Category: Ecuador

• June 3, 2020

  My Illustrated Ethnography

  Here is a short animation about my research, in which I share one example from my honors thesis as well as some of the cool theories and concepts that guided my analysis. My research is called, “Ecuadorian Women and Pachamama: Understanding Everyday Life in Cangahua through Narratives,” and it’s all about how women in a…
• July 20, 2019

  Field Note #7 — Being Lonely and Shifting Focus

  Kichwa word of the day: fakchaman = “cascada” / “waterfall” Hi, how’s it going?  Day 18 here after a week-long hiatus.  I’ve got the usual setup: sitting at my desk cocooned in my sleeping bag, watching my cup of tea get cold, sheep grazing on the hills outside my window, and of course, having the…
• July 12, 2019

  Field Note #6 — Making the Unfamiliar Familiar

  Kichwa word of the day: mishki = rico / delicious! I use this one a lot. To start today’s post I am sharing with you this photo of my Papa José.  At first I was just taking photos of the adorable guaguas de pan, shaped like little babies and horses and usually shared on Día de…
• July 10, 2019

  Field Note #5 — Lost in Translation (Sketchbook)

  Some Linguistics humor to wrap up my day… (Puta means “whore” in Spanish.  While in English the /b/ sound is more firmly voiced and held longer, in Japanese it’s a softer, more “staccato” consonantal sound that’s very close to the Spanish bilabial stop /p/ —so the two come out sounding dangerously similar.)
• July 7, 2019

  Field Note #4 — Being Sick in the Field

  Kichwa word of the day: sumak kawsay = buen vivir / good living Okay Karma, you got me good.  In my previous post I bragged about how I managed to escape the wrath of altitude sickness, and it’s almost as if as soon as I hit “Publish,” my body decided it’s time—bring on the headache, the…
• July 5, 2019

  Field Note #3 — Finding a Sense of Family Abroad

  Kichwa word of the day: Kayakaman = see you tomorrow! We made it to the Andes!  It’s my second night at the field site, and aside from the distant barking of stray dogs and the muffled hum of motorcycle engines rushing through these narrow streets, the entire parish is quiet.  “Everyone’s asleep by now,” my…