WELCOME TO GUARANDA...

...a small yet bustling mountain town set in the middle of Ecuador. Nicknamed by locals ¨the Rome of the Andees,¨ it´s set in a valley, between rolling 7 hills that decorate the countryside like patchwork quilts in every direction. A river runs through it and a white-capped mountain—Mount Chimborazo, the closest point on earth to the sun—dazzles in the background. In many ways it maintains the quaint, traditional culture typical of the sierran region of Ecuador—without lacking the modern necessities that allow for comfortable living. Every morning the roosters crow at the crack of dawn to set in motion an orchestra of sound and life: traditional musica nacionale resonates between footsteps, honks, hammers, and greetings, along with moos, bahhhs, and oinks. Thousands of indigenous people pour onto the streets from surrounding communities, lugging barrels of fruit, flowers, bananas, and other harvested products to sell on the streets or at the local market. These women wear bright shawls, long skirts, woven sandals, and feathered hats, and use a boldly patterned belt to secure the heavy load they carry on their backs; their hair is braided carefully in back according to tribal customs. The men wear ponchos made with alpaca or sheep´s wool and elegant hats that represent mount Chimborazo looming in the distance.




On Guaranda´s busy sidewalks, these traditional mountain-dwellers walk side-by-side with the city´s mestizo population—an ethnic mix of indigenous tribes with Spanish conquistadors—which makes up Ecuador´s mainstream culture. They stroll down the street in jeans and brand-name sneakers (usually fake versions), the teenage boys catcalling and blasting music from their cell phones, representing a more modern lifestyle. These are the ones who teach me to live a la Ecuatoriana—to dance salsa, meringue, and other latin american rhythms—to arrive at least an hour late to every scheduled program—to eat mountains of rice and various forms of carbohydrates in every meal (and cheese in my hot chocolate for dessert)—to get around town hanging on to the back of a truck—to use any excuse available to stop work and participate in random street celebrations—and more wonderful quirks of Ecuadorian culture.




In the past 10 months, this has become my second home. I´ve learned to live a different lifestyle, speak a different language, dance to different beats, and eat things that I formerly thought of as either inedible, unhealthy, or household pets (that´s right—roasted guinea pig is a typical Ecuadorian dish). I try my best to smile at the constant inefficiencies of its institutions, and appreciate the slower pace of life that they bring… It´s a spirited culture full of unexpected eccentricities and juxtapositions, set in breathtaking natural beauty, and filled with warmhearted people. I hope that by reading some of my descriptions, you can get a taste of an experience I´ll never forget: one year spent here, just south of the equator, as one of the only gringas (north american girls) in Guaranda.

Mi Familia Ecuatoriana (my Ecua-family)





This is my awesome and crazy Ecuadorian host family: La familia Calapaqui. They´re fun, loud, and everyone´s really different. I fit in really well with them; they affectionately call me ¨La Gringa Loca¨ (the crazy American). I live in a big house with 3 families-in-one; my host parents, who built the house, live upstairs, and their two daughters live in separate apartments downstairs with each of their own families. And as if that´s not enough, we have a mini-farm on our rooftop, with chickens, ducks, bunnies, and guinea pigs. And sometimes, one of my rooftop friends ends up on my plate at lunch—even the guinea pigs—an Ecuadorian specialty! (It´s an acquired taste, but I´m actually starting to enjoy eating them, despite the fact that my first childhood pets were two guinea pigs… RIP Sweetie and Squeaker.)



It´s awesome living in a big family because there´s always someone around to chat with, always excitement in one form or another. I´m especially close with my host sisters, Sheyla and Gabriela, who are also my English students. I always wanted to have older sisters when I was a little kid, but I kinda figured it was a lost cause; however, like my jungle white water rafting guide said when someone asked him about the potential dangers, ¨We´re in Ecuador, anything´s possible!¨





I love having kids around too, although Arianna and Alexander (Sheyla´s kids—ages 8 and 6) are constantly running around and fighting and causing mischief—it reminds me of my brother and I when we were little (sorry mom…).



Everyone in the family has a child-like spirit… I´ve learned to only believe about 25% of what I´m told in my household. One day during a dinner table conversation with my host brother Cristian, we were talking about the products that are grown and exported in Ecuador, like bananas, flowers, and rice. And then he said that they also grow noodles, but only on the coast. Ahhh ya—I nodded in my head in understanding—interesante… wait a second… you can´t grow noodles! But it was too late; the damage was done. Everyone burst out laughing—the silly gringa loca thinks you can grow noodles! Hahaha… and ever since that moment, it´s become a favorite family game (especially of the men in the household) to try to make me believe silly things. It keeps me on my toes.





But I don´t even need to fall into their traps to be walking entertainment. It´s hilarious when I use brash colloquial expressions or street slang, just because I´m a gringa. I´m proud to say that my Spanish has progressed to the point where I can tell jokes and be witty with them, but I also have to admit that a good portion of the laughter comes when I get mixed up and say something silly. For example, I once said that I had bananas on my leg (instead of bruises), that our cat had four ducks (instead of paws), and that there were condoms in the food (instead of preservatives). And when I say the word ¨todos¨, meaning ¨everyone¨, my accent often makes it come out more like ¨tauros¨, or ¨bulls¨. No wonder they call me crazy…




But that´s the great thing: I´m crazy, they´re crazy, and we all laugh together. I felt like part of the family from the first day I moved in, and now I´m even more bonded with them. At the Christmas Eve dinner I made a toast telling them how awesome they were, and I started choking up. And then my host sister Gabriela started crying… and then my host dad, who´s a big, burly, macho man, started crying too! And considering the machismo that exists in Latin American culture (here men are NOT supposed to cry para nada), this is no small thing. I took it as a huge complement.



As excited as I am to see all of my friends and family when I go back to the U.S. in March, it´ll be really hard to leave the wonderful people I´ve met here, especially them. But at least I´ll always have a place to call home in my little Andees mountain town, and I´ll always keep my fun and crazy Ecua-family in a special place in my heart… right next to the noodle plantation.




Posted by

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)