I guess I’m in a little bit of a different position than most people on this trip. I spent last semester abroad in Tanzania on the east coast of Africa. I went back to the United States for a total of 7 days, and the reverse culture shock is an ongoing extremely difficult process. So my observations of Ecuador might be culture shock of being here, or reverse culture shock from coming back to Tanzania. But none the less I think that both experiences have guided me into a lot of really interesting discussions and realizations.
I think the main thing that bothers me in a sense is the attempt at security. All houses are gated with at least two gates. Some contain glass shards cemented to the top of the walls, others have electrical fences, but the point is that so much effort and money is kept on trying to keep the community out. Living in Tanzania, where everything is community based and everyone tries to help each other, it’s honestly a little alarming with such a drastic difference in the amount of security versus threat of security. I loved the core fundamental value of community-centrism that everyone in Tanzania shares. When I arrived here, my host mother told me about what a close community Cuenca has. But, I would argue that if you feel the need to create barriers upon barriers because you fear that someone might break into your house, are you really a community based society? It’s definitely a concept I’ve been struggling with.
One of my favorite things about Tanzania was how wonderful and caring the people are. Here, the people in my house and in my communities are wonderful but everyone else pretends like people they don’t know don’t exist unless they’re trying to flirt with you. When you’re walking down the street, no one greets each other and therefore community interaction only exists within inner circles. I don’t know if it’s because of security concerns or what, but are you really a community based society if you can’t trust each other enough to say hello without it being in a sexual way?
I also was told that Ecuadorians life is very family oriented. So I guess I expected to have a lot of the same experiences that I did in Tanzania, where they do absolutely everything with their family. But I guess I’ve been surprised to see how much that might just be perspective rather than fact. My host family eats meals together and occasionally will watch a movie together, but they spend the majority of their free time doing the individual activities. Most of these activities revolve around technological devices which has made me question just how big the impact of technology has had on family values.
With all these things considered I really like Ecuador, but I have been taken back by how much it reminds me of the United States. Based on what I’ve heard, I wonder if the development away from a community based center is a recent development. Which if it is, gives a really good insight on modernization. While I never thought I’d feel so much like I was living in the United States here, I also think that these observations might have to do with adjusting back into a life that is somewhat modernized rather than things that others might comment on.