Ethnocentrism is judging another cultures’ traditions as being inferior based on the idea that one’s culture is the best.
Family is the most important thing here in Ecuador, which the people are very proud of. One thing that struck me as being really different is the age that kids move out of the house here. In Ecuador, it’s normal and prefered to live with your family until you get married. Moving out of the house before you get married is rare, and not necessarily looked upon in a good light. My host mom says that maybe 10-20% of young people move out before marriage for some significant circumstance, such as their family doesn’t live near a university they’re determined to go to. This custom is a combination of the importance of spending time with family and the belief that the longer you stay at home to more prepared you’ll be to start your own life.
I, on the other hand, felt sorry for my host brother, who’s 22 and is constantly checking in with our mom, has to follow her rules, and is always being held accountable. How is he going to learn how to be an individual? How’s he going to learn to hold himself accountable? Is he ever going to learn to cook or take care of his own place?
In the US it’s normal and prefered to leave the house after highschool. Part of this is the fact that most universities have a dorm living requirment for the first 2 years of college. To me leaving the house means gaining independence, life experience, and a greater sense of self. It’s a common belief that you leave home to “find your self.” I have friends from highschool that didn’t move out because of money or family obligations and I felt so bad for them. I definitely catch myself looking down on people who stay in their parents house and live in their hometown, rather than creating something new for themselves It’s also important to note that I’m speaking from a place of priveledge and have the option to go to college and leave my home.
While I may think that moving out to “grow up” is better than staying home, ecuadorians look down on cultures that don’t “value” family in the same way. My host family is shocked at how little I see my family throughout the year, and how out of touch I am with my other relatives. To them leaving your family is the worst thing you could do, which has definitely given me some food for thought.