Living in Chile in 2001 changed my perspective on just about every aspect of life. It was so wonderful to return to South America to live for a month with my husband and to see that his perspective was similarly changed.
There are several things that we take for granted in the U.S.:
Quality health care: Okay, I'm faced with the fact that not everyone can afford quality health care in the U.S. on a daily basis at my job and I think that we need to make
major changes to our system.
However, our standards for health care are still far above and beyond what is available to even the most wealthy Ecuadorians. We take for granted that hospitals and clinics will be clean and that our privacy will at least be overtly protected.
- Long tangent: That being said, many clinicians in the U.S. have replaced their clinical skills with expensive diagnostic tests compared to Ecuadorean clinicians (perhaps out of fear of litigation). This drives up our health care spending so significantly compared to every other nation in the world including Ecuador. MRI's, CT scans, X-rays are available in all hospitals in Ecuador but are used very sparingly. I think the right answer to public health care is somewhere in the middle and not at either extreme. Just something to ponder.
Food: There is a strong focus on sustainable foods and grains, plantains, potatoes, and corn in Ecuador. In the U.S. this is part of a trendy "sustainable foods movement," but in Ecuador this is just the way of life. People grow a lot of their own fruits and vegetables, even in the city. Much less meat and cheese is eaten in Ecuador because they can't afford it and as a result they have a much lower incidence of heart disease and obesity than we do. So now that we are back, we are trying to keep in mind that we got along just as well the Ecuadorean way and it would be better for the environment and our wallets to keep it up. Not to mention I love fruits, veggies and gardening anyway and the food was delicious!
Utilities: In Ecuador, a five minute shower is a
long shower. Leaving a light on even for a brief period while you are out of a room is appalling. And offices, hospitals, nice homes and even the poorest homes all have skylights! - everyone uses natural light. There is little we can do about the fact that there are no windows in our dining room/study but we are trying to make a few changes in our energy consumption habits.
Consumer goods: In Ecuador, Britton bought two belts at a market in Cotapachi that were cut to fit him better. A couple of children were thrilled with the left-over scraps of leather that became their prized toys. When we visited Marta's house at Mitad del Mundo, we didn't realize that it was her son's birthday. So we gave him the only gift we had with us: a pack of gum. I've never seen a nine year old kid so happy to get a pack of gum. And the same observations can be seen in adults, they are very happy and proud of the possessions that they have. Marta was so pleased with her two couches even though the rest of her house was nothing but a concrete slab. The observation that can easily be made in the U.S. exists in Ecuador on a grander scale: people who have lots of possessions don't appreciate their possessions nearly as much as those who have less. If you are unsatisfied with what you have, you probably have too much. I think Britton may have a better understanding now about my mixed feelings about material possessions.
Transportation: Even outside of the big cities, owning a car is a luxury. Most people travel by bus or trolley and walk the distances that public transportation does not cover and again, they are in better shape because of it. And wheelchair accessibility?... Ecuador has never heard of it. We would like to change our transportation habits. Public transportation is not a realistic option in our area. I used to ride my bike to school/work, but now my work is about 8 not-so-nice miles away...I will try the bike some day soon.
Convenience: Anyone who has spent time outside the U.S. and
not in a tour group knows that the U.S. is famous for it's conveniences. We call ahead and make a reservation; things are delivered on time; stores are consistently open at specified times; merchandise is consistently stocked; we stand in line and wait our turn; everything is air conditioned. None of this is true in Ecuador! So you learn to be more flexible and patient and you
really learn not to sweat the small stuff (no book needed), we hope to keep up this attitude more.
Mixed thoughts---(compiled by Britton and Lauren)
Back in the U.S., Britton and I immediately found ourselves thinking:
-Gosh, it's clean here and the roads are huge!
-The air is cleaner here.
-It's great to be able to drink the tap water.
-And I love hot water! Oh, it feels so good!
-Where are the buses?
-The portion sizes here are HUGE!
-It's nice to worry less about your wallet.
-Now we have to worry more about violence.
-Big business and corporate chains have taken over.
-Fast food is everywhere here.
-Everyone is in a hurry.
-There are no children here begging in the streets.
-The closest place to buy bread is over 1/2 mile away, man!
-People complain a lot more here, and they have no idea how good they have it! No idea!
This weekend, Britton and I went to Atlanta to see the International Car Show and, more importantly, to visit my Atlanta friends. At Audrey and Joe's house we made pizza on Friday night. Saturday night we hung out with Audrey, Joe, Shelley and Andy; and Sunday we visited Janna and her son, Oliver, for breakfast.
