Week 9: How the Simple Life Can Be So Complicated

Tuesday, October 30 – Monday, November 5

Greetings from a rainy, chilly Yunguilla. Although I’m sure it’s not quite as cold here as it is where you’re reading this. Well, I definitely was on with my prediction last week of having to make another adjustment as I moved out to the Ecuadorian countryside. Everything is different out here- the living conditions, the speed of life, the food, and the general atmosphere. This change has provided yet another roller-coaster of emotions from love to hate to belonging to longing and everything in-between, sometimes within a span of just minutes. The approach to life here in Yunguilla is so very simple, yet for me the adjustment to this style of life has been complicated.

My first day in Yunguilla is a great illustration of my new style of life. First, I was introduced to my new family- a humble and compassionately kind couple with 8 children, of which only 2 still live in the house. Another 4 live in Yunguilla or the neighboring community, and those who live in Quito come back on the weekends to visit. Their massive family speaks to the big-family mentality of los campensinos (people of the countryside) and their close proximity is typical of Ecuadorians. Nearly immediately I was served my first meal, a heaping plate of rice, potatoes, and a cabbage salad. Since that meal, not much has changed- I have eaten potatoes in some form for every meal (yes, even in the soup I eat for breakfast), and the quantities my family gives me has me thinking that I appeared underfed in arriving in Yunguilla (which definitely in not true).

After leaving the dinner table completely stuffed and barely able to walk, I was to wait for one of the community leaders to stop by so we could begin on some work for the afternoon. As I settled into my room, which is actually a section of the living room partially sectioned off by the only dresser in the entire house, it began to rain. I have learned this is a quite common occurrence in the afternoon in the cloud forest. Exhausted from an early morning, I decided to take a little nap, woke up to converse with my family for an hour before eating another healthy portion of food. To my surprise, I learned my family owned a television as we sat down in one of the two bedrooms to watch one of the infamous Ecuadorian TV ‘novelas’ (basically evening soap-operas). As 9 o’clock rolled around, I felt that usual wave of tiredness sweep over me and called it a day. The community leader never came.

And so is the life in Yunguilla. Work, while an important component to the daily life, does not take precedence over family, food, or having sufficient time to relax. Nearly everything that is used in daily life has been taken off the surrounding land and little is wasted. As my host-mother told me while we were eating our first lunch together, “Out here, we live simply and without worries. None of the distractions of the big cities are present here to threaten our safety or peace of mind.” Although I have been freaked out a few times by the sounds of chickens or pigeons scratching on the door or walking on the roof at night as I read, I would have to agree with her assessment. Learning to live in harmony with the land and forget the hassles of MY usual everyday life have been some of the main lessons from my first week.

While I anticipated being exposed to these lessons before even coming to Yunguilla, I didn’t anticipate feeling so confused by them. Three and a half years of college life, work-packed summers, and action-packed vacation time really had taken its toll. I had constantly been self-motivated to keep busy, but the lifestyle of Yunguilla had left me no choice but to slow down. A week and a half without Internet! Hit-and-miss cell phone service. Waking up every morning to sights like this out your window.

Easier said than done. Seriously!

Arriving in Yunguilla the week I did was actually excellent timing on my part (not like I had a choice). First of all, Friday was the widely celebrated Latin holiday of Día de los Difuntos (Muertos). Along with the holiday, Yunguilla held a little celebration of its own on Saturday night with dancing- Yunguilla style. I was glad to be around for the weekend as it was a great introduction to large family living, the people of Yunguilla, and adjusting to being extremely outnumbered by native Spanish-speakers who are comfortable with their way life. This latter point was the source of a lot of uncomfortable situations- not being included in circles of conversation, playfully being ridiculed as ‘gringo,’ not understanding jokes or just conversation in general, and having my accent made fun of- all of which I’m glad I went through and that I now realize are part of the acclimation process. There we times when I longed for the familiarity of United States culture, the ease of the English language, and the comfort of old friends. Yet over the last few days, I have noticeably gained more confidence in fitting into the community and the community has begun to see me more as a member rather than a tourist. It is a great feeling, especially in this community so focused on enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Still, in only a five week span, there is only so much one can do to engrain into the community. I will be careful not to expend too much energy worrying about this process in a place to which I may never return.

Backtracking to Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased), this holiday was quite the sight to behold. The tradition is that families will gather in the days before the holiday to make a drink called the ‘colada morada’ and a food called the ‘guaguas de pan’ (little bread loafs in the shape of babies). On the holiday, the family will eat this traditional food and visit the cemetery as a way to remember their deceased. We journeyed to Calacalí, the closest town to Yunguilla, where most of our family members were buried. The cemetery was packed with people in this town of no more than 15,000 people, all coming out to decorate their family’s gravesites, drink their colada morada, or even eat some ice cream being sold by one of the many vendors gendering around the graveyard. Surprisingly, the mood I felt was not somber or serious by any means, but rather more of a sense of obligation or tradition mixed with being carefree and happy.

Finally, a very enjoyable part of my weekend was accompanying my family or a half-day trip to the Río Verde and a wonderful waterfall where we enjoyed swimming in unwelcomingly cold water. Into three vans we packed a good 25 in number, which included 5 of the 8 children and a hefty number of grandchildren of my host-parents. Nothing out of the ordinary for them, but a lot for me to keep track of. Just like my first week in Yunguilla. Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your day!