If half the kids I knew from back home were here right now, they would have empty wallets and a stomach full of booze. I have heard of kids going to pretty much any other country in the world and enjoying the 18 year-old drinking age, but I definitely overestimated how tied to alcohol any country could be...
Just two weeks ago, Ecuador voted on a new constitution, a constitution written by a new president who assured his people that if the new document didn't pass, he would remove himself from office. This is coming from the eight president of Ecuador in the past ten years, so his words were not taken lighthearted. When the people here don't like a president, they overthrow him, no hesitating, no delaying, no trying to find alternative solutions. He's out, hasta la vista, baby. That is why the current president, Rafael Correa, had to make sure that his new constitution suited the desires of the rich and the poor, or he would find himself amongst the latter shortly after his new proposal would fail. Luckily for him, Ecuador, like America, wants change, and that's exactly what the new constitution brought to many people. "Vota Sí" was graffitied all over the city, and I mean from top to bottom of every wall on every street corner. My favorite had an American twist to it: "HEY BRO,Vota Sí!" Of course with catchy propaganda like that, no one had a choice but to be persuaded into voting yes for the 444 article constitution. And so it passed, but in a democratic manner with a slight variation. Voting here is obligatory, eghteen years and above. If you don't vote, you will surely find your rights stripped away the next time you enter customs or have a not-so-friendly run in with the police. Because voting is mandatory, for the five days surrounding the vote, alcohol is completely prohibited.
...And so here I am, trying to show you the importance of alcohol here. Ths long, dry weekend left the city of Quito, again, a city with a population of over 2 million, completely and utterly silent. Not a single college kid on the streets looking for a discotec, not a single old man passed out on a bus or under some stairs because he thought happy hour meant from 7 am till whenever you're happy. I have definitely hit the bottle here, not near as hard as some of my other American or English friends. But I do have to say that it was one of the most boring weekends ever, and all because of alcohol.
I have met a lot of new friends since arriving here from all over the world. We've got the States, Canada, Egypt, the UK, Australia, Switzerland, and even New Guinea representing the gringo population, plus the remainder of South America. Some of the friendships I have made will surely last past or experiences here in Ecuador, and for that I am thankful. But to be completely honest, the coolest kids I have met are the locals themselves. Growing up around such low levels of poverty and in such a rough political setting has led many of the Ecuadorians my age to thoroughly enjoy life to the fullest. Very little is taken for granted, and these kids know how to take the dullest moments and turn them into pure fun. It really puts a damper on my views of back home, and how many things we ignore we have on a day to day basis. Not to say that anybody I know i spoiled or greedy, but it really puts things into perspective when you hang out with kids who have lived a crap-life, who really had to push and push in order to get into just a regular public school so they didn't end up as one of the bus-vendors selling ice cream or banana chips. I beginning to become a little more grateful for what I have, and the opportunity to be here, which is, I guess, one of the main reasons I came besides for my education. All in all, it's just one giant eye-opener.
Apart from the humbleness of the locals, it is amazing to see how nice they treat gringos. I have made a few Ecua-friends who are the best hosts ever. They takes us to museums and churches and art exhibits and salsa clubs, and overall they just completely immerse us in South American culture. If not for these Ecuadorians, my trip would surely be a lot more sour. Seeing these things from the eyes of kids your own age is so much more impressive than traveling with your host family or a group of American international kids, a.k.a. tourists. I have felt at home with the new friends I have made, and hopefully I will be able to show them just the same amount of fun should they ever visit the states.
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