I know I have blogged about this before but it really is an extraordinary thing to observe. Most of us all learn to walk at a young age and usually the average person manages it quite comfortably for the rest of their lives. Ecuadorians however, are different. Firstly, they walk so unbelievably slowly it actually defies normal belief. I am sure on one occassion I walked past someone who was making their way to the same bank as myself. A week later when collecting money out again I walked past that same person still wearing the same clothes as the week before and still heading to the bank. For this poor Ecuadorian, they hadn't yet made the first round - I had essentially lapped them. Secondly, they find it immensely difficult to walk down the road in a straight line. With not a sole around them they feel it is necessary to swerve across the pavement in some sort of snake like motion. This generally leads to me getting very frustrated that I can't get around them, or me bumping into them at some point during the overtaking procedure. I have since started a "carry a compass while walking" scheme, where I hand out free compasses to those who cannot move forward in a straight line!!! Consequently, over the past 6 months, profits from compass sales within Ecuador have risen by 200%. Now, I know I have explained Ecuadorian walking habits before, but, here's the thing - I have now figured out why this slow walking culture has evolved. Just last Thursday it was, as I took my daily route to work - there, all of a sudden, like a bolt of lightning out of the sky - it hit me. It was a revelation, my scientific brain had finally realised why and how Ecuadorians walk so slowly. So world - here it is.................................
Ecuadorians actually don't move at all. They are 100% stationary at all times. Their feet hover just slightly above the ground. The distance is so small that to the ordinary observer it looks like they are resting on the surface of the Earth just like everyone else. But, their not. As they hover in the exact same position above our planet, they then wait for the Earth's rotation beneath their feet to eventually bring places (say the park, the bank, their house), to them. The movement of their legs in a back and forth like motion is purely for visual effect. In this theory, the slow rotation of the Earth is the key to getting an Ecuadorian where they want to go (or should I say - bringing the location they want to go to, to them) and thus tragically - they actually have no control over their speed. The science behind it is flawless and anyone who says otherwise should first read the Penguin book of basic physics. As well, because this now takes the blame away from the poor locals here in this country, I don't actually mind so much anymore. I thought they were walking like that just to wind me up - but its really not their fault. Now I stroll down the streets of Quito with a spring in my step and a frustration-free life. Unfortunately, it now saddens me everytime I see an Ecuadorian taking 7 days to get to the local bank!!!
On an equally important observational topic, quite some time ago I went to a concert. It was held in the Plaza del Toros and involved traditional South American music, with bands from both Ecuador and Colombia. Even the rain couldn't stop the party from exploding, with the whole stadium dancing to famous songs for the entire night. Since living in Ecuador for nearly two years now, I knew many of the tunes emminating from the giant speakers. Its funny how you come to a country and after a while, its sort of natural to listen and dance to a type of music that is never even heard of back home. That really is one amazing thing about Ecuador - people here love music and love to dance to that music. For me - a lot of it is so new. Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton - these are types of music I really didn't know existed before coming here, and now, I even know some basic steps!!! In some ways its a shame that music of this nature, like other traditional music from around the world isn't more integrated into our lives at home - instead of being completely inundated with pop and R'n'B!!! The concert was a great experience and despite its length (over 5 hours), was thoroughly enjoyable.
There are many other cultural peculiarities that you find living in another country like Ecuador. Everyday something pops up that you are completely baffled by. Here are a few others I have noticed:
Bus behaviour: buses don't stop very often, in fact - they rarely stop at all. They usually just slow down enough so that you are able to jump (literally) on and off them. If you mess this up you can be in real trouble. I recently saw a man lose his grip whilst hanging off a moving bus that was turning a corner and he ended up falling out and rolling into the middle of the road. About 50 people watched the now bleeding man as he shouted at the bus, which just carried on its way, almost as though it was saying 'well you know the rules - we don't stop for anyone'. It must have really hurt!!! When you are on the bus though, behaviour is equally baffling. People don't stay in the same seat. Its like the chair they were given is never quite good enough. As soon as someone gets up, there is always somebody up and out, to grab the new spot, even though they already had a perfectly good seat to begin with. Then someone else will get up and go for their old seat. Its like musical chairs!!! The moving into and out of the seats is completely random as far as I can tell - or at least, I haven't yet worked out why some plastic sitting moulds are move appealing than others. It's bizarre.
Street urinating: it doesn't matter if its day or night, no matter how many people are around, or if they are drunk or not - there is always someone weeing somewhere on a nearby street at all times. The street I live on is particularly prone to street urinating practices. I suppose that its a urinating hotspot - so that people come from all over town, to gather, like some sort of social event............and then wee all over the place!!! Im going to ask the Ecuadorian gavernment if they can stop the production of beaurocratic forms and instead build more toilets. Often on the street I live, are also random locals who end up sleeping on the pavement, with their face straight down into the cold concrete. Nobody ever asks if these people are okay, and it ends up that you just step over random Ecuadorians from time to time as though they were old dirty laundry that you had forgotten to clear from your bedroom floor.
Personal space issues: in England, people, no matter how crowded the place is will always try and give you some personal space - like there is some form of invisible force field around you that people cannot enter. In Ecuador, people go the complete opposite way. Its like when they walk past you they want to knock into you, touch you, fall over your feet or cough in your face. On some occassions I have even thought about filing for harassment but then I thought how many documents I would have to fill in to do this and thus quickly brushed the idea away.
The elevator: I don't think people have worked out the elevator here (or 'lift' as we say in England), quite yet. I say this because 99% of the time that I try to exit one, 99% of people will be barging their way into it before anyone has got out. Its almost as though they feel that they must get into it NOW, or it may not appear for a decade or so. It doesn't matter how many people are already in the lift, trying to get out of it, as soon as those doors open - an army full of people are marching to get their spot.
So, as you can see - I could probably write a 100 page thesis on such cultural differences. Sixty pages would probably be on queing habits (or lack of queing habits here) and Im not just saying that because Im English (and thus a master of standing in line).................in this part of the world, the man with the biggest gob usually comes out on top. Of course I am sure such oddities would present themselves to an Ecuadorian in England too. Many will come to our country and be like "god, why are these people so fussy about standing in a line" or "why does everyone walk so fast here - these people need to chill out!!!"That sort of thing you know. And so, I think I will end my tales of cultural & peculiar differences for now, not least because I need at least a couple more pages to get through them all, but also I am writing this siting next to a window and outside a man is in full view - weeing up a lamp-post!!!
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Ecuadorian Life - A Country Of Culture, Peculiarities & Cultural Peculiarities
Turning 28 Years Old
It doesn't seem that long ago that I was celebrating my 27th birthday here in Ecuador. Last year I spent a crazy night on a Chiva Bus and don't really remember much of what happened after that. Now, a whole year has passed and thats a scary thought. The older I get though the less bothered I am about getting there. What I mean by that is, before I wanted to celebrate each 18th of September in style - going out, doing things big, usually drinking too much. Last years mayhem sort of happened by chance. I would have happily taken a few quiet drinks in a bar and be done with it, but, at that time - I had a big group of friends who loved to party, and that particular weekend was one where many people were leaving the city for good. As such, last year became a birthday and multiple-leaving event all in one, and hence a night that turned into chaos. This year was almost the same. Maisa's sister, Grace, was soon to be leaving for Canada to study English and my good friend Henry was returning back home to England. However, with Grace's Canadian visa not turning up on time and Henry leaving some days after my birthday, it turned out that I would have the day all to myself. As such, this years 18th of September passed far more smoothly - and I was still as happy as ever.
Firstly, I awoke at Maisa's house to the entire family walking in and singing happy birthday to me while holding a birthday cake with a big 28 on it. It's lucky I am a big strong man - because otherwise I would have looked at that 28, realised how old I am now and then burst into tears. The cake was delicious. I spent the entire weekend with Maisa and her family, as well as Henry. On two of the evenings Maisa, myself, Maisa's sisters and Henry, plus a few friends went out for meals and then some drinks. Maisa treated me and everyone in fact, to both events, which was very nice of her. We also found out that there was a fun-fair going on in town. They don't happen very often in Ecuador and this was the last weekend before it moved on to some other South-American country. As such, we all headed over to smash each other with bumper cars and ride rollercoasters that made us all feel positively sick. I think behaving as childish as possible was the perfect remedy of turning another year older.
I had never seen a fun-fair like this before. I mean they had all the things a fun-fair in England has but everything looked somewhat more dangerous here. They had one ride that didn't have safety bars on it and people were being thrown all over the place. Maisa told me that that is how it was supposed to be and yes everyone usually comes off with some form of injury. Maisa's sister, Jessy, ended up spraining her arm on the bumper cars. Welcome to Ecuador!!!
It was a nice weekend, and a good birthday too. Im glad its over for another year though and I can now finally carry on with normal day-to-day life. Just a final note: As I get older I really do feel I am getting more wise with each passing year. For example, it was soon after my birthday, whilst walking down a normal street in Ecuador that I finally figured it out. It came to me in a flash of brilliance and it should be commended by something prestigious like a Nobel Prize, because finally I did it, I figured out why Ecuadorians - have a problem with walking...............................
Vacation Over - A Return To Quito Life
So after my ten day trip across Ecuador, into Peru and back again, my Quito life resumed once more. I have now been living in Ecuador for one year and nine months. It seems like time has gone much faster than when I went travelling before - maybe because I have mainly stayed in one spot and gone through the daily work routine. When I think about all the things I have done here though - the things I have been through, the experiences I have had, the people I have met and the friends I have made - it does seem to be an awful lot!!!
The period of time just around the Peru trip was generally filled with birthdays, parties and birthday parties. Just before we left for our ten day adventure, it was Maisa's sisters (Grace's) 20th Birthday. We went to a very swanky hotel for a buffet lunch before heading up the large hill (El Panecillo) that sits in the historic old town of Quito and where on top, is a giant statue of the Virgin Mary. It is a landmark within the city and at the summit you get fantastic 360 degree views of the entire area. I had been up here once before but a long time ago, so it was nice to get another look with Henry, Maisa and all her family. In the evening there was a huge party set up in Maisa's house, complete with DJ, a lot of food and also a flow of Mojitos (which were constructed by Henry and myself). On the same day - it was actually Maisa's other sisters (Jessy's) birthday too. She turned 15 which is quite a big deal in Ecuador so her birthday was pushed forward about a month for a very special event.
Just two weeks after our Peru trip, Maisa's dad celebrated a business venture. He was opening a petrol station and for the inauguration he decided to hold a big party on site. Under a giant tent, around 150 people were treated to a three course meal, a huge band playing typical South American music and a lot of whiskey. Before everyone got drunk there were speeches and the cutting of ribbon. Then, with everyone dressed up in all their fancy clothes we all drank and danced the night away. By the end, some where too intoxicated to stand. I even had to carry a few out of the venue. I however, was still in control of all my faculties by the time the clock struck 3am and the party came to a close. It was a great event, even with the staff of the party trying to steal some belongings of Maisa's aunt and uncle who had come over from Venezuela. I found most of their things buried under a big pile of table-cloths at the end of the night where some of the staff had hidden the things for easy pickings later. Everything made it back to their rightfull owners except a camera which disappeared altogether. Its sad that at such an expensive event, some staff would still try their luck and steal from the guests. Maisa's dad ended up leaving his party shouting the word "rats" to the staff members!!! All in all though it didn't detract from a great night enjoyed by everyone.
Just one week later and it was Jessy's birthday. Maisa's sister was turning 15 years and well, it was one of the biggest parties I have ever seen - especially for a 15 year birthday. The event was more like a wedding only there was no bride and groom. The planning of this party took months and all four sisters had special dresses made for the occasion. The men were suited and booted too. The event first started in their nearby church (I told you - it was just like a wedding). There was a small service, with a band playing, lots of singing and praying......and maybe like a gallon of holy water being thrown around to bless everyone. I have never been to a service like this before. I'm not the most religious person in the world, but I respect everyones decision to choose in what they believe. To everyone else here, the service was quite normal as most people are Catholic in this country. For me the whole thing was a little strange. Religion is a funny business, with all the little rituals and specific acts which must be followed at the exact time and to the exact specifications. Its almost like the person who invented religion had some form of severe OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It was still very interesting to see though.
Afterwards, everyone headed to the Sheraton Hotel. The party must of housed around 150 people, most of which were Jessy's friends and the rest, family. Two groups had come all the way from Venezuela. There was first a reception with drinks and two very weird looking clowns, dressed all in gold and whos job was to welcome you into the room. They scared the living hell out of three-year old Domi and to be honest, me a little as well. The party was held in a huge room full of round tables and large screens on the walls. The family walked into the room surrounded by music and everyone clapped. Jessy came last. Then there were some speeches by Marcelo, Maisa and Grace. They laid a chair in the middle of the room so Jessy could sit down and her Mum came in with her shoes and put them on her feet, like some sort of Cinderella reenaction. Then a movie was played on the big screens showing photos of Jessy through her life, before she had a 'first dance' with a male friend of hers in front of everyone. Later, we sat down to a three course meal with Champagne. There was a buffet dinner for the kids.
During the night there were two bands playing different types of music and a DJ, who generally played songs aimed at the youngsters. The dancing and drinking went on well into the night and we all only stopped once to sing happy birthday as a giant cake was wheeled onto the dance-floor. It was a pretty amazing party and everyone had a good time all round. I remember thinking that my 15th birthday was quite different. If my memory serves me right, my friends and I spent the entire night trying to sneak into a pub in my local (North London) area, just to get an alcoholic beverage, and the only clowns involved were the behaviour of my friends. Still, each to their own.
During those weeks, it had been the birthday of Grace and Jessy, Domi and Marcelo (most of the Coello family basically) but also of someone else. The most special birthday of all the birthdays was coming up. There had only ever been 27 of these fantastic events to occur in all the world, but 28 was just around the corner.................
