Flying by the Seat of Our Pants - A Word on Ecuadorian Culture

Being a typical pharmacy student, I am definitely a Type A personality that likes organization and a plan.

However, the Ecuadorian culture does not operate by my rules and customs. Here a few customs that I have observed, while in Ecuador, that differ from the United States. 

• Time is a very flexible concept here and being late is often a given.
• When arriving anywhere you must greet everyone in the room with a hug and kiss on the cheek (even if you saw the person less than 24 hours ago). Also, you must also say good-bye with a hug and a kiss on the check every time you leave. 
• Lunch is the most important meal here. It is much later than in the United States and generally occurs around 1pm. Dinner is much simpler. 
• Plans are not made very far in advance. For example, there are not bus schedules available online - you simply show up at the bus station and get on the bus or wait until the bus comes.
• Buying food feels a lot like the Hunger Games: 
• The tap-water is contaminated and thus you must always purchase bottled water. However, it is not like Walmart or Target where you can hop out of your car, go shopping, load up the car and then store all of the food in the refrigerator or freezer for a bit. You can only purchase food that you can carry - which is difficult when one hand is always dedicated to carrying water
• Again, there are no superstores like Costco so you must go to the fruit market, the vegetable market, the bakery and the supermarket individually. 
• Every few days you must go to buy water or risk running out!
• Raw vegetables and fruits that cannot be peeled cannot be eaten without risking GI distress.

•  It is necessary to sleep in mosquito nets for fear of malaria and dengue. Here is my fancy mosquito net:

Overall, I am enjoying learning about the Ecuadorian culture. This post is in no way meant to be negative in any way, but rather to illustrate the differences between the two cultures. It has been a bit of an adjustment - especially remembering to NEVER flush toilet paper down the toilet!