Stuck
So I have a friend, named Kanye, who told me this story and I thought it was so fascinating that I had to write it down. The following events may or may not be true, as I am heard them second hand, so they in no way can be used in a court, USA, Ecuadorian, or otherwise, as grounds for evidence.
It all started because Kanye's sister, Zee, and Kanye's buddy, Kanye's sister's BF, Micky,were visiting from a foreign country. In celebration of such a special occasion, Kanye, Zee, and Micky, along with Kanye's GF, Bassy, planned a trip to the Ecuadorian coast, since the coast is money and Micky and Zee wanted to check out more of Ecuador's diverse landscapes after visiting the Sierra cloud forest. Thus the 4 Ecuador travelers planned a trip to Atacames (see earlier entry) to take in some sun, eat some ceviche, and enjoy each other's company.
Due to a tight schedule featuring late work hours and a July 4th party featuring a crazed ex-mayor spewing fight the man speeches at high schoolers, the four compadres scheduled a morning flight to Esmeraldas, so that they could be on the coast before brunch time.
With their bags packed and ready for the beach, our four heroes called an elevator on the top floor of the building well in advance of their flight time, so that they could catch a cab to the airport for the morning flight, which they had paid for in advance to make sure that their seats would not be given away to other travlerers, as Atacames is a ridiculously popular spot in the summer, and Ecuadorian airports have a notorious reputation for selling seats twenty minutes before flights take off. Just the way things go.
Waiting for the elevator, Kanye, Zee, Micky, and Bassy were happy as clams to have some time away from their busy schedules and to be reunited for the first time since they had lived in adjacent apartments back in their home town. Things could not have been better. The elevator arrived and the four got in, giddy at the prospect of being on the beach in just a few short hours.
After going down two floors the elevator door opened. A tall man, skinny man a la that dude fromCharlie's Angels, looked in at the already occupied and elevator and frowned. He knew that the maximum capacity of this Quito elevator was only four people. Annoyed that he would just have to wait, he nodded and let the elevator door close.
After two more floors the elevator door opened again. Again a man, older this time, peered in at the 4 people with accompanying suitcases. The older man, reminding Kanye of Grampa Simpson's friend with the long beard, smiles and wishes the travelers well. He knew he couldn't get on the elevator with it's 4 person maximum holding capacity, but wasn't in the same rush as the thin man. He grinned awkwardly at the four travlers and allowed the door to close.
The elevator continued its descent. Again the door opened, just three stories up from the bottom floor. This time two Ecuadorians, a man and woman, peered into the elevator. They both were carrying large sacks. They bullied their way into the elevator, despite Kanye's pleading that they not. Kanye indicated the four person maximum limit sign in the elevator, but the Ecuadorians just responded with another Ecuadorian ya mismo type phrase, "no pasa nada," which basically is used by positive people looking at FUBAR situations. For you visual learners, picture two guys in a room checking out the water damage in their apartment after a big rain, with cracked paint, and a huge hole in the ceiling. The two guys look at each other, shrug their shoulders, and shout "Ah, no big deal." Exact same idea as "no pasa nada."
The door to the elevator closes, and Kanye has one of those moments when you feel a kinship with a machine. Bear with me. You know when you put too much crunchy stuff in a blender, and you know that the motor is going to be annoyed at you? Or when you try doing too many operations at once on your computer? There's that moment when you can almost feel the machine's pain as it attempts to overexert itself. Kanye crossed his fingers and held his breath.
The elevator descended to the lobby floor and stopped. So far so good. The doors started opening. Still OK. Then in mid-opening the doors lurched and shut again. Fuck. The elevator started descending again. Shit. Two floors the elevator fell, not free falling, but quicker than normal. It bounced off something, a rubber piece maybe, and came to a stop on the bottom floor. @#$%^&^%$#$%^..
Emergencies all have a different effect on people, but the initial reaction is always the same. "What do we do now." Everyone just kind of looks at each other.
Then the tide goes one of two ways. Some people start thinking logically about ways to get out of the FUBAR situation. Others remind themselves to stay calm and to not freak out. Others start screaming bloddy murder.
Nobody in our elevator started screaming. People seemed pretty logical. Micky tried the buttons opening the door on the bottom level. He then tried the emergency button. No dice. The Ecuadorians are grinning sheepishly like they have been caught scratching their crotch for just a little bit too long. Kanye's cell phone rings, he answers it, but cannot hear anyone on the other line. He hangs up to confront the situation again. He tries yelling up the elevator shaft at the guard. "Ayudanos!!!" Nothing.
That's when calm logical reactions started changing. Bassy is visibly dizzy with the lack of air in the elevator. She feels nautious. She says simply to the man she loves, "Kanye. You have to do something."
It's one of the weirdest moments of Kanye's life. The girl of his dreams just uttered a sentence in a tone that he has never heard before now. It's filled with fear and desperation, but also with hope. Bassy desperately wants to believe that Kanye will figure something out, but he's her last hope and she is done waiting. He doesn't have any more time to think. His whole existence is spurred into action faster than it ever has in his whole life. He pursues the first option that comes into his head. Muscle it.
Kanye tells the Ecuadorians to get the fuck out of the way and approaches the first door. He rips it open easily, only to find a solid steel door staring back at him. He wedges his meathooks into the crack between the steel door and the wall and starts pulling with all the force. He lets out a grunt of exertion but his fingers slip. Setback, but he tries again. He reasserts his grip and rips, this time with more force and anger. Micky comes over to help. They both pull. Hard. There's a loud crash and...
Whoosh. Air rushes into the elevator and lungs of the six people inside. Kanye and Micky have just yanked a steel door off of its hinges and guide track to expose an opening of 15 inches.
Kanye slips through the door and offers a hand to Bassy, Micky, and Zee to help them out of the elevator. They yank their bags through the door opening. The Ecuadorians climb out as well. Their sheepish grins have turned into gapes. "Chucha! Que fuertes! Increible!" (Fuckin A. You guys are strong. Incredible!). Kanye takes one look at the door, and admittedly admires his handiwork. The door flaps on its hinge like a limp arm on an combat vet. Bassy runs over and places the door back in a way that makes it look at least somewhat like its working.
Kanye, Bassy, Micky, and Zee run through the parking garage desperate for the sight of sun. It hits them like with a glorious wash of tender life. They are saved. They are free. They hop in a cab and jet over to the airport just in time to catch their flight. They hit the beach happy to be alive.
Kanye however is still worried about the elevator. He calls his best Ecuadorian friend to ask his advice on the matter. What should I do he asks. His friend calms him down and gives him a strange answer. "Exactly what you just did my friend. Don't ever mention that elevator door to anyone ever. You are not at fault in any way, but if you tell your story you will have to pay for every damage that has been done to the door in its history. If you do nothing, the door will be fixed when you get back, and everything will be fine. Ecuadorian way of life."
Kanye, an honest person with admirable integrity, looks inside himself. Did he do anything wrong? No. The two Ecuadorians who got on the elevator knowing the 4 person max capacity (the sign is posted on the elevator door) are at fault if anyone. He can live with himself. He can walk away.
But how weird is that? I heard from another one of my friends a similar type of story. This friend was in a tax on the way to her house. The taxi driver was out of control, but she only had a short ride and wasn't too worried. She asked him at least five time to slow down, but he refused. Then all of a sudden the taxi driver crashed into a guy on a motorcylce, sending the guy into the air about 20 feet, only to come crashing down on his head on the pavement. The taxi driver stopped the taxi and yelled at my friend, "You tell anyone about this and I will fuck you up."
My friend ran home to talk to her Ecuadorian friends about the incident, but they said that same thing. "You tell anyone about what happened and you will assume full responsibility of the incident."
"But I didn't do anything and that man might be dead!" said my friend.
"Doesn't matter. You will be at fault because you have money and you confessed to the incident."
Am I in reality? Could this really be the true circumstances surrounding living in Ecuador. The answer? Oh you betcha.
As I see it, there are two things to take away from Kanye's story: One is thank the lord for good sumeritan laws in the states. Somehow, at least in my experience, the states reward honesty and respect a people who honestly want to do the right thing. Kanye or my other friend would have been more at fault in the states for running from the scene of an accident than for articulating the details of the events to a supervisor of the building. But not in Ecuador. Here people are so starved for opportunities to allow somebody else to pay for something that accountability has been thown out the window.
And how can this type of society possibly set a good example for children. In real society telling the truth just gets you into more trouble than ignoring situations. No wonder people have trouble adjusting to culture here. An absolute fundamental belief set cultivated constantly in my household carries no weight or substance in Ecuador. Unreal.
The second is the power of loved ones. I often marveled at stories of mothers that lifted cars off of their children and joked with my buddies about taking adrenaline supplements before lacrosse games, but I never really considered the possibillity that these types of stories are legit.
Until now. When someone you love is in trouble, not to mention two people, your body can do amazing things. No joke.
-Kanedog West
It all started because Kanye's sister, Zee, and Kanye's buddy, Kanye's sister's BF, Micky,were visiting from a foreign country. In celebration of such a special occasion, Kanye, Zee, and Micky, along with Kanye's GF, Bassy, planned a trip to the Ecuadorian coast, since the coast is money and Micky and Zee wanted to check out more of Ecuador's diverse landscapes after visiting the Sierra cloud forest. Thus the 4 Ecuador travelers planned a trip to Atacames (see earlier entry) to take in some sun, eat some ceviche, and enjoy each other's company.
Due to a tight schedule featuring late work hours and a July 4th party featuring a crazed ex-mayor spewing fight the man speeches at high schoolers, the four compadres scheduled a morning flight to Esmeraldas, so that they could be on the coast before brunch time.
With their bags packed and ready for the beach, our four heroes called an elevator on the top floor of the building well in advance of their flight time, so that they could catch a cab to the airport for the morning flight, which they had paid for in advance to make sure that their seats would not be given away to other travlerers, as Atacames is a ridiculously popular spot in the summer, and Ecuadorian airports have a notorious reputation for selling seats twenty minutes before flights take off. Just the way things go.
Waiting for the elevator, Kanye, Zee, Micky, and Bassy were happy as clams to have some time away from their busy schedules and to be reunited for the first time since they had lived in adjacent apartments back in their home town. Things could not have been better. The elevator arrived and the four got in, giddy at the prospect of being on the beach in just a few short hours.
After going down two floors the elevator door opened. A tall man, skinny man a la that dude fromCharlie's Angels, looked in at the already occupied and elevator and frowned. He knew that the maximum capacity of this Quito elevator was only four people. Annoyed that he would just have to wait, he nodded and let the elevator door close.
After two more floors the elevator door opened again. Again a man, older this time, peered in at the 4 people with accompanying suitcases. The older man, reminding Kanye of Grampa Simpson's friend with the long beard, smiles and wishes the travelers well. He knew he couldn't get on the elevator with it's 4 person maximum holding capacity, but wasn't in the same rush as the thin man. He grinned awkwardly at the four travlers and allowed the door to close.
The elevator continued its descent. Again the door opened, just three stories up from the bottom floor. This time two Ecuadorians, a man and woman, peered into the elevator. They both were carrying large sacks. They bullied their way into the elevator, despite Kanye's pleading that they not. Kanye indicated the four person maximum limit sign in the elevator, but the Ecuadorians just responded with another Ecuadorian ya mismo type phrase, "no pasa nada," which basically is used by positive people looking at FUBAR situations. For you visual learners, picture two guys in a room checking out the water damage in their apartment after a big rain, with cracked paint, and a huge hole in the ceiling. The two guys look at each other, shrug their shoulders, and shout "Ah, no big deal." Exact same idea as "no pasa nada."
The door to the elevator closes, and Kanye has one of those moments when you feel a kinship with a machine. Bear with me. You know when you put too much crunchy stuff in a blender, and you know that the motor is going to be annoyed at you? Or when you try doing too many operations at once on your computer? There's that moment when you can almost feel the machine's pain as it attempts to overexert itself. Kanye crossed his fingers and held his breath.
The elevator descended to the lobby floor and stopped. So far so good. The doors started opening. Still OK. Then in mid-opening the doors lurched and shut again. Fuck. The elevator started descending again. Shit. Two floors the elevator fell, not free falling, but quicker than normal. It bounced off something, a rubber piece maybe, and came to a stop on the bottom floor. @#$%^&^%$#$%^..
Emergencies all have a different effect on people, but the initial reaction is always the same. "What do we do now." Everyone just kind of looks at each other.
Then the tide goes one of two ways. Some people start thinking logically about ways to get out of the FUBAR situation. Others remind themselves to stay calm and to not freak out. Others start screaming bloddy murder.
Nobody in our elevator started screaming. People seemed pretty logical. Micky tried the buttons opening the door on the bottom level. He then tried the emergency button. No dice. The Ecuadorians are grinning sheepishly like they have been caught scratching their crotch for just a little bit too long. Kanye's cell phone rings, he answers it, but cannot hear anyone on the other line. He hangs up to confront the situation again. He tries yelling up the elevator shaft at the guard. "Ayudanos!!!" Nothing.
That's when calm logical reactions started changing. Bassy is visibly dizzy with the lack of air in the elevator. She feels nautious. She says simply to the man she loves, "Kanye. You have to do something."
It's one of the weirdest moments of Kanye's life. The girl of his dreams just uttered a sentence in a tone that he has never heard before now. It's filled with fear and desperation, but also with hope. Bassy desperately wants to believe that Kanye will figure something out, but he's her last hope and she is done waiting. He doesn't have any more time to think. His whole existence is spurred into action faster than it ever has in his whole life. He pursues the first option that comes into his head. Muscle it.
Kanye tells the Ecuadorians to get the fuck out of the way and approaches the first door. He rips it open easily, only to find a solid steel door staring back at him. He wedges his meathooks into the crack between the steel door and the wall and starts pulling with all the force. He lets out a grunt of exertion but his fingers slip. Setback, but he tries again. He reasserts his grip and rips, this time with more force and anger. Micky comes over to help. They both pull. Hard. There's a loud crash and...
Whoosh. Air rushes into the elevator and lungs of the six people inside. Kanye and Micky have just yanked a steel door off of its hinges and guide track to expose an opening of 15 inches.
Kanye slips through the door and offers a hand to Bassy, Micky, and Zee to help them out of the elevator. They yank their bags through the door opening. The Ecuadorians climb out as well. Their sheepish grins have turned into gapes. "Chucha! Que fuertes! Increible!" (Fuckin A. You guys are strong. Incredible!). Kanye takes one look at the door, and admittedly admires his handiwork. The door flaps on its hinge like a limp arm on an combat vet. Bassy runs over and places the door back in a way that makes it look at least somewhat like its working.
Kanye, Bassy, Micky, and Zee run through the parking garage desperate for the sight of sun. It hits them like with a glorious wash of tender life. They are saved. They are free. They hop in a cab and jet over to the airport just in time to catch their flight. They hit the beach happy to be alive.
Kanye however is still worried about the elevator. He calls his best Ecuadorian friend to ask his advice on the matter. What should I do he asks. His friend calms him down and gives him a strange answer. "Exactly what you just did my friend. Don't ever mention that elevator door to anyone ever. You are not at fault in any way, but if you tell your story you will have to pay for every damage that has been done to the door in its history. If you do nothing, the door will be fixed when you get back, and everything will be fine. Ecuadorian way of life."
Kanye, an honest person with admirable integrity, looks inside himself. Did he do anything wrong? No. The two Ecuadorians who got on the elevator knowing the 4 person max capacity (the sign is posted on the elevator door) are at fault if anyone. He can live with himself. He can walk away.
But how weird is that? I heard from another one of my friends a similar type of story. This friend was in a tax on the way to her house. The taxi driver was out of control, but she only had a short ride and wasn't too worried. She asked him at least five time to slow down, but he refused. Then all of a sudden the taxi driver crashed into a guy on a motorcylce, sending the guy into the air about 20 feet, only to come crashing down on his head on the pavement. The taxi driver stopped the taxi and yelled at my friend, "You tell anyone about this and I will fuck you up."
My friend ran home to talk to her Ecuadorian friends about the incident, but they said that same thing. "You tell anyone about what happened and you will assume full responsibility of the incident."
"But I didn't do anything and that man might be dead!" said my friend.
"Doesn't matter. You will be at fault because you have money and you confessed to the incident."
Am I in reality? Could this really be the true circumstances surrounding living in Ecuador. The answer? Oh you betcha.
As I see it, there are two things to take away from Kanye's story: One is thank the lord for good sumeritan laws in the states. Somehow, at least in my experience, the states reward honesty and respect a people who honestly want to do the right thing. Kanye or my other friend would have been more at fault in the states for running from the scene of an accident than for articulating the details of the events to a supervisor of the building. But not in Ecuador. Here people are so starved for opportunities to allow somebody else to pay for something that accountability has been thown out the window.
And how can this type of society possibly set a good example for children. In real society telling the truth just gets you into more trouble than ignoring situations. No wonder people have trouble adjusting to culture here. An absolute fundamental belief set cultivated constantly in my household carries no weight or substance in Ecuador. Unreal.
The second is the power of loved ones. I often marveled at stories of mothers that lifted cars off of their children and joked with my buddies about taking adrenaline supplements before lacrosse games, but I never really considered the possibillity that these types of stories are legit.
Until now. When someone you love is in trouble, not to mention two people, your body can do amazing things. No joke.
-Kanedog West
posted by ecuadortraveler at 9:46 AM
2 Comments:
Increible, amigo.
Que fuerte.
I'm so Chi that you thought I was bashful...
You rule.
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