Ecuador

Ecuadorians are a warm and hospital people who value family. People from the highlands "Serranos" who reside in the higher, rural part of the country generally behave in a more formal reserved way. Coastal people "Csotenos" are more open and liberal.

Quichua is recognized as an important part of the Ecuadorian culture, but is not an official language. This language was derived from the Inca language.  Even though Quichua is the first language for many indigenous communities in Ecuador, it is not taught as a separate language in most schools. Ecuadorians who live in the coastal areas tend to talk more quickly than those who live in the Sierra highlands.  The North American response of saying no by grunting “uh-uh”  may cause some confusion when talking to an Ecuadorian, because in Ecuador, “uh-uh” means yes.

It is common to shake hands when meeting someone and when saying goodbye. Ecuadorians may lift their chins to tell you to go "up the street" and lower their chins to say "down the street."

In Ecuador a bus driver may draw a circle in the air with an index finger to say “Sorry, the bus is full.” However, yawning, whistling, pointing or yelling a name to get someone's attention may be considered rude. Women who are close friends may kiss each other in greeting, while men will embrace.

Visits from family and friends are frequent in Ecuador. When families gather for a meal and conversation, visitors are always welcome. Even if unexpected guests arrive during a meal, they will be offered a full meal. As guests are leaving they may be offered a gift.  In Ecuador it is considered polite to say hello and goodbye to every person at a party or a social gathering. Those who do not are seen as not placing enough value on relationships.

Clothing in rural areas is varied depending upon the region. People familiar with native dress can often tell roughly where a person is from based on what they wear. Western style of clothing is worn is worn in urban areas.

Many Otavalo men wear their hair in a Shimba (long braids). Their clothing of a blue poncho, a fedora, or felt hat, and white calf-length knickers.

Otavalo women dress in a white blouses, a blue skirt and shawl with layers of necklaces of predominantly gold beads, and red coral bracelets.

Mestizo women wear hand-woven cloth skirts and straw hats, the women also wear "serapes" (long shawls). Highland natives prefer to wear clothing of blue, brown, and black.

In Ecuador the most important meal of the day is the midday meal. The Serranos (people from the Sierra) like to eat meat, corn and potatoes, while Costeños (people from the coastal regions) prefer fish, rice and beans. Soup is served at both lunch and dinner and hot bread is a popular snack.

Ecuadorian dishes include seco de chivo (goat stew), patacones (green bananas fried in oil, mashed and refried) and humitas (sweet corn tamales). Ceviche is fish or seafood marinated in lime juice and seasoned with onion, tomatoes, chili and cilantro. It is sometimes served with cangil (popcorn). Ecuadorians boil their coffee until it is thick and strong. They also enjoy a hot drink called api, made from ground corn.

Ecuador produces many different kinds of fruit, including citrus fruits of all kinds, mangoes, papayas, melons, tamarinds, custard apples and passion fruit. Naranjilla is a fruit that is unique to South America. It looks like a crab apple but yields a delicious juice that is often served for breakfast. Ecuador is also famous for its bananas. The yellow variety that are exported are called guineos, but there are also miniature bananas called oritas, green cooking bananas called verdes and red bananas called magueños.

Special foods are served on holidays and during fiestas. On Good Friday a special fish soup is made with 12 grains that symbolize the 12 apostles. Every year, on All Souls' Day, most families share colada morada. This is a syrupy drink made from flour and fruits.

The Quichua tradition of dried meat or charqui, has given Americans the English word jerky.

In 1630 an Indian named Loja discovered that the sap from the quina tree (called quinine) could be used to treat people with malaria. This drug was used by British troops in India. Most people do not know that this drug is found in Ecuador and think it is from Asia.

In Ecuador, the most important meal of the day is the midday meal. The Serranos (people from the Sierra) like to eat meat, corn and potatoes, while Costeños (people from the coastal regions) prefer fish, rice and beans. Soup is served at both lunch and dinner.

Ecuadorian dishes include seco de chivo (goat stew), patacones (green bananas fried in oil, mashed and refried) and humitas (sweet corn tamales). Ceviche is fish or seafood marinated in lime juice and seasoned with onion, tomatoes, chili and cilantro. It is sometimes served with cangil (popcorn). Ecuadorians boil their coffee until it is thick and strong. They also enjoy a hot drink called api, made from ground corn.

Ecuador produces many different kinds of fruit, including citrus fruits of all kinds, mangoes, papayas, melons, tamarinds, custard apples and passion fruit. Naranjilla is a fruit that is unique to South America. It looks like a crab apple but yields a delicious juice that is often served for breakfast. Ecuador is also famous for its bananas. The yellow variety that are exported are called guineos, but there are also miniature bananas called oritas, green cooking bananas called verdes and red bananas called magueños.

Special foods are served on holidays and during fiestas. On Good Friday a special fish soup is made with 12 grains that symbolize the 12 apostles. Every year, on All Souls' Day, most families share colada morada. This is a syrupy drink made from flour and fruits.

The Quichua tradition of dried meat or charqui, has given Americans the English word jerky.

In 1630, an Indian named Loja discovered that the sap from the quina tree (called quinine) could be used to treat people with malaria. This drug was used by British troops in India. Most people do not know that this drug is found in Ecuador and think it is from Asia.

Ecuadorians place great importance on the family. Older members of the family are treated with respect and kindness. A household is made up of a husband and a wife and their unmarried children, and sometimes members of the extended family. Aged parents often live with their youngest son and his wife. Traditionally, the youngest son stays in the parents' home with the expectation that he will take care of his parents in their old age.

Ecuadorians also form ties to unrelated people through the system of compadrazgo (godparents). Compadres are chosen by the parents of a child at the child's baptism. Compadres have financial obligations towards the children and are also expected to provide support and advice throughout the child's life. For example, a young couple may ask their godparents for advice if the marriage faces problems.

In Ecuador, women are generally responsible for care of the children and the household. Men take a less active role in child-rearing and housekeeping. In recent times, however, the roles of women and men are changing. For example, in urban families men may share household work if their wives are working outside the home.

Teen aged Ecuadorians generally socialize in groups. Girls must ask for permission from their parents to go out alone with a boy. At 15, girls may have a quincera (party) celebrating a girl's passage into "womanhood". This includes a Catholic ceremony and a party with food, drinks and dancing. Dating usually begins after this phase in a young girl's life. Women usually marry by their early twenties. Most families want their children to finish school before they get married.

Although Ecuador is a Catholic country, common-law marriages are accepted as legal marriages.

Futbol (soccer) is the favorite sport in Ecuador. Volleyball and track are also popular. Ecuadorian volleyball is played differently from the way it is played in North America. The ball is heavier and there are three players on each team.

Many Ecuadorians enjoy a game called pelota national. Two teams hit a small ball back and forth, and a third team stands between, trying to stop the ball. Pelota is less popular with young people but is still played by older people.

In Ecuador, young children play marbles, skipping rope and hopscotch. They also play a game called Rayuelz, which is a guessing game played in a small group. La Ronda is another popular game in which children create a sing-along. Taking turns, each child continues the song, which is completed when the last child has taken his or her turn.

Ecuadorians in general eat three meals a day, breakfast being the lightest of the three. Breakfast usually consists of a breadlike pastry and a drink, often coffee for teenagers and adults. A common breakfast food is an empanadas, which is bread dough with cheese or meat rolled inside it and then baked. Empanadas also serve as a popular snack at anytime during the day.

School generally begins at 7:30 in the morning and is done at around 12:30 in the afternoon. Kids will usually walk or ride a public transportation bus to school, depending on how far from the school they live. Because they are not required to attend the school closest to their homes, they sometimes ride the bus 1.5 to 2 hours to and from the school in order to attend the one that they feel suits their needs best. The government provides breakfast at school for the students, such as a simple bowl of oatmeal. Lunch is also available at the school, consisting of tuna, rice, and something prepared by parents. Parents take turns preparing food for the lunch. For schools that do not have a food program, students return home to eat. A typical lunch at home might begin with a bean-and-potato soup, followed by a rice dish containing a fried egg, cheese, or chicken.

Children are required to wear a uniform to school. In fact, each year before school begins, each child must buy 3 uniform sets, 2 pair of shoes, a change for gym clothes, and various other school charges. This cost of approximately $200 per years can be very challenging or often even impossible for families who make only a few dollars each day. Sometimes children must take turns going to school every other year because of the cost of attending school. Other families pool their resources and send only one child out of five or more, which is very hard for those who get left behind. Furthermore, children who attend in small villages receive a vastly inadequate education—not because the teacher isn’t trying but rather because she may be poorly trained and have very sparse resources for a class that is too large. Schools in the poorer areas usually do not have enough desks or other basic classroom resources. Some will not even have adequate running water. There are many volunteer projects sponsored by international groups who are working to improve the educational facilities and system in Ecuador, but it is a very large problem that is not easily fixed.

Children are required to attend school from age 6 to 14; however, that requirement is enforced differently depending on local conditions. Three out of every four children in the cities will attend school through the 6th grade; in rural areas, only one out of every three will graduate from 6th grade. Unfortunately, only about half of all students enroll in secondary schools, and nearly one out of every five students will drop out of school between the ages of 12 and 17 in order to work. Classes are taught in Spanish, the national language. Subjects include math, science, history, geography, Spanish, English, music, technology (when resources allow), and physical education. Like many Latin American countries, the quality of education can vary widely throughout the country, with money being the most important influence. In communities with more money, the schools have better resources; in poor villages, the local school can struggle to even provide the most basic education.

Sports in Ecuador are usually organized by leagues rather than schools, so schools offer very few sports or similar extracurricular activities. On the other hand, private schools, especially for Americans and Europeans living in Ecuador, are very likely to provide clubs for the arts, media, and sports. In such schools, students can participate in musicals, band, choir, dance, handicrafts, chess, swimming, basketball, soccer, and many other activities. These schools are expensive and are simply not available to most of the Ecuadorian population.

Regardless of where they gather, young Ecuadorians are friendly and outgoing. They enjoy social experiences. Young children play marbles, skip rope, and play hopscotch. They also enjoy a guessing game called rayuelz. Soccer is the most popular sport in Ecuador. Volleyball and track are also favorites. Volleyball is played differently in Ecuador than in the United States. There are only three players on each team, and the ball is heavier. Tennis, basketball, volleyball, and track are also quite popular women’s sports. Families enjoy camping on weekends and holidays in the national parks. In the Andes mountains, mountain climbing is popular for all ages.

Families are very important to the social and economic lifestyle of Ecuador. Although children love to spend time with friends, the majority of their youthful evenings will be with family at home. Multiple generations will live together in the same home, eat together at meal times, watch TV together, and socialize together. Children are respectful of the older members of their family, and the elderly are included in all parts of the family’s activities. Men are very much the head of the Ecuadorian family, and women often do not enjoy as many rights or privileges as they do in the United States or Europe. This is especially true in middle- or lower-income families that are more likely to preserve the traditions of the past. Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of bananas, so bananas are part of most typical meals, along with other wonderful fruits that grow plentifully throughout the country. For the wealthier families, pork is also a common part of many meals. A lot of food is fried, often in butter, vegetable oil, or pork fat. Starches form a large portion of the diet, as rice, potatoes, bread, noodles, and bananas are somehow included in most meals. Eggs, dairy products, and chicken supplement these staples. (Lunch and dinner are often very similar in the basic foods that are prepared.) In larger towns and cities, Chinese restaurants are quite common and provide a common place for families who have the money and desire to eat out.

Although 90% of adults in Ecuador are literate, government and education leaders alike agree that there is much the country can do to better prepare its children for the future. In recent years, educational budgets have increased to provide better technology for the students and increased incentives for the teachers. Perhaps because of the economic challenges that Ecuador faces, private schools have become a very important part of the educational fabric of the country: 65% of the education in the country is public, and 35% is private. Not all private schools are designed for the wealthy, however. Admittedly, some are, but many have also been founded by well-meaning individuals and groups who simply want to provide a better education for Ecuador’s children. Thus, international and national groups have created humanitarian opportunities for volunteers and dedicated teachers to teach in small villages in difficult circumstances in addition to creating upscale, technologically savvy schools focused on preparing the next generation of business and civic leaders for Ecuador. Ecuador has two main schedules for the school year: children in the highlands follow a traditional schedule of two months off during the summer. However, in the coastal regions, children attend from April through December, and have the rainy season of January through March off. If students are fortunate enough to be able to move on from the basic educational programs offered, the country has over 50 universities and 350 technical institutes available for further study. Approximately 1% of children from rural areas will attend a university, compared to 5% from the cities. Obviously, leaders of the country would like to improve that statistic as they move forward into an increasingly complex world.