressing day of my entire time in Ecuador. Who the f$%& throws rocks at a sleeping, helpless dog? Seriously? I am speechless. What difference does all of this make if the children (not just the people, but the CHILDREN) have a f$%& it attitude towards animals and humanity. And you know what they say about children who are cruel towards animals, right?
Machismo es violencia. Too bad some of those machismos aren't even old enough to read.
Today was mostly a good day in the clinic. Twelve surgeries (including 3 street dogs EL and I caught with a dart gun this morning) and an overall good, normal high-volume spay/neuter clinic feeling. Until the niños showed up.
One of the street dogs we caught (whom I nicknamed "Tank") was a big, 80+ pound Rottweiler mix that I darted as he was trying to rape a 20 pound female in heat. After surgery and recovery, we put him outside the clinic on a little abandoned side street, gave him an injection to reverse his sedation, pulled out his IV catheter and stood back. JS stood guard over him for a few hours to make sure he was OK, and after a snack of bread and cheese, we were happy to see him back on the street, minus 2 very large testicles!!
A few hours, JS and EL came into the clinic in a hot panic. A pack of children ran up to poor Tank (who was sleeping/passed out on the sidewalk) and attacked him with rocks. One fat little niño hit him square in the head and cut his ear open. Apparently JS and EL chased the little monsters, and the ring leader ran into a church. EL chased him inside and ripped him a new one, along with the pastor/church lady, who screamed at him for trying to hide out in a house of God.
Poor old Tank slept off the last bits of his anesthesia in the clinic bathroom, and we decided to keep him overnight. Considering what he had been through today, a nice shelter, pain medication and bread was the least we could do.
This was probably the most disturbing, depressing day of my entire time in Ecuador. Who the f$%& throws rocks at a sleeping, helpless dog? Seriously? I am speechless. What difference does all of this make if the children (not just the people, but the CHILDREN) have a f$%& it attitude towards animals and humanity. And you know what they say about children who are cruel towards animals, right?
Machismo es violencia. Too bad some of those machismos aren't even old enough to read.
July 6, 2010
When bad things happen to good people....
... I get very upset.
I went to Ambato Sunday night to visit my friend DA and her family. It was (supposed) to be a much needed, animal-drama free 3 days of rest and fun before heading back to Ibarra for the last week of the PAE/WV clinic. But the universe saw fit to have otherwise.
My last night in Ambato was supposed to be spent at a nice little restaurant and any number of local bars or clubs - a girls' night out on the town. After finishing dinner and dessert, DA got a hysterical phone call from her sister (whom we JUST saw not even 30 minutes before). She returned home to find her dogs had been poisoned in her front yard. One dog was still alive, but had escaped during the chaos when the family got home, and was running/seizing/vomiting in the field next door. I have been blessed/cursed with the ability to maintain some control during emergencies (then I freak out afterwards), so I ran (high heels and all) to fish vomiting Osita out of a drainage ditch. I jumped into the back of DA's car and we rushed her to the local vet.
DA's whole family showed up at the vet's office; it was horrible to see them upset about the dead dogs and dying Osita. The story I got (via translation) was that someone threw a few dead chickens (packed with a variety of rat poisons) over the fence into their yard. The dogs ate the chickens (feathers and all) and Osita (being the largest of the dogs) was the one that survived long enough to get to the vet.
After waiting at the clinic for almost 2 hours, Osita was stable and we were told to come back in the morning. I haven't felt so powerless and hopeless in a long time. There was nothing I could do except sit and wait. If there are 2 things I'm NOT good at, it's sitting and waiting. I'm much more of a get-out-there-and-get-dirty kind of gal. It was horrible. The next morning was a relief when I heard Osita was fine (I think the vet was up all night with her) and her prognosis was good.
I wish I had more time to spend in Ambato, but it was hard to be there and not be in a position to help. DA's sister is probably the nicest woman in the world; why someone would poison her dogs is beyond comprehension (*side note* NA told me that when she lived in the Caribbean, people would poison the dogs a night or 2 before breaking into the house... again. Why?) I left Ambato this morning feeling sick and depressed (the sleepless night before didn't help) - my nice, relaxing vacation in Ambato turned into a melodramatic 72 hours, complete with a toxicologic emergency experience and a twisted ankle... In Quito now, and back to Ibarra tonight. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger (and gives you nightmares and ulcers in the process...)
I went to Ambato Sunday night to visit my friend DA and her family. It was (supposed) to be a much needed, animal-drama free 3 days of rest and fun before heading back to Ibarra for the last week of the PAE/WV clinic. But the universe saw fit to have otherwise.
My last night in Ambato was supposed to be spent at a nice little restaurant and any number of local bars or clubs - a girls' night out on the town. After finishing dinner and dessert, DA got a hysterical phone call from her sister (whom we JUST saw not even 30 minutes before). She returned home to find her dogs had been poisoned in her front yard. One dog was still alive, but had escaped during the chaos when the family got home, and was running/seizing/vomiting in the field next door. I have been blessed/cursed with the ability to maintain some control during emergencies (then I freak out afterwards), so I ran (high heels and all) to fish vomiting Osita out of a drainage ditch. I jumped into the back of DA's car and we rushed her to the local vet.
DA's whole family showed up at the vet's office; it was horrible to see them upset about the dead dogs and dying Osita. The story I got (via translation) was that someone threw a few dead chickens (packed with a variety of rat poisons) over the fence into their yard. The dogs ate the chickens (feathers and all) and Osita (being the largest of the dogs) was the one that survived long enough to get to the vet.
After waiting at the clinic for almost 2 hours, Osita was stable and we were told to come back in the morning. I haven't felt so powerless and hopeless in a long time. There was nothing I could do except sit and wait. If there are 2 things I'm NOT good at, it's sitting and waiting. I'm much more of a get-out-there-and-get-dirty kind of gal. It was horrible. The next morning was a relief when I heard Osita was fine (I think the vet was up all night with her) and her prognosis was good.
I wish I had more time to spend in Ambato, but it was hard to be there and not be in a position to help. DA's sister is probably the nicest woman in the world; why someone would poison her dogs is beyond comprehension (*side note* NA told me that when she lived in the Caribbean, people would poison the dogs a night or 2 before breaking into the house... again. Why?) I left Ambato this morning feeling sick and depressed (the sleepless night before didn't help) - my nice, relaxing vacation in Ambato turned into a melodramatic 72 hours, complete with a toxicologic emergency experience and a twisted ankle... In Quito now, and back to Ibarra tonight. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger (and gives you nightmares and ulcers in the process...)
July 2, 2010
Ehrlichia = 5.... Me = 0
There’s a reason I haven't updated my blog in almost a week.
Actually, there are several:
1) I’ve been exhausted every single night
2) I’ve been too depressed to take out my computer (or go to the Internet cafe)
3) I’ve been too busy having panic attacks and/or being generally agitated and/or impatient
We held surgery/clinic days on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday we were too depressed and drained to do surgery, so we traveled around Ibarra throwing ivermectin at random street dogs and visited the Mercado (market) to see the puppy/kitten booths. Wednesday we braved another day of surgery (very successfully) only to have a disaster later that night. Yesterday we slept in, did laundry, went to the internet, visited a local waterfall and made dinner at Gloria’s house (JA is an AMAZING cook!!)
I will spare the gory details, but let’s just say in almost 2 years of international veterinary clinics (including 3 previous clinics in Ecuador) I’ve never had such a frustrating, depressing, disheartening experience.
My new mantra/theme song for this trip:
I am powerless over Ehrlichia and any other bleeding disorder commonly seen in street dogs of Ibarra Ecuador.
Wish things were better here...
Actually, there are several:
1) I’ve been exhausted every single night
2) I’ve been too depressed to take out my computer (or go to the Internet cafe)
3) I’ve been too busy having panic attacks and/or being generally agitated and/or impatient
We held surgery/clinic days on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday we were too depressed and drained to do surgery, so we traveled around Ibarra throwing ivermectin at random street dogs and visited the Mercado (market) to see the puppy/kitten booths. Wednesday we braved another day of surgery (very successfully) only to have a disaster later that night. Yesterday we slept in, did laundry, went to the internet, visited a local waterfall and made dinner at Gloria’s house (JA is an AMAZING cook!!)
I will spare the gory details, but let’s just say in almost 2 years of international veterinary clinics (including 3 previous clinics in Ecuador) I’ve never had such a frustrating, depressing, disheartening experience.
My new mantra/theme song for this trip:
I am powerless over Ehrlichia and any other bleeding disorder commonly seen in street dogs of Ibarra Ecuador.
Wish things were better here...
June 26, 2010
La Esperanza
I arrived in Quito Thursday night and (finally!) met NA (the World Vets vet from Buffalo) and BL (the PAE Ibarra coordinatior). NA and I are staying at BL’s aunt’s farm in La Esperanza, a small town just outside Ibarra. I have an AWESOME room on the farm, and even though it’s about 40 degrees (F) out at night, I have a pile of super warm blankets and a nice cozy bed to snuggle in. Now I just wish my Hudson bullie was here with me!
We had a late night tea and cake with BL’s aunt Gloria and her 2 bestest friends, GA and LF. I was exaughsted from not sleeping on the plane (and referring back to a prior entry, there was a woman on the plane who was LITERALLY wearing a bra covered by a scarf. That was IT. Oh, well actually, she was wearing some flashy, “Hey-look-at-me-I’m-almost-naked” jewelry and Brittney-esque shades).
I slept like a baby, and woke up to see the farm in the daylight. Gloria’s neighbor puts her cows out to pasture in the back yard, so I was met with some friendly MOOS from the neighborhood vacas. Gloria has a handful of cats and dogs, all very fat and happy and excited to show me around the property.
Gloria is a very cool person – very ecologically minded with a humane spirit. She proudly showed me a dead scorpion she found in the driveway, and reiterated several times that he “died a natural death”. One of her dogs, Esperanza, was spayed by NA earlier (she’s been in Ibarra for a week already) and is now limping on her back leg in a very ACL-ish manner. Gloria claims she can massage it back to health, and I don’t know for sure if it was the massage or the Rimadyl, but Esperanza stopped limping for a few hours yesterday afternoon :)
NA and I hung out around the farm most of the morning, had breakfast with Gloria, went through our supplies and organized for the clinic. The newest dog on the farm is a cute little black dog named Nikki (after NA :)who is actually allowed in the house and hasn’t moved from the couch since I arrived. She just had an overall ADR look about her (Ain’t Doing Right) and has supposedly had intermittent vomit/diarheaa/anorexia/lethargy episodes since she arrived. She ran around the farm with me for a while, showing me the cow pasture and seemed overall AOK.
We were supposed to go salsa dancing in the afternoon, but BL never came to pick us up. Gloria took us out to lunch, after we re-checked a German shepard, Kaiser, who belongs to Gloria’s great-nephew or grandson. He was apparently showing signs of distemper (which I think is becoming the theme of the trip) and was doing better. We gave in another injection of vitamin B, which cures everything south of Mexico, then went to get ice cream/fruit salad in Ibarra. Yum!
BL was nowhere to be found, and we later found out that a friend of her’s was sick in the hospital. GA came to pick us up and took us to his house to make dinner! He is a really awesome guy, and I want to sneak him back to the States in my suitcase! He’s perfect – he cooks, cleans, drives us around, holds the door open – perfect! Except liking girls… *sigh*
BL came to his house and we had a DELICIOUS dinner, watched some crazy videos on YouTube, laughed, and after the dishes were cleaned and put away, we moved the kitchen table aside and GA and BL taught us how to salsa and meringue! We got back to the farm late and I passed out again (not as cold last night). This morning, NA and I were up and ready to go by 10am to the market in Otavalo.
But first, NA went running past my door with a stethoscope, then again with a thermometer – Nikki wasn’t doing well. Rapid, labored breathing, but no fever. Gloria was upset about a lot of things, and didn’t handle the dog situation well. She told us to just take her to the vet and get her out of the house. There were murmurings of distempter. We loaded her into GA’s car, and took her to the local vet. They have some sort of rapid test for distempter, which they did at the vet’s while GA and I went to the pharmacy to find IV lines and sterile water. When we got back, BL and NA were choaking back tears – Nikki tested positive for distempter.
Since she had been at Gloria’s house for 2 weeks, there was a pretty good chance she would recover from the distemper (as did Kaiser, who had the cornal edema signs of distemper and was now well into recovery). But, there was no room in any shelter or foster home for a possibly-infectious distemper dog, so she was euthanized. In the states, veterinarians are typically responsible for disposing of euthanized animals; in Ecuador, it is the owner’s responsibility. So we went to JA’s father’s house for shovels then off to a remote area to bury Nikki.
Everyone was pretty upset about the events of the morning, so we tried to make the best of the rest of the day. After lunch, we drove to a small town called Otavalo where there is a huge open market (an awesome place to barter for good deals on sweaters, jewelry and other handmade items). Then we drove to the next town over, Cotachachi, which is famous for leather crafts. JA drove us up the Cotachachi volcano to the lake at the top. We drove back to Ibarra just as the sun was setting and went to have parridilla (BBQ) for dinner – my new favorite food. The portions were HUGE, so NA and I saved our leftovers for catching street dogs. Surgery starts tomorrow! Wish us Buena suerte (good luck!)
We had a late night tea and cake with BL’s aunt Gloria and her 2 bestest friends, GA and LF. I was exaughsted from not sleeping on the plane (and referring back to a prior entry, there was a woman on the plane who was LITERALLY wearing a bra covered by a scarf. That was IT. Oh, well actually, she was wearing some flashy, “Hey-look-at-me-I’m-almost-naked” jewelry and Brittney-esque shades).
I slept like a baby, and woke up to see the farm in the daylight. Gloria’s neighbor puts her cows out to pasture in the back yard, so I was met with some friendly MOOS from the neighborhood vacas. Gloria has a handful of cats and dogs, all very fat and happy and excited to show me around the property.
Gloria is a very cool person – very ecologically minded with a humane spirit. She proudly showed me a dead scorpion she found in the driveway, and reiterated several times that he “died a natural death”. One of her dogs, Esperanza, was spayed by NA earlier (she’s been in Ibarra for a week already) and is now limping on her back leg in a very ACL-ish manner. Gloria claims she can massage it back to health, and I don’t know for sure if it was the massage or the Rimadyl, but Esperanza stopped limping for a few hours yesterday afternoon :)
NA and I hung out around the farm most of the morning, had breakfast with Gloria, went through our supplies and organized for the clinic. The newest dog on the farm is a cute little black dog named Nikki (after NA :)who is actually allowed in the house and hasn’t moved from the couch since I arrived. She just had an overall ADR look about her (Ain’t Doing Right) and has supposedly had intermittent vomit/diarheaa/anorexia/lethargy episodes since she arrived. She ran around the farm with me for a while, showing me the cow pasture and seemed overall AOK.
We were supposed to go salsa dancing in the afternoon, but BL never came to pick us up. Gloria took us out to lunch, after we re-checked a German shepard, Kaiser, who belongs to Gloria’s great-nephew or grandson. He was apparently showing signs of distemper (which I think is becoming the theme of the trip) and was doing better. We gave in another injection of vitamin B, which cures everything south of Mexico, then went to get ice cream/fruit salad in Ibarra. Yum!
BL was nowhere to be found, and we later found out that a friend of her’s was sick in the hospital. GA came to pick us up and took us to his house to make dinner! He is a really awesome guy, and I want to sneak him back to the States in my suitcase! He’s perfect – he cooks, cleans, drives us around, holds the door open – perfect! Except liking girls… *sigh*
BL came to his house and we had a DELICIOUS dinner, watched some crazy videos on YouTube, laughed, and after the dishes were cleaned and put away, we moved the kitchen table aside and GA and BL taught us how to salsa and meringue! We got back to the farm late and I passed out again (not as cold last night). This morning, NA and I were up and ready to go by 10am to the market in Otavalo.
But first, NA went running past my door with a stethoscope, then again with a thermometer – Nikki wasn’t doing well. Rapid, labored breathing, but no fever. Gloria was upset about a lot of things, and didn’t handle the dog situation well. She told us to just take her to the vet and get her out of the house. There were murmurings of distempter. We loaded her into GA’s car, and took her to the local vet. They have some sort of rapid test for distempter, which they did at the vet’s while GA and I went to the pharmacy to find IV lines and sterile water. When we got back, BL and NA were choaking back tears – Nikki tested positive for distempter.
Since she had been at Gloria’s house for 2 weeks, there was a pretty good chance she would recover from the distemper (as did Kaiser, who had the cornal edema signs of distemper and was now well into recovery). But, there was no room in any shelter or foster home for a possibly-infectious distemper dog, so she was euthanized. In the states, veterinarians are typically responsible for disposing of euthanized animals; in Ecuador, it is the owner’s responsibility. So we went to JA’s father’s house for shovels then off to a remote area to bury Nikki.
Everyone was pretty upset about the events of the morning, so we tried to make the best of the rest of the day. After lunch, we drove to a small town called Otavalo where there is a huge open market (an awesome place to barter for good deals on sweaters, jewelry and other handmade items). Then we drove to the next town over, Cotachachi, which is famous for leather crafts. JA drove us up the Cotachachi volcano to the lake at the top. We drove back to Ibarra just as the sun was setting and went to have parridilla (BBQ) for dinner – my new favorite food. The portions were HUGE, so NA and I saved our leftovers for catching street dogs. Surgery starts tomorrow! Wish us Buena suerte (good luck!)
June 24, 2010
flight of the ninos
Avianca has pretty nice planes, and I was on a huge one, the kind that has seats in the middle, then 2 rows on the sides? It also had an actual first class, THEN business class, then everyone else.
Speaking of everyone else.
There were about 30 little kids (between 6 and 10 years old) on the flight sin adultos. They were all wearing big red Avianca buttons that said "UM" - "unattended minor" maybe?? I was too tired to ask questions, but am somewhat stunned that people still put their kids on a plane alone - and on international flights?? Don't they watch CNN? I am nervous to travel abroad MYSELF, and I am pretty gringa brava. But a 7 year old? Thankfully, Avianca has AWESOME in flight entertainment, so they were actually pretty well behaved. I watched "Meet the Parents" and the first part of "Valentine's Day" in between naps, Sudoko games and breakfast.
A new observation from my trips around the western hemisphere: clothing on airplanes. I dress like a total nomad when I travel - shoes or boots (if I wear them on my feet, I don't have to carry them in my bag), some sort of comfortable pants (sweatpants preferred, yoga pants for warm climates), a bandanna (to cover my bed head and function as an eye mask when I sleep), my glasses (don't want to sleep in contacts), and some sort of sweatshirt or something (since I freeze on planes). So I pretty much look a hot mess getting on and off the plane. Other people?
I am currently sitting in the Bogota, Colombia international airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Quito. I am utterly stunned at what some people wear to travel. Especially the women.
On my flight, there were numerous women wearing short dresses, tank tops, skin tight skinny jeans, full-on makeup, perfect hair (extensions and all), and shoes. I can't believe the shoes. Aside from the fact that my feet freeze on planes, I can't imagine wearing little skimpy flip flops if you're running through the terminal to catch a plane. On the other extreme, there are the mamis with the 4" stiletto heels and platform pumps. How do they do it? I have a hard enough time walking in my uber-attractive Keens, how do they manage heels? More importantly, why is it so important to look good while traveling? I know... it's all about the journey, but that can't be comfortable when arriving at the destination? Never mind fighting with the luggage on either end of the flight - and don't tell me these girls have only carry-ons...
I am off to find lunch and then off to QUITO!!!! I love flying into Quito at night... the mountains and lights are so beautiful. Hopefully the ninos will all be in bed by then. NA and PAE will be excited to see me, regardless of the situation with my hair, and say another little prayer that my bags get off the plane and through security in tact!!!
Half way there....
Speaking of everyone else.
There were about 30 little kids (between 6 and 10 years old) on the flight sin adultos. They were all wearing big red Avianca buttons that said "UM" - "unattended minor" maybe?? I was too tired to ask questions, but am somewhat stunned that people still put their kids on a plane alone - and on international flights?? Don't they watch CNN? I am nervous to travel abroad MYSELF, and I am pretty gringa brava. But a 7 year old? Thankfully, Avianca has AWESOME in flight entertainment, so they were actually pretty well behaved. I watched "Meet the Parents" and the first part of "Valentine's Day" in between naps, Sudoko games and breakfast.
A new observation from my trips around the western hemisphere: clothing on airplanes. I dress like a total nomad when I travel - shoes or boots (if I wear them on my feet, I don't have to carry them in my bag), some sort of comfortable pants (sweatpants preferred, yoga pants for warm climates), a bandanna (to cover my bed head and function as an eye mask when I sleep), my glasses (don't want to sleep in contacts), and some sort of sweatshirt or something (since I freeze on planes). So I pretty much look a hot mess getting on and off the plane. Other people?
I am currently sitting in the Bogota, Colombia international airport, waiting for my connecting flight to Quito. I am utterly stunned at what some people wear to travel. Especially the women.
On my flight, there were numerous women wearing short dresses, tank tops, skin tight skinny jeans, full-on makeup, perfect hair (extensions and all), and shoes. I can't believe the shoes. Aside from the fact that my feet freeze on planes, I can't imagine wearing little skimpy flip flops if you're running through the terminal to catch a plane. On the other extreme, there are the mamis with the 4" stiletto heels and platform pumps. How do they do it? I have a hard enough time walking in my uber-attractive Keens, how do they manage heels? More importantly, why is it so important to look good while traveling? I know... it's all about the journey, but that can't be comfortable when arriving at the destination? Never mind fighting with the luggage on either end of the flight - and don't tell me these girls have only carry-ons...
I am off to find lunch and then off to QUITO!!!! I love flying into Quito at night... the mountains and lights are so beautiful. Hopefully the ninos will all be in bed by then. NA and PAE will be excited to see me, regardless of the situation with my hair, and say another little prayer that my bags get off the plane and through security in tact!!!
Half way there....
Aye.... Dios.... Mio....
So far, so much has gone wrong that it can't help but get right quick.
Tuesday my beloved Blackberry died, and I almost lost my mind. Instead, I lost my temper at RadioShack, and after shelling out $50 for a new battery, the damn thing died AGAIN Wednesday night! I am totally embarrassed at how technology dependent I am. So after a few mini-panic attacks, my phone was fixed (not entirely, but enough to last for the next few weeks) and I was off to pack.
Then the insanity began...
I spent the better part of 4 hours sorting, stacking, organizing, re-sorting and packing 45lbs of medical supplies. Then I took a quick trip to Walgreens, followed by more packing, laundry, cleaning, organizing. My wonderful father (*LOVE YOU*) came to Stamford around 10pm to stay over, then take me to the airport in the morning. As I was packing and checking things off my list, I had the panic attack to end all panic attacks... my passport.
Couldn't find it.
Looked everywhere.
Ripped apart my mess of a room looking for it.
Re-ripped everything apart again.
Cried.
Pulled myself together.
Cried some more.
Beat myself up for being an unorganized mess.
Apologized to self.
Woke everyone up to help me look.
Long story short now, it was in a box in the corner of my room, where it had fallen out of my backpack post-Haiti. I usually do a better job of unpacking from a trip, but after Haiti, I just wanted to forget it, so my luggage pretty much sat wherever it landed for a few weeks until I could get the strength to look at it again. I guess that's when my passport fell out.
I got about 30 minutes of sleep last night, and made it to the airport in 1 piece, with 4 bags. Check in was a bit sketchy, as they were trying to make me pay $100 for a carry one bag. No. Thanks, but no. So please say a little prayer for my carry on bag, which was checked with everything else. I hope it all comes out in 1 piece - however, everything was packed in so tight I don't think there's room for breakage.
JFK has never been so much fun. I am so tired, but too nervous to sleep. I just want to get on the plane and pass out for 6 hours en route to Colombia.
Zzzzzzz........
Tuesday my beloved Blackberry died, and I almost lost my mind. Instead, I lost my temper at RadioShack, and after shelling out $50 for a new battery, the damn thing died AGAIN Wednesday night! I am totally embarrassed at how technology dependent I am. So after a few mini-panic attacks, my phone was fixed (not entirely, but enough to last for the next few weeks) and I was off to pack.
Then the insanity began...
I spent the better part of 4 hours sorting, stacking, organizing, re-sorting and packing 45lbs of medical supplies. Then I took a quick trip to Walgreens, followed by more packing, laundry, cleaning, organizing. My wonderful father (*LOVE YOU*) came to Stamford around 10pm to stay over, then take me to the airport in the morning. As I was packing and checking things off my list, I had the panic attack to end all panic attacks... my passport.
Couldn't find it.
Looked everywhere.
Ripped apart my mess of a room looking for it.
Re-ripped everything apart again.
Cried.
Pulled myself together.
Cried some more.
Beat myself up for being an unorganized mess.
Apologized to self.
Woke everyone up to help me look.
Long story short now, it was in a box in the corner of my room, where it had fallen out of my backpack post-Haiti. I usually do a better job of unpacking from a trip, but after Haiti, I just wanted to forget it, so my luggage pretty much sat wherever it landed for a few weeks until I could get the strength to look at it again. I guess that's when my passport fell out.
I got about 30 minutes of sleep last night, and made it to the airport in 1 piece, with 4 bags. Check in was a bit sketchy, as they were trying to make me pay $100 for a carry one bag. No. Thanks, but no. So please say a little prayer for my carry on bag, which was checked with everything else. I hope it all comes out in 1 piece - however, everything was packed in so tight I don't think there's room for breakage.
JFK has never been so much fun. I am so tired, but too nervous to sleep. I just want to get on the plane and pass out for 6 hours en route to Colombia.
Zzzzzzz........
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