Damage check

Whoo! Today was full of adventure...Rachel and I went whitewater rafting in the morning, on the Río Mira, and when the tour company picked us up (www.otavaloguide.com--we're going horseback riding with them tomorrow, too), we realized that it was going to be just us two on the trip....haha I mean the rafting guide was coming with us, and the driver as well to balance out the raft (and there was another guy, but he took care of the car this time around since the driver had never gone before). So I was thinking, "Well, that's going to be interesting," since I've never done whitewater rafting before with less than the full number of people. So we get to the river, and we pump up the raft right there on a tiny, rocky bank, and then we were on our way! (Btw, the raft is for eight people, but since there were only four of us, I asked if that was going to be a problem, and they were like, "No! It'll be better. The raft will go faster. =)" I guess that made sense.) The bad thing about having only four people is that you have to expend more energy in moving the raft. In any case, it was really fun! =D

Until we hit apparently the worst rapid in the river, and I fell out of the raft.

I KNOW! GAH! I mean, I'm obviously alive to tell the tale, but it was, in all honesty, a pretty scary experience. One moment, I'm in the raft, the next, I'm tipping over (and usually when you tip over, you still stay in the raft because your foot is securely squeezed under the middle air-filled thingies, or the strap if you're sitting up front, which is where Rachel and I were), and the next, I fall out into the rapids (yes, with all the big rocks and stuff). If you've fallen out of the boat while whitewater rafting before, you can probably identify with me that it's a really disorienting experience (because you can only fall out during the rapids...unless you are really bad at rafting haha). First of all, you are completely at the water's mercy, being jerked this way and that through the rapids, and even though they tell you to close your mouth, you keep it open because you're gasping for air while the water's constantly trying to fill your mouth. Second of all, you can't really see where you're going or what you're about to hit, 'cause all that whitewater's in your face, and then there are rocks under the surface that you don't know are there until you hit them, and again, you can't really control where you're going (to try to do so would probably actually be worse). So it was bad when I started hitting a couple rocks (going backwards in the river), and then, out of my limited vision, I saw that the rock wall had come up really close to my right side, and THAT alarmed me because I was then dragged under (which is also terrifying) and thought I was about to slam into that wall, and when I didn't, I thought I was about to slam into some other big rock jutting out of the river.

Right about the time I got dragged under the water was when I started pleading God for help. Since there isn't any of the disorienting whitewater under the water, that was when a sliver of clarity struck, and I started praying. So when the raft finally caught up to me and I was dragged onboard, I was extremely grateful that God had kept me alive, and not only alive, but relatively safe and unhurt. It definitely reminded me of how my life is in His hands, and how He is sovereign over everything. We continued on our way, and although my right leg and right ring finger were throbbing, I remembered how Karen told me once about an amputee patient who said he was grateful to even have one of his legs, and so I decided to be grateful that I had gotten off lightly with what appeared to be a couple sprains and maybe a broken finger (I actually chuckled after I was safely in the boat again, because who sprains an ankle/knee going whitewater rafting?? Hahaha...). In any case, we hit some more rapids, and there was a point where we were close to the bank and collided with a bunch of thin tree branches, and I was about to fall out of the boat again, but I was like, "NO! I am NOT falling out again! I'd rather get smacked by these branches!" So I doggedly clung onto the rope on my opposite side, and managed to stay in the boat (and broke off a few branches in the process).

In any case, we finished the rest of our trip, and it was enjoyable! When we got to land, I realized that I couldn't put very much weight on my right leg, and when we got home, Rachel was very kind in giving me anti-inflammatory pills and insisting that I put ice on my knee (and I agreed because I knew it was good for me, although I am notorious for always getting bad bruises and never icing them...probably why I have so many leftover bruise marks on my legs). And THEN Ceci (my host mom) was like, "Ayayay I don't have any ice, but I have frozen meat! You want some? Red meat is really good for bruises--it takes away the swollenness." And I was like....I've only ever seen this in the movies....but eventually she convinced me, cut up slices from the frozen chunk of meat, and had me put them on my right knee, shin, and ring and pinkie fingers. I stayed sitting on my bedroom floor with the company of María Celeste until the meat was well-thawed and dripping watery blood (haha...it was an interesting experience, and I was rather amused through the whole thing).

I actually think it helped a lot (or maybe it was the anti-inflammatory pill), since there seems to be minimal swelling. And good news! I don't think anything's actually sprained or broken, just very, very badly bruised. So all you Houstonians will get to see my pretty bruises when I come back in a couple weeks! (As if you all haven't seen enough of them these past three years.........I certainly have.) So yes, I am limping noticeably, but since I still have my life and all my bones intact, I count myself as blessed.

And I am going horseback riding tomorrow! =D (I'm probably being stupid, aren't I?) But it will be so beautiful =] (riding around a volcano crater lake!). And hopefully, I will get to visit the Otavalo market (the most famous in Ecuador, and famous worldwide) tomorrow after riding (since we start in Otavalo), as this will be my last available weekend to do so. Anyway! I will now leave you all to rest your eyes from my ramblings.....=]