Blog 14

The Mercado artisanal is a metaphor for Ecuadorian culture because it shows that the people are very family centered. The items are largely hand made and get passed down through the children over time. They value family accomplishments instead of personal ones. They also use a lot of their resources and don't seem to waste many things. Even the simplest of things were beautiful. 

Through the time we spent at Ñeque, I learned that kids will love to play with you, no matter the culture or language you come from. They seem to be very open minded and more accepting of those who are foreign to them. I also learned that service can make a large impact on children, even if it is for a short time. Also, with giving donations, it seemed to help more than we can imagine. You never know how much a little act of kindness can affect someone. It's incredible. 

Cooking with our professors can be seen as a form of cultural communication by allowing us to engage in their customs of food. They cook in a very different way than those in the United States. It was interesting to see how they make their food. It was difficult to learn to cook something with so many others there wanting the same thing. In the end the food tasted good, but I would have liked to do more hands on cooking, instead of just watching the professor do the cooking. 

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