If there is one thing I have learned during my time in Ecuador, it is to remain flexible. And to have patience. Lots and LOTS of patience (for example: it took six visits to the Exterior Relations office to extend my visa 90 days). By nature, I tend to like things orderly and timely. However, that is just not the South American culture. As my aunt frequently reminds me: I come from a “time-oriented” culture while Ecuador runs on a “people-oriented” culture. Essentially meaning, back home the day revolves around schedules and here people come first, not time.
My most recent example of having to remain flexible came a couple of weeks ago. For various, uninteresting, reasons, I was not able to continue volunteering with FINCA after the holidays. Normally this would have left me flustered and disappointed that something I had “planned” wasn’t panning out anymore. Yet, I had been here long enough to just take it in stride and trust in the fact that something new would pop up.
And sure enough, something did.
My aunt let a couple of friends know that my Wednesdays were free and I was hoping to help out with small businesses around town. Within a couple of days our friend Hilda asked if I could help out with inventory management at their bread store in town. Fast forward to this past Wednesday, and I found myself sitting in the middle of a large garage filled with everything from Cokes to bags of flour to candy to plastic boxes, all begging to be inventoried. It’s still early, but I think I’m devising a pretty good system for them to start managing their inventory, which I’m excited about and they are grateful to have.
Being flexible and “going with the flow” is definitely an asset here. Opportunities are at every turn, it’s just a matter of being patient and keeping your eyes open. Working directly with members of the community is exactly what I came here to do, so helping the bread store put something into place that will really help them is an exciting proposition. And of course, the free bread is a nice perk!
Latest posts by laurenfoukes
- Saying Goodbye to Ecuador - March 29th, 2010
- At Some Point I Became Lorena - March 15th, 2010
- Aftermath of Chilean Earthquakes - March 7th, 2010
- Taking the Plunge - March 1st, 2010
- Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo - February 20th, 2010
- My Country, 'Tis of Thee - February 8th, 2010
- Forget Language Teachers...I've Got Kids - January 31st, 2010
- Pollution Matters - January 22nd, 2010
- "...But Is It Safe?" - January 11th, 2010
- Saludos de Ecuador! - January 4th, 2010
