Encounters in Ecuador: Stories from my "Other Country"

Did you know we have words in English to distinguish between male and female engaged persons? Because I’ll be honest, I didn’t before writing this post. All nouns in Spanish are either feminine or masculine – and while it can be an absolute pain to keep track of them (there are rules, but also many exceptions, so you either memorize a ton of vocabulary or you go by what seems right and hope for the best), it can also be really helpful at times. For example, you know if someone is talking about their female (prima) or male cousin (primo) (unless they’re talking about a group of mixed male and female cousins, but that’s another story). In Spanish, it’s clear whether they are talking about the bride-to-be (novia – also used for girlfriend, but it’s easy to distinguish based on the context) or groom-to-be (novio – see novia note). I was trying to figure out how to write my notes from this event (yes, I have to write about this for my fieldnotes and not just the fun version that winds up i...

Part of the reason Halloween isn’t a big celebration in Ecuador is because November 1-2 are important holidays. You might be familiar with the Day of the Dead if you took high school Spanish or watched Disney’s Coco (which is every bit as popular in Ecuador as it is in the US), but I think the focus in the US tends to be on Mexico’s celebrations and overshadows the celebrations in other Latin American countries. Called Día de los Muertos in Mexico or Día de los Difuntos in Ecuador ("Day of the Dead" or All Souls’ Day) (Nov. 2), this holiday commemorates the souls of all Catholics who have died and follows All Saints' Day (Nov. 1). I was fortunate that an indigenous family I work with invited me to accompany them to the cemetery (it’s less of a private experience than in the US) so I could experience the holiday for myself. I was shocked to see the cemetery packed. And I do mean packed. There were hundreds of people!! I actually waited at the entrance gate for nearl...

After my mini-vacation in Puyo, it was back to the grind, trying to make sure I can finish up everything I’d like to do for my research before December rolls around (faster than you’d think!). I wrote about my research in the previous post, so in an effort to not be redundant, suffice it to say that I fell into a routine of trying to be a good little researcher which makes for boring blog posts. Thankfully, I had my birthday and Halloween to look forward to! In typical Katie fashion, I managed to celebrate my birthday for days!! :D The family threw a party for me and they went all out to make it special, even though birthdays aren’t really a big deal for adults here (so sad!). I was happily surprised with presents, which consisted mostly of chocolate (including Nutella cookies!!) and a card and birdcage my host mom had made. They know me so well, and it was such a sweet gesture! My host mom told me she wanted my day to be extra special since I couldn’t spend it with my other fami...

For my anthro/archie friends, you can probably skip this post, unless you’d like to put yourself in the field with me, as it were. For my non-anthropology readers, here’s a little explanations of what I actually do while I’m in Ecuador. A lot of my time is spent simply "hanging out" with people  (and often eating. There’s lots of eating involved) . And yes, "hanging out" is a valid research term for anthropologists. This may not seem like a legitimate methodology, but in spending a lot of time with people, we get to know them well and they get to know us. You may think of this as a rapport-building time period. The better you know your contacts/collaborators, the easier it is for you to talk about topics that may be difficult, sensitive, or personal. You can also be more certain that they are giving you truthful answers and not simply what they think you want to hear. The description sounds a lot colder and more clinical than what I really feels like when you ...

Monday, October 1st I resumed my plan to visit the Botanical Gardens, looking forward to a tour where I’d learn about some plants (because a botanist or biologist, I am not. Ask my grandma who loves plants – I’m pretty sure I can identify 5 plants total. Bless her heart, she tried so hard with me!). In order to get to the Botanical Gardens, you have to walk along a scenic river pass (Paseo Turistico), which was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Unfortunately, I completely forgot that the gardens were the only place on my list that were closed on Mondays. Still, I didn't really mind since the walk was so incredible and probably my favorite part about my visit to Puyo (other than the wedding and seeing/meeting new friends, of course)! If you ever make it to Puyo, I highly recommend the scenic river walk. You can even bring a picnic and make an afternoon of it! People tend to think that because I am living abroad, I am on one extended vacation. That could not be further f...