Expat Advice: Culture Shock in Cotacachi, Ecuador

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Cotacachi

What are the most challenging aspects of the new culture?

Although scrupulously polite, I have not found the Ecuadorian people to be particularly friendly or outgoing. And they are extremely protective of their privacy. Which is why they often live behind eight-foot-high walls with wire or broken bottles on top. Whether the fear is justified or not I can't say, but it seems to infect most everyone. It is very unusual to invite someone into your home, or to be invited. Mostly, in my experience (only one opinion mind you) socializing is done within the family, not by getting together with friends to tell stories and share meals. That is one difference I find really hard to take. And they love noise. They honk, they put a big speaker outside each store and blast music assuming that everyone wants to hear. To me it is a form of polution, pure and simple. Give me quiet any day.