Words of wisdom from my good friend Melissa Tucker.
Emtuck, as I prefer to call her, is a very special lady I have had the privelage of knowing for a little over a year now. She organizes youth service trips, and I was blessed enough to accompany her to Mexico through Point Loma Nazarene University (which was not my alma mater at the time, and now is...but that´s another story for another time).
In the hustle and bustle of preparation, Emtuck asked us to make the above phrase our mantra as we encountered (and hopefully adjusted to) a different culture.
Here in South America, I am reminded again and again of this sentiment.
Some Ecuadorian examples:
Everyone kisses on the cheek here as a greeting.
We wear shoes of some kind all the time, even in the house.
Rice is served with every meal. Every. Meal.
Students dress up to come to class. I told some friends that stateside collegiates sometimes wear pj´s, and they were shocked.
Toilet paper gets thrown away, not flushed.
Some things are the same though.
When I get home Mama Maritza and Papa Cesar want to hear all about my classes.
Mama Maritza scolds Papa Cesar for watching soccer instead of helping her around the house.
My fellow students come up with some pretty great excuses for missing homework.
We have to hide any snacks and goodies that we want to save somewhere where my host brother won´t find them, or they won´t last more than a few hours.
...thrown away...um..?
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