The Precarious Adventures of a Peace Corps Volunteer: A Few Everyday Things that Are Different

Doors and locks- it is very rare to see a wooden door with a metal doorknob and a deadbolt.

Houses- instead of 1 house complete with front door, yard, and fence, it is much more common to see a sort of compound with a few houses and a huge metal gate in front, surrounded by a brick wall.

Showers/Faucets in general- the shower is generally the only place you’ll find hot water. The water in the shower is heated with electricity or a ‘calefon’ which is like a hot water heater, but these are not connected to any other faucets. Hands and dishes are washed in frigid water. Some sinks have 2 handles but you will only get cold from both, even if it has a C for caliente (which is also confusing for the gringa whose subconscious says C is for cold).

Traffic signs/lights/street signs- are generally ignored. Instead of stopping at a red light or a stop sign, you will see the driver just honk the horn and plow right through the intersection. Thus, everywhere you go, you will hear tons of horns. This means, pedestrians beware! You do not have the right of way. Also, because Ecuador and much of South America has a cultural history of being very orally-based, street signs are often ignored and landmarks are recognized much more than street names. If I ask for directions, I will more than likely hear that some streets don’t even have a name and instead, you should look for the bakery on the right or the tienda on the corner.

Transportation- tons of people ride in the back of trucks. I saw a commercial once that it’s illegal but it’s apparently not enforced because they have truck taxis that carry up to 10 people standing in the back. Also, motorcycles usually carry more than 1 person, I’ve seen 5 on one moto! Public transportation is pretty good though. Apparently the current president has improved all the roads and highways so you can get pretty much anywhere by bus. Oh also! Animals are welcome to use public transportation. I have seen dogs, live chickens, and even sheep! The sheep go on top of the bus, not tied down or anything, just surfing up there, it is awesome!

Washing and drying clothes- virtually no one has a clothes dryer. So everywhere you go, you will see underpants flapping in the wind. And some people don’t have a washing machine, or don’t trust it with certain items, in which case they use “la piedra”, which means, the rock/stone.

Meals- Desayuno (breakfast) is pretty much the same. Almuerzo (lunch), however, must consist of soup, potatoes, rice, meat, and juice. It’s a lot of food and a lot of carbs. Then, around 4 o’clock we have cafecito. Usually people drink coffee, but I usually have hot chocolate because coffee keeps me up at night. And we eat bread or humitas (which are kind of like tamales but sweet, tastes like cornbread and has raisins). Then, la merienda (dinner) is around 7 o’clock and we usually have a smaller version of lunch. This is followed by aguita (literally translates to ‘a little water’ but it’s kind of like herbal tea) and more bread. I’m working on adjusting this diet a bit to include less carbs and more protein and veggies/fruits.

Going it alone- not acceptable. I think the main reason for this is because there’s safety in numbers and some places can be a little dangerous, especially at night, but I think this is also due to this being a much more communal culture. Everything is done in groups and there is much less individualism like there is in the US.

Meat – all kinds and all parts. It’s very common to eat guinea pig and rabbit and I’ve also heard of dishes made of pigeon. And with the other animals, common in the US (like cows, pigs, and chickens), what is uncommon from my perspective, is eating EVERY part. Tongues, stomachs, intestines, ears, etc. (Chicken neck is delectable.)

Sizes- I searched everywhere for some new boots, I even went to a huge clothing market in a city 2 hours away and apparently, I’m a freak of nature. Now, when I walk into a store, the first thing I ask is “do you carry shoes in size 40?” and the answer, 9 times out of 10, is “no”.

Hello and Goodbye- It is not acceptable to just say hello to someone you know when you walk into a room or just say goodbye when you leave. You must go and give them a kiss on the cheek, say hello, and ask how they’re doing (for men, a handshake is acceptable). And this rule applies regardless of how many people are in that room. When I walk into the teachers lounge in the morning, there are usually about 20 teachers in the 2 small rooms and I have to walk around in a large circle kissing everyone on the cheek, which leaves me smelling like cologne for the rest of the day. If I were to run into my neighbor on the street, even if we were in a rush to get somewhere, it would be considered rude if I didn’t stop, give her a kiss on the cheek, ask her how she’s doing, she asks me how I’m doing, then we kiss again to say goodbye and go our separate ways.

Those are just a few of the thousands of things that I am adjusting to. In summation, if you ask me “what’s new?” You may receive a snarky response because the answer is “everything!”