Blog Post Four: Host Family and Free Day

Our host family consists of the dad Alfonso, the mom Lucia (“Chiquita”), the son Sebastian, the daughter Andrea, and the dog Ginato. They have another dog named Mafalda that I have not met. Alfonso is fifty-two years old and he is a businessman. Chiquita is fifty-five and she is a teacher. Both Sebastian (25) and Andrea (23) are students. Sebastian is studying to be a doctor and today he told me that his final exam for his MD is next week. He has spent time in the U.S. on rotations at a hospital in Boston as well as traveling to New York, Miami, Washington D.C. and other large east coast cities. After his test, he is going travel to Australia for two months to continue studying medicine, to decide on his specialty, and work at different hospitals. Andrea is studying to be a photographer. Ginato is three and his job is to take his daily medicine. He has a cone on his head to prevent him from chewing at a leg injury. The information about the family that I received prior to the trip said they also had a nephew named Julian that lived with them, but I haven’t met him.

Communicating with Alfonso and Chiquita has been tough at times due to my Spanish abilities, but they are very patient and they know some English, which helps us communicate more effectively. Occasionally, a translation app is needed. It was really easy to talk with Sebastian because his English is good so he was able to explain in English if need be or correct our Spanish. I just met Andrea tonight so we haven’t communicated a lot, but she knows some English, similar to her parents. All my communication with Ginato is playing with the rope toy I got him, which he absolutely loves.

One thing I find collectivist about the family is the fact that the children still live at home. People their ages in the U.S. typically live at their school or have an apartment somewhere. I was especially surprised that Sebastian lived at home considering the stage of his schooling and the fact that he is a week away from being a doctor. Family appears to be a little more important here than in the U.S. I’ve noticed a difference between our cultures that might also be collectivist. Every single morning Alfonso and Lucia ask the same questions: “Did you sleep well? Was the room too hot or cold? Was the shower hot or cold?” This could be because we are guests in their home, but I get the feeling that it is more a result of their culture and that they truly care about us. There is a big difference between our cultures regarding our family’s time spent at home. It is not uncommon for Alfonso to get home until 8 or 9 o’clock and Chiquita 7 or 8 o’clock. This might be specific to their family and not the Ecuadorian culture, but it is something I’ve noticed when comparing it to my parents who get home no later than 6.

Today was a free day so a group of us students got together and went back to the Basilica. I was hoping to sit in on a Catholic church service, but there weren’t any when we went unfortunately. We did get to walk around inside the church and I have to say it is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen. It is massive and the architecture inside and out, along with the stained-glass windows, makes for a sight that is unmatched by anything I have seen in the U.S. After the Basilica we got lunch at a local restaurant and had chicken tomales that were delicious and only costed a $1.25. The rest of the day was spent exploring the city together with a quick stop for some ice cream. We finished the day taking the bus, which was an awful experience. It is cheap and easy which is nice, but it was packed to the max. Everybody was crammed right on top of each other and people kept pushing themselves in at each stop and making it feel like a literal can of sardines. Thankfully it didn’t have the same smell!

 

Ecuador has a problem with stray dogs running around the city and it was evident today as we explored. It is so sad to watch as lonely, helpless dogs are yelled at or kicked away by the locals, but if you don’t do that they will not leave you alone. We made eye contact with a dog while at the Basilica and it proceeded to follow us for the next two hours after we left. It even followed us into the restaurant and sat behind one of our chairs while we ate. From what I’ve seen, normally, the business owners rush any stray dogs out, but the owners didn’t seem to care and just let him sit there. Eventually he did go away when we mustered up the strength to yell at him and shoo him away. Thankfully the city of Quito is responding to the problem correctly. Instead of opening a bunch of shelters that cost heaps of money or euthanizing the dogs they are attempting to spay and neuter all the dogs so they can’t reproduce. A dog that has been spayed or neutered can be easily identified because they give them collars.