This weekend, as I was reflecting on the many cultural differences I observed on the trip, I remembered a moment in which I shared a laugh with a woman at the Mercado de los Ponchos in Otavalo. She and I could not have been more different. She is a merchant, and I am a teacher. She is a mother, and I am not. Yet we shared things as well. We speak a common language (Spanish) and we use the same currency (US dollar) on a daily basis.
Someone from the group was hoping to get a discount for buying 20 souvenirs priced at $1 each. This is standard business practice in Ecuador. The exchange typically goes something like this:
"¿Cuanto cuesta?"
"Un dolar."
"¿Y por veinte?"
"Diez y seis dolares."
This woman's daughter was working in the market with her. So when we got to the final step of the exchange, the daughter piped in "Veinte dolares por veinte." It was obvious she was joking, not trying to trick us or anything. We laughed over the child's budding business sense, and of course the person who bought the gifts got a deal ($15 for 20 of them). The ability to laugh together over a child's silliness was just such a wonderful experience! I'm glad to have that memory.
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