Today was our first day of class in the CEDEI building. My host mother walked Emily, Katie (who is living across the street) and I to our class this morning. It takes about half an hour to walk to the building, and it is absolutely beautiful. We cross over a river into the colonial part of Cuenca to get to our school. We returned home for lunch after a tour through a museum of cultural artifacts, and had a meal of potato and spinach soup, rice, beef, peppers, and mango. In the afternoon we had another tour through a museum about Incas and the four geographical regions of Ecuador. The walk home was beautiful, and we arrived to a welcoming greeting from Santi.
Analysis of the first week- This first week in Ecuador has been quite an experience. One of the most interesting things that I have learned about is the Indigenous groups in Ecuador. We have had the opportunity to visit a few of these groups, and I have learned quite a bit. One of the biggest differences in identity that I have noticed about both these indigenous groups as well as my host family is that family is the most salient factor. There are often multiple generations living in the same house together, and if they don’t live together they make an effort to see each other much more often that most extended families in the United States would.
I have also realized how difficult it is to completely avoid perceived stereotypes and ethnocentrism. And it isn’t even just from my perspective; they are also a factor from the perspective of an Ecuadorian. For example, I was talking to one of my host cousins, and he was asking me if “Project X” (an American movie about college parties) was how college really was in America. He also thought it was absolutely crazy that I only see my family 4 or 5 times a year since I live at school. It is definitely important that I go into these next two weeks here in Ecuador with an interpretive approach and that I make a clear effort to effectively communicate with the people I encounter. It will not only benefit me, but also the people here in Ecuador.
