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Journal: Trevor Downey: Ecuador
June 20, 2007
 Trevor Downey |
My co-worker Daniel invited me to spend the weekend with him and his family. I greatly appreciated this opportunity to better know one of my colleagues with whom I was spending most of my day in the services department of our company. Furthermore, it was a great opportunity to experience the inner workings of another Ecuadorian family, this one from a coastal village.
Upon accepting Daniel's offer, I didn't exactly know the final destination. All I knew was that he needed $20 for a round-trip bus ride to his home of San Vicente. I had assumed we were heading north but to my surprise, we descended the mountainous altitudes in Quito in the opposite direction, past the southern metropolis of Guayaquil near the city of Bahia.
The trip went by quickly through the night, and we arrived to a much more humid, less populated and traveled, and therefore, less polluted area of Ecuador along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Daniel's family owns one of the premier convenience store chains in town, and from the terrace of his house, you could gather the shoreline, sunset and nearby resort town of Bahia all in one glimpse.
The food, too, had its own style. Popular were shrimp and shellfish entrees, one of the most famous being cebiche, typically a cold soup-like dish featuring raw oysters. I favored the camaron and shrimp in any form I could have it. Daniel had pointed out the several shrimp farms on the way into town, and I should have known how fresh the seafood would be.
 San Vicente |
We spent time swimming in the saltwater and playing soccer on the beach. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, almost as much as Daniel's family did. I was so impressed by how much his family, and seemingly the other families that shared the shoreline with us, got to enjoy every weekend an experience that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. Coming from a smaller town, with fewer people and activities to divide your interests among, Daniel and his family seemed to have developed a great appreciation for the simpler things of enjoying their surroundings, beach and family alike.
For lunch on Sunday, much of Daniel's extended family arrived for my first meal with an Ecuadorian family. Two weeks in, I had eaten with various members of my host family, but never all at once. Being Father's Day, this occasion was special for Daniel's family as well, but I enjoyed the experience. I don't know if it's just that my poor Spanish listening comprehension skills have distorted reality, but it seems like the people I have meet here laugh much more often than what I am used to.
After lunch, a significant game between two Spanish soccer teams was being broadcast on TV, so the family took time to enjoy the game, and I really felt like I got a great idea of what family from San Vicente looks like.
