Cynthia and I have been paying into Ecuador's Social Security health care system for over two years. Locals adamantly warned us that the care is substandard and advised that they would never use it, but then again these are the same people who say how unsafe the buses are when they never actually ride one themselves.
Since the cost is so low (less than $100/month for both of us), we had always regarded our monthly investment as insurance against unforeseen health catastrophes. But when our primary care physician, in whom we have the utmost trust, became part of the system we decided to explore the possibility of using it for our ongoing care.
I've been bothered by a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture for over ten years. A thickening in the fascia of the hand causes a finger, normally the pinkie or ring finger, to bend inward toward the palm. Left untreated the finger can eventually curve to the degree of making a permanent fist.
That wasn't an acceptable outcome, so our doctor referred me to a specialist at the Social Security hospital. He examined my hand and confirmed that corrective surgery was needed. Another warning we'd received was that long delays for treatment were common, so I had low expectations when I asked when he could do it. "I'm going to the States tomorrow night," he said. "Can you be here at 6:30 in the morning?"
"Uh----sure."
I left his office and a few minutes later was having blood drawn for pre-op testing. After that I went straight in for an EKG. Finally I met briefly with the anesthesiologist. All within an hour--so much for delays!
The doctor said I would be held overnight for observation and pain management. What? This procedure in the States would be performed in an outpatient clinic and you would be sent straight home with some pills. I haven't been in a hospital since I was born, but what the heck---OK.
Cynthia and I showed up bright and early the next morning. After a brief wait I changed into one of those ultra-flattering hospital gowns (and a shower cap thingy for my "hair"), hopped on a gurney, and off I went. No paperwork--everything was already logged into the system.
A couple of hours later I left recovery and was taken to my bed. Most of the rooms hold three patients, and I was happy to be assigned a "window bed" with a beautiful view of the mountains that surround Cuenca. Per doctor's orders I hadn't eaten since 10 the previous night, and I'm a guy that needs to eat something about 6 times a day. I'd already devoured a banana Cynthia brought along and was starving when the lunch cart came around.
Sorry--no food for you, Senor Staton. Possible nausea from the anesthesia. The hell you say. Good thing I had Cynthia pack other snacks just in case. I proceeded to dine on cookies, an apple, and Cheetos the rest of the afternoon.
My overnight was uneventful. They had me on an IV drip so I was pretty groggy, and the nurses were attentive but not coming around bugging you all the time.
After picking up some free medication at the pharmacy I went home the next morning. Again, zero paperwork. Just goodbye, thanks for taking good care of me. Two weeks later I went back to the doctor and had my stitches removed. Now I'm the proud owner of ten perfectly straight fingers, and the scar is so clean that it will look like just another line on my hand when the redness subsides (thinking about bamboozling a palm reader when that happens).
I can't recommend our health care system here highly enough. The care I received was top notch. For sure the speed of my treatment was an anomaly. Cynthia yesterday made an appointment with an ophthalmologist-- for mid-September (but this too is an exception--there are only two of these specialists working for Social Security in Cuenca). If you can be a patient patient, you'll be rewarded with caring practitioners and great results.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Baby, I Can Drive Your Car
Well, I did it. I finally got my Ecuadorian driver's license.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been to driving school here. My US license has expired--we're going back to the States next month--and I needed to be legal.
After waiting several weeks I received notification that my paperwork had come back from Quito so I went to the school to pick up my packet of info. The good folks there wanted to set up an appointment immediately to take my exam (it happens the next day) but I declined because I hadn't even studied yet.
All 103 possible multiple choice questions (in Spanish) are published online, so I went through the whole list once to refresh my memory. Twenty are included on the test--ten verbal and ten road signs. You can also take as many practice tests as you need online. Each time a different set of questions appears, but I quickly noticed that there was a lot of duplication. You are always asked about driving on the right, passing on the left, the colors of a traffic light, and several others.
The signs are a breeze. You don't even need to know Spanish to understand what a person on a bicycle with a diagonal line through it means. After several run-through's of the practice test convinced me I couldn't miss more than the four wrong answers allowed, I set up my appointment on the website and showed up the following morning.
When you live in Ecuador awhile you come to understand that anything involving paperwork rarely goes smoothly the first time. This time proved to be no exception. I waited in line for my turn, took a quick vision test, then sat down with one of the processors when my number came up. She went through all of my documents and discovered that the administrator of the driving school had failed to sign my diploma.
Sigh--no test for me today.
Four years ago I would have been highly upset about this. I'd gotten all geared up mentally and ridden clear across town to take the test. Now I just got up and said, "OK, see you tomorrow."
The following morning I walked to the school, got the document signed, took a taxi back to the transit building, stood in line again, received a number, got processed, and sat down at a computer. I got the first 19 right and missed the last one on purpose just for the hell of it. Ten minutes later I walked out with license in hand.
Hooray!
To reiterate, we love our pedestrian lifestyle and have zero plans to own a car in Cuenca. I hope to never even drive someone else's vehicle here. But the US suburbs beckon and now I'm ready.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been to driving school here. My US license has expired--we're going back to the States next month--and I needed to be legal.
After waiting several weeks I received notification that my paperwork had come back from Quito so I went to the school to pick up my packet of info. The good folks there wanted to set up an appointment immediately to take my exam (it happens the next day) but I declined because I hadn't even studied yet.
All 103 possible multiple choice questions (in Spanish) are published online, so I went through the whole list once to refresh my memory. Twenty are included on the test--ten verbal and ten road signs. You can also take as many practice tests as you need online. Each time a different set of questions appears, but I quickly noticed that there was a lot of duplication. You are always asked about driving on the right, passing on the left, the colors of a traffic light, and several others.
The signs are a breeze. You don't even need to know Spanish to understand what a person on a bicycle with a diagonal line through it means. After several run-through's of the practice test convinced me I couldn't miss more than the four wrong answers allowed, I set up my appointment on the website and showed up the following morning.
When you live in Ecuador awhile you come to understand that anything involving paperwork rarely goes smoothly the first time. This time proved to be no exception. I waited in line for my turn, took a quick vision test, then sat down with one of the processors when my number came up. She went through all of my documents and discovered that the administrator of the driving school had failed to sign my diploma.
Sigh--no test for me today.
Four years ago I would have been highly upset about this. I'd gotten all geared up mentally and ridden clear across town to take the test. Now I just got up and said, "OK, see you tomorrow."
The following morning I walked to the school, got the document signed, took a taxi back to the transit building, stood in line again, received a number, got processed, and sat down at a computer. I got the first 19 right and missed the last one on purpose just for the hell of it. Ten minutes later I walked out with license in hand.
Hooray!
To reiterate, we love our pedestrian lifestyle and have zero plans to own a car in Cuenca. I hope to never even drive someone else's vehicle here. But the US suburbs beckon and now I'm ready.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Birthday Celebration
My beloved wife Cynthia's birthday was Saturday and I wanted to do something special for her. A card, flowers, and box of chocolates wouldn't cut it (although she got those too), so I made reservations at Noe, a new sushi restaurant that we had heard so much about.
With seven locations in Quito and four in Guayaquil, Noe is no stranger in Ecuador's largest cities, but a restaurant like this brings a whole new level of dining to little Cuenca.
For starters, the space itself is dramatically designed with a contemporary feel totally different from the traditional interiors usually found in other restaurants here.
Service was impeccable throughout the evening. Our champagne glasses were always refreshed before they were empty,
and anything we needed was anticipated before we could request it. Impressive!
The menu is literally a glossy magazine (with BMW and other high end ads) offering an overwhelming number of choices. Having been forewarned of this fact and that it's totally in Spanish, we studied the selections--in English--online and pretty much knew what we wanted upon arrival. Doing so allowed us to relax and enjoy the evening without over-ordering or being flustered and perhaps disappointed with what came to the table.
So what about the food? Honestly, it was outstanding. We shared a cold appetizer of grilled shrimp and vegetables in Oriental rice pancakes.
I chose a steak and langostino teppanyaki dish
while Cynthia enjoyed two half rolls--one with crispy salmon and the other filled with shrimp and avocado and flambeed table-side with sake.
The staff brought out a complimentary tiramisu for Cynthia and sang a heartfelt "Happy Birthday" in their best English. So sweet.
I highly recommend Noe for a superb dining experience.
PS. Happy Birthday to my forever girlfriend.
With seven locations in Quito and four in Guayaquil, Noe is no stranger in Ecuador's largest cities, but a restaurant like this brings a whole new level of dining to little Cuenca.
For starters, the space itself is dramatically designed with a contemporary feel totally different from the traditional interiors usually found in other restaurants here.
Service was impeccable throughout the evening. Our champagne glasses were always refreshed before they were empty,
and anything we needed was anticipated before we could request it. Impressive!
The menu is literally a glossy magazine (with BMW and other high end ads) offering an overwhelming number of choices. Having been forewarned of this fact and that it's totally in Spanish, we studied the selections--in English--online and pretty much knew what we wanted upon arrival. Doing so allowed us to relax and enjoy the evening without over-ordering or being flustered and perhaps disappointed with what came to the table.
So what about the food? Honestly, it was outstanding. We shared a cold appetizer of grilled shrimp and vegetables in Oriental rice pancakes.
I chose a steak and langostino teppanyaki dish
while Cynthia enjoyed two half rolls--one with crispy salmon and the other filled with shrimp and avocado and flambeed table-side with sake.
The staff brought out a complimentary tiramisu for Cynthia and sang a heartfelt "Happy Birthday" in their best English. So sweet.
I highly recommend Noe for a superb dining experience.
PS. Happy Birthday to my forever girlfriend.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Kiva
Several years ago my daughter surprised me with a Christmas gift that has become one of the most meaningful I have ever received--a gift card to Kiva. Kiva? It is likely you've never heard of this organization. I was curious when I opened the envelope because at the time neither had I.
Founded in 2005, Kiva is "a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty." The way it works is simple. You can loan as little as $25 to any of hundreds of people around the planet running tiny businesses to support their families. Right now I'm helping Eva in the Philippines and Halima in Pakistan. Both are mothers of three children and needed more inventory for their general stores. Eva someday wants to send her kids to college.
Every time repayment in my lending "bucket" reaches the $25 mark (you are notified by email each time a payment is made) I go to the Kiva website and look for someone else to assist. At this moment there are 3779 lending opportunities available, sorted six different ways to help your decision. You can also focus on a particular country if you wish. I particularly enjoy finding a situation where my loan gets a person to 100% funding.
I'm one of 1,175,451 individuals who has provided micro-financing (total loans, which can be funded by multiple lenders, are often only $100 to $200) of $565,201,650 to aspiring entrepreneurs in 75 countries. These might seem like high risk loans, but amazingly the repayment rate over the entire nine years of Kiva's existence is 98.86%.
Why? Every penny of your money goes to folks with no access to traditional banking systems who are anxious to create opportunity for themselves and others. Plain and simple, the gratitude for receiving assistance in their effort drives them to repay this kindness no matter what.
Anything we can do for the less fortunate among us is admirable. As a former small business owner this particular concept speaks to my heart. I've thus far assisted individuals and groups in seven countries and look forward to many more. Kiva calls its program "loans that change lives" and my personal involvement has been a special blessing.
I encourage you to put as little as $25 to work lending a helping hand. Go to Kiva's website and find someone's personal story that speaks to you. I guarantee you'll be glad you did.
Founded in 2005, Kiva is "a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty." The way it works is simple. You can loan as little as $25 to any of hundreds of people around the planet running tiny businesses to support their families. Right now I'm helping Eva in the Philippines and Halima in Pakistan. Both are mothers of three children and needed more inventory for their general stores. Eva someday wants to send her kids to college.
Every time repayment in my lending "bucket" reaches the $25 mark (you are notified by email each time a payment is made) I go to the Kiva website and look for someone else to assist. At this moment there are 3779 lending opportunities available, sorted six different ways to help your decision. You can also focus on a particular country if you wish. I particularly enjoy finding a situation where my loan gets a person to 100% funding.
I'm one of 1,175,451 individuals who has provided micro-financing (total loans, which can be funded by multiple lenders, are often only $100 to $200) of $565,201,650 to aspiring entrepreneurs in 75 countries. These might seem like high risk loans, but amazingly the repayment rate over the entire nine years of Kiva's existence is 98.86%.
Why? Every penny of your money goes to folks with no access to traditional banking systems who are anxious to create opportunity for themselves and others. Plain and simple, the gratitude for receiving assistance in their effort drives them to repay this kindness no matter what.
Anything we can do for the less fortunate among us is admirable. As a former small business owner this particular concept speaks to my heart. I've thus far assisted individuals and groups in seven countries and look forward to many more. Kiva calls its program "loans that change lives" and my personal involvement has been a special blessing.
I encourage you to put as little as $25 to work lending a helping hand. Go to Kiva's website and find someone's personal story that speaks to you. I guarantee you'll be glad you did.
Friday, May 2, 2014
The Power of Intention
I befriended the administrator of the driving school while I was there attending classes. Having lived in Atlanta and Houston she speaks perfect English, so I sometimes stayed after class to chat.
We've both enjoyed long marriages (she & her husband 25 years, Cynthia & I approaching 43) and were talking about the "secrets" of our successful relationships. I told her that from the beginning my bride and I had intended for our marriage to work at the highest level, and asked her if she had ever read Wayne Dyer's "The Power of Intention." She had not, so I immediately decided to give a copy to her as a token of appreciation for her kindness.
At Cuenca's largest bookstore the next day I learned that they only had a copy at their branch in Guayaquil that could arrive in several days. I was hot to trot to make this happen and decided to search elsewhere. Two days and three bookstores later I had still come up empty, so I returned to my original location only to discover the store was closed for a holiday.
Bummer!
On the way home I spied a tiny bookstore I've probably walked past 50 times and never noticed. It was open so I walked in and asked the clerk if the book in stock. She unlocked a window and handed me her only copy. My copy.
Hooray!
Cynthia wrapped the book for me and I went over to the driving school to present my present (unintended wordplay). My new friend was extremely appreciative--don't think driving school students often drop by with gifts. When I asked why she wasn't opening it she said, "Because I already know what it is--"The Power of Intention," right? Is it in English or Spanish?"
Was stumbling upon perhaps the city's only copy of that book in an obscure store a matter of luck? Or coincidence? My life experience says, "No." To me it is magical that the power of intention came into play with a book having the same name.
We've both enjoyed long marriages (she & her husband 25 years, Cynthia & I approaching 43) and were talking about the "secrets" of our successful relationships. I told her that from the beginning my bride and I had intended for our marriage to work at the highest level, and asked her if she had ever read Wayne Dyer's "The Power of Intention." She had not, so I immediately decided to give a copy to her as a token of appreciation for her kindness.
At Cuenca's largest bookstore the next day I learned that they only had a copy at their branch in Guayaquil that could arrive in several days. I was hot to trot to make this happen and decided to search elsewhere. Two days and three bookstores later I had still come up empty, so I returned to my original location only to discover the store was closed for a holiday.
Bummer!
On the way home I spied a tiny bookstore I've probably walked past 50 times and never noticed. It was open so I walked in and asked the clerk if the book in stock. She unlocked a window and handed me her only copy. My copy.
Hooray!
Cynthia wrapped the book for me and I went over to the driving school to present my present (unintended wordplay). My new friend was extremely appreciative--don't think driving school students often drop by with gifts. When I asked why she wasn't opening it she said, "Because I already know what it is--"The Power of Intention," right? Is it in English or Spanish?"
Was stumbling upon perhaps the city's only copy of that book in an obscure store a matter of luck? Or coincidence? My life experience says, "No." To me it is magical that the power of intention came into play with a book having the same name.
Takin' It Easy
It's Wednesday afternoon, the last day of April, and today I've been doing a whole lot of nothing. Things seem to happen in waves here at Casa Staton, and after the past week of torrid activity we are taking a much-deserved break.
I started driving school last Monday morning to get my Ecuadorian license and finished yesterday. No, we are not getting a car. One of our reasons for moving to Cuenca was to enjoy a pedestrian lifestyle, and I hope to never get behind the wheel in this country. But my US license expired and I need to be legal when we return in July, so there I sat for two hours each morning listening to lectures totally in Spanish.
My Spanish is OK for most circumstances in which I find myself, but for every reason you can think words having to do with driving, traffic laws, and the anatomy of cars are not part of my vocabulary. I tried so hard to understand in class, but after a while my concentration collapses into the sounds of Charlie Brown's teacher (wha-wha-wha-wha-wha) with a lot of a's and o's on the end.
Ecuador traffic laws turned out to have a few surprises. The biggest one is that pedestrians always have the right of way. As a four year veteran of walking all over this city I can attest that this law is ignored by every driver. Crossing the street requires concentration, timing, and a dose of courage (sounds like I'm describing martial arts). Hell, even pedestrians don't give other pedestrians the right of way when approaching each other on the sidewalks.
So many drivers talk and text that I was amazed to learn using cell phones while driving is illegal. Think Ecuador is a third world country? A recent survey revealed that there are more cell phones here than people!
Traffic laws are pretty much common sense, but it's hard to provide correct answers when you don't understand the questions. Fortunately the manual had all the 200+ multiple choice questions with correct answers from which 20 were chosen for the final exam, so with the assistance of Google Translate I was able to properly prepare.
The old guy's still got it and I aced the test, so in about twenty days I'll receive approval from Quito to take the "real" test and after passing get my license on the spot.
We try to keep our foot on the brakes with social commitments, we really do. But last week we (well, to be fair--I) lost control. Wednesday night we had dinner out with a large group of friends. Thursday night I went out drinking with a buddy. Friday I took another friend to lunch. Saturday we went to a wine tasting, and you know what that means--a lot of wine drinking. Sunday we attended a party that started at 3 and ended at 10. Here's a tip--having an alcoholic beverage in your hand for seven hours is not a good idea. Then Monday we hosted a dinner party for dear friends.
Whew! After washing all the dishes Tuesday morning we were done and decided to pull the plug on social engagements for a few days while recuperating. And reading, exercising, sleeping, and watching some TV have been a real joy. Besides a facial I've got scheduled for tomorrow and dentist appointments on Friday the calendar is blissfully clear.
But then tomorrow morning I'm going fishing in the Cajas followed by a Kentucky Derby party in the afternoon. Sunday we're going to a play--Tuesday lunch with friends--Wednesday afternoon it's bingo.
So saddle up our horses--here we go again!
I started driving school last Monday morning to get my Ecuadorian license and finished yesterday. No, we are not getting a car. One of our reasons for moving to Cuenca was to enjoy a pedestrian lifestyle, and I hope to never get behind the wheel in this country. But my US license expired and I need to be legal when we return in July, so there I sat for two hours each morning listening to lectures totally in Spanish.
My Spanish is OK for most circumstances in which I find myself, but for every reason you can think words having to do with driving, traffic laws, and the anatomy of cars are not part of my vocabulary. I tried so hard to understand in class, but after a while my concentration collapses into the sounds of Charlie Brown's teacher (wha-wha-wha-wha-wha) with a lot of a's and o's on the end.
Ecuador traffic laws turned out to have a few surprises. The biggest one is that pedestrians always have the right of way. As a four year veteran of walking all over this city I can attest that this law is ignored by every driver. Crossing the street requires concentration, timing, and a dose of courage (sounds like I'm describing martial arts). Hell, even pedestrians don't give other pedestrians the right of way when approaching each other on the sidewalks.
So many drivers talk and text that I was amazed to learn using cell phones while driving is illegal. Think Ecuador is a third world country? A recent survey revealed that there are more cell phones here than people!
Traffic laws are pretty much common sense, but it's hard to provide correct answers when you don't understand the questions. Fortunately the manual had all the 200+ multiple choice questions with correct answers from which 20 were chosen for the final exam, so with the assistance of Google Translate I was able to properly prepare.
The old guy's still got it and I aced the test, so in about twenty days I'll receive approval from Quito to take the "real" test and after passing get my license on the spot.
We try to keep our foot on the brakes with social commitments, we really do. But last week we (well, to be fair--I) lost control. Wednesday night we had dinner out with a large group of friends. Thursday night I went out drinking with a buddy. Friday I took another friend to lunch. Saturday we went to a wine tasting, and you know what that means--a lot of wine drinking. Sunday we attended a party that started at 3 and ended at 10. Here's a tip--having an alcoholic beverage in your hand for seven hours is not a good idea. Then Monday we hosted a dinner party for dear friends.
Whew! After washing all the dishes Tuesday morning we were done and decided to pull the plug on social engagements for a few days while recuperating. And reading, exercising, sleeping, and watching some TV have been a real joy. Besides a facial I've got scheduled for tomorrow and dentist appointments on Friday the calendar is blissfully clear.
But then tomorrow morning I'm going fishing in the Cajas followed by a Kentucky Derby party in the afternoon. Sunday we're going to a play--Tuesday lunch with friends--Wednesday afternoon it's bingo.
So saddle up our horses--here we go again!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Get Out of Town!
The weather here in Cuenca has been consistently lousy for weeks--cool, overcast, and rainy. So when friends invited us to join them on a 5-day getaway trip to the coast we jumped at the chance for a change of scenery.
Our destination was Punta Blanca, an area midway between Salinas and Montanita. None of us had ever been there, so we were thrilled that after an early morning departure we were ordering a seafood lunch right on the beach only a 4 1/2 hours later.
The condo we rented turned out to have a terrific view of the pool and ocean.
And the climate exceeded expectations--beautiful blue skies, perfect temps, and surprisingly low humidity. We got acquainted with our new "home" with a stroll along the lovely uncrowded beach.
After a supply run to a nearby grocery store we proceeded to do a whole lot of nothing for the next few days. Well, I guess beach walks, body surfing, eating, drinking, reading, and napping are something, but you get the idea-----.
We did venture up to Montanita on Saturday for lunch. Wow, what a difference! The place was absolutely packed.
Of course, that didn't stop us from a pit stop on "Cocktail Alley,"
strolling along the newly constructed walkway along the ocean,
or checking out all the trinkets for sale.
We said goodbye to Punta Blanca on Monday and headed back to this same dreary weather.
I'll keep this image in mind until sunny days return.
Our destination was Punta Blanca, an area midway between Salinas and Montanita. None of us had ever been there, so we were thrilled that after an early morning departure we were ordering a seafood lunch right on the beach only a 4 1/2 hours later.
The condo we rented turned out to have a terrific view of the pool and ocean.
And the climate exceeded expectations--beautiful blue skies, perfect temps, and surprisingly low humidity. We got acquainted with our new "home" with a stroll along the lovely uncrowded beach.
After a supply run to a nearby grocery store we proceeded to do a whole lot of nothing for the next few days. Well, I guess beach walks, body surfing, eating, drinking, reading, and napping are something, but you get the idea-----.
We did venture up to Montanita on Saturday for lunch. Wow, what a difference! The place was absolutely packed.
Of course, that didn't stop us from a pit stop on "Cocktail Alley,"
strolling along the newly constructed walkway along the ocean,
or checking out all the trinkets for sale.
We said goodbye to Punta Blanca on Monday and headed back to this same dreary weather.
I'll keep this image in mind until sunny days return.
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