TEFL in Ecuador

Social life in Riobamba exists almost entirely on one length of street separated by a median with palm trees, called “10 de Agosto.” There are numerous restaurants and shops, karaoke bars, night clubs, and there is one clothing mall which to an American is like one big discount rack at Ross. There is a lack of recreational facilities like gymnasiums or jogging trails—although there is an Olympic stadium—and there is not a single cinema in the whole city, which is a big disappointment to the natives. On Friday and Saturday nights, the streets become inundated with young people. Where did they all come from? There is a lot of drinking, especially of the native beer, Pilsener, and even more dancing. Clubs blaring the popular Latin dance music, Reggaeton, are packed. Unlike clubs in America, there are five or six different styles of dancing in which almost everyone seems to be proficient. To my chagrin, none of them are the Tango. I really wanted to say to someone, “Let’s Tango!” There is even loud music blaring in the streets due to the upcoming elections, along with dancers waving flags associated with a particular party or candidate. It remains to be seen whether the loud music in the streets will end with the elections, but it seems to me that at least the annoying national anthem will subside.
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