I've been learning information about intercultural communication for two weeks now and have come to understand the Ecuadorian culture pretty well. I have experienced these things through my host family as well as trips to certain parts of Cuenca. These places include their hospital, a CEDEI school with grades 1-9, museums, and Cajas National Park. Each of these presented to me an inside look of what Cuencano culture is all about. Through the hospital and school it is clear to me that they are advancing in technology slowly but surely. Yes, even though they are not as "technologically advanced and updated" as the U.S. or Europe, they are, in their terms, pretty advanced. They lead simplistic lives and get by day to day perfectly fine. There are no high numbers of obesity, no high numbers of bullying at school, and their time spent with family shows how collectivistic they are.
At Cajas, I was able to see the landscapes and trails in which early Incans made their way, creating a lifestyle and culture that is beautifully unique and different from my own. Being surrounded by their lush scenery, different flowers, and their two different seasons, I have come to appreciate their lifestyle entirely. Many of the trees and flowers provide a larger purpose than just scenery and a majority are well known and used for medicinal or artistic purposes. For example, the flowers can be used for herbs in teas and other various plants for weaving or construction. They have beautiful parks in city squares where a decent amount of people will be relaxing for hours and enjoying the little things in life.
All these things are due to the culture that they have been associated with for many years and I applaud them for keeping their culture vibrant and traditional. Even with their holistic approach to medicine and familism to health care, I find it all involving family so much more. To them, this is the most beneficial way of going through health issues and I feel as if having your family involved a lot can promote family values. Their culture in general has value systems that are different from what I have ever experienced like their harmonism and time orientation. Ecuadorians are truly humble people and proud of the everything they have for themselves without being materialistic. The very first day I arrived in Ecuador, I was unsure of all the reasons that made them the culture they are. As of now, I can say I successfully learned the key aspects of their lives with the help of my teacher, peers, and reading materials. Not only did I learn about their culture, but I have come to realize it's importance to the world and it has defineitely influenced my outlook on life a little differently.
