Blog Post Three: Otavalo


My favorite experience today was our time spent at the famous Indian Market of Otavalo. I really enjoyed the negotiating process. It is such a challenge that is so rewarding when you are able to get the vendors to drop the price close to fifty percent. My most successful negotiation of the day was with a piece of tapestry. The vendor originally wanted $25 for it. I told him no, that it was too much, and began to walk away. As I turned away he said $20, but I told him it was still too much, and countered with $12. He countered my offer with $18, which I responded to with $15. He once again said no, so I told him I wasn’t interested and turned to leave when he finally agreed to $15. The negotiating process was a great opportunity to practice my Spanish skills. I was also able to get a lot of gifts for my family, as well as a beautiful, handmade duffel bag for myself.

Today I learned that the indigenous Ecuadorian culture has a delicious cuisine. One of the aspects I was most excited for on this trip was to try all the different types of food here that are not available in the U.S. and our time eating traditional meals at Claudia’s indigenous home did not disappoint. All the courses of our meal were very good, but the highlight was getting to try cuy, also known as guinea pig. With guinea pig being a rodent, I wasn’t sure how good it would taste, but it was delightful. The taste reminded me a lot of lamb. It was also nice to listen to the indigenous band while we ate. That gave the environment even more of an authentic feel. To go along with the cuisine and the music, I also enjoyed learning two indigenous dances, regardless of my dancing skills.

One of my ethnocentric tendencies that is obvious to me is felt when I walk back to our house from the Academia. Anytime someone is walking behind us or I cross paths with someone I am concerned they might try to pickpocket or mug me. It is very important for me to remain observant and cautious because there are people out there that might attempt this, but it is possible to do that without assuming every person is a thief or dangerous.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meng - Blog 16

1. In Paige's Blog(#14), she mentioned that she used some nonverbal communication to communicate with teachers when they were cooking. It is an effective way of intercultural communication. I totally agree that sometimes, if you don't know how to express yourself, body language helps a lot, and it even works better than language. 2. In Blog12, Tyessa said that she feel not close with her host family, and usually, they don't communicate with each other too much, which makes she felt upset because she wants to get closer to them. In my points of view, it can be seen as an ineffective communication. I think in the process of communicating with people, sometimes you should learn to be proactive. Break the silence first, and take the initiative to communicate with others. If you are especially enthusiastic about other people, they will feel it. 3. An example of effective communication came from  Linsey. She talked about how the communication way changed ...
Read more
      I will admit that the thing I am looking forward to the most when I get back home is some good, processed, junk food. It seems strange, because I like the food in Ecuador, and am almost always willing to be adventurous and try new foods. But that sense of adventure is exactly the problem. I rarely feel as though I can just gulp down anything placed in front of me, secure in the knowledge of exactly what it is and what it will taste like. The classic foods from home will allow me to eat with that security intact, and that security is what I really miss.      I think the thing I will miss the most about Ecuador is the sense of adventure that I could feel every time I left the house, whether it was just to class at the academia or to some other attraction. I loved the feeling that I was going to see new sights, experience new things, and accomplish something impressive every day. The quote that struck me today, as we were le...
Read more

Blog post #15

1) what are you most excited about returning to in the US? What I am most looking forward to about heading home is the opportunity to share my experiences with others. I want to share the funny stories of my host family with my friends and family here in the U.S. so that they too can be exposed to some Ecuadorian culture. I am very much looking forward to returning home because I will use my experience of Ecuador to further think about what it is I want to do with my life. Not having a clear path for my profession is a challenge for me, but through using my travel experience to discover what my passions and interest are, I am always one step closer to knowing what it is I want to do with my life.   2) what will you miss the most about Ecuador? What I think I am going to miss most is the walk to school Carolina and I shared in the mornings and afternoons. In the two mile hike to school I saw mothers sending their kids off to the bus, adults off to work and busses ...
Read more