Tuesday, October 16 – Monda,y October 29
¡Hola! Happy to be here for another week of sharing in this my final day in Quito for the next 5 weeks. Prepping to leave Quito has been quite a busy time; therefore this post covers my past two weeks of activity. The end of the ‘classes’ section of the academic program brought a few tests to take and essays to write over the past week. Additionally, it was a busy time hanging out with friends in Quito before we all go our separate ways tomorrow.
More than before, my social interactions during this time have been with Ecuadorians rather than my ‘gringo’ friends. In this sense, I have taken the opportunity to observe the fascinating aspects of Ecuadorian conversation and how it forms an important part of the Latin American culture. A few weeks ago, my Spanish professor informed our class about his perception of the priorities in conversation amongst the people here. In terms of topics of conversations, his order of popularity was as follows: 1) family, 2) food, 3) problems/issues, 4) recreation. Initially, I had a hard time believing an order like this could actually be observed or justified, but as I become more engrained into the Ecuadorian life, the culture-conversation connection is obvious.
Two Friday’s ago, I partook in what has been one of my favorite yet most simple experiences since being in the country. The host-brother of my good friend Emma, an MSID student, was truing 18 years old. Eighteen is the most important age in Ecuador, the 21 of the United States if you will, because it is the legal age to drive, vote, drink, and smoke, not to mention be considered an adult. Therefore, in true Ecuadorian style, their family was using the whole week to celebrate this momentous occasion with multiple parties and the like. Most important, though, was the surprise party that was being thrown on Friday night as more than 20 relatives were invited. I and one other friend of Emma’s had the privilege of attending as well. The night’s events not only revealed, though conversation, a cultural enlightenment of values, but were also a perfect example of the first two values in action- family and food.
Again, in true Ecuadorian fashion, the surprise party was supposed to begin at 7pm, but relatives didn’t start arriving until about 8 and the birthday boy finally showed up around 9:30. For the next 3 hours, though, spirited conversation, plenty of joking, lots of laughter, and an abundance of food defined the atmosphere. While my comprehension at times could not keep up with the rapid-fire of Spanish, I still felt like I understood more than just words.
And, of course, the big four topics all came up during the evening. First of all, how are the cousins? What about Grandma Margarita who couldn’t make it tonight? How have the children been enjoying the new school year? Even though it seemed like practically the entire family was in each other’s presence, there was no lack of family talk that night. Second, the food. How delicious is this rice! How did you ever prepare this? Third, there are always plenty of issues for Ecuadorians to talk about. Can you believe the results of the Asemblea Constituyente? Did you hear about those 8 accidents within a two hour span in Quito yesterday? Why would the government ever give in to let Santa Elena become its own providence? Finally, there’s the fun stuff: the soccer scene, travels, nightlife, and the likes.
Perhaps even more interesting, though, are the topics that are almost never discussed by Ecuadorians. In a country that is almost 95% Catholic on paper, the issue of religion is, for all intents and purposes, never discussed outside of the church walls. It is apparently a touchy subject for a lot of Ecuadorians who may be ashamed of not practicing a religion that asks for a weekly commitment to mass. Also rarely touched is the topic of work. It is very strange to her anybody talk about their career ambitions or daily work routine outside of the office, therefore marking a great difference between our way of conversation and theirs. For example, a few weeks ago my host-sister began a teaching job in 4th grade, but when I asked my mother what subjects exactly she would be teaching, she literally had no idea.
Before even coming to Ecuador, I knew the Latin American culture was one focused on family, food, and enjoying the simple things in life. Now in coming here and actually being a part of the culture, I have seen how the ways of conversation amongst the people reflect their values in everyday life. It also becomes clear that the topics of conversation in America reflect our priorities. Sometimes, we are a culture that gets caught up in doing and doing without taking time out to enjoy some of the simpler things in life. I find it no surprise, therefore, that a lot of our conversation focuses around work and our busy daily lives.
Now, as I am preparing to leave Quito, my thoughts are most of excitement and anticipation. These two experiences will be so different that I am essentially ending one chapter of my life and starting another one. I have thoroughly enjoyed the city of Quito, but at the same time it is a major population center and therefore still hard to escape the go-go-go mentality even in this Latin America culture. Tomorrow, the readjustment process begins again. Please stay tuned.
Your typical cheesy photo
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