The tricky part with this strike is how no one seems to know when things will be starting back up again; I was told everything would be fine today but things were definitely still locked down when I went by this morning. I’ve been using the extra time to run errands, talk with Ecuadorians, and catch up on reading but if things don’t resume soon I’ll have to come up with something. All is supposed to be well tomorrow but that’s what they said about today☺
These past few weeks I’ve been getting to know Katy, our empleada (the woman who does most of the cooking, cleaning, washing, etc.). Here in Ecuador virtually anyone of the middle class or above has one or more individuals who work in their homes. Some argue the work is tough and often conducted under demeaning conditions with the counter-point being it provides a huge number of jobs in a country where unemployment is already extremely high. I’ve noticed that there is strong racial undercurrent to the breakdown of social status here in Ecuador; namely the fairer one’s skin the more well off they are. Worldwide trend? And why?
Katy is 21 years old and lives about an hour outside of Quito with her husband Edison (a carpenter) and their two-year-old daughter Shirley. She is an amazing cook and I hope to have her teach me some of her secrets when I get the chance. Katy is here M-F 9-5 and a half day on Saturday and every once in awhile she brings Shirley along for the day; like today! Shirley is a huge fan of getting swung around in the air and I’m happy to oblige. Her Spanish isn’t too hot yet but her happy sounds aren’t too hard to discern☺
(Katy - who has a great smile when she wants! - and Shirley)
(Me with Shirley and Julian in the backyard)
2 comments:
Mike!! Your blog is awesome! I especially enjoyed reading about your 007 banking experience. That's crazy! And why did a woman take out $15,000 in cash in a single visit?? I can relate to your frustrations with the language barrier. It has definitely been a struggle to talk about fistula data, advocacy and livelihood activities in French. Throw in the fact that people are speaking Swahili and MIXING Swahili with French and that makes for a very confused Glorya. But the fact that you're constantly speaking Spanish is a huge asset! As for me, I live with English speakers and often find myself taking the easy way out and using English when I'm tired or impatient. haha~ I also really enjoy seeing your photos. The picture of the shoeshine boys is heartbreaking because they deserve so much more, but it's not you and me who can give them a better life; something needs to happen at a much higher level of policymaking. This is where your comment about the US government's exorbitant spending on the drug wars ("successful" according to the Embassy) is relevant. Keep on writing! I can't wait to read the next update!
The breakdown of status by skin color is fairly predominant throughout latin america, for the most part/ what I have seen and or heard of. Here for example (on Ometepe) the vast majority are darker skinned and so it doesn't come into play quite as much, but I think off the island it is much bigger of a deal, for instance in Granada where I was just on break the lighter skinned people were dressed nicely or in cars and the darker skinned people were working the streets begging or just dressed worse.
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