Culture Shock

Today was the first day of the official Fulbright Orientation. We were at the Fulbright Comission from 8am to 4:30pm listening to various speakers with topics ranging from public health in Ecuador to the current political situation and the history leading up to it. Ecuador has had eight presidents in the last 10 years, a period where it should have had three, but they kept getting thrown out for corruption, failure to deliver promised change, etc.

Right now, politically, is an amazing time to be in Ecuador because the for the first time in decades there is a government that enjoys popular support and actually seems committed to changing the country for the better, for the MAJORITY of Ecuador’s people. Years of failed policies and corruption have lead to a bitter disparity between rich and poor and now, ojala, is a chance to change the status quo.

The final talk of the day came from our director Susana and concerned culture shock. I think it is well worth sharing and have rewritten some of my notes below.


CULTURE SHOCK – Susana Cabeza de Vaca

“All of your cultural values do not apply here.”

Weeks 1-4 “Excited” : During this first time one is excited, exploring, one feels the people are super welcoming, maybe a few intestinal problems but overall health is good.
Sample quote: “This is awesome!”

Weeks 5-8 “Impatient” : One starts to become fed up: with drivers constantly honking, people touching you all the time, different food, etc. Language difficulties may be frustrating, losing enthusiasm. Colds are common.
Sample quote: “Why can’t they (Ecuadorians) just…”

Weeks 9-12 “La Crisis” : Disillusionment sets in, missing home tops out, lonely, edgy, depressed, quick to make negative stereotypes, struggling in ones project or classes, sick often.
Sample quote: “God I hate Ecuador, why did I ever come here…”

Weeks 13-20+ “Adaptation” : You finally feel at home, things come naturally, project going well, one can tell and understand jokes, good physical state.
Sample quote: “I’m glad I stuck it out, things are really going well.”

Return “Reverse Culture-Shock” : A rough transition, don’t want to leave, no one REALLY cares about what the grantee has experienced and how it changed them except maybe their mothers. This causes much frustration and alienation. Returnees are often very politically orientated and not afraid to share their new view of the world; exposure to the abundances of wealth, goods, etc. in the US can come as a hard shock.
Sample quote: “Why don’t they care? Why can’t they see what really matters?"

So how do I match on this spectrum so far? Actually, as of week 6, it’s been pretty accurate for me so far. I was super pumped when I first arrived, after dealing with my stomach issues of course☺ Lately I have been yearning for a home cooked meal and sometimes I do wish Ecuadorians would stop honking at me while I'm on my bike or maybe, just maybe, we could eat something other than rice… I haven’t really felt lonely or depressed and I think living with a caring family that really includes me goes a long way to combat such maladies. I hope to avoid the whole “La Crisis” deal, that doesn’t sound too fun and would be the opposite of how I hope to conduct myself.

Completely switching topics, I finally managed to capture a picture of the ever-elusive Dr. Angel Guevara, my boss so to speak, and the man whose support was a great boon to my application.




(The man himself)


Hope you’re all well.