Why am I here?

First I had to grab a cab to my meeting. I had the name of the building and some cross streets. This was my second Cuencan navigation adventure, and I had already learned that you and the cabby were in this together.

I am accustomed to not knowing what I'm doing until I have begun. I think it is part of the physician's training.

It's definitely part of life's training. So I wasn't surprised to arrive at the office of Cinterandes Foundation for a morning meeting and then wait until after noon for the doctor. I was greeted warmly by the secretary who buzzed me in, wearing her midriff and slacks with a jean jacket. She has worn a version of this every time I've seen her and is always professional and pleasant. She answers the phone, does the books, buzzes the gate for guests three floors below and listens to 80's soft rock on jam.
My back definitely felt better, but I still preferred to stand, which is what I was doing when three of the other students arrived. None of us knew what to expect, only what we had found on the website.
http://www.cinterandes.org/
Dr. V arrived and began to clear things up. She was an anesthesiologist and family physician who was one of the backbones of the foundation. She traveled into the countryside almost daily with students to visit patients who wouldn't otherwise make it to a clinic or hospital. She spoke clearly, and almost slowly enough for me to understand everything.
We had some options until the founder, Dr. R, got back from the states. We were to begin in Hospital Del Rio, associated with the Universidad de Azuay, meet the students there and figure out who we would work/study with. The other students, three girls from OSU, were into different specialties - two Family, one Pediatrics - and I was into Surgery. We would be in the Hospital for a week and meet up to go over plans on Friday.
One of the students had been to Ecuador for a semester before and spoke nearly flawless Spanish, seeming to understand everything. Between the four of us we were a spectrum of abilities. I was in the middle, which is not a bad place.
They were taking lessons in the evenings and I decided to join them. I hadn't had Spanish classes for about 7 years, and considering that we were the only people we were likely to encounter that spoke much English, it seemed like a good idea.
We got a packet of information from the Foundation, and there was a map inside. After thanking Dr. V and the secretary and making our plans, I walked back to 1-55 through the city center.