Home!

So glad to finally be home in Cuenca!!  We are officially residents of Ecuador. In four years we will be able to apply for citizenship. At that point we will have dual citizenship with the US and Ecuador. Several interesting things I wanted to share ... Voting is mandatory for residents of Ecuador. If you do not vote your name is printed in the paper and you are subject to a fine. Young people here are very active in politics. If they are not happy about something then they take to the streets to protest. I think it's great. I often wondered why this was not the case in the US. My feeling is that in America the people fear the government. Here, the government fears the people. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?  Most women here stay home and raise their children. Hence, men are often seen as cashiers, bank tellers, and clerks in women's clothing stores. Another interesting fact is that men are weavers. Women do not weave. And a final observation, male friends often put their arms around each other while walking down the street. No one stops to take a second look. In the US they would be looked at as "gay."  Also, men often greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. It's nice to be surrounded by people that show affection for each other without having to worry about others thinking they are freaks.