America in Ecuador

Of all the observations you can make about the people of Cuenca and Ecuador in general, one of the most obvious is the prevalence of American brand names such as Fox, Abercrombie, and Aeropostale. This is shocking when you see how much these outfits cost, which is usually double what we would likely pay in the United States for the clothes, and many obvious bootleg “American brands” as well. This consumerism is not limited to clothes, however. Electronics are also in high demand, the Blackberry appears to be a necessary fashion statement in this country and with the standard Blackberry going for around 300 dollars it is a mystery as to how some people can afford them. The shocking cost of products can also be seen in appliances, such as televisions which are much more expensive that in the United States. From what I have observed and been told by Cuencanos, there is a false perception that Ecuadorian products are inferior, and therefore you will see many products made in South American countries, with an Italian or American label on them. It is certainly something that will be hard to overcome, but needs to change. Living with my host family, I was shocked to see the host brother and how much money he appeared to have. Every time he comes to the house he is showing me one of his very nice, tricked out cars with upgraded everything. I recently learned that he is in business with his uncle in the United States, buying and more or less flipping cars for profit. In the United States, we have always been considered a consumerist culture so observing the same thing in Ecuador was quite surprising. The idea of young people buying nice, stylish clothes is nothing new, but considering how much money they earn I wonder how it is possible. With people only making between 2.50 and 5 dollars an hour for a standard job, it seems as though it would be almost impossible to spend 300 dollars for a new phone and 30 or more dollars for a new t-shirt through the use of a payment plan.This shift towards consumerism appears to be more of a generational phenomenon, and one that primarily effects the younger generation. With the spread of the internet and Facebook, you can definitely see the detrimental effects of globalization. As the world begins to shrink and companies see an emerging market for their products it is possible to notice a cultural shift that will hopefully not change Ecuador too much. Hopefully Ecuador will be able retain its beauty and authenticity in the future. 

El Gobierno De Cuenca

Lab at ETAPA

One of the things that is very interesting to observe in Cuenca is the Municipalities of Cuenca, similar to the different departments that would be found in a city in the United States, such as the water and electric departments. There are many different types of these municipalities; some such as ETAPA, which is the Empresa de Tratamiento de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado or water and waste management, are by far the biggest of the empresas, and are in charge of the most. ETAPA is in charge of the waste management, water treatment, telecommunications, including the telephones and internet service, along with being in charge of Cajas National Park. There are many others, such as EMUCE, which cares for the cemeteries. There are fewer private businesses, even in terms of building and construction companies. Therefore, many of the services offered are controlled through the city of Cuenca and the mayor. Every day, you can see the cleaning crews walking the streets and parks and cleaning up all of the trash. This is not something you are as likely to see in the United States. However, this is not necessarily the norm. In cities such as Machala, there was trash everywhere, and there seemed to be almost no municipal presence in services such as street cleaning or police. I was also able to visit the wastewater treatment plant in Cuenca, which was operated in almost the exact same way and with the same technologies as those in the United States. Despite some of the impressive aspects of these organizations, many have a long way to go. For example, the empresa in charge of maintaining the buses and operating the public transit system is also supposed to be in charge of issuing fines for violations of buses that pollute too much, or are too old. This is clearly not done, and my host family has said that it is common for operators to bribe the empresa in order to avoid purchasing a new vehicle; this is evident when you see the horrible pollution spewing from many of the buses. Although there are some shortcomings to the system, there are many things that cities in the US could take away from their operations, such as their recycling programs in which they dispose of used oil from all companies and trucks in Cuenca, along with collecting used batteries. It is clearly not a perfect system, but very impressive nonetheless. 

The Flower Industry

The Ecuadorean flower industry seems to be little known by those outside of Ecuador. Many people likely do not realize that many of their flowers come from these plantations. The flower industry is certainly one of Ecuador’s emerging industries. Ecuador is actually one of the best places in the world to grow flowers due to the elevation and around thirteen hours of sunlight year round. I was expecting a wide variety of colorful flowers, but was surprised to see that they only grew two varieties of Baby’s Breath, or filler flowers. It was fascinating to see the process of cutting the flowers down to size, cleaning them, and preparing them for sale. It was also interesting to see some of the flowers you likely find in a flower shop near you in the process of being picked and shipped. However, one of the most interesting aspects of the plantation and the operation was the international component. The plantations biggest client was Europe along with the United States. It was interesting because part of the requirement to ship to Europe was a clean record in terms of process, chemicals used, and also the condition of the factory and the workers themselves. The workers appeared to be relatively happy, and had access to many services, such as an onsite doctor, a free bus service to pick them up, basic medication, along with nice looking facilities. However, the work was clearly monotonous and it made for a long day. Talking to the manager, it was difficult to tell whether these services would be provided without the international rules that hold them to good practices in order to sell flowers to the European market. It seemed as though the building, and its facilities, and practices in general were a result of requirements in the European market, rather than legitimate improvements. Whether this is true or not is debatable, but the resulting conditions are positive nonetheless.  It was certainly interesting to see a company operate their business strictly in accordance with outsiders rules and regulations. This operation provides an incredible example of the power of globalization throughout the world. This is certainly in instance in which holding yourself to the standards of foreign customers has led to improvements in the lives of workers and the conditions of the plantation. Hopefully this improvement can continue in other industries and begin to lose the need for outside influence to spur change.

Tourism and the Galapagos

Of all the places in Ecuador, and even the world, the Galapagos is one of the most well-known, and one that many people dream of visiting. It is a place you hear about from early on in biology classes and in textbooks, so it was remarkable to have the chance to go there. The Galapagos Islands were a bit of a mystery to me, and when I arrived, it was certainly not what I expected. It is very interesting to go to a location in Ecuador, 600 miles off the coast, and find mostly North American and European tourists. It was also a surprise to see how many people lived on the islands, and the way they were controlled.  Only a limited amount of Ecuadoreans were permitted to live in the Galapagos, their residency was contingent on their employment, if they were to lose their job, they would face deportation to the mainland. Ecuador finds itself in an interesting dilemma, with one of the premier biological locations in the world being a rather large source of income and tourism for the country. The question is where to draw the line? Despite the remoteness of the Islands and the many barriers to entry, such as cost, location, and accommodations, there were certainly no shortage of tourists in the Galapagos. Considering the amount of income the Galapagos brings in, it is unlikely that the country will decrease admittance to the islands. However, it is important that the government properly allocates the money that it earns to conservation measures and habitat protection. It is interesting to talk with the host families and realize how hard it is to go somewhere like the Galapagos for Ecuadoreans due to the artificial inflation of prices and services due to the tourist market. Going to a cheap restaurant in Cuenca for lunch would likely cost no more than three dollars, a similar meal in the Galapagos would be around fifteen dollars. I was also surprised to see almost no park rangers like what we would see in the United States. Instead, there were guides trained by the National Park that had to accompany you everywhere, and despite being licensed through the National Park, they were guides who either worked for, or owned their own company. The volume of tourism necessitates a very large quantity of supplies, food, and other necessities to be shipped in to the Islands, further increasing the traffic and pollution, and is potentially hurting the environment people are coming to see for its remoteness and lack of human influence. I think that the cost is a fortunate barrier to entry that more or less ensures that the visitors who come are those who really appreciate the nature and will not be destructive. Although people working in the Galapagos are able to do very well for themselves, and it is an amazing site to see, it remains to be seen whether the use of the Galapagos as a tourist attraction will hurt the Galapagos in the long run. 

Differences in Ecuador

Being in Ecuador, it is remarkable to notice the differences between this country and the United States. The varying levels of development and infrastructure throughout the country are dramatic. Being in a city like Cuenca is much the same as being in any other big city in the United States however, only 15 minutes outside of the city center, you seemingly enter a different world. Going to Banos outside of Cuenca really made this apparent. In Banos, as you entered the touristy center of the town, with resorts and hotels everywhere, it doesn’t look much different than in the US. But after a short walk up the road, you enter a very poor almost entirely indigenous town with mud houses and nothing but farming. As you keep going up the mountain, the differences became more and more apparent. There were even fewer newer houses, and the houses became much more spread out. There were less typical houses and more farms with cattle, sheep, and chickens roaming the hills. I was able to see the other side of the mountain and see a little village with farms spread out on the hills. This can be found all over Ecuador and is very remarkable to witness. To me, the most shocking trend is the obvious globalization and development in remote areas right in the middle of poor towns. This was also very noticeable in Banos, as I walked through the different towns and saw mud houses with indigenous farmers right next to giant brand new houses that would be considered nice in the United States. After talking with my host mom about the development and changes in Cuenca, I was shocked to learn that the streets in our neighborhood had only been paved about 15 years ago, and there were no internet cabinas or stores anywhere near the house, now there are at least five within a few minutes of the house. This change is also apparent between different cities. Cuenca is a relatively affluent city, while other cities such as Machala seem to really lack many of the businesses and appear to be much more rural and poor. The family of my host mom has also changed remarkably. With two of her brothers owning a jewelry business in Chicago and becoming quite wealthy. This is a good example of the differences in development within Ecuador. As people begin to become rich, and the country sees new signs of development, indigenous women continue selling their products for cheap, and continue to live in the country on their farms. It is really interesting to see a country in the middle of such amazing development and change, and to know that even a few years from now it will likely be a very different country.