Things I Will (Surprisingly) Miss about Ecuador

Though there are a countless number of things I will miss about Ecuador, this is a small list of the things I never thought I would miss until now:

1. The rooster that wakes me up at 4am every morning

Though the rooster next door never fails to wake me up at 4 in the morning every morning, it’s actually been a refreshing change for me. I can’t say there are any roosters that live anywhere close to my home or school. It’s actually been nice to hear such a natural sound in such a large city setting.

2. Not having a mirror in my bathroom

Though this can get annoying sometimes, it has been good for me to not have an oversized mirror in my bathroom. If I don’t know what I look like that day, how can I worry about the bad hair day I’m having?

3. Climbing the Escalinata every day

All I can say is that my legs are about the strongest they've ever been!

4. Living in a bigger city

Though I have never wished to live in a big city, it has been awesome experiencing the city-life. It’s easy to get around by public transportation, there are tons of activities going on all the time, and the city is always alive and moving.

5. Taking a public city-bus to school every day

Public transportation is actually pretty fun! And I get to people-watch, which is one of my favorite pastimes!

6. Having four hours of Spanish classes a day

Yes, four hours of speaking a foreign language can be pretty tiring, but I learned a lot, and loved the stories my teacher told us every day.

7. Having a small bedroom

Having a small bedroom has made me realize that I really don’t need as much “stuff” as I have back home. It’s simply not necessary.

8. Ecuadorian time

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the fact that class started fifteen minutes late every day, or that our breaks between classes ended up being ten minutes longer than they should have been. I could get used to the more relaxed time schedule!

9. Spending most of the weekend with family instead of friends

Though I love my friends dearly, it’s really good to spend a lot of time with family too. I’ve realized I can learn more from them than I thought.

10. Having a hot cheese sandwich for breakfast with hot chocolate

Though I found this really weird at first, I’ve come to really enjoy my hot chocolate in the morning, partnered with a hot, melted cheese sandwich. After all, grilled cheese is my favorite food. Who would have thought the two would go so well together?

It’s been a good run. I will never forget this lovely place that I can now call mine, but as always, all good things must come to a close. United States, here I come!

The Great Generational Divide

"Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new. " ~Henry David Thoreau

I have always known that there are many differences amongst the different generations. It's interesting that in many ways, the generational divides in Ecuador are very similar to those in the United States. For example, the younger generation is a lot more up-to-date with how to use newer technology. Phones, computers, blogging…you name it, the teenagers and young adults know how to use it, but the older generation tends not to the majority of the time. At dinner one night, my host-dad was having problems with his Blackberry phone, and his 19-year-old daughter actually had to fix it for him because he simply had no idea what to do with it.

Another large difference between the generations is their knowledge of English. In my host-family, there are two daughters my age plus their parents. The two daughters both know a decent amount of English, while my host-parents know, at most, five basic survival phrases. It’s interesting to see how, in recent years, with globalization on the rise, the daughters were taught much more English in their schools than my parents were, simply because it has become a lingua franca. On this note, from my perspective, it tends to be much easier to communicate with a young adult or child Ecuadorian rather than an older adult Ecuadorian.

The last thing I have found interesting is the difference between the music that each generation listens to. As in the United States, in most cases, the younger generation tends to listen to pop music, and sometimes even rap or, as is very popular in Ecuador, reggaeton. As for the older generations, more classic music, such as salsa or meringue, is the more popular choice. Though there are always exceptions, I have found it extremely intriguing to see just how different a person’s interests can be, simply based off of when they were born. It makes me wonder if this great generational divide can ever be bridged.

Every Last Bit

I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with how much Ecuadorians tend to savor every last bit of what they have. They may have very little of something, but turn it into something much more grand than it ought to be, especially with food. For example, one papaya here can be used to make four days’ worth of juice for breakfast for one person. My host mom will only cut one-fourth of the papaya to use for juice, and then just let the other three-fourths sit in the fruit basket until the next day when it’s time to be used. In addition, my host-family, as well as most Ecuadorian families, tends to make a big pot of rice in the slow cooker, and use that same rice for multiple days of meals. I have never seen my host-mother put leftover rice in the fridge, as we would back home, but rather keeps it in the slow cooker until the next day, so all she has to do is click the “Warm” button when it’s time to eat. And when there are little scraps of food left from various meals, they are all piled onto one plate for a few days, and once the plate is full, it’s given to the rooster next door to eat. These people don’t waste ANYTHING. It’s amazing.

One last example, not having to do with food, relates to the garbage system. In our Cuencan family, we have a paint bucket for a garbage can, and plastic grocery bags are put in them as a substitute for garbage bags. The bags are then stuffed until you literally cannot put a single ounce of rice more in them, and then they are taken directly to the edge of the street for the garbage men to pick up. Honestly, that’s really not a bad idea. Thinking about back home, garbage bags can kind of be a waste, considering we already save every single plastic grocery bag we have, and yet never really use them for anything. And who really fills the regular garbage bags up all the way? Observing how every last bit of everything is used and filled here has made me rethink my use of things. It has really inspired me to be more cautious of my waste and conservation back home.

Classes Here Vs. @ Home

"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” ~Chinese Proverb

Classes in Ecuador seem to be extremely different than they are in America. Granted, I only really have Spanish classes here, and besides about ten other students, our Seminar in Ecuador group pretty much encompasses the population of Amauta. Let me start about the punctuality of classes. I was warned ahead of time that, though Ecuadorians usually never arrive on time, to always be on time for classes here. I can almost laugh at that now, because from day one, we have never started a class earlier than five minutes late. In fact, as the weeks have gone on, we tend to start later and later. With just a week left, our new normal time to start has reached as much as fifteen minutes late. In the U.S., this would never ever happen. Sure, some classes get a late start and some teachers are more lenient, but students would actually start to get annoyed if class always started more than five minutes late.

In addition, my teacher is wonderful, but she can be quite easily swayed from her original decisions. For example, this weekend we were to be assigned a good chunk of reading/grammar homework. When one of my classmates mentioned that we have two papers, blogs, and a super-long PowerPoint due in our other classes in the next two weeks, our teacher simply said that we could go over it together in classes next week. Again, I realize there are teachers who are like this in America too, but we are in college, and I never expected someone to so easily change their mind about an assignment, just because the students had "other work" to do.

Lastly, one of the major differences I've noticed here is that our teacher does minimal "teaching" and, instead, uses conversation and discussion as the most important form to learn. This seems way different than classes back home, because except for a select few classes I've taken, most of them have been solely or mostly structured around a lecture. I personally prefer the conversational method of teaching, because not only does it force to think about my own opinions of things, but it also gives me the best chance to use what I have learned in conversational Spanish (in the case of this specific class). Although many of these differences can transcend into classes back in the U.S., it has been very interesting to me to observe how teachers think so differently in their way of teaching, and how neither is wrong as long as the students are still learning what they need to learn.

Go Go Techno

So I have to admit, before arriving in Ecuador, I didn't really expect there to be as much technology as we have in the United States. I mean, I didn't assume the culture was primitive in Cuenca by any means, but I was still surprised to see how quickly technology has moved into other countries, especially since a good majority of it has originated in the U.S. or other powerful countries. Though I had learned a lot about Ecuador before visiting, I am ashamed to say I still had this biased perspective that a country in South America couldn't be as technologically advanced as the U.S. How very wrong I was. Two technological advances that I have particulary noticed to be the most used here are Facebook and cell phones, especially Blackberrys. There have been quite a few times in which I have been over at my Cuencan family's house and some of the younger (as in, under the age of 25) family members see me on Facebook. They literally freak out because they're so excited that someone in America could possibly have a Facebook too, which I find pretty hilarious. But the craziest part is the cell phones. Now, I guess I can't be too picky here, because back home, I am a very big texter. But my sisters here in Cuenca, who are 19 and 22 -years-old, are on their phones ALL of the time; they are constantly texting, throughout dinner, walking to the bus stop.... CONSTANTLY. I don't find there to be a problem with texting, because it really is a great way to communicate with someone quickly and easily, but when it doesn't have any end, it can be quite rude in my opinion. I guess seeing technology through the looking glass in a different country has really made me realize how important it is to take a break from the phones, computers, Facebook, etc. and just take a step back and really enjoy what's happening around you. After all, once a moment is gone, you never get it back.

Tengo Hambre

Food. Can't live with it, can't live without it. Luckily, I really enjoy my carbs, so rice and bread rolls are sufficient enough for me in most cases. Honestly, I've really enjoyed the food in Ecuador. I thought I would be a lot more picky, but I guess when you're put in a situation that doesn't really allow you to be picky, you get over it pretty fast. I've tried tuna and three different types of fish so far, which, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed (considering I'm not a seafood eater). I've also had a load of weird combinations of food. My all-time favorite was when my host-mother put a plate in front of me containing tuna salad, noodles, and rice, all stacked up on top of each other. It was such a weird combination, but surprisingly tasty. The soups here are also delicious. My family makes me fresh soup for lunch every day, and even though I've been here for seven weeks already, I'm pretty sure I've had a different type of soup every day. I don't know how they do it, or how they even know that many recipes by memory; they're all delicious too. The only thing I think I could go without is the potato wedges and scrambled eggs I've gotten for countless meals. I don't really care for either, and they seem to be served in every way with any three of the main meals a day. But the one thing I absolutely adore here and will miss dearly is all of the freshly-squeezed, homemade juices. I've had flavors ranging from orange, papaya, tree tomato, guayaba, banana-oatmeal, naranjilla, pineapple, and so many more. They never get old. It makes me wonder why fresh juice isn't more common in the United States. Oh, and the thing I will probably miss most about Ecuador's variety of flavors? Apple-flavored soda!

Stuck

I’m stuck in this world of old and new

My heart is being ripped in two.

I love this place I now call mine,

But my heart feels like it’s wrapped in twine.

Ecuador is lovely, its people, and its places

The monkeys, the rivers, the culture (in most cases).

My family is sweet, they care a lot

I feel like I’m in the perfect spot.

The churches are breathtaking

Soup is always in the making

Random things always occur,

There’re some street dogs with raggedy fur.

Cows wander the parks,

You can smell the tree bark,

The bugs are huge,

And people are easily amused.

Vendors line the streets,

Ecuadorians lovingly greet,

The buildings are old

But there’s never any mold.

There’re four distinct parts

But they all remain apart.

Car alarms sound all day

And you always feel you’re being carried away.

The smoke from the buses,

Is enough to start making me cuss.

The traffic is absolutely insane,

To understand when people talk, my ears, I have to strain.

The stairs I have to climb every day,

How strong my legs have become, I can’t say.

Roosters start their crow at four

I really can’t take it anymore.

The more I do and the more I see,

The water, the mountains, the jungle, the trees,

My love for this country grows and grows,

But something in me just knows,

That I cannot remain here forever,

There are some ties that will need to be severed.

I miss my country, my family, my friends,

Hopefully I can find something that mends.

The Difference Between Men and Women

"Men are respectable only as they respect.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The more time I spend in Cuenca, the more I realize how unequally men and women are treated in Ecuador. I recognize there is still inequality amongst the sexes in the United States too, but here it tends to be even more prominent. Ecuador is a very patriarchal society. In other words, men rule. In their households, men are expected to be the main providers for their families, but in reality, women actually end up doing even more work. Not only do they have full time jobs, but they are expected to cook, clean, take care of the household, and take care of the kids, which is a full time job in itself. I found this all out after having a discussion about male and female roles with my host-mother, and I know what she says is true just from observing everything she does in a day. She wakes up two hours early just to make me breakfast, goes to work for four hours, returns to make me lunch, goes back to work for five more hours until 7 pm, returns to fix me dinner, and then helps me with homework, cleans up the kitchen, picks up her daughter from the university, and maybe even runs to the store to get a few items needed for lunch the next day. In cotrast, I hardly ever see my host-father, mainly because he’s either at work or just up in his room resting. In addition to women having more responsibilities than men, men seem to lack respect for women in a lot of cases. For example, on the streets, simply walking to school, I have been whistled at, cat-called, and looked up and down in broad daylight by various men at least a few times a week. It is mortifying and obnoxious, and yet the Ecuadorian men don’t seem to have a care in the world that it disgusts us women. Don’t women deserve the some respect after all of their hard work?

¿Me Entiende?

"The biggest miscommunication is to assume communication has taken place." ~Anonymous

I never realized just how important communication was until I was forced to. This past Friday, I got terribly sick and had to go to the hospital. Now, going to the hospital is one thing, but going to a hospital where they only speak Spanish is a different story. Yes, I speak some Spanish. Unfortunately, we haven't covered very much vocabulary pertaining the medical field. After my appointment, my professor, Dr. Boe, and I went to the counter to figure out if insurance would cover the bill. With my Spanish-English Dictionary in hand, I tried to communicate with the secretary, but my vocabulary and grammar knowledge wasn't sufficient enough to get across my point about the insurance situation. The secretary left to find someone who knew how to speak English, but after fifteen minutes of waiting, she still hadn't returned. We found out we could settle the financial details the next day, so we just ended up leaving. In the end, Dr. Boe and I were able to decipher enough to get by during the actual appointment, but needless to say, it was still pretty scary, especially without having something as simple as the comfort of your native language. I guess a good thing that came out of it was that it got me to think about why it's so important to know another language. Not only would it have been more convenient for me to know Spanish fluently for my own sake, but it would have been nice if I had a doctor that spoke more than five words in English too. Since I'm majoring in Education, I decided it would be a good thing to minor in Spanish too. Spanish is a very common language in the United States now, and besides loving the language, I realize how important it is becoming to know more than one language, especially with the recent boom in globalization. There are more foreign companies and immigrants in the U.S. now more than ever. Even though English is a pretty well-known language all over the world, it just doesn't seem to suffice to know only one language anymore. I don't want to be one of those people who is ignorant of other languages and cultures. Becoming fluent, or at least having a solid background in a different language, not only makes your life easier, but can also help others that are put in a difficult situation.

Concept of Time

The concept of time here is so different than in the United States. Before we left the country, I read in a book that when you are invited to a party or other events, you are to arrive at least half hour later than the stated time. I just didn't actually believe it. Though I haven't gotten invited to any parties or events yet, I at least have come to see that time is a very flexible concept in Ecuador, especially compared to the United States. When we went on hikes in the Amazon, the guides stated that they weren't that long of hikes...and yet they were at least three hours long. In addition, my classmates and I were told that our Spanish classes were to start promptly at 8am, and every single class has started at least five or ten minutes late so far this week. As another example, my host mom makes me breakfast every morning, but doesn't have it ready until 7:20. The problem is that I have a 30 minute commute to school every morning and classes start at 8am. If I were in the United States, I would make sure I was at class at least ten minutes early, let alone on time, or else I would be being extremely rude to my professors. The irony is that I don't arrive at my school until right at 8am, and I still tend to be five minutes early. In general, Ecuadorians seem to be very relaxed getting places they need to go when they need to be there. I think all of us Americans can learn from this. I know I personally get super stressed out when I'm running late for an appointment or for class. But while I've been here, I've also learned that there's no use stressing out over time. Time, truly, is irrelevant.

Living the Simple Life

It's amazing how easy it is to forget to appreciate all of the little things in life. Things like a warm shower, some air conditioning, the ability to wear a clean set of clothes every day, or to have a bowl of Coco Puffs for breakfast. Ecuador is a whole new realm to me. Sure, I've been out of the country for a few different vacations, but I have never been forced to live the life of the locals. I've come to realize how hard it can be to let go of all of the material things we come to depend on so much. I haven't used a cell phone in two weeks, and I've hardly had a computer to check my Facebook and emails. I've worn the same two pairs of pants for the last two weeks, have had to use a bottle of water just to brush my teeth, and can't even throw my toilet paper in the toilet.. I haven't been able to wear my favorite necklace, earrings, and rings at all, and my new best friends have become my oh so fashionable rubber boots. But here's the thing: being forced to separate from these things has been so...refreshing. Being thrown into situations where I simply don't have the choice to care about what I look like or how clean I am, it has become apparent that life at its simplest is the most enjoyable way to live life in the first place. I am happier and more at peace right now than I ever have been in my life. Well, that, and I feel ALIVE. If I haven't already learned that a simple life is a good life, I can at least know to appreciate all the little things I take for granted.

I'm going to Ecuador?!

If someone would have told me two years ago that I would be studying abroad in Ecuador one day, I probably would have laughed in their face. Even after signing up and filling out all the paperwork for the trip last semester, I didn’t know if it was really going to happen; after all, since there were such a low number of sign-ups, the trip almost got completely cancelled. Now that all of the wrinkles are ironed over and the trip is almost here, I’m literally jumping out of my shoes. It’s funny how life can throw a hurdle in your way, and yet, once it is overcome, reaching your goal becomes that much sweeter.

I cannot begin to describe just how blessed I feel to be going on this trip. My dad was nice enough to hire me to work teaching summer camp at his karate school so that I would be able to go. I worked 50 hours a week this summer just to save up enough money to study abroad: 10 weeks of work for 10 weeks in Ecuador. It seemed like a good enough trade-off for me. . It’s funny how life can throw hurdles in your way, and yet, once they are overcome, reaching your goal becomes that much sweeter. Now, all of my hard work is about to pay off! Ecuador, here I come!