MIA Spotlight
Zabala-Roberts Describes Life in Ecuador
by: Carolina Mata
Ecuador, located in the Northwest
region of the South American conti
nent, is the size of North Carolina. It
has three main regions: coastal,
jungle, and the highlands. The lan
guages spoken are Spanish and
Quechua, the latter spoken by the
Indians who, along with the Mesti
zos, make up 75% of the population.
Like most other Latin American
countries, Ecuador is Catholic and
full of warm, friendly people.
This colorful country is repre
sented at Meredith by the equally
colorful Gabriela Zabala-Roberts.
Zabala-Roberts says she admires the
campus and the opportunity to learn
from courses that promote the spiri
tual and intellectual growth of
women. When she compares
Meredith to colleges in her country,
2^bala-Roberts states that more
colleges in Ecuador are public, but
that higha* education is not as wide
spread due to the economic and
political problems in the country.
Even though women of the upper
and middle classes pursue profes
sional careers, many still choose
family over work. As Zabala-
Roberts says, “Marriage there is still
considered a career and has been
chosen by many.” There are a few
women, however, who reach execu
tive positions, including government
appointments to the administration
of the recently elected President
Rodrigo Borjas. Even though
women are still considered inferior
to men, paid less, taught to please
husbands and raise children, Zabala-
Roberts feels this attitude is chang
ing and women are looking for other
ways to be fulfilled.
^uador, like other countries, tries
to imitate the United States, espe
cially in the consumption of mate
rial goods. But, due to slow eco
nomic development, it does not have
the capability to keep up with the
ever changing technical complexi
ties of today. “That is good,” she
adds, “because it’s important for us
to keep our own traditions and cul
ture.” Zabala-Roberts believes,
however, that the United States could
profit from Ecuador’s mix of the
primitive and the technological.
If you think frog legs are unappe
tizing, then you wouldn’t want to try
two of the typical dishes in Ecuador
- roasted guinea pigs and “Mon-
dongo,” a broth made of calves’ feet
and vegetables. Another typical dish
is potato pancakes with cheese and a
vegetable called “Achiote,” the
Ecuadorian equivalent of Paprika.
Learning about other women has
led Zabala-Roberts to understand
herselfbetteras well. She has been
met by a supportive faculty here at
Meredith. Attending a co-ed medi
cal school in Brazil in her 20’s was
“no fun” compared to her experi
ences at Meredith. She says, “The
benefits fo being with younger and
older women is a learning experi
ence I will never forget.”
For Your Infor
mation
Speech 350/ Oral Communica
tions for Business and the Profes
sions (3 credit hours) was accidently
left off the schedule of classes for
Spring 1990. If you are interested in
the class, go by the Registrar's office
for more information.
The above photo shows Gabriela Zabala-Roberts with
her husband and two children.