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. […]

I was expecting on having a hard time adjusting to a different country, a new culture, and living with a family. It has been shockingly easy, to be honest. I recognize that there are ups and downs in expereinces like this, and I probably owe the ease of my transition to my wonderful host family, […]

De niña, siempre he sido una persona muy independiente. Porque de eso, no pienso que quiero casarme o tener hijos. Es difícil para imaginar comprometerme con alguien. Desde estar en Cuenca, me he dado cuenta que la gente empieza buscar una pareja de vida a una edad muy joven. Las padres tradicionales esperaran que sus […]

The topic of “ethnocentrism,” looms large in my life and thoughts here in Ecuador. Daily, I struggle to rationalize my emotions and visceral responses to the culture shock I experience while traveling in South America. I try to take into consideration how my presence, as a citizen of the United States living temporarily in Ecuador, […]