ya Mismo
Remember how I went to INTAG and got sick on my birthday? Me too. It wasn't all that fun. Thus you can imagine my dismay when I chewed on the fact that I would have to be making a return trip. My motivation for making the return?
Unreliability. Allow me to explain.
In my current job, I am responsible for setting up sites where volunteers will work here in Ecuador. Due to the size of our volunteer groups and due to the extensive need for English education here in Ecuador, we have branched out to a ton of really cool communities. However, the people in charge of these different sites have caused me to have severe bouts of "Am I really the most competent person in this country" itiss.
I know I know that's a terrible statement to make. However, in order to confirm a volunteer teaching schedule in this coutnry, you have to call the school directors a MINIMUM of 10 times. Not even kidding. Here's an example of what it's like to set up an English program in Insert Community Here, Ecuador.
CALL #1 - 1st week of April
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the shool.
Director: Hi, who is this?
Me: It's the Director. We have a volunteer coming on x date for y amount of time. Will you be able to set everythign up?
Director: Why of course. We love working with you all and we need English education.
Me: Perfect. I will be calling you in a week to follow up.
Director: Great. Talk to you then.
Me: (Worried Smile)
CALL #2 - 2nd week of April
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the shool?
Director: Who is this.
Me: I am the director I called last week on x day at y time.
Director: I don't know who you are.
(Hangs Up)
Me: (Angry phone slam against the receiver)
CALL #3 (1 minute after Call#2)
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the school?
Secretary: I am sorry the director is not in today
Me: But I just spoke with him one minute ago.
Secretary: No you didn't.
Me: Can I leave a message?
Secretary: What's your name?
Me: Director of the NGO.
Secretary: That's your opinion. We don't take solicitations.
Me: (Head banging against the keyboard)
CALL #4 (Two Days after Call #3)
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the school.
Director: Hey Kane so you will be sending the volunteers soon right?
Me: Yes. I gave you the dates two weeks ago.
Director: It's in October right?
Me: Know. It's in June.
Director: Oh July?
Me: No. June.
Director: Who is this?
Me: Kane.
Director: Oh right. Why are you calling again.
Me: I want to confirm the date, time, schedules, and other information I gave you last week.
Director: Right we got it.
Me: Good I will call you next week to confirm again.
Director: Pleasure doing business with you.
Me: (Middle finger with bracelets jingling to the phone) Yeah thanks bye.
Call #5 (Week Later)
Me: Hi Director. Kane here again.
Director: So how about that volunteer for December?
Me: (Suicidal Thoughts)
And the worst part is that I am SERIOUS. This is literally the way it goes for every single institution in the country. It drive me absolutley nuts. Thus when we are placing a volunteer in a community without cell phone service, I definitley felt responsible for accompanying my volunteers so that they could have the best experience possible.
The short story is that I went to INTAG and got to experience a wonderful seven hour walk in the rain! Yessssssss.
When I arrived to Cuellaje after helping the Penaherrera volunteer get settled in, I asked around for the three people who had agreed to meet me in Cuellaje that very day. All three of them had forgotten about my visit and nobody knew who I was. Without options, I asked a town's person how far my walk would be and she cheerily answerd six kilometers. I started walking, it started raining, I got ridiculously hungry, and finally asked the one person I saw on the road how far the town was. He told me that I had already walked eight kilometers (in the pouring rain) and that the town was still a solid 10 kilometers down the road. So I walked back 8 kilometers to the town and went door to door for two hours asking people if I could crash on their floor since I didn't have anywhere to stay and it's not like towns have hotels or anything. I finally found one lady who agreed to put me up for the night and give me a bowl of soup. The wooden floor was as plush as a wooden floor.
How could three people not only forget about my meeting with them, but also have forgotten to leave me with any directions for how to navegate my time in Cuellaje without them? Furthermore, it's not like this experience was unique. My partner actually went to the Tena area for similar reasons and her story ended with an arrival in Quito at 5AM after hitchiking on seven different vehicles because nobody had given her correct information either.
Ecaudor has a notorious reputation for being culturally lax about deadlines and meetings, which is the answer I get from all my Ecuadorian friends. Relax kane. Dont get mad. That's just the way things are in Ecuador culturally. People don't have deadlines, meeting times, or anything else because they just get things done evenntually at their own pace. The US is too worried about these types of things.
Thus comes my quandry. When can culture just get out of the way in the face of this little thing called LOGIC? For example, there is a culture in Ecuador called the Shuar that practiced the art of shrunken heads. They would kill people, boil the skin of the head, remove the bones, let the skin dry, and then stuff the head like some sort of minature bobble head. However, one day someone told the Shuar that even though shrunken heads are culturally awesome, that they just don't fit in with humankind's overall plan of treating each and every member of human kind with respect. The Shuar agreed that shrinking heads to steal someone's mojo didn't really make that much sense, and thus they have stopped shrinking heads.
"Ya mismo" in Ecuador is the most telling expression of Ecuadorian interpersonal business attitudes. "Ya mismo" is literally translated as "the same as already", which is used in contexts like "right away." However, whenever you hear somebody in Ecuador say that they will get something done "Ya Mismo", you know that you are in for the longer waiting periods than automated elevator music answering systems. It's absolutely brutal.
This "Ya mismo" attitude brings about the frustrations I have with Directors. They agree to do everything I ask of them on the first call, but after that they experience the most ridiculous ADD of anybody in the history of the world. They literally must hang up the phone with me thinking that they are going to start working on planning English programs, hear a pencil drop on the floor, and then spend the rest of the day turning their head violently to each new stimulus in their office, completley forgetting about our conversation. It's absolutely absurd.
In my opinion, and people who think this feeling is culturally insensitive can kiss my culo, "Ya Mismo" is on par with shrinking heads. Just as the SHuar agreed that shrinking heads had to go, Ecuadorians as a whole need to embrace the fact that "Ya Mismo" needs to reflect getting someting done, rather than the opposite. In fact, I am going to create a policy that holds directors responsible for this type of crapola administrative work. We will see if it works.
-Kanedogg
Unreliability. Allow me to explain.
In my current job, I am responsible for setting up sites where volunteers will work here in Ecuador. Due to the size of our volunteer groups and due to the extensive need for English education here in Ecuador, we have branched out to a ton of really cool communities. However, the people in charge of these different sites have caused me to have severe bouts of "Am I really the most competent person in this country" itiss.
I know I know that's a terrible statement to make. However, in order to confirm a volunteer teaching schedule in this coutnry, you have to call the school directors a MINIMUM of 10 times. Not even kidding. Here's an example of what it's like to set up an English program in Insert Community Here, Ecuador.
CALL #1 - 1st week of April
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the shool.
Director: Hi, who is this?
Me: It's the Director. We have a volunteer coming on x date for y amount of time. Will you be able to set everythign up?
Director: Why of course. We love working with you all and we need English education.
Me: Perfect. I will be calling you in a week to follow up.
Director: Great. Talk to you then.
Me: (Worried Smile)
CALL #2 - 2nd week of April
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the shool?
Director: Who is this.
Me: I am the director I called last week on x day at y time.
Director: I don't know who you are.
(Hangs Up)
Me: (Angry phone slam against the receiver)
CALL #3 (1 minute after Call#2)
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the school?
Secretary: I am sorry the director is not in today
Me: But I just spoke with him one minute ago.
Secretary: No you didn't.
Me: Can I leave a message?
Secretary: What's your name?
Me: Director of the NGO.
Secretary: That's your opinion. We don't take solicitations.
Me: (Head banging against the keyboard)
CALL #4 (Two Days after Call #3)
Me: Hi may I speak with the director of the school.
Director: Hey Kane so you will be sending the volunteers soon right?
Me: Yes. I gave you the dates two weeks ago.
Director: It's in October right?
Me: Know. It's in June.
Director: Oh July?
Me: No. June.
Director: Who is this?
Me: Kane.
Director: Oh right. Why are you calling again.
Me: I want to confirm the date, time, schedules, and other information I gave you last week.
Director: Right we got it.
Me: Good I will call you next week to confirm again.
Director: Pleasure doing business with you.
Me: (Middle finger with bracelets jingling to the phone) Yeah thanks bye.
Call #5 (Week Later)
Me: Hi Director. Kane here again.
Director: So how about that volunteer for December?
Me: (Suicidal Thoughts)
And the worst part is that I am SERIOUS. This is literally the way it goes for every single institution in the country. It drive me absolutley nuts. Thus when we are placing a volunteer in a community without cell phone service, I definitley felt responsible for accompanying my volunteers so that they could have the best experience possible.
The short story is that I went to INTAG and got to experience a wonderful seven hour walk in the rain! Yessssssss.
When I arrived to Cuellaje after helping the Penaherrera volunteer get settled in, I asked around for the three people who had agreed to meet me in Cuellaje that very day. All three of them had forgotten about my visit and nobody knew who I was. Without options, I asked a town's person how far my walk would be and she cheerily answerd six kilometers. I started walking, it started raining, I got ridiculously hungry, and finally asked the one person I saw on the road how far the town was. He told me that I had already walked eight kilometers (in the pouring rain) and that the town was still a solid 10 kilometers down the road. So I walked back 8 kilometers to the town and went door to door for two hours asking people if I could crash on their floor since I didn't have anywhere to stay and it's not like towns have hotels or anything. I finally found one lady who agreed to put me up for the night and give me a bowl of soup. The wooden floor was as plush as a wooden floor.
How could three people not only forget about my meeting with them, but also have forgotten to leave me with any directions for how to navegate my time in Cuellaje without them? Furthermore, it's not like this experience was unique. My partner actually went to the Tena area for similar reasons and her story ended with an arrival in Quito at 5AM after hitchiking on seven different vehicles because nobody had given her correct information either.
Ecaudor has a notorious reputation for being culturally lax about deadlines and meetings, which is the answer I get from all my Ecuadorian friends. Relax kane. Dont get mad. That's just the way things are in Ecuador culturally. People don't have deadlines, meeting times, or anything else because they just get things done evenntually at their own pace. The US is too worried about these types of things.
Thus comes my quandry. When can culture just get out of the way in the face of this little thing called LOGIC? For example, there is a culture in Ecuador called the Shuar that practiced the art of shrunken heads. They would kill people, boil the skin of the head, remove the bones, let the skin dry, and then stuff the head like some sort of minature bobble head. However, one day someone told the Shuar that even though shrunken heads are culturally awesome, that they just don't fit in with humankind's overall plan of treating each and every member of human kind with respect. The Shuar agreed that shrinking heads to steal someone's mojo didn't really make that much sense, and thus they have stopped shrinking heads.
"Ya mismo" in Ecuador is the most telling expression of Ecuadorian interpersonal business attitudes. "Ya mismo" is literally translated as "the same as already", which is used in contexts like "right away." However, whenever you hear somebody in Ecuador say that they will get something done "Ya Mismo", you know that you are in for the longer waiting periods than automated elevator music answering systems. It's absolutely brutal.
This "Ya mismo" attitude brings about the frustrations I have with Directors. They agree to do everything I ask of them on the first call, but after that they experience the most ridiculous ADD of anybody in the history of the world. They literally must hang up the phone with me thinking that they are going to start working on planning English programs, hear a pencil drop on the floor, and then spend the rest of the day turning their head violently to each new stimulus in their office, completley forgetting about our conversation. It's absolutely absurd.
In my opinion, and people who think this feeling is culturally insensitive can kiss my culo, "Ya Mismo" is on par with shrinking heads. Just as the SHuar agreed that shrinking heads had to go, Ecuadorians as a whole need to embrace the fact that "Ya Mismo" needs to reflect getting someting done, rather than the opposite. In fact, I am going to create a policy that holds directors responsible for this type of crapola administrative work. We will see if it works.
-Kanedogg
posted by ecuadortraveler at 6:50 PM
2 Comments:
Que Lastima!
maybe "ya mismo" is connected to their having a completely different space/time reality than we do...our "2 hour" trip from the beach became a gruelling 7.5....
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