Marketing calls and meetings

It´s been a crazy week here in Cuenca. We are organizing a seminario so that includes recruiting members and finding sponsors. I have been on 4 sales meetings in the past 2 days. I must admit, I like the striaght forwardness of the business culture here. If a person isn´t interested in your proposal they simply tell you. None of this, ¨oh, I need to think about this, let me get back to you in a week¨ and then the company ignores your phone calls and emails.
We had, or I should say, tried to have meetings with the Organizing Committee (OC). However, when one sets a meeting for let´s say 2:00 you are luck if 1/3 of the people show up by 2:45. It does get frustrating but I´ve been very good at not letting it get to me. As most of you may know I am a punctual person, and appreciate such a virtue, but trying to combate tardiness in Ecuador would be a futile effort. I merely try to set an example and remind my wonderful members that professionalism and punctuality go hand in hand.
The lifestyle in Cuenca is vastly different from that in the rest of Ecuador. I still have yet to ride the bus here. All the AIESECers have cars. There is A LOT of money in this city. However, the people here think they are superior to the rest of Ecuadorians. Kinda like us Torontonians!! The gender relations in La Sierra are much better than those in La Costa. The men atually help around the house and cook. Unlike in La Costa when they do nothing expect drink too much on the weekends. This country never ceases to suprise me. It´s the same size as Colorado, yet, it has three distinct regions which are three differect worlds.

Until next time,
Steph