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Published: January 16th 2020
And just like that, we’re back with blog number 2. A lot has happened since I wrote my first blog and I’m excited to share that with you. This post will cover this past Saturday and Sunday and because they were so eventful I’ll try to keep it to the big events and key insights as much as possible (along with lots of pictures of course).
While we were expecting to go to Mass this past Sunday, we actually ended up going to a catholic-based service on Saturday afternoon with our mama and abuela. Many of the practices were representative of a catholic service, such as the way communion was prepared and administered by the priest and his assistants. It was much shorter than a typical mass service, however, and it was SO flashy and decorative with blinking Christmas lights and displays all around. We really only understood certain words here and there and just followed what others around us did.
Sunday we left with our host parents and abuela for their friends' house which was in a beautiful neighborhood near Cotopaxi National Park. Their friends were a retired couple who had lived in the states for over 40
years and had many businesses and properties in both Ecuador and America. They had just recently moved back to Ecuador because living was cheaper and they wanted a nice peaceful place to retire. Both spoke good English and so it was really refreshing to be able to communicate in English but also learn some Spanish from them. They took us to a place called Ruminahui in the Cotopaxi park and we went on an incredible hike, where we were able to see so many different types of trees and vegetation including eucalyptus trees. The scenery was incredible and near the end of the hike, we reached an awesome waterfall that were able to wade into and cool off in.
After the hike, we were taken to a small local restaurant with a rustic wooden interior where we were served a delicious plate of trout along with an assortment of new appetizers and cheese that was made fresh from the cows we saw in the backfields. Following that meal, they took us into town to eat even more food, where we got to try “Cuy” or Guinea pigs as we call them. These Guinea pigs were MUCH larger than the
ones me and my brother had when we were younger, but they tasted pretty good once you got past the initial grossness of peeling off the skin to get to the meat (apparently the locals eat the skin but I have no idea how, it was so tough and nasty). The three of (Sam, Jake and I) were so full after all that food but managed to make room for some delicious ice cream from a shop down the road. Tying back into Leading with Cultural Intelligence, CQ Knowledge is a concept I encountered Sunday. The definition is: how much you know about the culture you are in and how business is conducted within it. Through conversation with our host family and friends, we learned a lot about the culture and also business. They told us about how many people come to their town to retire because often times it can be less expensive for them, or they simply crave the serene atmosphere. We talked about how the were many more opportunities in the states for business, and their friends talked about their success in the states and how it can be harder in Ecuador to be profitable.
We got to talk about basketball with them too and all of our favorite players. (They prefer Michael Jordan over Lebron James which of course I am on board with)
Throughout these two days there were several situations I can relate to the “Relational Level” which is simply the similarities/differences observed through my interactions with Ecuadorians, and some of the issues I have encountered when communicating. Firstly, when attended the church service an obvious issue was the language barrier, but we were able to pick up some familiar biblical terms here and there. I was unsure what to do at first because I would feel bad just blocking the service out and entering into my own headspace, but also didn’t know how to connect with anything as I didn’t understand. As the service progressed, however, I forced myself to stay aware (and awake) and as I did I picked up little things, like the emotions of those around me as they worshipped, or the different practices they do and how they compare to mine. I ended up taking away more than I initially thought and that was cool to see. On Sunday, because we spent the day with our
host family and their friends, we had the opportunity to converse a lot with them and ask/answer questions in Spanish. It was hard at times because it really requires strong awareness and responsiveness because if you space out for a second you may miss something. This goes back to the “CQ Drive” I mentioned in my last post. Maintaining that drive has gotten more difficult as these last few days have been exhausting, but I trust that God will provide everything I need to keep going, and hopefully this weekend I will be able to get some good rest. Sorry for the long post, I’m hoping to consolidate a bit more in the future. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, while I am thrilled to be here, I am excited to see family and friends when I return. ¡Chao!
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