We had our first class on the morning of Thursday January 2nd. We learned about some concepts in class that can be applied to many of the activities that we have done so far. In the transactional model, constant feedback is provided to the sender and the receiver and there is a shared meaning between the two. This model can be applied to communication with our host families. Although we do not share the same language, there is always a sender and a receiver with constant feedback and an underlying shared meaning. Personally, I do share the same language, but the dialect difference makes it hard for me to understand any Ecuadorian I encounter. As each day passes, I am beginning to understand the dialect better, and maybe by the end of this trip, I may begin to speak with the dialect. Along with the constant feedback between me and my host family, I can also see gender roles.
My host family is made up of a mother and her son and daughter. Although this family unit does not contain a father, the machismo aspect of the Ecuadorian culture can still be seen. My host brother rarely cleans his plate and puts it by the sink when finished with a meal, and my host sister does this after every meal. My host brother often talks about working out and his many achievements in life, while on the other hand my host sister is extremely modest. This may also have to do with the age difference. The son is 23 and the daughter is 12. My host mother will do all the cooking and caring for her kids. We do have a housemaid, which does all the cleaning and cooking during the day. Although she does not clean, my host mother does have an extremely loving and caring personality for her children, including her host children. Although my host brother does have a machismo nature, he is also “mom” when his mother is working late. I have seen him leave to pick up his sister from his grandparent’s house and cook dinner for the family when needed. Although there are very well identified gender roles within the Ecuadorian society, these roles are put aside for family when needed.
In class, we also discussed the marginalization of the indigenous groups. Indigenous groups are constantly being marginalized because they are not considered part of the dominant group. The indigenous people are misrepresented and excluded and we saw this first hand at the Mindala Workshop. The owner told us how he has many artifacts that had been found on his street, but that it was probably illegal for him to have these. His town had tried to ask for a museum but was denied one and so the people of the town took it upon themselves to conserve their culture. The owner told us that if discovered, his artifacts would most likely be taken away to a museum in Quito. This is the unfortunate outcome of marginalization and now the owner of the Mindala workshop must keep his museum a secret to keep his history alive within his town. Another example of this could be seen in the museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin. It was said in class that he gave a voice to the marginalized through art. In all of his art, he chose darker colors and his figures all looked unhealthy with bony bodies and large heads. He showed the suffering and pain that many minority groups went through in the past as well as in the present. An interesting point brought up in class was that Guayasamin never showed those in power, which could be assumed that all of those in power are the cause of marginalization.
All the concepts that we discussed revolved around identity and how labeling can be broken down to avowed vs. ascribed. Within avowed labeling, this can include a person’s personality and likes and dislikes. Ascribed labeling is given by society and is dictated by power. This type of labeling is what causes the marginalization of non-dominant groups. The biological part of identity always stays the same, but there is a dynamic type of identity, which is what we focused on in class. It is socially constructed and tied to history. It is seen in the Ecuadorian culture that the older a person is, the wiser and more respected they are. Its is the role of the daughter to take care of the older parents and this is not seen as a burden on the daughter because of the strong family bonds in Ecuador. In the United States, aging is not seen as a positive characteristic. Grandparents are not as well respected, like in Ecuador, and are often placed in retirement homes.
Throughout this trip, I have to constantly remind myself to remain open-minded and remember that the values and identity within the culture are much different here than in the United States.
