Yield to Pedestrians? Qué?

At home in Ohio, I walk with my mom all the time. I enjoy it, so I was looking forward to walking to school here in Cuenca. Back in Quito, I learned how crazy the driving is by observing from the bus. But actually being out on the streets as a pedestrian is a whole different story. The common sense “yield to pedestrians” rule that is followed (for the most part) in the United States does not exist here. Everyone drives like they are on a mission. ONE time did someone stop his car and motion for me to cross the street. My walk to school in the morning is 30 -35 minutes, but I have to factor in at least an extra 5 minutes to account for the time it takes me to cross some streets. One intersection I have to walk through is impossible if you aren't intently paying attention. Even then, you still have to have impeccable timing. There are cars coming from 4 different directions; from two of these directions, the cars are coming from around corners. More than once, I have stepped off the curb only to have to hop back onto it quickly to avoid being hit by a car whipping around the  corner. It took me a week, but by watching others, I have finally mastered the “run halfway across – wait in the middle of the street – finish running across” approach at this intersection. To be honest, I think crossing some of the streets on my way to school is more exhausting than going up the 89 stairs that are also a part of my walk! “Cruce,” or “crossing,” signs are often found in school zones here. The idea is nice, but as I have noticed that cars are no more likely to stop for pedestrians here than anywhere else. There isn't really any police enforcement when it comes to traffic laws, which may contribute to the way people drive. While driving at night with my host mom, I have found stopping at red lights to be optional. “If there are no other cars around, why stop?” seems to be the mentality. Since being here, I have often wondered if there are driving schools in Ecuador, or if parents are responsible for teaching their children how to drive. Either way, something is working because I have yet to see a car accident. Ecuadorians are expected to drive the ways I have observed because it is the “norm.” What is normal for Ecuadorian pedestrians took me, as an American tourist, weeks to adjust to. Over the summer, my friend returned from studying abroad in Egypt. Within a few days of being in the United States, he posted a Facebook status about how driving is boring in the United States. I remember thinking to myself, “What is he talking about?! People are crazy drivers here!” While I'm not sure how the driving in Egypt compares to the driving in Ecuador, I am almost positive I will feel the same way upon returning to the United States.

"Start of Something New"

The first two weeks of the trip we were so busy traveling, there wasn't much time to miss home. However since moving in with my host family, things have slowed down, and I am starting to miss Ohio. My host family is: my mom Zaida, my father (whom I was never introduced to...), my 27 year old brother Felipe, my 29 year old sister Adriana, and her two kids, six year old Emilia and three year old Maeria Elisa. Around the house, there are constant reminders of home: Simpsons stuffed animals hanging on Felipe's bedroom door, Barney playing on the television, Disney princess toys everywhere, a High School Musical soundtrack.... there was even a copy of The Ecuador Reader sitting on the desk in my bedroom. Felipe and Adriana speak a little English, but only do so when it's absolutely necessary to communicate something to me. Emilia is learning English in school, but at this point really only knows the numbers. (Trust me, she knows them. I have heard her count to 10 in English MANY more times than I would have liked.) Therefore, when I heard her singing songs from High School Musical in English, I was very surprised. Adriana told me Emilia absolutely loves the movie, but has no idea what she is singing. A similar occurrence happened last Sunday morning. I was in the living room doing homework. A relative of the family (a cousin maybe, about 15 years old) and the father were in the other room doing laundry. The father turned on an American radio station. The first song that played was “Without You” by David Guetta. Now, I was missing my friends and family pretty badly at this point, and hearing this song made me think about them. The next song that played used to be one of my favorite songs, and the title was very appropriate for the moment: Relax, Take It Easy. I know it sounds silly, but it really did help me relax; it was comforting and familiar.  Next, Black Eyed Peas 'Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night” came on. I heard someone humming and singing along... I looked over to see it was my host dad, who was happily folding laundry. The fact that a house full of people who can hardly understand English listen to the same music that is popular back in the United States is a perfect example of globalization.  People in the United States don't know popular Ecuadorian tunes.  I don't think this necessarily represents cultural imperialism, however, because this particular radio station also plays Ecuadorian pop music. I think this is an example of two cultures merging, regardless of the language, over a catchy tune.  I also think many of the American cultural icons in my house represent the American culture merging with the Ecuadorian culture, rather than taking it over: the Simpsons isn't necessarily popular in Ecuador because it's an American TV show - it's popular because it's a funny show; Disney princess movies aren't only popular because they were produced in the United States - they're popular because they're good movies for little girls.  Traveling as an American in Ecuador and seeing these things is weird and unexpected at first, but the small things everywhere that remind me of home is quite comforting.

"Can You Hear Me Now?"

There were a lot of things I was looking forward to about coming to Ecuador. At the top of the list was escaping from technology. Although I don't have a cell phone here, I found out very quickly that avoiding them was going to be nearly impossible. On our first day in Ecuador, we took a tour of Quito, the capital.  I'm sure we looked like typical tourists, carrying our book bags and taking pictures of anything and everything.  Looking around, I noticed a group of school boys laughing at us. One pulled out his camera phone and started taking pictures of us... and made no attempt to be discreet about it. Later that day in a gift shop at the equator, the cashier's phone went off; it had a very obnoxious, poppy ringtone. Even though there were a quite a few customers in the shop, she proceeded to answer her phone and talk. I found that both surprising and rude. Later that week, there was a band playing in the restaurant at which we were eating lunch. After playing for about five minutes, the flute player walked out mid song to answer his cell phone.  A couple minutes later, he returned, picked up his flute, and continued playing... I couldn't help but laugh.  Finally, while we were on a bridge walk over the canopy in the Amazon, our tour guide was using his cell phone. He wasn't rude about it at all (we were all off having fun), but the fact that he was able to use a cell phone in the Amazon was just mind-blowing to me.  He later said the canopy bridges are where he gets the best reception.  It's ironic that with the spread of cell phones comes both a sense of interconnectedness and a sense of rude and annoying self-involvement. Regardless, the spread of cell phones to developing countries such as Ecuador is really quite amazing; the ability to pick up a phone in the Amazon and call a small, remote village many miles away is a convenience that was probably unimaginable 10 years ago.  Prior to cell phones, it could have taken days to relay a simple message between secluded villages. Because of this, cell phones are a perfect example globalization; they represent a shrinking of both time and space.  

Converse and a Poncho

Traveling for 3 weeks and having been in several different regions of Ecuador, I've found the clothing worn by Ecuadorians very interesting.  I didn't realize you can tell where a group is from based on the traditional clothes they are wearing.  For example, Ecuadorians from different tribes can be distinguished by their unique hats.  Many groups, such as the Otavalenos, have a very distinct way of dressing.  What surprised me even more, however, was the presence of American brands in Ecuador.  At the Saturday market in Otavalo, there are rows and rows of traditional Ecuadorian apparel. However, there were also stores that just sell brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, and Aeropostale. “New York” and “California” are printed on some of the shirts which made me curious as to how many Ecuadorians could even locate these states on a map. There were also little booths selling apparel that is traditionally American, such as Converse (what I did my globalization paper on!).  One day, in a market, I saw a woman wearing traditional Ecuadorian clothes.  However, I noticed her socks, which were not completely covered by her skirt.  The sides, in big letters, said "U.S.A." and had pictures of an American flag.  This clearly represents cultural hybridization; the tradition indigenous clothing is being mixed with United States symbols.  In Cuenca on my way to school, I walk through a market that sells children's clothes, may of which have English words printed on them. Yesterday, my host sister's daughter was wearing a shirt that said something like “when you wish upon a star...” I was confused by this; no one in the family knows enough English to be able to translate that phrase. Today, her shirt also had English words on it: “mystic girl” and “free time.”  These words, accompanied by pictures of flowers, make no sense.  Ecuadorians seem to wear brand names such as Hollister and clothing with phrases in English because that is what's popular in the United States.  It also allows them to distance themselves from the indigenous image, which is not seen as "popular" or "cool."  Because the demand for clothing representing the "cool" North American image is so high, clothing with English seems to be readily available.  And even though many of the consumers of these clothes have little to no idea what the words on their clothing mean (like in the example with my host niece), they buy it to "fit in."  And when "fitting in" means that native South Americans are wearing more North American clothing instead of traditional clothing indigenous to their country, the only explanation is cultural imperialism.