Neither North nor South

A few days ago we visited the equator line at "El Sitio de Intinan," Intinan-meaing the route of the sun. I visited El Mitad del Mundo "equator line" and monument while in Ecuador before and had been a bit bummed to learn that the line was only an estimate using the sun, that had been drawn bfore the days of GPS. Thus, I was thrilled this time to visit the GPS-marked equator line that lies about 250-500 meters from the Mitad del Mundo "equator line." We learned that the indigenous people of this Andes region originally the area "Quitu," meaning center of the earth. When the Spanish arrived they found it difficult to pronounce Quitu and renamed the region Quito. The tour guide showed us some pretty awesome physics experiments. She showed us how a sink full of water drains in opposite directions North and South of the equator. When she drained the sink right over the equator the water went straight down the drain, without circling at all. Crazy!

The guide showed us how the gravitational force on the equator is strong enough to make certain actions easier: JAson, one of the studens in the program who is over six feet tall and strong, held his hands clasped in front of his forehead. The guide, a petite Ecuadorian woman put one of her hands on top of Jason's clasped hands. South of the equator and north of the equator the guide tried to pull Jason's clasped hands down while he pulled up. Understandably, the guide was unable to pull his hands down. Yet when they both stood on the equator, the guide pulled down both of JAson's hands with her one hand, with ease! I tried it out with a friend and it really worked! The force of gravity aided the guide enough so that she could pull Jason's hands down with ease!

One final experiment highlighted how the rotational forces differ north and south of the equator. IT should be easy for a sober person with eyes closed or open to walk a line, such as done in a sobriety test. With closed eyes and arms at my sides, I easily walked the equator line at a reasonable speed. Yet, when I closed my eyes and raised both arms out to the side, it was nearly impossible to walk the equator line faster than at a snail's pace. The opposing rotational forces caused gravity on my left and right hand made it difficult for me to balance and walk in a straight line.

I was about not to go to the equator line, thinking we would be visiting El Mitad del Mundo monument, I am so happy I went to see the real equator. I think Bill Nye the science guy would have enjoyed it.
**I do not know how to do accent marks on this netbook, which I recently named Slothy due to her slow nature. I miss my mac!

Back in Ecuador!

I have now been back in Ecuador for about a week. My love affair with this Andean country began four years ago, as a summer exchange student in Quito. I am a trainee thru an organization called Hispanic Serving Health Professionals Schools, a non-profit established in 1996 as a part of US Dept of Health and Human Services. This organization sponsors my summer in a Tropical and Travel Medicine Training Seminar that is a collaboration between University South Florida and La Universidad el Central in Quito. I will be living in Ecuador for 9 weeks, 5 in Quito, and 4 in the coastal and Amazonian regions. It feels good to be back in what has come to feel like a second home. There are six other students in the program, all of whom are working towards a Masters in Public Health.

While in Quito, myself and the other students are living at a hostel, L'Auberge--French for berenjena, which is Spanish for eggplant. Not sure how the owners came up with this name, but the French pronounciation is often left behind for a Spanish-accented "La-auh-bare-hey," that can cause a bit of confusion and quizzical looks from taxi drivers. The accomodations are more like a basic motel (ew that word just sounds gross), okay economical hotel perhaps. I have my own room and bathroom (which I was not expecting!). The first morning I leapt for joy when hot water came out of the shower. While spaces to store a summer's worth of clothes leave something to be desired, there is a nice central patio that somehow embodies a sophisticate tranquility.
I would guess there are about twenty-five rooms. Guests vary both in age and nationality, although the French name does seem to attract a large francophone group. Most guests staying here seem to be friendly and I have shared a meal with Israelis, Dutch, Swiss, and U.S. citizens. L'Auberge is treating me well. More on Tropical Medicine soon!