From being in Ecuador for a little over a month, I have been catching on to the differences in this culture from the one I left back home. Here is a list of things that I have either observed or experienced from my time here.
Differences in Culture/Daily life
-
Rice is served with every meal
-
The diet here is heavily based on carbs
-
We eat everything with a spoon including meat
-
They put popcorn in soup
-
In the markets, they have whole roasted pigs and they sell it by the plate
-
One of the most popular delicacies is Cuy-which is guinea pig-(I have yet to try it but I’ve seen it many times)
-
Granadillas are weird looking fruits that are similar to passion fruit-(they have become my new favorite)
-
Horchata here is an herbal tea, not milk mixed with cinnamon-(I was confused when I ordered it because I was not expecting a pink tea)
-
My host family heats up my cereal in the microwave so it's not cold
-
Milk comes in a bag
-
Lunch is usually the biggest meal while dinners are smaller
-
Ecuadorians drink coffee before bed
-
When stray dogs chase you, you have to throw rocks at them
-
Stray dogs are always on the streets including really cute puppies-(it's hard not to pet them)
-
Walking in my town I usually pass by many chickens and cows
-
There's no post office in my town
-
There are no addresses for houses
-
You’ll get warm water for showers if you are lucky
-
Families here are usually larger than back in the states
-
It is normal for children to live with their parents until they are married (or even still when they get married)
-
When a girl turns 15 she has a big party -(it's the same thing as a Quinceañera but here they call it Quince Años)
-
There is a big machismo culture here-(men are always served first, there is lots of catcalling and gender equality is not very relevant in society here)
-
Many men pee in public places even if it's crowded-(it doesn’t matter where.. It's normal here)
-
There is an atmosphere of racism-(the biggest I’ve noticed is towards Chinese people)
-
Ecuador is a very conservative country
-
Here there is a heavy Catholic Culture-(it’s a little awkward telling people I’m not religious and I get asked a lot)
-
My host family does the sign of the cross after every meal
-
Public schools here are not very good, parents if they can try to send their kids to private schools for a better education.
-
The school bells sound like some type of natural disaster alarm
-
Because I live in a small town I say “buenas días, tardes or noches” to everyone that you pass, especially if they are older as a sign of respect
-
When a female is introduced to the same or another gender you greet them cheek to cheek and give a kiss-(but you don’t actually kiss their cheek you just make the noise)
-
The cost of living is much cheaper here, but that also goes with earning less
-
Cars have the right of way, pedestrians do not
-
The majority cars and buses are stick shift
-
Many families do not own a car
-
The currency here is the same in the US, but they mostly use dollar coins instead of bills.
-
Most people air dry their laundry because they don't have dryers
-
Equatime is real- everyone takes their sweet time and doing something now could mean in 30 minutes or an hour-(life here is at a slower pace than back home)
-
People call me “suquita” which means blonde -(there aren't many people with light hair)
While I do miss many people and things from home, I find comfort that Ecuador continues to surprise me with its new traditions, beauty, and differences in its culture.
