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!