Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Globalization Vignettes
Something that's struck me since being here is the variety of ways in which globalization manifests itself. There's a book by George Ritzer called The McDonaldization of Society, and while I haven't actually read it, I think that the title describes how a lot people from the U.S. view globalization. It often seems that U.S. culture has spread its tentacles to all ends of the earth and that it is uniformly adopted by countries from all continents. By implication, people who live in these countries are seen as passive victims whose fragile culture is in danger of being annihilated by the process of "McDonaldization." What I've noticed during my time here, however, is that globalization is less of a homogenizing force than we tend to think, and that this has everything to do with the ingenuity of people who live in these supposedly "vulnerable" countries. It's been really interesting to see how people here reappropriate U.S. culture and make it their own, on the small scale as well as the large scale. I'm starting to get a sense of how dynamic culture is, and why it's an insult to people on all sides of the globe to talk about the process of "Mcdonaldization" without acknowledging the process of reappropriation that takes place when "McDonald's" arrives.
To give you all an idea of what this process looks like here in Ecuador, I'm going to start posting "Globalization Vignettes" -- interesting/funny/noteworthy examples of globalization that I've observed since being here. Look soon for installment #1 ("You want Ají with that?") to get a better idea of what I'm talking about. Hope you enjoy!
Today’s lesson is brought to you by the long “a” sound (or the “e” sound en español): Loosening the reigns has its gains
I haven’t felt this good in weeks. Although everything I said in my last entry still stands, there’s something to be said for forgetting about school for a night and just sitting down and talking with people.
Today in weaving, my friend Lily asked me if I wanted to hang out in Quito after school until later in the evening, when she was supposed to meet up with her boyfriend. I don’t know Lily super well, but the few times we have hung out have been a blast (we went to an art gallery opening a few weeks ago, and last weekend we went to a café with a breathtaking view—more details to come). I had already decided to spend the night reading and starting a research paper for one of my classes, but seeing as I’d been wanting to get to know Lily better, I decided to cut myself some slack and let my academic agenda take the back seat for the night.
We started dinner around 7:00. Normally dinner on school nights doesn’t last much more than 15 minutes since we’re all pretty tired and have a long night of homework to look forward to, but tonight my host mom, Emilio, Yandira, Lily and I sat around talking (and joking—my Spanish puns are improving considerably!) until at least 7:30. Emilio and Yandira excused themselves to do homework, but the rest of us stuck around to have cafecíto.
Somehow we got to talking about my host mom’s job (she’s the director of a foundation that, among other things, gives micro loans to women so they can start their own small businesses) and what Lily and I want to do with the rest of our lives. We talked about various kinds of development projects, the factors that make some succeed and others fail, the challenges that NGOs face in being accountable to their users, and other related issues. An hour and a few too many cups of coffee later, my host mom excused herself to get some work done. Our trio was down to two.
Lily and I kept talking (in Spanish—we had reverted back to English but switched back because there were too many long, confused pauses and awkward reverse translations…score!). When she eventually had to take off, I looked at the clock and realized that we’d been talking for two and a half hours. It was awesome because through talking about very concrete things that have been happening in our lives, we hit on a lot the intangible and confounding themes that have been my mind recently.
For example, Lily was telling me about a potential internship with a fair trade clothing company in California, and she raised the question of whether the company should pay Ecuadorian artisans a “fair price” (by U.S. standards) of $8-10 for a scarf when scarves go for around $2.50 here, which is enough for the artisans to meet their “basic needs.” This led to the question of what constitutes “basic needs” and who defines them, as well as how globalization has transformed/homogenized how people from disparate locations, cultures, and conditions understand the concept of “needs.”
Later we got on the subject of volunteerism vs. charity vs. service learning. This theme has been at the forefront of my mind since reading a rather in-your-face article a few weeks back (“To Hell with Good Intentions” by Ivan Illich—I highly recommend it to anyone who acts out of good intentions and is looking for a good intellectual/emotional challenge, an exercise in being open in the face of criticism, a wake up call, a reason to get temporarily pissed, etc.). As we were talking through some of these ideas and how they apply to our majors, our activities in Ecuador, our future plans, etc. I dug out a sermon (“Charity as Medicine: Who Does it Help?”) written by my externship host from two summers ago, David Mesenbring. It is one of the most insightful pieces of writing on this subject that I’ve ever read, and it took on new significance in light of our present conversation. Although we didn’t come to any earth-shattering conclusions, we had a really energetic/reflective conversation and discovered that we have a lot in common.
I’m really pumped about the night (if you haven’t already guessed…). I feel I’ve found a good friend in Lily, which is great because she’s staying the whole year, and I also feel that I’m coming back to life. I’m starting to realize that school is good when it inspires and satisfies my curiosity, but not when it precludes these kinds of experiences that remind me that I’m an interested/interesting human being and not a machine. The trick will be remembering this as the final exams/papers that are still looming in the future start to draw near, but I think I’m up to the challenge.
Today in weaving, my friend Lily asked me if I wanted to hang out in Quito after school until later in the evening, when she was supposed to meet up with her boyfriend. I don’t know Lily super well, but the few times we have hung out have been a blast (we went to an art gallery opening a few weeks ago, and last weekend we went to a café with a breathtaking view—more details to come). I had already decided to spend the night reading and starting a research paper for one of my classes, but seeing as I’d been wanting to get to know Lily better, I decided to cut myself some slack and let my academic agenda take the back seat for the night.
We started dinner around 7:00. Normally dinner on school nights doesn’t last much more than 15 minutes since we’re all pretty tired and have a long night of homework to look forward to, but tonight my host mom, Emilio, Yandira, Lily and I sat around talking (and joking—my Spanish puns are improving considerably!) until at least 7:30. Emilio and Yandira excused themselves to do homework, but the rest of us stuck around to have cafecíto.
Somehow we got to talking about my host mom’s job (she’s the director of a foundation that, among other things, gives micro loans to women so they can start their own small businesses) and what Lily and I want to do with the rest of our lives. We talked about various kinds of development projects, the factors that make some succeed and others fail, the challenges that NGOs face in being accountable to their users, and other related issues. An hour and a few too many cups of coffee later, my host mom excused herself to get some work done. Our trio was down to two.
Lily and I kept talking (in Spanish—we had reverted back to English but switched back because there were too many long, confused pauses and awkward reverse translations…score!). When she eventually had to take off, I looked at the clock and realized that we’d been talking for two and a half hours. It was awesome because through talking about very concrete things that have been happening in our lives, we hit on a lot the intangible and confounding themes that have been my mind recently.
For example, Lily was telling me about a potential internship with a fair trade clothing company in California, and she raised the question of whether the company should pay Ecuadorian artisans a “fair price” (by U.S. standards) of $8-10 for a scarf when scarves go for around $2.50 here, which is enough for the artisans to meet their “basic needs.” This led to the question of what constitutes “basic needs” and who defines them, as well as how globalization has transformed/homogenized how people from disparate locations, cultures, and conditions understand the concept of “needs.”
Later we got on the subject of volunteerism vs. charity vs. service learning. This theme has been at the forefront of my mind since reading a rather in-your-face article a few weeks back (“To Hell with Good Intentions” by Ivan Illich—I highly recommend it to anyone who acts out of good intentions and is looking for a good intellectual/emotional challenge, an exercise in being open in the face of criticism, a wake up call, a reason to get temporarily pissed, etc.). As we were talking through some of these ideas and how they apply to our majors, our activities in Ecuador, our future plans, etc. I dug out a sermon (“Charity as Medicine: Who Does it Help?”) written by my externship host from two summers ago, David Mesenbring. It is one of the most insightful pieces of writing on this subject that I’ve ever read, and it took on new significance in light of our present conversation. Although we didn’t come to any earth-shattering conclusions, we had a really energetic/reflective conversation and discovered that we have a lot in common.
I’m really pumped about the night (if you haven’t already guessed…). I feel I’ve found a good friend in Lily, which is great because she’s staying the whole year, and I also feel that I’m coming back to life. I’m starting to realize that school is good when it inspires and satisfies my curiosity, but not when it precludes these kinds of experiences that remind me that I’m an interested/interesting human being and not a machine. The trick will be remembering this as the final exams/papers that are still looming in the future start to draw near, but I think I’m up to the challenge.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Reflections
It’s been a long time since I last wrote, but I figure that late is better than never…
The reason I haven’t written much is that I’ve been busy. Other K students who have studied abroad in Ecuador told me before I came that school would be a piece of cake, but I’m not finding that to be the case. It’s been hard to get used to taking seven classes instead of three, especially because I somehow managed to sign up for classes that have a pretty substantial workload. Basically, school has been much more a part of the equation than I anticipated.
I know, I know—study abroad is about letting go, learning to chill out, putting school on the back burner and having other fun/enriching experiences, etc. I’m supposed to come back a new, vibrant, liberated, enlightened, carefree person, and I’m not going to accomplish that if I’m doing homework all the time. That’s according to the master narrative about what study abroad is/isn’t supposed to be, anyway…
Then again, I don’t know how much I believe in the master narrative. There’s so much pressure to change in big, important ways on study abroad, and I’m starting to find that that may not be realistic. Study abroad isn’t a break from reality, but rather an extension of it, and living in a new place doesn’t automatically make me a new person. I am certainly becoming more aware of myself—my tendencies and habits, my likes and dislikes, how I respond to certain situations, how I see the world—but I can’t just abandon everything that has been central to who I am…nor do I necessarily want to. It seems to me that change is secondary to self-reflection; the important thing is that I’m starting to see more clearly that I operate in a certain way, that my way of doing things is one way among many, that people will not always agree with how I choose to live my life, and most importantly, that that’s ok.
That said, I have had a lot of awesome experiences recently that I’m looking forward to writing about, so look for new entries in the near future!
Hope all is well with you, wherever you are…
The reason I haven’t written much is that I’ve been busy. Other K students who have studied abroad in Ecuador told me before I came that school would be a piece of cake, but I’m not finding that to be the case. It’s been hard to get used to taking seven classes instead of three, especially because I somehow managed to sign up for classes that have a pretty substantial workload. Basically, school has been much more a part of the equation than I anticipated.
I know, I know—study abroad is about letting go, learning to chill out, putting school on the back burner and having other fun/enriching experiences, etc. I’m supposed to come back a new, vibrant, liberated, enlightened, carefree person, and I’m not going to accomplish that if I’m doing homework all the time. That’s according to the master narrative about what study abroad is/isn’t supposed to be, anyway…
Then again, I don’t know how much I believe in the master narrative. There’s so much pressure to change in big, important ways on study abroad, and I’m starting to find that that may not be realistic. Study abroad isn’t a break from reality, but rather an extension of it, and living in a new place doesn’t automatically make me a new person. I am certainly becoming more aware of myself—my tendencies and habits, my likes and dislikes, how I respond to certain situations, how I see the world—but I can’t just abandon everything that has been central to who I am…nor do I necessarily want to. It seems to me that change is secondary to self-reflection; the important thing is that I’m starting to see more clearly that I operate in a certain way, that my way of doing things is one way among many, that people will not always agree with how I choose to live my life, and most importantly, that that’s ok.
That said, I have had a lot of awesome experiences recently that I’m looking forward to writing about, so look for new entries in the near future!
Hope all is well with you, wherever you are…
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
TV appearance!
Last message around 9:00 I got a text message from my program director. After sifting through the exclamation marks and smiley faces and Spanish shorthand, I managed to figure out that she had seen me running on the news minutes earlier. I ran 10K race with my running buddy Beth on Sunday, and apparently the camera crew got our finish. I'm sure that Ecuadorians will start approaching me on the street to ask for my autograph, my friendship, my hand in marriage, etc. but don't worry--I'll do my best not to let the fame and glory get to my head :)
Saturday, October 14, 2006
A typical day in Ecuador
Before diving into adventures of traveling and musings of culture crossing, I thought a good place to start would be a typical day in Ecuador...
Every morning I wake up around 6:30 and eat breakfast, usually with my madre (my brother and sister leave for school around the time I get up--OUCH!). Breakfast consists of tea, pan--rolls that are sweet, salty, cheesy, marmalade-y, etc. and run about 10 cents a pop here--fresh squeezed juice, and sometimes granola and yogurt. After getting dressed (in real clothes, mind you--no t-shirts at this fancy shmancy university) I embark on my hour long commute to school. I take one trolley and two buses, and the last leg is by far the best--a half hour descent from Quito to Cumbaya, the valley where the university is located. The view from the bus is incredible--lots of mountains, including two of the tallest volcanoes in Ecuador/the world.
I have class everyday from 8:30 until 4:00 or so. I'm taking Andean Anthropology, El Boom Latinoamericano (a Spanish lit class), Basic Weaving, Volcanology, Theories of Development, a Galápagos Islands seminar, and an Ethnography/Service-Learning class. All of the classes are taught in Spanish, although only three of my profs are Ecuadorian (the rest are from Poland, Greece, Germany, and the U.S.) and there are more international students than Ecuadorian students in almost all of them. This has been a little disappointing, but it's taught me something about the culture and the purpose of education here. USFQ is the only liberal arts school in Ecuador, and one of the very few that exist in Latin America, because most people here go to university to pursue a very specific, career-oriented track. Most of the Ecuadorian students I´ve met study business, marketing, engineering, architecture, hospitality, or algo parecido...all very practical. Thus, the lack of Ecuadorian students in my liberal-artsy classes.
I´m also taking Atletismo (track), which has been great for staying in shape, staying sane and meeting people. Sometimes my efforts to meet Ecuadorian students feel kind of artificial because the reason I´m approaching them and introducing myself is that they´re Ecuadorian and not because I know anything about their personalities, interests, etc., so it´s nice to have something in common with the people in track right from the get-go. Also, a bunch of us are training for a half marathon that will take place in November. It starts in Quito and goes to El Mitad del Mundo (literally, `the middle of the world`--the finish line of the race is the Equator!). It should be a good time, especially since I´m finally used to the altitude--woo hoo!
Back to the typical day. After running and showering I go the cafeteria to eat lunch, which is basically amazing. UFSQ has a culinary arts program, and the students prepare the food everyday. Lunch (keep in mind that this is the biggest meal of the day) consists of three vegetable dishes, soup, rice with meat or tofu/gluten (the president of the U is Buddhist, so there are always vegetarian options!), pan, juice, and dessert. I´m getting spoiled, and I can already tell that it´s going to be hard to re-adjust to the caf when I get back to Kzoo...but I keep reminding myself that I'll have peanut butter to look forward to. I do miss peanut butter.
After lunch I have more class, and then two buses and a trolley later I´m back in Quito. Twice a week I go straight to guitar/singing class, which has been a great way to kick back, learn a new skill and also learn something baout the culture. The studio is on the fourth floor of an apartment building and is run by a family, so it has a very comfortable/cozy feel to it. My teacher is an Ecuadorian man who's probably around 30 years old. He´s quiet and very patient, which is great since my Spanish singing and level of guitar playing require a considerable amount of that. I`m learning traditional as well as contemporary Latin American songs, which is helping my Spanish as well as my sense of rythym. Lessons range from calm to chaotic; sometimes I have a private lesson, but other times there are up to 4 students playing 4 different songs at the same time in one 8 x 8 room. Oh, Ecuador...
After guitar, it´s back to the homestead. I have tea and pan with whoever happens to be home and try to get some homework done before dinner. Dinner (which is similar to lunch but smaller portions) is my time to hang out and talk with my host family, since we´re all off in separate directions working or doing other things during the day. Recently, dinner conversations have tended to escalate into lively (and only occasionally frightening) debates about the presidential elections, which take place tomorrow. The elections have been a huge deal, but seeing as Ecuador has had 10 presidents in the last 10 years due to coups etc., it´s doubtful that any outcome will be irreversible...
After dinner, I do more homework go to bed. I don´t usually have the energy to do anything else on weeknights, but I try to make up for that on weekends...which I´ll save for a later installment, because it´s lunchtime!
Every morning I wake up around 6:30 and eat breakfast, usually with my madre (my brother and sister leave for school around the time I get up--OUCH!). Breakfast consists of tea, pan--rolls that are sweet, salty, cheesy, marmalade-y, etc. and run about 10 cents a pop here--fresh squeezed juice, and sometimes granola and yogurt. After getting dressed (in real clothes, mind you--no t-shirts at this fancy shmancy university) I embark on my hour long commute to school. I take one trolley and two buses, and the last leg is by far the best--a half hour descent from Quito to Cumbaya, the valley where the university is located. The view from the bus is incredible--lots of mountains, including two of the tallest volcanoes in Ecuador/the world.
I have class everyday from 8:30 until 4:00 or so. I'm taking Andean Anthropology, El Boom Latinoamericano (a Spanish lit class), Basic Weaving, Volcanology, Theories of Development, a Galápagos Islands seminar, and an Ethnography/Service-Learning class. All of the classes are taught in Spanish, although only three of my profs are Ecuadorian (the rest are from Poland, Greece, Germany, and the U.S.) and there are more international students than Ecuadorian students in almost all of them. This has been a little disappointing, but it's taught me something about the culture and the purpose of education here. USFQ is the only liberal arts school in Ecuador, and one of the very few that exist in Latin America, because most people here go to university to pursue a very specific, career-oriented track. Most of the Ecuadorian students I´ve met study business, marketing, engineering, architecture, hospitality, or algo parecido...all very practical. Thus, the lack of Ecuadorian students in my liberal-artsy classes.
I´m also taking Atletismo (track), which has been great for staying in shape, staying sane and meeting people. Sometimes my efforts to meet Ecuadorian students feel kind of artificial because the reason I´m approaching them and introducing myself is that they´re Ecuadorian and not because I know anything about their personalities, interests, etc., so it´s nice to have something in common with the people in track right from the get-go. Also, a bunch of us are training for a half marathon that will take place in November. It starts in Quito and goes to El Mitad del Mundo (literally, `the middle of the world`--the finish line of the race is the Equator!). It should be a good time, especially since I´m finally used to the altitude--woo hoo!
Back to the typical day. After running and showering I go the cafeteria to eat lunch, which is basically amazing. UFSQ has a culinary arts program, and the students prepare the food everyday. Lunch (keep in mind that this is the biggest meal of the day) consists of three vegetable dishes, soup, rice with meat or tofu/gluten (the president of the U is Buddhist, so there are always vegetarian options!), pan, juice, and dessert. I´m getting spoiled, and I can already tell that it´s going to be hard to re-adjust to the caf when I get back to Kzoo...but I keep reminding myself that I'll have peanut butter to look forward to. I do miss peanut butter.
After lunch I have more class, and then two buses and a trolley later I´m back in Quito. Twice a week I go straight to guitar/singing class, which has been a great way to kick back, learn a new skill and also learn something baout the culture. The studio is on the fourth floor of an apartment building and is run by a family, so it has a very comfortable/cozy feel to it. My teacher is an Ecuadorian man who's probably around 30 years old. He´s quiet and very patient, which is great since my Spanish singing and level of guitar playing require a considerable amount of that. I`m learning traditional as well as contemporary Latin American songs, which is helping my Spanish as well as my sense of rythym. Lessons range from calm to chaotic; sometimes I have a private lesson, but other times there are up to 4 students playing 4 different songs at the same time in one 8 x 8 room. Oh, Ecuador...
After guitar, it´s back to the homestead. I have tea and pan with whoever happens to be home and try to get some homework done before dinner. Dinner (which is similar to lunch but smaller portions) is my time to hang out and talk with my host family, since we´re all off in separate directions working or doing other things during the day. Recently, dinner conversations have tended to escalate into lively (and only occasionally frightening) debates about the presidential elections, which take place tomorrow. The elections have been a huge deal, but seeing as Ecuador has had 10 presidents in the last 10 years due to coups etc., it´s doubtful that any outcome will be irreversible...
After dinner, I do more homework go to bed. I don´t usually have the energy to do anything else on weeknights, but I try to make up for that on weekends...which I´ll save for a later installment, because it´s lunchtime!
*Photo is of my street, facing west
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
