My Ecuadorian schoolmates told me to be careful in the busses: ¨They are all out for your money. They’ll even rob your earrings¨. I can’t stand these prejudices. How would they now? They have been driving around in their fathers’ cars!
The university that I am studying at is probably the most elitist in the country. Just the campus in itself is an excessive display of wealth. Tropical trees, fountains, colonial buildings, study rooms full of the newest Apple computers, and, on top of that, a Japanese temple for students to meditate or do yoga in. All of this protected by thick walls and security guards. It’s like studying in a bubble. But, as soon as I get out, I know I’ll run into a beggar. Ten seconds later, a boy will ask if he can polish my shoes (I am wearing sneakers).
It astonishes me how some Ecuadorians – mainly indigenous people from the countryside - manage to make a living. To give an example, I always see a man at the same parking lot. There he waits until he can direct a desperate woman parking her oversized car and get some money in return. They are all out for your money? Most of them seem to work pretty hard for it.
So I have been defending the lower classes against any possibly downgrading statement. Ironically, I got robbed on the bus the other day. A mobile phone and some dollars. I don’t think this rebuts my case but it does raise some new questions. Does this mean ¨they¨ do steal? Or was it someone else? And, if not, can it be justified