Q & A

Sunday, June 22, 2008

In some countries a certain type of dress code is required. Have you seen this in Ecuador? A 5th grader from Dixon Elementary in Onslow County

Many persons wear uniforms in Ecuador. All school children are required to wear a uniform — a cost that is sometimes prohibitive for those living in rural areas. At El Cerrito, the girls wore light blue skirts and shirts with little ties; the boys wore the same, except for pants instead of skirts. Despite hot weather, all children wore long sleeves. School children spotted in Quito were dressed in green and white. Aside from schools, adults wear many uniforms depending on their profession: janitors, airport workers, butlers in hotels, bus drivers and many more. In many cities, the woman and girls wear exquisite white blouses with embroidery, black skirts and bright wide belts under which they stash personal effects and money. Women and girls carrying infants and even older children, do so in a shawl-type cloth which wraps around their body, with the child held close to their backs. Most men and boys wear dark colored pants and light colored button-up shirts, with the tails neatly tucked in. At the airport today, there were many people dressed in what we would consider more cosmopolitan fashion. Men wore business suits or what is mentioned above, all with prominent belts and large shiny silver buckles. Many women wore pants, some wore fancy dresses. If not dressed in the traditional dress mentioned above, we have seen that many women wear high heel shoes. Altogether the people of Ecuador seem to dress much more neatly than people in the U.S.

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