Despedida

Despedida Ecuador

As I reflect on the last three years in Ecuador, I find myself filled with gratitude, humility, and a little sadness. It’s hard to believe that three years have passed since we first made the leap into international teaching, and now we are on to our next post. Living in Ecuador changed me in ways I did not expect. I have found that my entire perspective has changed. My world view has expanded in a way I could not have predicted. I feel so grateful that I have had this opportunity, and humbled by the prospect of learning and appreciating even more about the world, its landscapes, its people and their cultures.

So, what did Ecuador teach me?

Family. A different way to look at big families and the joys of large extended families doing everything together. Abuela comes everywhere! She is in the car when you drop the children off at school. She is at home when the children come home from school. She is in the kitchen cooking arroz. She is coming along for grocery shopping and she is going down to the beach with the whole family - even if they have to pick her up in her wheelchair and carry her down there.

Kisses! Kisses hello. Kisses goodbye. Parents kissing the children goodbye - several times, all over the face, even when they’re just leaving for a few hours of Pre-K. Kissing strangers. Little boys shyly kissing cheeks of his mother’s friends.

Dancing. There is a reason why Latinos are such good dancers. They listen to salsa and bachata music all day, and at every sort of event. They begin dancing as babies. I have seen this with my own eyes. True, the infants are being held up by adults as their arms and legs are moved for them in tune to the music, but the point is they are learning the rhythm before they can talk. Learning to dance is as much a part of infanthood as is learning to walk. Every single event ends in dancing. The American style “party” - where we sit around and eat chips and drink and talk, and maybe play some cards? Ecuadorians cannot for the life of them understand how we consider that a “party”. How incredibly boring! The word party implies dancing! How can you have a party without dancing?

Early childhood education. If it had not been for this school in Ecuador, I would not have had the

opportunity and experience of working in an elementary school and understanding how young children think and learn. I was slightly terrified in the beginning. (Their fingers are so small!) But after three years I can say that I learned a great deal about early childhood education, the importance of play, conflict resolution, and self confidence at the earliest stages, and how true it is that every child starts out wanting to learn. By the way, I can also say that the voice of a 1st grade teacher is a soft, beautiful, and enchanting thing.

-ita/-ito. The diminutive of everything you hold precious and dear. Would you like some coffee or some cafecito? Do you have a question or a preguntita? Do you need a minute or minuntito? Calling someone fat is actually a term of endearment, if you make it a goridito or gordita. Same with negrita. Is this for the children or the niñitos? Do you want a little bit or poquito? Are you going out with your friends or your amiguitas? Paola is Paolita, Juan is Juanito, Shannon is Shannoncita, and despacio is despacito.

Patience. Living in South America has taught me to have more patience. Not just in consumer goods and services like not having 2-day guaranteed shipping or same-day cable and internet installation and high speed 4G wifi everywhere (or anywhere), but patience in my interactions with people. Stopping to say hello to a coworker in the morning. Starting meetings five minutes late because you have to give everyone a chance to kiss everyone hello. Appreciating that qualities that we exhort in American culture - candor, directness, efficiency are not the gold standard for everyone, and maybe there is something to be gained by being more patient and polite with one another. Understanding that sometimes “mañana” doesn’t always mean, like, literally tomorrow, but tomorrow in the sense of just “not today” - and most of the time, that’s really okay.

Mountains. Before moving to Ecuador I never spent anytime living around, or even really seeing mountains. There is something incredibly peaceful and meditative about being able to look out at the horizon and see miles and miles (or in this case, kilometers and and kilometers) of vast mountain ranges, some snowcapped, some whose peaks are hiding behind clouds, some who block the sun, some who are covered with a green patchwork of agricultural fields, others who are rocky reds and browns. What’s really cool about living in the valley of a mountain range is seeing how the sun changes and reflects off of different surfaces. You can look to the left, and see the face of a mountain that is dark green and grey, shaded by clouds overhead and then look to the right and see a different face of the same mountain that is a vibrant and glowing emerald green and realizing that it’s all the same mountain, but changes colors because of how the sun and clouds are hitting it at a particular time. And then minutes later, the colors change again as the clouds sweep by.

I will always think of Ecuador as a special place. It was my first experience living overseas. It was the place I got engaged, and then married. I think fondly of the school that started this adventure for us - of the friends we made there and the amazing trips we took while living there. And I miss it already. I feel sad to being saying goodbye to Ecuador but so grateful of our time there and of the things I will carry away with me.

Now, as we are just four days away from moving to Saudi Arabia I wonder what this new country and people will teach me and how my world perspective will continue to mature and expand.

And so, Ecuador, as we say “farewell” I dedicate this to you...

From now on I will say good morning to people, even if they’re strangers.
I will appreciate when I see whole families out together - even if they’re just buying eggs, and even if they’re taking up the entire shopping aisle.
I will consider returning to an elementary school one day.
And I promise to dance at parties.

¡Despedida, Ecaudor! ¡Besos y un gran abrazo!

-Shannoncita