Ten Commandments

I've been listening to more podcasts lately. It's a good way for me to stay up on current events (Talk of the Nation and Planet Money on NPR, and the Economist's podcast are all good for that) as well as listen to interesting stories around the US and with secret bits of science worked in (This American Life and Radiolab, both distributed by NPR). This is quite the stretch from the days when Rachel and I would carpool with classmates and beg our mom to turn off NPR as we drove to school. Now I love that it helps me feel up to date on news and happenings in the US, and I have a new appreciation for abstract science concepts- memory, death, sleep, race, etc.

Last week on This American Life, Ira Glass shared stories about people struggling to follow the Ten Commandments in the US. In the prologue, he shared some of the "lesser known" versions- the 10 Commandments of tractor safety, math teachers, etc. Ira inspired me to come up with my own Ten Commandments for life in Ecuador- new fodder for a blog post!

Without further ado, my Ten Commandments for Life in Ecuador:

1. Thou shalt not eat fewer than two banana/plantain products per day.
2. Thou shalt always carry an umbrella.
3. Thou shalt insist with all Ecuadorians that Quito's Cento Histórico is better than any other South     American's country's Centro Histórico.
4. Thou shalt carry small change at all times
5. Thou shalt share all small snacks with every single person in the room.
6. Thou shalt ask taxi drivers how much the trip will cost before getting into the taxi at night.
7. Thou shalt develop a new appreciation for white rice, beans, and a fried egg.
8. Thou shalt be prepared to buy everything delicious that is sold on the bus- candied nuts, ice cream, empanadas, bags of mandarins, yuca bread- be prepared to eat your meal on the bus.
9. Thou shalt always use tourist establishment's bathrooms whenever possible to avoid paying $.15 for a dirty bathroom without a seat.
10. Thou shalt not lose thy patience and thou shalt learn to expect plans to change.

 Those of you who have travelled through Ecuador or other countries, what would you add? Those of you who have dilligently read this blog and know all of my complex feelings about Ecuador, what do you think I've fogotten to mention?