Getting to know the culture

The tourist scene in Montanita is almost solely made up of Ecuadorians with a few Europeans and once in a while an American. Every weekend tourists from all over Ecuador travel to the beach to party as hard as they can. This strong tourist scene makes for a very fun city which is essentially a non-stop party; however, it hasn’t allowed me to learn as much about Ecuadorian culture as I’d like.

Last weekend I thought I might be able to make up the cultural void that I’ve been feeling because I had the chance to accompany my host family a Quincenera. In Latin American culture a quincenera is a fifteenth birthday party for a girl and it is a very, very big deal. As my host family and I approached the party I couldn’t help but be impressed by the set up. The family went all out by reserving a portion of the busiest street in the city center, putting up a stage as well as seating for over one hundred, constructing huge walls of speakers, and adorning the whole arrangement in pink. The party went like this – most people got hammered drunk, there was a procession that closely resembled a wedding, everyone was bored until they were able to start drinking again. The grandeur of the party was very impressive and the family certainly pulled out all the stops but, at the time, I didn’t find it to be a profound cultural experience and the rest of the night I spent with my friends.

However, at 7 in the morning, I could hear pounding music coming from down the street. I got up to see what it was and as I made my way back to the city center. The street looked like a war zone. Hoards of passed-out people lay in the street and on top of cars. When I arrived at the scene of the crime I was greeted by my host uncle, Clever. What I saw blew my mind. I was certainly impressed that people were still up drinking but more so by one person in particular. As I peered into the party I saw my host grandpa, not only awake, but dancing with one of his fifty four grand children. After seeing this I quickly came to the realization that I don’t need to look so hard to understand the local culture. It seems that strongest local custom is to stay up partying until the sun comes out. With that in mind I’ve been strongly participating in the local tradition since I arrived here and won’t stop until I leave.

matt