Natalie Williams - Ecuador

1. 2013 BN Duke International Summer of Service:
Quito, Ecuador
Natalie Williams, Class of 2015
Fundación Tierra Nueva
La Clínica de la Mujer
My second internship was at a women’s health clinic in central
Quito, where I spent time assisting gynecologists, obstetricians,
neonatologists, anesthesiologists, and surgeons. On a daily
basis I would help out in the neonatology ward (normally feeding
and cleaning the babies), take electrocardiographs and
ultrasounds of expecting mothers, and measure babies’ heart
rates. I also shadowed several surgeons and was able to
witness Caesarean sections, normal births, hysterectomies,
myomectomies, and breast tumor surgeries.
Quito, Ecuador
Ecuador Facts:
• Capital City: Quito
• Government: Republic
• Religion: 80.44% Roman Catholic, 11.30%
Protestants, 7.94% atheists, 6.97% other,
1.29% Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Languages: Spanish, Quichua, Shuar
• Health:
• Childhood Mortality (per 1000 live births): 24
• Child malnutrition rate: 25%
People & Lessons
Exploring the Beauty of Ecuador
On the weekends I took advantage of living in the prettiest
country I have ever visited and did a lot roaming around
Ecuador. The first weekend I visited Quilatoa, the most Western
volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The same weekend I visited
several indigenous villages about 2-3 hours outside of Quito.
Another weekend I took a night bus to the Ecuadorian coast for a
day, and another weekend I visited a town called Misahuallí
where wild monkeys were running around everywhere. The
other weekends I explored Quito and spent time getting to know
my host family. In between all of the exploring, I managed to take
a salsa and a cooking class, too!
Special Acknowledgements
Thank you to the following individuals and organizations for all
their support :
• BN Duke Scholarship Program
• Jenny Wood Crowley
• Charlie Thompson
• Sarah Stacke
• Pablo Proano
• The Marcillo Family
• Bethzaida Fernandez
• Michaella Thomas
Fundación Tierra Nueva (“New Land Foundation”) is a large
nonprofit organization founded by the late Father José Carollo,
an Italian priest. Tierra Nueva began as a social services center
for Quito’s poorest citizens—many of whom are concentrated in
the southern half of Ecuador’s capital city. At present, Tierra
Nueva is comprised of an outpatient medical institute with 26
specialties, a fully functioning medical hospital with 148 beds, a
mobile medical unit, a school for developmentally disabled
youth, two daycare centers, a legal services center, a microcredit
institution, and social work department. During my time at Tierra
Nueva, I mostly worked in physical therapy. My tasks included
electrotherapy, ultrasound, laser, and magnetic therapy. I also
assisted in x-rays and daily exercise routines with the patients.
During my time in Ecuador, I stayed with a host family in Quito. The Marcillo
family consisted of a father, mother, and a fifteen-year-old daughter, and I
honestly don’t think I could’ve been luckier with my placement. Even though
my flight got delayed when arriving and I showed up knocking on their door at
4 a.m., they welcomed me into their home and made me feel like a member of
the family. The Marcillos took me on daytrips around Quito and other cities,
taught me about Ecuadorian food and culture, and were always so patient and
helpful with my Spanish. However, these weren’t the only amazing people I
met during my time in Ecuador. I became really close with everyone I worked
with at Tierra Nueva, especially two of the patients. One patient even invited
me to her house for lunch every week. I could write a book on all of the
amazing people I met in Ecuador, and all of the lessons they taught me. Some
of the biggest lessons I learned were not to be hesitant of forming relationships
with those around me, not just trying to get to know a community, but letting
them get to know me, and to be “tranquíla”—aka relax and don’t worry!