Some observations about Ecuador

Sorry... there are two posts this time too!

- There are actually quite a lot of black people here. I get a little surprise every time they open their mouths and start speaking rapid Spanish. In Indianapolis, the black people and the Hispanic population don't generally get along so well so hearing a black person speak Spanish, I'm just like "This is great!"

- There are also lots of white people. Lots of volunteers, lots of travelers, but many more than I thought I would see. Especially in "Gringolandia" or La Mariscal where we hang out most weekends, there are just mobs of white people.

- The men here have a weird way of showing their respect for ladies. It's part of their lifestyle to whistle at a girl passing by and say things like "Que linda, Que bonita" ("Hey beautiful" basically). At first I was like, okay wait a minute. Not cool. But that's actually how they show their respect; it's like a compliment. They don't mean anything disrespectful. So besides getting used to that, being a girl here is quite great. Men always give ladies their seats on the bus, and we girls can often get into places for free while men have to pay.

- They were totally right when they said that Ecuadorians are in general very nice people. The second I pull out my map of Quito to find something, I have someone asking me if I need help getting someplace. Or if someone sees us struggling to understand something in Spanish when we're trying to get a hostal or a meal or something, almost always someone is there offering to help translate or negotiate.

- Before I came here, I was warned that wearing revealing clothing (tank tops, shorts, short skirts, etc.) was not common for Ecuadorians and if I didn't want to stick out I shouldn't wear them. However, let me tell you, many Ecuadorians wear quite revealing clothing, but the one thing they absolutely do not wear outside of the house is flip flops (or "jandals" as they call them in New Zealand). I've discovered the reason is that you get stepped on quite a bit on the buses so now my bruised feet are safely covered in sneakers or closed-toe sandals. But despite not wearing flip flops, the women here are huge fans of high heels. With all the walking they do, I can't believe how they manage.

- It is extremely difficult to get change here. It's frustrating because the ATMs give mostly $20 bills (and some of the volunteers came from their home countries with $50's) and since most everyday things (like the bus, a bottle of water, lunch) cost so little that most places can't give you change for a $20.

- Everyone loves music here. If a song they know comes on the radio, they are singing out loud despite being on a bus full of crowded people. Or they'll sit in front of their stores and just sing along to the radio, not shy at all. We even ran into a guy on the bus who was lying in the middle of the floor just singing. And not only do they like to sing, but they like to dance. Salsa, hip hop, pop, more salsa. Nobody's ashamed to totally put themselves out there and feel the music. So great!

- Ecuadorians love to add "ito" to every single word they can. Ahorita ("ahora", means "now"), poquito (poco-a little bit), jabonito (jabon-soap), Ernestito (my host brother, Ernesto)É.

- Milk comes in bags. It's so weird.

- Amidst all the normally dressed people walking around in Ecuador, there are lots of folks still dressing in the indigenous style. They are mostly women wearing these long skirts and lots of colorful scarves and a traditional hat. Many of them come into the city to beg. Others to sell things. It's just strange seeing such traditional clothing in a modern city like Quito.

- Clothing is surprisingly expensive here. I haven't been able to find a shirt under $20Éand jeans cost $50. I can't believe how people can afford clothes!

- You would think that everything in Ecuador is really cheap. A lot of it is (for example, 24 roses for $1, a three course meal for $2, a bus ride across the city for $.25) but other things are super super expensive. I already mentioned the clothes, but during our many trips to the supermarket to stock up on junk food, we found that lots of the foods are not cheap. It's because it's imported food, but it makes us want to cry that a small bottle of Nutella costs $10 here in Ecuador.

I'm sure there will be more observations, but this is it for now. Ciao ciao!