The Beginning of My Relationship with Ecuador

Today marks the beginning of my second week here in Quito, Ecuador. It all still feels so surreal. This morning, my family's maid (In Spanish, empleada: she's not a servant nor is she disrespected, my family considers her a part of the family and appreciates how hard she works) told me that she would take my large suitcases upstairs to a closet if I emptied them. I think that I was subconsciously hesitant to remove my suitcases because it would make my stay here seem so much more permanent. I felt reassured when I let go of my suitcases and thankfully had no separation anxiety ;). I'm so happy here and am so proud that I've pushed myself out of my comfort zone (thanks to the support of so many of you!).

I don't want to bore you nor overwhelm you with the little details of each day that I've spent here (although they all have been quite interesting!). Instead, I'd like to begin by sharing with you all my developing relationship with Ecuador. I really think that you should treat places like people (An Ecuadorian artist that we learned about, Guayasamín, used people to portray places in his paintings. Check him out! His art is really eye opening to all of the injustices and human suffering in our world). You do not put two people next to one another, sizing them up and comparing them. Instead, you learn about each person individually- their strengths, flaws, hopes, and fears- and you learn to love certain things about them and learn to interact accordingly depending on their flaws. For this reason, I am going to try my best not to compare Ecuador to the United States, but rather describe and learn to love and adapt to Ecuador's treasures and idiosyncrasies without making too many comparisons.

Things I Love About Ecuador 
(In no particular order)


1.) The Concept of Time: People in Ecuador consider time in the present and the past, rather than the future. Their concept of time is like the waves of the ocean. It moves forward to the present and then cycles backwards towards the past. If you notice, there is only one future tense in Spanish, but multiple past tenses. People here live in the present and do not worry much about deadlines or plans for the future. They look towards the past because it reminds them of who they are. You may notice that many Ecuadorians have very long names and a multitude of last names. This is because they consider their past and ancestors as important. If you tell an Ecuadorian to be at a restaurant at 7:30, they will probably arrive around 9. If you tell them to arrive at 7:23, they probably will have no idea that a clock has the capability of displaying 23 minutes past. People here are more relaxed in the present and are in no rush to go towards the future. Professors are often late, people don't arrive early for classes, and there is no bus schedule. For a gringa who is used to meeting deadlines and rushing to be on time, this relaxed atmosphere is quite nice.

2.) The Food/ La Comida: The food here is incredible! My breakfast usually consists of delicious bread (the bread always smells and even tastes like its fresh out of the bakery) with sweet jam, freshly made fruit juice such as jugo de mora (blackberry) or guanabana, and some corn flakes (a little taste of America). Lunch is massive. You usually have soup with a meal that consists of many courses. People put popcorn in their soup, and it is actually delicious! Dinner is very small but very rich and yummy as well. As delicious as the food is, I think I have lost some weight in the short time I have been here because dinners are so small (because the high altitude makes digestion slow), we don't snack often, the food has less preservatives, and servings are tinier. I'm not sure if I will be daring enough to try cuy (guinea pig), but when my brothers told me that I was eating monkey meat during my second night here, I politely continued eating the dinner. They of course were tricking me and I was super gullible!

3.) The Way Men and Women Interact: I have a love/hate relationship with this aspect of the culture.  What I love about this is how gentlemen-like the men act here. My brothers and their friends open car doors for me, pull out my chairs, always let me walk ahead of them, and help me out of cars. They look out for their mothers and sisters a lot, which is really beautiful to see. They are also very protective of me and the other gringas when we go out, which is very comforting in the midst of the chaos of nightlife of Quito. Machismo refers to the form of macho masculinity that defines much of the male behavior here. What I hate about Machismo is how some men marginalize women, look at them as inferior, and disrespect them in overt and more discrete ways.

4.) Affection: People here are very touchy feeling here. Every time you greet someone, you better put your hand away because you will not be partaking in any hand shakes. Everyone kisses on the cheek when saying hi and bye. Personal space is not considered. You often find yourself talking to others with little distance between you. Guys here are also very affectionate towards their guy friends. They aren't afraid to give them huge, long hugs or kisses on the cheek. It's actually kind of beautiful to see. My brother and his friends love each other so much, seem so loyal to one another, and genuinely glow in each other's presence. This openness really enhances their friendship. When my brother Juan Pablo returned to Miami on Sunday (que triste! how sad!), all of his friends came over for Sunday lunch. They hugged and hugged and it appeared as if one of his friends was going to cry as Juan Pablo left to return to his home in the United States. I really admire their friendships and think we should be more openly affectionate with our friends in the U.S.

5.) La Belleza, The Beauty: Everywhere you look in Ecuador, you will find something beautiful. Whether it is a group of colorful houses amongst the picturesque Mount Pinchincha volcano or a street vendor selling gorgeous bouquets of flowers on the street. Although the public transportation is far from appealing, this morning there was a woman singing on the bus for money. Her voice was so raw and full of emotion, it was really moving. Even my University is gorgeous. There is a lake in the center of campus that students tan by, bamboo hammocks to relax on in a shaded area, tropical plants and trees, colorful buildings (my favorite is bright purple!), and an Asian building used for meditation classes. I'm so excited to explore more of the beauty of Ecuador!