Now that I have been in Ecuador almost 3 months, I am beginning to forget what it was like to do things a certain way in the US. In an effort not to forget anything else, I am making a list of cultural “Adjustments and Observations” (most of which now seem like second nature to me) that I will likely add to in the next two years:
1. Throwing toilet paper in the trash and not the toilet; and now, at my house on the coast, “flushing” the toilet with a bucket of water. I will put into this category carrying TP with you everywhere, because most public restrooms don’t have it, and if they do, they will charge you $0.15.
2. A “hot” shower is out of the question. In Tumbaco, the “hot” water produced by the electric showerhead was luke-warm at best, steam was an unreasonable request. On the coast, cold water is completely welcome, and taking bucket baths from the rainwater reservoir is really not that bad (and also conserves a ton of water!).
3. Personal space doesn’t exist between family members, friends, or strangers. And now that I’m integrating, I really couldn’t care less if I stand on someone’s foot for an entire 30 minute bus ride, and oddly enough, my footrest doesn’t care either.
4. Dogs are for security, not for dressing up in baby clothes and sleeping in your bed with you. My dog in Tumbaco never left our roof. They aren’t necessarily abused, but they certainly aren’t treated like family, and you don’t see people walking dogs on leashes. Ever.
5. Littering. There is a total out of sight, out of mind mentality when it comes to trash.
6. Ecuadorians take an ironic pride in appearance. Stacy and Clinton of “What Not to Wear” would surely cringe at the entire country, with their ill-fitting and non-matching clothing, yet people are very judgmental about wearing sweats out of the house, not putting on makeup, or having wrinkly clothes.
7. Rice. All the time, for every meal.
8. You can’t drink the tap water. This wasn’t much of an adjustment for me, because in California I didn’t want to drink the tap water, but here you couldn’t do it anyways. I do brush my teeth with tap water though.. good for my immune system, right?? I’ll let you know when I get a parasite.
9. Prices are negotiable almost everywhere. It’s why they don’t put price tag stickers on things. Also, so they can give gringos the “Gringo Tax” and overcharge for everything. It’s the same reason why taxis don’t have meters in them, and you have to pre-establish a price before getting in.
10. Roosters in Ecuador don’t know what time it is. They cock-a-doodle-doo at all hours- 11pm, 2 am, 6 am, noon... And even if you don’t have a rooster, it’s guaranteed that at least three of your neighbors do.
11. Complete lack of/disregard for safety regulations. What’s a carseat? That basket on the front of my motorcycle, you mean? Yeah that’s good for kids and watermelons alike.. (this is a mild example, by the way..)
12. Wearing shoes in the house. I’m a big fan of a barefoot lifestyle myself, but even Ecuadorians know how dirty their floors are and insist that you wear shoes.
13. It’s harder to break a $20 bill in Ecuador than it is to break a $100 bill in the US.
14. Ecuador is a cash country; cards are VERY rarely accepted. Which is a huge pain in the ass (see #13). I have an Ecua bank account now, but my ATM card does not function as a debit card. That’s not really a thing here.
15. I MISS ICE! and cold drinks in general. and Diet Coke. Sigh.. at least this country makes some killer smoothies.
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