Hoping to find answers..

In Ecuador, what’s a traditional dish? What languages are spoken? Is there a traditional dress worn by the Ecuadorians? What’s their lifestyle like?

These are all questions I’ve been asking myself about Ecuador, so I am ecstatic that I have the opportunity to answer some of these questions. As preparation for the trip, and because the volunteer portion is with the U of M, I had to complete an essay of something that interested me about Ecuador. As you may have guessed, I've chosen to research culture in Ecuador! I've taken bits and pieces of my essay so my followers can learn with me!

I think it's important to note why I chose this topic. I have recently been considering ideas about a different lifestyle from the typical North American one and I'm hoping my experiences in Ecuador might be able to provide some influence. I've paid more attention to the fact that its common in North American to graduate high school, go straight to University, and then start work, and work as much as you can to get as high as you can to make as much money as you can to buy the things you want in life. I don't want anyone to take offense to this. I'm not meaning it in a judgmental way in any sense, its just my view of things. Everyone has different wants, desires, needs and wishes. Anyways, this is generally unique to North America as I've heard in other countries it’s a tradition for university graduates to travel the world for a year to see and experience as much as they can. Anyways, I'm getting off topic. My main point is that in my naive mind, I feel like Ecuadorians, or maybe South Americans in general, live a life full of passion, love, and joy by reveling in the small things life has to offer. I used the term "naive mind" because I could be completely wrong and it may be a stereotype! I suppose I will find the answers throughout my journey.

Once I decided I was going to do the topic of culture, I quickly realized that culture has various meanings and therefore is difficult to define. For the purposes of my paper, I just tried to answer my questions and research as much as I could. Here are some quick facts for you:

- Adventurous dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig), tronquito (bull penis soup - YIKES! remind me to learn this word and stay away from it!), and yaguarlocro (potato soup made with sprinklings of blood).

- Aji is a traditional hot sauce in Ecuador served with meals and found everywhere. 
- Ecuador is the largest exporter of bananas and has a wide variety of exotic fruits (YUM! looking forward to this!)

- Ecuador’s official language is Spanish. There is still a population of Indians, which speak Quichua, an Inca language. There are at least ten other native languages spoken in Ecuador. One site states that Ecuador has up to 23 languages, and I assume this is due to the influence of more than 14 indigenous groups. Luckily for me, English is the most spoken foreign language in Ecuador.

- Ecuadorians find blunt communication extremely rude and therefore are often indirect. They often make it difficult for a person to turn them down by using flattery! Since they’re non-confrontational, they will go out of their way to avoid saying no and may even tell you what they think you want to hear. As I suspected, they are often optimistic and have a positive outlook on life according to my research. It will be refreshing to meet people where a glass is half full!

- Ecuadorians ethnic make-up is Mestizo which refers to a mix of Amerindian and white and is the majority of the population in Ecuador

- Only family and close friends use first names with each other so it is polite to always use Senor or Senora followed by their last names.

- Gift giving is a large part of Ecuadorian culture so it is common to bring flowers, spirits, pastries, or imported sweets for hosts that have invited you into their home. A bouquet of roses is the best option, but lilies and marigolds are used at funerals so they would not be appropriate. It is also common that the gifts are opened when they received.

- If you are lucky enough to be invited into a home, it is expected that you will show up approximately 30 to 45 minutes later than you were invited. This would be especially hard for me as I am a very punctual person!

- Ecuadorians do not discuss business at social events, but instead will have a lively conversation during the meal and since they see it as a social occasion, it can be expected to be long.

- Guests should wait for a toast from the host before taking a sip of their drink. The term “buen provecho” is used as an invitation for the guests to begin eating and all food is always eaten with utensils, including fruit!

- Once you have finished eating, it is considered polite to leave a small amount of food on your plate and if you are finished drinking, you should leave your glass one-quarter full.

This is only as far as I’ve gotten in my research so keep your eyes open in future posts for more information on their culture!

On another note, we're getting down to the final days before we leave. I still feel very unprepared and I'm getting more anxious (and excited!) with each day that passes. I can honestly say I'm going to miss a lot of people I see and talk to on a daily or weekly basis and it's starting to hit me that it's going to be 3 months before I see everyone's smiling faces again! I have so much support from co-workers and friends that I'm going to find it difficult down there without them, which is a first for me as I'm usually very independent. Luckily, I think the other 8 people going with me will be a great source of support. This being said, I don't think anyone can replace the amount of comfort and confidence I get from Anik! Thank goodness for Skype! :)

T-minus 7 days & 7.5 hrs!