More Cultural Woes

   Despite being here for 5 months (officially as of yesterday) I am still being exposed to cultural "shocks" that stop me in my tracks and allow me to further appreciate my experience here as well as appreciate the environment I was brought up in. During a recent Skype conversation with my mom it was brought to my attention how poor the Latin outlook is on women is. They have these gorgeous bodies, incredibly long hair, and flawless skin, yet they insist on breaking themselves down.
   What caught my attention was my mom telling me I was beautiful. It was something, that since being here, I had only heard boys saying to my "gringa" friends. Moms don't tell their daughters that they are beautiful; that they have things to offer other than their bodies; that they can be whatever they want to be; that they are independent. I don't mean to go on a feminist rant, but these girls are being hindered by their lack of self respect. Take my host sister for example. She is 13 years old and her idols are the Kardashian sisters. Each one of them has issues with their body image, problems with their family and with their husbands. It's safe to say that the Kardashians are some of the worst examples out there for our young girls. So here is my sister, not knowing the full extent of the damage that is being done when she watches the shows highlighting the Kardashian family. My sister is 13 years old and obsessed with her body, I know this not by assumption, but because she told me. To my sister, the only goal she has in life is to be skinny and marry a hot guy and as normal as that might be to a 13 year old girl, it worries me because I know this is not just a phase.
   What can I do to help? They look down on me here because of my weight, because I don't like to get dressed up  and wear high heels. While their perception of me has been a challenge, I have never let it get me down, for I know where I stand with myself and if another person has opinions about me, my body or my personality, let them have it. I just really wish there was something I could do to show these girls that there really is more to life than the Kardashians, outer beauty and high heels (or as they call them here, "Tacos"). Intelligence, modesty and self respect are characteristics that  should define a person, should someone be defined in the first place.
   I do not yet know what I have been put here for, but if the only thing the Ecuadorians learn from me is how to love themselves, then so be it. But I'm determined to show them just how amazing they are. They all, boys and girls, have so much to offer, if only they would put their abilities first instead of their hormones and (God help us) the Kardashians. 

Okay, that is the end of my rant. Thanks my loves.
In other news, I move within the next couple days and I couldn't be more excited! I'm out of school now until April and I can finally enjoy what Ecuador has to offer! Hope you are enjoying your chilly winter up North!

Half-Way Mark! (I am so sorry for all of my spelling errors, spell check has failed me)



The Christmas Tree my mom sent me! She had friends and
family send her ornaments so I could have them all close to me.



   Assuming I leave on June 3rd in order to make it back for graduation, I am officially at my half way point through my exchange. It's hard to believe that for as long as I have been here, I will be gone. There is still so much to accomplish and I won't leave before I get it all done, so I am going to have a busy, busy summer! I say "summer" becasue Thursday is my last day of the school year here in Ecuador. Since our seasons are switched, the school years are also switched: case in point, I get three months of full free time in the middle of my exchange. I know, it SO hard to be here.

   So, surprise! A lot has happened in the almost MONTH that it's been since I have posted. I swear, time seriously just flies here. Since my lost post, I have had surgery, Christmas celebrations AND New Year's. I just can't believe myself and my lack of updates, but what are you going to do? It's been getting a lot busier around here and that is always a good thing. Well let us do a little rewinding in order to get ya'll caught up again, shall we?

   So SURGERY, huh! Yes, I under went some minor surgery while being here. Apparently my body really does not like the humidity and the heat because my sweat glands decided to fight be back. What I thought was a clogged sweat gland (totally normal, right? Of course) turned out to be something a lot more serious and to this day I still don't know exactly what they had to remove. Anyway, long story short, there was something growing in my armpit and they had to cut it out and it was extremely painful. That first shot, of my arm is the result of a penecillin test. I had just been tested for penicillin but 7 or 8 months ago and I was sure I wasn't allergic, absoultely sure. They gave me the test anyways and when I saw this bruising, I nearly passed out and I'm not being dramatic either, I literally almost passed out; cold sweats, loss of vision and hearing- oh the works and all with the added benefit of none of the people knowing English.

  

   About a week after this penicillin test (which, the doctor later told me I was infact NOT allergic to penicillin and that my shot was a bad injection) I was taken to the clinica, which is basically just a hospital) and layed down on the table, stripped of everything but my pants, injected with anethesia and cut open. It was really just a slice and dice opperation, no big hullabaloo was made. I had to listen to my iPod (the soothing songs of Enya) and I bawled like a baby throughout the whole operation, but I made it through like a champ. Ecuador's medical equipment may not be top notch nor the most advanced, but it was clean and straight forward, I got what I needed done and it was realitively cheap. In total, from beginning to end (which included the opertation and two additional check ups), I ended up paying $160 out of pocket. Not too shabby!

   Surgery was most definately the biggest thing to occur in the last month, but Christmas and New Year's also passed. Christmas here is not as big of a... commotion as it is in the States. The whole Christmas holiday kind of came and left without much said about it. Gifts are not the focus, the Baby Jesus is and people don't get any cheerier during the season. In fact, people get mean and guarded as during the Christmas time is the most dangerous time in Ecuador due to the rise in crime rate. Luckily, my family was spared any harm, but some other family members of ours didn't get off so easily. We know of two peole that were robbed at gun point and my uncle's truck was smashed by someone on New Year's Day. Just goes to show you what money and the desperate need for money can do to people.

  

   But back to Christmas! My paternal Aunt and Grandmother came to stay the weekend with us and on Christmas Eve, later in the evening, we all went to Mass and then came back and waited for more family and sometime between 10 PM and Midnight, we began eating dinner and opening presents. After that the family hung out a bit and by 3 AM everyone was dispersed. Christmas Day was just a day to relax and clean up from the night before.

Our Christmas Eve Spread. That first dish is a typical Ecuadorian
Christmas dish called Relleno that has some sort of mystery
texture, dates, and green olives. It was.... different.

My adorable Family!

My sister Nathalia, 13 years old

My dad and the "Princess of Christmas"
 (AKA my grandmother). Every year they draw for the
Princess of Christmas and this year it was my abuelita!

   New Year's also came and went, but this time with a bang! It is Ecuadorian tradition to burn dolls representing a year's worth of strife and troubles and these dolls are called "Año Viejos" or Old Years. They do this to symbolize the start of a new year along with new beginnings and maybe some reconcilliation. For example, my sister fashioned an Año Viejo to look like a girl in her class she doesn't like. I'm not so sure that it was for the symbolism that my sister made this doll, but I think you get the point. They load fireworks into all the dolls and at midnight they light them all on fire. I don't know what I was expecting when I heard this, but I assure you I was certainly surprised. We went to a big neighborhood to celebrate New Year's and in the middle of the neighborhood they had dug a great big ditch especially for the Año Viejos and just before midnight we all made a pilgramage to the dig site and threw the dolls in a heap and right at midnight the dolls were lit, with a little help from some lighter fluid. Don't worry, this was completely safe. WAS. It was safe untill the fireworks that were loaded in the dolls started going off at random and in random directions too. Guessing where the next firework was going to explode just adds to the fun though and we ended up getting out of their unhurt. Just like with Christmas day, New Year's Day was spent sleeping and just relaxing and just like that, the 2012 had begun.

You can see the heap of "bodies" to the right
 of the photo and the ring of fire engulfing the heap.

And that my loves is my update! I swear to goodness I will keep them coming. I just had to get the last couple weeks covered. I owe you another update this weekend. Enjoy the New Year and I will see you in 144 days.

Love always, Marlee