Ecuador 2011: Adios, Ecuador... 4 Meses Increíbles. Reflección Final.

As I sit here reminiscing about the past four months I cannot fathom the idea that it has all finally come to an end. I can remember August like it was yesterday… the anxiety and doubt about whether or not I wanted to actually take my flight, my fear about the language barrier and portraying my personality while speaking Spanish, how absolutely mortified I was at the thought of living with a host family. Everything was new, everything was exciting, and everything was strange. However, with the passing of time all the oddities in Quito and, Ecuador as a whole, for that matter, have become part of my daily routine, part of my identity here in South America. Most of the BC Gringos agree that it is the little things that made this experience so unique, that make South America so different than anywhere else… those little things that we will be absolutely shocked when we don’t encounter them back home, in the States. To give you a better understanding, the BC Gringos compiled a short list of the things that make South America so different from culture in the US. Things that, like I said, both amazed and frustrated us in August but have grown to be such an integral part of life as a BC Gringo.

1) Food is served when each plate is ready, not all together. Don’t try to be polite by waiting because it could be over ten minutes.

2) People in Ecuador like to honk approximately every 5 seconds… maybe just to let us know that they are driving?

3) IF you plan on singing karaoke, don’t stand up. Ecuadorians sing from their chairs and kind of “bop” up and down with the beat.

4) Public waiting lines do not exist… it’s a battle of the fittest and no, it is not uncommon to have an 80 year old lady as your opponent.

5) Don’t think that your advanced Spanish skills will be praised, even when you form perfect grammatical sentences, Ecuas will often pretend like you are speaking Chinese and will belittle you by responding in English.

6) When using public transportation, don’t give more than the quarter you owe. If you so dare to give a dollar, expect some change sequence like this: five dimes, three nickels, and ten pennies. This is not a joke.

7) Every Sacajawea dollar coin in existence can be found in South America. If you, by chance, come across an actual dollar bill, it’s like Christmas come early.

8) The meat found in soup is not meat, it is a dirty looking animal bone with some fat and what looks like a tiny portion of chewed up flesh. Steer Clear!

9) Whether it is a taxi ride, a sweater, a sandwich, or well, basically anything else in the country, you can negotiate the price.

10) While traffic lights and signs do exist, they are simply there as decoration.

11) Many Ecuadorians are very theatrical which makes it appear like every time they talk they are delivering their final Shakespearean monologue or have just been cast in a dramatic telenovela.

12) In Quito, it is uncommon to not see a street performer during a red light. Preferred acts include juggling, fire breathing, and stilt walking.

13) The other half of people who will ask you for money at a red light appear to have not showered for 4 years, are blind, or missing limbs. Sad but true.

14) Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way. NEVER.

15) On the coast of Ecuador a large percentage of the population is comprised of American Hippie stoners who move to the beaches of Ecuador to sell jewelry and empanadas… this is strange to me when I consider the thousands of Hispanics who attempt to enter the US every year for job opportunities.

16) When shopping, NEVER show too much interest in an item if you don’t want to be harassed into buying it.

17) You can buy one pill at a pharmacy, 1 cigarette, 1 piece of gum, or 1 beer can from a corner store. Just one.

18) Milk is sometimes served out of plastic bags… Yuck.

19) Ecuadorians never learned of the invention of seran wrap. In fact, all of their leftovers are left uncovered in the fridge.

20) When you make a purchase it is common for the store to ask for your phone number… this still confuses me.

21) Men on the coast roll their shirts up exposing the majority of their fat bellies.

22) If you are on a longer bus trip and hope to watch a movie, it will ten times out of ten be a violent movie with blood and murder. This is a correlation that I have yet to comprehend.

23) On public transportation there will almost always be a freelancer selling candy, jewelry, CDs, etc. They will market their product as if it was gold.

24) You can illegally enter a bordering South American country by paying off border patrol. I include this because it worked in both Bolivia and Perú. Corruption my friends.

25) Drinks are always served with or after the meals, not before like they are back home.

Perhaps one of my biggest fears about returning home, even though it will only be for a month, more or less, is facing that moment when friends and family ask me “How was Ecuador”. How do I even respond to that without breaking into an hour long rant about the incredible adventures I was a part of this semester. “Good” would definitely not suffice, nor would “Incredible”, “Life-changing”, or “Unbelievable”. How can you transform the best four months of your life into a single sentence. The issue is that it is impossible and for that reason I am so grateful to have my BC Gringos… the only group of people on this earth who will ever fully understand.

I imagine that when I get on that flight in a couple of hours and return home, I will look back on this experience and it will all seem like a dream, like it never actually occurred. When your life changes that instantaneously, one must compartmentalize and, as a result, begin to separate the places in which they have lived. While I must move onto the next chapter in my life I will take with me the lessons that I have learned here in South America. I am coming home with not only amazing memories but also, a new outlook on life. I have become more cultured and appreciative of every opportunity that life has provided for me. I have become more spontaneous and less worrisome about the little things. I have gained more confidence with español, which I am excited to continue practicing while in Spain. And, finally, not to sound too cheesy, but I have had the privilege of spending the last four months with the same 12 gringos. While this may sound frustrating to some, sharing these once in a lifetime experiences with a group of such talented, passionate, intelligent, and hysterically funny people made the experience what it was. Every one of the twelve was completely different, but we are leaving Ecuador today with something important in common… a love for Ecuador and a love for each other. They have been my family and support system here and I am forever grateful.

But, it’s finally over. My bags are all packed, my cornrows from the beach have been removed from my hair, the tan is starting to fade, and I have already said my final goodbyes to all of my friends. While I am so incredibly sad and nervous to leave, I cannot wait to see my family, all four of them, waiting for me at the airport in New York tonight. Because, after all, perhaps the most important lesson that this experience has taught me is that life will always change… I will continue seeing new parts of the world, will be graduating in a year and a half, may move to a new part of the country, and will (hopefully) receive a great job offer. My friends and surroundings will constantly change as well as my hobbies and interests. However, the one thing that will always keep me motivated, the one group of people that will always challenge me to be the best version of myself, is my family… the people that I love more than anyone in this world.

To conclude this South American blog I would like to quote the literary genius of Dr. Seuss who once wrote, “You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go. You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights. And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)”- Oh the Places You’ll Go