July 20th, 2017
Chamonix - France
Pride is a complicated thing. If used excessively and in the wrong way, it can be dangerous. The world is full of examples where one group of people feels superior than others, as a result of “pride”. I come from a generation of Ecuadorians without that problem. The stigma of a third world (or more politically correct “developing”) country, made us believe that everything that came from abroad was “better” by default. You were out of the average if you felt proud of being Ecuadorian. I don’t know where I stood on that matter when I was a younger, I don’t think I cared much. I never felt special because of the country I was born in, and I never looked up to foreigners as if they were worth more than other human beings.
In the bigger picture of society, there are rich and poor countries (financially speaking), bigger and smaller, and many other fact differences that inevitably are creating codes within the world's dynamics. I personally love when those established codes get broken, when the little guy beats the bigger one...in general when the unexpected happens. I like that, for the pure joy of seeing the chaos, but also, because everytime that happens, it’s a proof that we, as human beings, are capable of taking our destiny into our own hands regardless of expectations. Not long ago, I experienced first hand the existence of such stereotypes, as a result of assumed codes, but more importantly I had the opportunity to prove the stereotype wrong and feel proud at the same time.
Lately I have been traveling around the german part of Switzerland and pretty much, every time that I arrived to huts or hotels to claim my reservation, I repeatedly got the same answers: “We have a reservation for x number of clients and a mountain guide, where’s the mountain guide?” It was funny to see the faces of confusion when I answered: I am the mountain guide, at the same time that I handed them my credentials.
Don’t take me wrong, I am not complaining. I believe that if I was in their’ shoes, maybe I would have had a similar response. I am conscious that I don’t look like an average mountain guide (if that look exist), and certainly not a Swiss guide. However, I couldn't help but feel proud during those moments. I remembered where I came from, how much effort my Ecuadorian colleagues and I have put into adopting international standards, that somehow these experiences, felt like a validation of our process.
In fairness, I must say that the mountain guiding community is not discriminatory. I was able to access my training, because French guides looked beyond their Alps and decided to spread and share the profession around other mountain ranges. Nowadays, I can do the same with aspiring guides in Ecuador, thanks to German guides, who helped me in my process of becoming instructor. Both were cases that demonstrate a very altruistic action. And I must also mention my North American colleagues, with whom I normally work. Since the beginning, when I worked as an assistant guide with some of them, they always treated me as an equal.
In the european huts, a little before dinner time, they serve an aperitive, only for the guides. Every time I get to participate on these rendezvouses, it’s interesting to see how the colleagues look at me, at the beginning with surprise, then with the curiosity that people observe and exotic thing but finally camaraderie. So, to conclude, I want to say that I am proud to belong to an inclusive Union. There’s always exceptions, but in general our community values diversity and faces the challenges with high tolerance and respect. I value that, because those are all qualities that seems to be in danger in certain spheres of the world nowadays.
