Sueltos, Long Bus Rides, and Choclo Asado

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but I’ve now been living in Ecuador for almost 7 months! It really is crazy how time flies. Next week we have our “Reconnect” conference where everyone in my group will come together in Quito for 2 weeks to discuss life at site and our plans and projects for the next 2 years. I have been enjoying school vacation and have had the opportunity to do some traveling and also spent a week working at a fellow volunteer’s summer camp!

After living in Ecuador for almost 7 months, I've made some cultural observations and have even found myself picking up a few new habits:

Hoarding "sueltos"

In most places in Ecuador, walking around with a $20 bill is just about useless. Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar and all ATMs will only give out cash in increments of $20. With the exception of large grocery stores and big malls, you are not very likely to find change. I recently went to buy a bus ticket and taped to the window there was a sign that said: "NO HAY CAMBIO" ("no change"). When trying to pay with anything over $5, you will often hear: "no tiene sueltos?" ("you don't have smaller change?") This requires strategic planning in order to break bills and as a result I have become quite a hoarder of "sueltos," or small change. I attempt to pay for everything with the biggest bill possible to get back a handful of coins, and then try to avoid using them for as long as possible!

This is what being rich looks like!!

Eating with a spoon

You're having chicken for dinner? Spoon. Maduro (fried, sweet plantain)? Spoon. Grilled fish? Spoon. Many Ecuadorians eat EVERYTHING with a spoon. It is common here to eat a soup as a first course with both lunch and dinner. Of course the soup is eaten with a spoon, so once you're on to the main course you just keep using your spoon and hands if necessary. Rice is also served with almost every meal and spoons make it easier to shovel the mountain of rice you're given into your mouth. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I've gotten to the point where if given the option, I instinctively choose to eat with a spoon...

Choclo obsession

"Choclo asado," or grilled corn is hands down my favorite Ecuadorian street food. I literally cannot pass by a vendor who is selling them without buying one. Choclo is different from the sweet corn we have in the U.S. The individual kernels are larger and it has a different flavor. Street vendors sell them smothered in "mayonesa" which is nothing like typical mayo, but really just an adhesive for all of the cheese they put on top. They cost $1 and are worth every penny!! Some other typical street food in the Sierra includes:

-Pinchos (kebabs)

-Empanadas

-Morocho- a warm, sweet, thick corn pudding often served with empanadas

-Salchipapas- essentially french fries with pieces of hot dog on top (you can find these on pretty much every street corner all over Ecuador)

-Cevichochos- "ceviche" made from lupini beans and a onion and tomato salad, topped with popcorn, toasted corn nuts, and plantain chips

-Espumilla- a meringue cream dessert that probably has more sugar in it than anything you've ever tasted (I personally think this is disgusting, but it seems to be popular)

*Consume street food at your own risk*

That face says it all

Grilling up some choclo and maduro

"Ecua time" and the weather

I have found that in Ecuador it is socially acceptable to show up at least 15 minutes later than the stated or agreed upon time. And if we're talking about a party... anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours after the time on the invitation. I have to say I have not had a hard time getting used to this, and have started running on "Ecua time" myself! Additionally, people are very sensitive to cold weather and many conversations revolve around how cold it is. There aren't really seasons where I live in the mountains and the temperature stays about the same all year (around 75° during the day, dropping to about 60° at night). Coming from a climate with four distinct seasons, I found this to be really funny at first. But after just a few short months I've become a pro at talking about how cold it is!! Some of my go-to phrases: "Achachay que frio," "que bestia que frio," "esta haciendo un friazo, no cierto?"

Bus rides

Sometimes I feel like I spend more time on buses than I do anywhere else. When traveling around the country, that's really not much of an exaggeration. So I've had some time to reflect on the transportation experience!! Some observations:

-There is always a movie blasting on full volume, usually violent with lots of bloody scenes

-Almost every time the bus stops (which can sometimes be every 5 minutes), a vender will get on selling anything from chips, to full meals, to headphones, to miracle cancer-curing products, to flashlights that double as tasers (I am not making this up, this man has been on my bus 3 separate times!!)

-Ecuadorian buses are not designed for anyone over 5'5''

-Most people will stand up and start lining up to rush off the bus when you're about 5 minutes away from the terminal

And finally a few of my favorite Ecuadorian phrases and my own interpretations...

"Dar una vuelta"- This phrase means to "turn around," but is also used to signify "going for a drive." When my host family says: "vamos a dar una vuelta," we could be going out for 30 minutes to pick up a few things at the market, out for a few hours to run errands, or gone for the entire day seeing sights, eating, shopping, and eating some more.

Here's a picture of one time we went to "dar una vuelta." We left the house around 11AM and I asked my host brother (who was driving) where we were going and he said he didn't know. When we left it was about 75° and sunny, but the climate can change drastically in short distances depending on where you are in the country. Long story short....

"No sea malito"- direct translation: "don't be bad." Ecuadorians (and now me too) use this phrase as a way to convince someone of doing something they may not want to do, or may not have originally done. And I must say it works like a charm!! Want to squeeze 5 people in a 4 person taxi? "No sea malito señor, por favor."

"Achachay"- This word is derived from Kichwa and is the equivalent of saying "brrrrrr" in English and I find myself using this phrase allll the time when I constantly mention how cold it is.

Some pics from "Be the Change" camp!

Group photo in front of the world map mural painted by students

Making crafts from recycled materials

I also ran my first ever half marathon in Guayaquil (largest city in Ecuador, in the coastal region)!! Running a half has been something I’ve wanted to do for a while and I’m so happy to have been able to check it off my list! My site- Ambato is located at an elevation of about 8,500 ft. and it’s impossible to find a route that isn’t almost all hills. Needless to say training for the race was not easy! However, running in the city of Guayaquil at sea level on a predominantly flat course made the experience much more enjoyable!