Ecuador – El Centro del Muchacho Trabajador –Una Famila des Familias – Summer 2008

June 27, 2008  -- First Impressions

I arrived here last Friday the 20^th around 9 PM and Padre Juan (Father John Halligan, SJ) drove me to the Centro deftly driving through signs pointing tourists to the not-for-real- Middle of the world (Mitad del Mundo).  The real equator is not here in Quito but tourists get a kick out of learning things like how water spins in a drain differently in the southern hemisphere than in the north and some other pieces of interesting trivia. We also passed by the largest mall I have ever seen – four stories of one store after another including a supermarket, and the usual American fast food places like KFC, McDonalds, Domino’s pizza.

KFC in Quito? Why should I be surprised? I donot think that the families I have come to serve and learn from would frequent any of these stores but obviously there is an Americanized middle class here which  is quickly catching on to American values like eating quickly on the run while away from home.

Waking up on the morning of the 21^st, I did not feel affected by the altitude though I am glad I had no need to climb hills.  I joined a group of teenagers and their chaperone from Texas on a bus ride to Ottovalo, an amazing market town with stall after stall of excellent hand made cotton, silk, and wool clothing including shawls, ponchos, t-shirts, shirts and pants.  I bought a hand made poncho for about $28.  I found it funny that it was so easy to find pizza and lasagna (spelled lasaña), an obvious sign of a restaurant’s ingenuity to satisfy tourists.