Jump in

I seem to have hit a point where incredible opportunities are coming so fast I just can’t take advantage of them all!

One I did manage to jump on was an invite to visit Carlos and his family last Saturday. Carlos is the guard I have probably known the longest here and we have passed many a good moment chatting about life, the weather, work, activity during his post, religion, healthcare, and much more. His station is right on the way home from the lab and I swing by to chat virtually every bike ride home.

Before I get to the visit I must relate an interesting story. In my 5 months of knowing Carlos I’d never once heard him mention if he had a wife. I knew he had kids, so I kind of assumed she might have passed on (Carlos is 60+) and didn’t want to bring up a rough subject. Finally I just had to find out for sure.

Me: So, uhh, Carlos, do you have a wife?
Carlos: Of course!
Me: How come you never mentioned her before?
Carlos: Because you never asked.
Me: Right.

I asked Yosselin (my lab work partner extraordinaire) about this and she said it’s pretty common for Ecuadorian males to never talk about family, too tough for that☺

The previously laid out conversation got us talking more about Carlos’ family and he at one point suggested I come visit – my answer – heck yes!

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The journey to his place took about an hour and three different buses, the lower classes of Ecuador often get shafted with heinous commutes and compared to some Carlos’ isn’t too bad. Upon arriving I met his wife Maria, and two younger daughters who are nurses’ aides and were just leaving for work. Carlos has six kids in total ranging in age from 18-44 and a bunch of grandkids, many of whom left with their grandparents for the day.





(Carlos, Maria, and Billy – a grandson - in the living room)



After a hearty breakfast of bread, eggs, juice and chocolate milk Carlos took me on a tour of his neighborhood, or barrio as they call them here. Almost all of his kids and their families (if they have them) live within a 5-minute walk from his apartment; families in Ecuador are tight to say the least.






(A photo looking down on northern Quito from property Carlos’ eldest son bought and is constructing a house in which a large amount of the family will all move into.)



After our trek Maria prepared a lunch of ceviche, this coastal tradition is one of my favorite Ecuadorian dishes and I will endeavor to post the recipe at a later date. It’s delicious if you’re wondering.






(Ceviche!)


During and after lunch I had a long talk with Carlos and Maria about the current and past challenges facing families of lower resources. A lot of it came back to education, or rather the lack of quality education available to the lower classes.

After our talk we relaxed in the living room, chatting some and playing with the kids, man I love kids!



(Billy and a four-month-cousin whose name I do not recall, children so happy and innocent with no idea the struggles ahead of them due to their place in society.)



And yet, despite the odds stacked against them, Carlos’ family and many others in similar situations I’ve come to know seem happier in general than many of their first world counterparts. Why is this? My friends in Ecuador are proving to me that while money is a necessary evil, it most certainly can’t buy happiness, not even close.