It´s been a long time but life is still funny...

Tommy Hilfiger, the Real Deal
Top clothing designers are really popular in Ecuador or rather the knock-off versions of top designers’ famous designs and logos. So long as you own an embroidery machine in Ecuador, you are entitled to produce your own version of Tommy (the favorite by far), Juicy, Polo, whatever. American brands are admired in Ecuador as many other American traditions have made an impression on culture here. It´s very trendy to wear shirts with sayings (written in English) on them. This was, and maybe still is, a popular trend in the U.S. but even more so here. The shirts often read typical things such as “ I love my boyfriend,¨¨What do you think you’re looking at?” and my personal favorite “ Cool is a girl’s best friend” (proudly worn by a mid-30’s student of mine).

Backstreet’s Back
Yet another American influence on culture here is music. English music is just as popular as the latest and greatest Latin pop and reggaton. However, the English hits here are about 10+ years old hits in the States. While walking through the Hiper Market (picture the Wal-Mart of Ecuador) I can’t help but hum along with popular hits of the 90’s blaring from the loudspeakers. I’m taken back to middle school days with the sounds of Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears (old day, not new), Boyz to Men, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston.

Would you like cola with that?
Ecuadorians LOVE soda. Meals are always accompanied with little glasses of soda. Now, this may not be so different from the likes of people back home but there is one big difference in the preference of sodas here. Ecuadorian soda flavors consist of apple, orange, strawberry, and bubblegum (not actually titled with this flavor but once determined by a friend of mine as resembling the taste of bubblegum). Of course, Coca Cola is as popular as ever as in any country anywhere.

I can’t talk about the importance of soda in the life of an Ecuadorian without mentioning the most important drinking device of the tiny paper-thin plastic cup also known as the “vasito.” Though larger plastic cups do exist, they are hard to come by and, in reality, I think the people here prefer the tiny little cup. When I say tiny, I’m talking 4oz tiny. Two gulps tiny. And the plastic is so thin; you can easily crush the entire vasito in one hand with one slight squeeze. Maybe the fun of the vasito is having to refill it five times before your thirst is quenched. Who knows.