Birthday parties usually involve giving a gift.

So if you get invited to a birthday party in Quito, consider bringing a gift. They also dress up for birthday parties, special occasions, and going out. It shows respect.

We’re used to “token” gifts, but that is less common in the culture. Don’t attach a little tea bag to a bar of chocolate with a note that says how they sweeten your life. That’s worse than not giving a gift, and definitely a sign of being “codo” (it means elbow… which means cheap… I don’t know why… all I know is you don’t want to be an elbow…)

I’m trying to tell you to your face so they don’t say it behind your back.

Which I think the funniest thing is that the people there won’t even think that it is a cultural difference, they can’t even comprehend that someone could conceive of acting in a different way or viewing the world in a different way than the way they see the world.

But that was you before you moved to a different country too.

It seems closed-minded (and it is) until you realize that is how we all are, at least for me that started to change when I started to be exposed to and adapt to the beauty and reality of differing cultures. Sometimes there is no right, no wrong, just different. (There is right and wrong in life… there’s just also a lot of grey.)

So just know that parties usually involve gifts, and you don’t have to break the bank but just try to put a little thought in and do something decent. Don’t go crazy, just don’t try to skimp, or if you do just know that it might be a little different. Blame it on your culture (I still do this all the time in other areas… probably a cop-out I confess. Though I do think verbalizing and learning to communicate our differences is a great skill and extremely healthy).