interesting conversation with my host mom
i had the most interesting conversation with my host mother the other day. we were talking about empleadas (native women who work as maids and nannys in people´s homes in ecuador.) she was telling me about the history of her family. her dad was the chief of all ecuadorian police. she says that he wasn´t corrupt, unlike most people in government here, and i believe her. if he had been corrupt my family would be rich, and they´re not. at all. however, he made a fairly hefty sum of money. her family, while she was growing up, employed two drivers, one for the dad, and one for the family. two empleadas, one to take care of the kids and one to cook and clean. two empleados (men), one to take care of the fathers uniforms and one as a personal assistant to the father. they also employed two security gaurds to stand outside their gates at all times. her grandfather gave as a gift a native boy to her brother to play with and take care of him. he was property of her brother (my host uncle.) eventually though, he was given back to his family on the farm so that he could go to school and be free, but his family punished him for being returned, it was embarassing. later in life, when my host mom was married (her husband died 4 years ago) she had two empleadas, one for the kids, and one to clean and cook. they also had a security gaurd. now the economic situation has changed a lot, both because of corrupt politics and the dollarization in 2001 and only the rich have empleadas. now empleadas go to the states to work for rich people. she has a friend in the states that brings in two empleadas from ecuador to work for him. now most women do the cooking, cleaning, and work.
i also found out that most of the native women who walk around the city with baby´s are not actually the mothers. they are usually (every once in a while this isn´t the case) a third party set up by the parents to sell the baby to rich ecuadorian families.
i guess i found all of this really interesting and thought some of you might too. it´s something to think about anyway.
i had the most interesting conversation with my host mother the other day. we were talking about empleadas (native women who work as maids and nannys in people´s homes in ecuador.) she was telling me about the history of her family. her dad was the chief of all ecuadorian police. she says that he wasn´t corrupt, unlike most people in government here, and i believe her. if he had been corrupt my family would be rich, and they´re not. at all. however, he made a fairly hefty sum of money. her family, while she was growing up, employed two drivers, one for the dad, and one for the family. two empleadas, one to take care of the kids and one to cook and clean. two empleados (men), one to take care of the fathers uniforms and one as a personal assistant to the father. they also employed two security gaurds to stand outside their gates at all times. her grandfather gave as a gift a native boy to her brother to play with and take care of him. he was property of her brother (my host uncle.) eventually though, he was given back to his family on the farm so that he could go to school and be free, but his family punished him for being returned, it was embarassing. later in life, when my host mom was married (her husband died 4 years ago) she had two empleadas, one for the kids, and one to clean and cook. they also had a security gaurd. now the economic situation has changed a lot, both because of corrupt politics and the dollarization in 2001 and only the rich have empleadas. now empleadas go to the states to work for rich people. she has a friend in the states that brings in two empleadas from ecuador to work for him. now most women do the cooking, cleaning, and work.
i also found out that most of the native women who walk around the city with baby´s are not actually the mothers. they are usually (every once in a while this isn´t the case) a third party set up by the parents to sell the baby to rich ecuadorian families.
i guess i found all of this really interesting and thought some of you might too. it´s something to think about anyway.
posted by Adam (ebby) at 6:50 PM
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