House Rental vs. Condo Rental: Each person and or family has different needs and preferences when it comes to renting abroad and this video shows you some of those differences that some people might like to know, such as advantages and disadvantages of renting either a detached house or a condo with 24/7 security. Only you can decide which is BETTER for you and your situation and preferences.
Welcome to Gringo Good Samaritans, integrated with our 8 years of living in Cuenca Ecuador and traveling the world. We create informative videos and articles helping people come to awareness of what's happening in our world so they can enjoy their retire early lifestyle with their families, healthy, happy and free!
Showing posts with label gringos in ecuador. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gringos in ecuador. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Cuenca Ecuador Expats Beaten-up by Copycat Media Reports - So What’s the Agenda?
Do you feel beaten-up by the media lately? In just the last few weeks we have seen several articles written and a video on YouTube about the behaviors of expats “wrecking havoc”, (LOL) in Cuenca Ecuador. hahahahahaha
Wrecking Havoc? Now that’s dramatic.
When we read and study these bits of prose it becomes increasingly apparent that this article and video are just overblown media hype to garner reactions from the expat community. Don’t tell anyone but I think it is working. The article has over 1,500 comments at the bottom of it, mostly from expats and potential expats becoming defensive and blaming one another.
It all seems like very well-planned agendas to keep people out or to keep a certain type of people out; maybe the lower pension retirees?
In her article the city of Cuenca was quoted as saying “We didn’t mean for Cuenca to become a retirement destination”.
Oh really? We’ve all been fooled then.
Let’s take a look at the article.
Source: http://www.breitbart.com/
TITLE: US Baby Boomers Gentrifying Socialist Ecuador and Threatening the Stability of its Welfare State
The title implies expats are selfish and snotty.
Excuse me, but I had to look up the word “gentrify” I’ve never heard of it before and I read a lot. My Microsoft Word didn’t even have the word in its vocabulary either. C’mon Bill Gates, what’s the matter with you?
New writers often use difficult wording in their prose because they think it makes them look like better writers. But actually, it makes them look like newbie writers.
WE looked up the definition just in case you were wondering too.
GENTRIFY – renovate and improve (especially a house or district) so that it conforms to middle-class taste.
We could dissect this silly article and video to death but that’s not really what this blog post is about. We just want to know the reasons for publishing hearsay, and not to mention that it is “old news” and that they were published in the span of just a few days apart from each other.
You and I both know the information reported is overblown and not entirely accurate. And that is why we call it hearsay because after something has been mentioned over and over and over again, the wording evolves and transforms the content in such a manner it is not what it was or how it actually happened to begin with.
Have you ever wondered how a complete stranger that does not even live here (Ecuador) has the credence to be an authority over the behaviors of expats in a certain retirement city?
Who is the writer? Where is the credibility? We do not see any. However, expats are reposting these silly reports all over the Internet like she has some kind of influence over the behaviors of some expats in Cuenca Ecuador…and people are eating it up…gobble…gobble!
What’s truly strange about the article and the video (we got a good laugh) is the subject matter of what they are reporting on is NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. In fact we’ve been talking about this very same stuff going on almost since the beginning of our Discover Cuenca Ecuador blog years ago...and we live here.
Here’s what’s weird: The article above is from a journalist who, after looking over her dossier only reports about political upheaval, political destruction and terror in countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Philippines and the UK…and now...and now…are you ready for this folks?
Here goes…and now among all of her politically violent articles there is one amongst all of this terror where her focus is on a small expat community and the expats that live there not learning the language.
Woopdeedoo!
We really are laughing out loud and you should be too.
How in the world can this petty news piece of some expat retirees in Cuenca Ecuador compare to her other stuff about innocent people and children getting bombed and political content with violent terror attacks across parts of the world thousands of miles away? I am at a loss for words; it’s so shamefully disgraceful.
What she reported is nothing new to any of us; its old news reported years prior on several expat blogs, including ours. Why dredge up old news and then gossip about it?
Seriously guys, where are they getting their information from? If not copying from the bloggers, who actually live here? Just change the wording around and hype it up a bit and "walah", just like that, you got an article and a video. Wow.
But we say, expats care, tourist don't.
And then there is the video. The video is an assortment of clips from old media reports and expat videos dated as far back as 2012. There is absolutely nothing in the video that we didn’t already know; the video is also confusing, misleading, and inaccurate and slanted just to name a few.
Video Title and Source: Gringolandia: Cuenca, Ecuador -Locals Complain Over Influx of White English Speaking People
The title is not only silly but sounds racist. The title is making us laugh our heads off. hahahahaha Locals complain over the influx of White English Speaking People. Why does it matter if the people are red, yellow, brown grey, black, white or blue?
Really, some locals are complaining? Why is that even news? This sediment has been written about 5 years ago. It happens in all the paradise cities that the Retire Abroad Magazines (RAM) promote.
If you think Cuenca Ecuador is the only retirement destination feeling the tourist crunch because of being labeled the “BEST PLACE to LIVE” in the world then please do some more research. It’s happening everywhere, Costa Rica, Panama, D.R, and now Colombia…There’s consequences to notoriety and now they have to deal with the consequences, including Cuenca Ecuador.
BACK to the VIDEO: Who is this person? Take a look at the videos he usually makes. Very political and opinionated videos trying to sway people and then out of the blue like the journalist above he makes a video that is so unlike all the rest of his videos about a small expat community in Cuenca Ecuador.
Are you confused like we are?
On another note, is the city of Cuenca behaving hospitable as they are quoted as saying “We didn’t mean for Cuenca to become a retirement destination”. Do you feel warm and fuzzy when you read that?
You did not intend on Cuenca being a retirement haven? Oh really, you had us fooled and probably thousands of others fooled too.
The International Relations Director for Ecuador is quoted as telling the Herald, “Cuencanos are feeling like strangers in their own city”.
Feeling like a stranger in a city of 350,000 population and maybe 10,000 permanent gringos. (and our guess for permanent expats is high).
How can Cuencanos tell the difference between a tourist and permanent expat anyway?
Well, THEY CAN”T.
What is more believable is all the tourists that come in every day, week, month, year to Cuenca behaving selfishly, and local and expat real estate agents driving up rents, and these tourists becoming agitated and upset because they do not speak a lick of Spanish because they're on vacation and all they care about is having a good time for themselves and then they leave, and a new set of “without a care” tourists arrive right behind them and the cycle starts all over again.
Expats care, tourists don’t.
Think about it. It is much more believable that hundreds of thousands of different tourists arriving daily, monthly, yearly to Cuenca Ecuador is going to be more of an impairment on the city and how the locals feel than a few thousand permanent residents that live here.
Expats care, tourists don’t.
So, aside from the in-hospitality of Ecuador changing VISA requirements recently and compelling foreign residents to have health insurance, and saying they didn’t intend on Cuenca being a retirement city, the only thing that makes these two reports stand out from all the rest is that they come from “off the cuff”, oddball copycat media sources and right on the heels of one another, while (sadly) some expats are reposting these hearsay reports all over the Internet because they think it’s NEW news.
But it’s not NEW news, its old, transformed news made to look like NEW news.
This does give us time to reflect on what being a respectful expat means. We all makes mistakes and to err is to be human, however to make the same mistakes over and over again or to try and change something or someone that we have no right to change is erring over and over again.
Uprooting ones life and moving to a totally different culture is difficult and can be challenge for most people...patience and kindness are virtues that are much needed from all of us, no matter where we live in the world....we still believe that most Ecuadorians welcome us to their country so don't get too serious over it.
Thanks guys, see ya next article or VLOG. If this article interests you, then you'll like these too. The first one is a must read if anyone is still confused, angry or blaming others because of these silly copycat reports..
PS...
We just want
to say that because gossip grows in steps with each new report, it turns it
into misinformation and can ruin the reputation of a person or a group of people which
is what is now happening with the expats that live in Cuenca. The reports that are coming out are totally warped and misleading thousands of people. Thanks to copycats.
Hello Friends!
We have posted great information several times per week for 6 years about crucial insights and every day life experiences that provide the other side of living abroad. From us, you'll get REALITY. We are now making exclusive videos for our devoted followers who are ready for the big move abroad and need a deeper understanding of life in a developing country; to find out more come see us on Patreon.
Wrecking Havoc? Now that’s dramatic.
When we read and study these bits of prose it becomes increasingly apparent that this article and video are just overblown media hype to garner reactions from the expat community. Don’t tell anyone but I think it is working. The article has over 1,500 comments at the bottom of it, mostly from expats and potential expats becoming defensive and blaming one another.
It all seems like very well-planned agendas to keep people out or to keep a certain type of people out; maybe the lower pension retirees?
In her article the city of Cuenca was quoted as saying “We didn’t mean for Cuenca to become a retirement destination”.
Oh really? We’ve all been fooled then.
Let’s take a look at the article.
Source: http://www.breitbart.com/
TITLE: US Baby Boomers Gentrifying Socialist Ecuador and Threatening the Stability of its Welfare State
The title implies expats are selfish and snotty.
Excuse me, but I had to look up the word “gentrify” I’ve never heard of it before and I read a lot. My Microsoft Word didn’t even have the word in its vocabulary either. C’mon Bill Gates, what’s the matter with you?
New writers often use difficult wording in their prose because they think it makes them look like better writers. But actually, it makes them look like newbie writers.
WE looked up the definition just in case you were wondering too.
GENTRIFY – renovate and improve (especially a house or district) so that it conforms to middle-class taste.
We could dissect this silly article and video to death but that’s not really what this blog post is about. We just want to know the reasons for publishing hearsay, and not to mention that it is “old news” and that they were published in the span of just a few days apart from each other.
You and I both know the information reported is overblown and not entirely accurate. And that is why we call it hearsay because after something has been mentioned over and over and over again, the wording evolves and transforms the content in such a manner it is not what it was or how it actually happened to begin with.
Have you ever wondered how a complete stranger that does not even live here (Ecuador) has the credence to be an authority over the behaviors of expats in a certain retirement city?
Who is the writer? Where is the credibility? We do not see any. However, expats are reposting these silly reports all over the Internet like she has some kind of influence over the behaviors of some expats in Cuenca Ecuador…and people are eating it up…gobble…gobble!
What’s truly strange about the article and the video (we got a good laugh) is the subject matter of what they are reporting on is NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. In fact we’ve been talking about this very same stuff going on almost since the beginning of our Discover Cuenca Ecuador blog years ago...and we live here.
Here’s what’s weird: The article above is from a journalist who, after looking over her dossier only reports about political upheaval, political destruction and terror in countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Philippines and the UK…and now...and now…are you ready for this folks?
Here goes…and now among all of her politically violent articles there is one amongst all of this terror where her focus is on a small expat community and the expats that live there not learning the language.
Woopdeedoo!
We really are laughing out loud and you should be too.
How in the world can this petty news piece of some expat retirees in Cuenca Ecuador compare to her other stuff about innocent people and children getting bombed and political content with violent terror attacks across parts of the world thousands of miles away? I am at a loss for words; it’s so shamefully disgraceful.
What she reported is nothing new to any of us; its old news reported years prior on several expat blogs, including ours. Why dredge up old news and then gossip about it?
Seriously guys, where are they getting their information from? If not copying from the bloggers, who actually live here? Just change the wording around and hype it up a bit and "walah", just like that, you got an article and a video. Wow.
But we say, expats care, tourist don't.
And then there is the video. The video is an assortment of clips from old media reports and expat videos dated as far back as 2012. There is absolutely nothing in the video that we didn’t already know; the video is also confusing, misleading, and inaccurate and slanted just to name a few.
Video Title and Source: Gringolandia: Cuenca, Ecuador -Locals Complain Over Influx of White English Speaking People
The title is not only silly but sounds racist. The title is making us laugh our heads off. hahahahaha Locals complain over the influx of White English Speaking People. Why does it matter if the people are red, yellow, brown grey, black, white or blue?
Really, some locals are complaining? Why is that even news? This sediment has been written about 5 years ago. It happens in all the paradise cities that the Retire Abroad Magazines (RAM) promote.
If you think Cuenca Ecuador is the only retirement destination feeling the tourist crunch because of being labeled the “BEST PLACE to LIVE” in the world then please do some more research. It’s happening everywhere, Costa Rica, Panama, D.R, and now Colombia…There’s consequences to notoriety and now they have to deal with the consequences, including Cuenca Ecuador.
BACK to the VIDEO: Who is this person? Take a look at the videos he usually makes. Very political and opinionated videos trying to sway people and then out of the blue like the journalist above he makes a video that is so unlike all the rest of his videos about a small expat community in Cuenca Ecuador.
Are you confused like we are?
On another note, is the city of Cuenca behaving hospitable as they are quoted as saying “We didn’t mean for Cuenca to become a retirement destination”. Do you feel warm and fuzzy when you read that?
You did not intend on Cuenca being a retirement haven? Oh really, you had us fooled and probably thousands of others fooled too.
The International Relations Director for Ecuador is quoted as telling the Herald, “Cuencanos are feeling like strangers in their own city”.
Feeling like a stranger in a city of 350,000 population and maybe 10,000 permanent gringos. (and our guess for permanent expats is high).
How can Cuencanos tell the difference between a tourist and permanent expat anyway?
Well, THEY CAN”T.
What is more believable is all the tourists that come in every day, week, month, year to Cuenca behaving selfishly, and local and expat real estate agents driving up rents, and these tourists becoming agitated and upset because they do not speak a lick of Spanish because they're on vacation and all they care about is having a good time for themselves and then they leave, and a new set of “without a care” tourists arrive right behind them and the cycle starts all over again.
Expats care, tourists don’t.
Think about it. It is much more believable that hundreds of thousands of different tourists arriving daily, monthly, yearly to Cuenca Ecuador is going to be more of an impairment on the city and how the locals feel than a few thousand permanent residents that live here.
Expats care, tourists don’t.
So, aside from the in-hospitality of Ecuador changing VISA requirements recently and compelling foreign residents to have health insurance, and saying they didn’t intend on Cuenca being a retirement city, the only thing that makes these two reports stand out from all the rest is that they come from “off the cuff”, oddball copycat media sources and right on the heels of one another, while (sadly) some expats are reposting these hearsay reports all over the Internet because they think it’s NEW news.
But it’s not NEW news, its old, transformed news made to look like NEW news.
This does give us time to reflect on what being a respectful expat means. We all makes mistakes and to err is to be human, however to make the same mistakes over and over again or to try and change something or someone that we have no right to change is erring over and over again.
Uprooting ones life and moving to a totally different culture is difficult and can be challenge for most people...patience and kindness are virtues that are much needed from all of us, no matter where we live in the world....we still believe that most Ecuadorians welcome us to their country so don't get too serious over it.
Thanks guys, see ya next article or VLOG. If this article interests you, then you'll like these too. The first one is a must read if anyone is still confused, angry or blaming others because of these silly copycat reports..
PS...
We just want
to say that because gossip grows in steps with each new report, it turns it
into misinformation and can ruin the reputation of a person or a group of people which
is what is now happening with the expats that live in Cuenca. The reports that are coming out are totally warped and misleading thousands of people. Thanks to copycats.
Hello Friends!
We have posted great information several times per week for 6 years about crucial insights and every day life experiences that provide the other side of living abroad. From us, you'll get REALITY. We are now making exclusive videos for our devoted followers who are ready for the big move abroad and need a deeper understanding of life in a developing country; to find out more come see us on Patreon.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Save Money Mercado Shopping & What We Don't Buy There
In this video we answer a couple of readers questions and talk about how much you can save shopping at the Mercado. We also talk about what we don't buy at the Mercado. One reader asks: Is it possible to find furnished rental under $500 for a couple on a Social Security income? And as always, we're taking a wonderful walk on the beach in warm and sometimes sunny Salinas.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We lived in Cuenca Ecuador for five years and now we are in Salinas Ecuador where our adventure continues.We vlog several times per week where we share crucial insights and every day experiences to help others see what its really like to live in a Latin American country.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We lived in Cuenca Ecuador for five years and now we are in Salinas Ecuador where our adventure continues.We vlog several times per week where we share crucial insights and every day experiences to help others see what its really like to live in a Latin American country.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
2 Different Camps Move Abroad; Which One Are You In?
To the camp of big city slickers: remember you're still in kindergarten. To the camp from normal land: This is what you are competing with.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Friday, May 13, 2016
Frugal Abroad Part 2 - It Can Be Challenging in Tourist Destinations
Trying to stay frugal has it's challenges and especially in Tourist spots. What are the solutions? Watch this video and find out.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Reader Shares Her Annoyances and Challenges of Living in Ecuador
Note: this post taken from a commenter to one of our videos, “Simple Pleasures of Living in Cuenca Ecuador”. Click here to watch the video and read the comment.
Hi Frank/Angie: I truly enjoy your blog. “Your blog is spot on about the simple pleasures and the little annoyances about coming here; I thought I'd let you know about other very minute differences and/or challenges when someone considers possibly living here (you may or may not agree with me):
(1) Toilet Paper/Paper Towels, no matter the cost, are really CHEAP (as in low quality)!!! They fall apart the moment a drop of water falls on them.
Frank and Angie respond: we concur and it seems to be all scented with perfume!
(2) Back home, you may clean your house 1-2X per week; here, be prepared to dust/mop every single day (very dusty here), and be sure to consume food only in the kitchen/eating area (no eating in bedrooms), otherwise you may encounter some "uninvited guests" in your home (happened to me 2x).
Frank and Angie respond: we agree, it’s dusty, especially when living off a road that is not paved. We just got back from the coast of Ecuador and you’re right about the little critters over there and crumbs. The ants were atrocious…and cockroaches too. Yikes. Cuenca not so bad…Cuenca has spiders. :-{
(3) learn to cook from scratch; not only is prepared food expensive, but contains many ingredients you may not want.
Frank and Angie respond: we totally agree! Price of imported foods is high here. We’ve been cooking from scratch for 30 years so we’re used to it. The food in Ecuador is going to be taxed even more now. Brace yourselves. One of my sons said it well, “The only thing that is cheap in Cuenca is the produce”. But now, even some of that is going up in price.
(4) If you make a purchase (clothes, small electronics, etc), make sure you really want it, as it is NOT so easy to make returns as it is in the US.
Frank and Angie respond: Yes, we figured that out early on in 2011 and it is still true today in 2016. Although, we have been able to exchange a few items, which they are much better about. When we made a large electronic purchase a few years ago, we made sure to get it in writing that we got 48-hours to try/test out the product to make sure it was in good working order and they (La Victoria) honored it. Although we had to negotiate that time frame as they initially only wanted to give you only a same day return if you took it home and it didn’t work.
(5) You mentioned it many times, but there certainly is price shock here (4 pieces of sliced prosciutto $6!!) Ecuador definitely is NOT cheap for those who think they can still have the purchasing power they do in US!!
Frank and Angie respond: I know, and many newcomers would agree. We read all the time about how expats continue to eat their favorite brands of foods (if they can find them) and then realize their grocery bill is almost as high or even higher then it was in North America! Its pretty consistent to see only people from super expensive large metro areas describe this place as cheap. Compared to more reasonably priced areas as the u.s. Midwest etc. its about the same or higher.
(6) As a young mother, I was used to hop in my car, put baby in car seat, and go to the mall or wherever I needed to go with relative ease; not so here…definitely need to "buddy up" with someone, as young women out and about alone are easy targets for not-so-pleasant things to occur to you... Keep the anecdotes and experiences coming, and I hope to meet you guys soon!
Frank and Angie respond: Yes, we totally agree and we have expounded on this subject many, many times, but it is difficult to try and tell others how they should behave when they move here. It seems that something bad has to happen to some people first before they will listen to caution and reason.
Until we write again, you might like to read these articles about moving to and living in Ecuador.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Hi Frank/Angie: I truly enjoy your blog. “Your blog is spot on about the simple pleasures and the little annoyances about coming here; I thought I'd let you know about other very minute differences and/or challenges when someone considers possibly living here (you may or may not agree with me):
(1) Toilet Paper/Paper Towels, no matter the cost, are really CHEAP (as in low quality)!!! They fall apart the moment a drop of water falls on them.
Frank and Angie respond: we concur and it seems to be all scented with perfume!
(2) Back home, you may clean your house 1-2X per week; here, be prepared to dust/mop every single day (very dusty here), and be sure to consume food only in the kitchen/eating area (no eating in bedrooms), otherwise you may encounter some "uninvited guests" in your home (happened to me 2x).
Frank and Angie respond: we agree, it’s dusty, especially when living off a road that is not paved. We just got back from the coast of Ecuador and you’re right about the little critters over there and crumbs. The ants were atrocious…and cockroaches too. Yikes. Cuenca not so bad…Cuenca has spiders. :-{
(3) learn to cook from scratch; not only is prepared food expensive, but contains many ingredients you may not want.
Frank and Angie respond: we totally agree! Price of imported foods is high here. We’ve been cooking from scratch for 30 years so we’re used to it. The food in Ecuador is going to be taxed even more now. Brace yourselves. One of my sons said it well, “The only thing that is cheap in Cuenca is the produce”. But now, even some of that is going up in price.
(4) If you make a purchase (clothes, small electronics, etc), make sure you really want it, as it is NOT so easy to make returns as it is in the US.
Frank and Angie respond: Yes, we figured that out early on in 2011 and it is still true today in 2016. Although, we have been able to exchange a few items, which they are much better about. When we made a large electronic purchase a few years ago, we made sure to get it in writing that we got 48-hours to try/test out the product to make sure it was in good working order and they (La Victoria) honored it. Although we had to negotiate that time frame as they initially only wanted to give you only a same day return if you took it home and it didn’t work.
(5) You mentioned it many times, but there certainly is price shock here (4 pieces of sliced prosciutto $6!!) Ecuador definitely is NOT cheap for those who think they can still have the purchasing power they do in US!!
Frank and Angie respond: I know, and many newcomers would agree. We read all the time about how expats continue to eat their favorite brands of foods (if they can find them) and then realize their grocery bill is almost as high or even higher then it was in North America! Its pretty consistent to see only people from super expensive large metro areas describe this place as cheap. Compared to more reasonably priced areas as the u.s. Midwest etc. its about the same or higher.
(6) As a young mother, I was used to hop in my car, put baby in car seat, and go to the mall or wherever I needed to go with relative ease; not so here…definitely need to "buddy up" with someone, as young women out and about alone are easy targets for not-so-pleasant things to occur to you... Keep the anecdotes and experiences coming, and I hope to meet you guys soon!
Frank and Angie respond: Yes, we totally agree and we have expounded on this subject many, many times, but it is difficult to try and tell others how they should behave when they move here. It seems that something bad has to happen to some people first before they will listen to caution and reason.
Until we write again, you might like to read these articles about moving to and living in Ecuador.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Stranded in No Man's Land, Saved by Ecuadorians - Salinas Ecuador
After walking a couple of miles in the heat of the desert and then waiting for the taxi, we were thrilled when a young Ecuadorian family graciously offered to give us a ride back to Salinas.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Friday, April 1, 2016
A Day Out in Madre Parque & El Centro - Cuenca Ecuador
We're enjoying another day out in Cuenca Ecuador. This is a typical day out walking around in the city of Cuenca; you never know what you might see and hear.
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
We're an Expat Family of Five, Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy Abroad. We live in Cuenca, Ecuador and travel the Ecuador coast whenever we get a chance. We just adventured throughout the country of Panama for five weeks! Come along and enjoy some of our experiences with us!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
There Are Two Different Kinds of Gringos in Cuenca Ecuador UPDATED 2016
We are in the process of updating all of our material (this article first published August 2011) about Cuenca Ecuador that needs updated and this one sure needs it. It's a big job because we have been sharing 'what it's like to really live abroad' on a consistent basis for a number of years, so we have lots of informative content about retiring here so you can get a better idea if Ecuador is right for you. We can't make the decision for you but we can sure help.
New updates will be in red text.
Update 2016 - The title to this post seems to need a little clarification to us five years later, but rather than change it, we're just going to let you know what has changed.
In actuality, there are many different kinds of gringos that move to Cuenca, not just two. Every individual and every family is different in their own way because each couple or family has their own reasons why they want to move to Cuenca and how they are going to live when they get here.
There are two different kinds of gringos that move to Cuenca Ecuador. And there is nothing wrong with either kind of gringo except for this is Latin America with a much, much different cultural mind-set and so coming here and behaving like one does in the USA will cause issues and maybe negative consequences for them.
There are those that "mesh in" with the culture and don’t allow the slower pace to bother them; they become a part of Cuenca Ecuador and enjoy the family oriented culture and way of life.
Then there are those who come here and remain indifferent to the way things are done and always complain and really aren’t happy people. If they can’t find their Skippy peanut butter or brand of bologna on the store shelf they become frustrated. This is where the label of "ugly American" came from. We think the term is rather disparaging to say the least; a better way to see it is there are people who come here and do not know what they're really getting into. Why am I telling you this? Well, many people have this mistaken belief that life here is going to be like it is in North America.
Update 2016 - We do not expect 100% integration. We've written about how for a foreigner to totally integrate into a foreign culture it would mean to change your ideals and beliefs and that is something that most people cannot do and shouldn't necessarily do! The word "integrate" defined is not the same as 'going local'.
For example, integrate means that if you take the color blue and mix it with green it becomes a whole new color by combining the two colors into one new color of teal. There is no more blue and there is no more green; its now the color TEAL. That's what integrate means, so we stopped using that term as it is not appropriate wording.
It is different here; not in a bad way, at least not for us, but some people have moved from Ecuador because they don’t like the Ecuadorian fare of rice, chicken, beans, and corn. Some folks, who live here, complain about the food being bland. It's funny because people will ask about the "food" and we respond: "its very good" but then figure out they meant restaurants and we were referring to natural fresh food cooked at home. We say, cook at home and be happy!
The availability of international restaurant fare in the states has people expecting and/or wanting that same availability here. They do have international restaurants here and more are popping up all the time but you will pay international prices and the international restaurants do not give you very much food, as you'll soon discover. You can buy everything you need here in the Supermaxi store to make your own favorite meals at home.
Some people move away because they are afraid to walk outside of their gated community, which after awhile they end up feeling restricted by that. The problem is they are restricting themselves by living in fear.
We do not live in a gated community or in gringlandia and we've never had any crime issues with us or in our neighborhood we live in. We love to walk and we walk all over the place in Cuenca. We live on the west side and walk to Supermaxi, Coral, and have even walk several miles downtown a couple of times a week, to the historic district and we feel safe. But keep in mind: We never walk alone; we never walk at night; we never walk with purses and fat wallets; we don’t wear expensive jewelry or dress like tourists, we dress like everyone else.
Update 2016 - In late 2015 for several months, every week on a consistent basis, we had some burglar problems but ever since we ramped up security, it's no more. Things can change at any moment. And we've learned how to plug some of the holes that were making us vulnerable.
Some gringos never find that comfort level while living here because they came to Cuenca with rose-colored glasses on and have too high of standards about living here. For instance, they don’t buy produce from the local farmers in the outdoor markets, such as Feria Libre because they don’t like walking on dirt floors, or they don’t like the fishy smells from the fish vendors, or they don’t understand basic Spanish and therefore, can’t interact and bargain with the vendors or farmers.
Update 2016 - We don't blame them about not liking the fish and meat smells. At first Feria Libre is like a tourist attraction; its fun to go there and see all the variety of produce and negotiate but after awhile its not that neat anymore, especially after seeing you can get almost the same prices at a regular grocery store chain that is clean, no smells, no fear of pick-pockets, no gringo gouging because everything has a fixed price at the grocery store. Let's face it, it's easier and less burdensome to shop at the nicer grocery stores.
In fact, we don't think that shopping at the local Mercados is a panacea for going local!
Some gringos spend just about as much as they do in North America for their cost of living because they don’t really know any other way to live. They live in the luxury high rise condos (luxury to Ecuador standards, not North American standards) at $700 to $1,200 a month, they eat out in the International Restaurants, they buy their produce and imported favorite foods at the grocery store Supermaxi, and fill up their apartment with expensive furniture before ever seeing if they are going to want to live here!
Now, what's wrong with this picture? People really need to live here for at least 6-months, preferably a year, to really know if Ecuador is for them.
We've read some forums where the gringos living here were complaining that the cost of living was expensive just as if they were living in North America.
Surprise, surprise!
UPDATE October 2014 - We still pay $250 monthly for our rent. Update March 2016: We still live in the same house same rent.
Yes, there are two different kinds of gringos living here in Cuenca. The ones that come here with rose colored glasses and just aren’t ready for the change of pace and the different ways that things are done here. They aren't bad and they aren't ugly, they just don't know of any other way to handle their dissatisfaction. They complain a lot on the blogs and forums and that's ok. Everyone complains once in awhile.
Update 2016 - The situation becomes ugly is when expats take their frustrations out on the local people and try to change the culture. This is blatant disrespect and these type of people should not be here. We do not mean that in a bad way but how some expats behave toward locals does affect how locals see us all.
Then there are those that did their research, and can see past the different ways of doing things, which is actually pretty cool, and they just live and let live. You know, be happy and be blessed! This is a a part of what going local is: until we can "live and let live" we will not be able to go local and we will not be able to be respectful residents either. Life in Ecuador takes some adjustments and some people are more flexible than others...that's all that means. Ecuador is not for everyone.
Cuenca has some great people, a great culture, and is a beautiful city with gorgeous mountains and countryside. You can live here for far less if you take your time doing things, learn Spanish, enjoy family time at the dinner table for three hours, and live the manana (tomorrow) way of life.
If you're coming here to scope Cuenca out, or to live, you best get the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide so you can SAVE money, ENJOY your time here and RELAX. The Guide will take you where you need to go! Just go read what everyone is saying!
Until we write again, you might like to read some of our related articles about the subject of going local in a foreign country.
We're an expat family of five living frugal, healthy and happy in Cuenca Ecuador. We vlog about what its really like to live abroad. We leave out the hype and tell it like it is through our experiences. So come and join us and you will soon come to know if moving to Cuenca Ecuador or any other Latin American country is for you.
New updates will be in red text.
Update 2016 - The title to this post seems to need a little clarification to us five years later, but rather than change it, we're just going to let you know what has changed.
In actuality, there are many different kinds of gringos that move to Cuenca, not just two. Every individual and every family is different in their own way because each couple or family has their own reasons why they want to move to Cuenca and how they are going to live when they get here.
There are two different kinds of gringos that move to Cuenca Ecuador. And there is nothing wrong with either kind of gringo except for this is Latin America with a much, much different cultural mind-set and so coming here and behaving like one does in the USA will cause issues and maybe negative consequences for them.
There are those that "mesh in" with the culture and don’t allow the slower pace to bother them; they become a part of Cuenca Ecuador and enjoy the family oriented culture and way of life. Then there are those who come here and remain indifferent to the way things are done and always complain and really aren’t happy people. If they can’t find their Skippy peanut butter or brand of bologna on the store shelf they become frustrated. This is where the label of "ugly American" came from. We think the term is rather disparaging to say the least; a better way to see it is there are people who come here and do not know what they're really getting into. Why am I telling you this? Well, many people have this mistaken belief that life here is going to be like it is in North America.
Update 2016 - We do not expect 100% integration. We've written about how for a foreigner to totally integrate into a foreign culture it would mean to change your ideals and beliefs and that is something that most people cannot do and shouldn't necessarily do! The word "integrate" defined is not the same as 'going local'.
For example, integrate means that if you take the color blue and mix it with green it becomes a whole new color by combining the two colors into one new color of teal. There is no more blue and there is no more green; its now the color TEAL. That's what integrate means, so we stopped using that term as it is not appropriate wording.
It is different here; not in a bad way, at least not for us, but some people have moved from Ecuador because they don’t like the Ecuadorian fare of rice, chicken, beans, and corn. Some folks, who live here, complain about the food being bland. It's funny because people will ask about the "food" and we respond: "its very good" but then figure out they meant restaurants and we were referring to natural fresh food cooked at home. We say, cook at home and be happy!
The availability of international restaurant fare in the states has people expecting and/or wanting that same availability here. They do have international restaurants here and more are popping up all the time but you will pay international prices and the international restaurants do not give you very much food, as you'll soon discover. You can buy everything you need here in the Supermaxi store to make your own favorite meals at home.
Some people move away because they are afraid to walk outside of their gated community, which after awhile they end up feeling restricted by that. The problem is they are restricting themselves by living in fear.
We do not live in a gated community or in gringlandia and we've never had any crime issues with us or in our neighborhood we live in. We love to walk and we walk all over the place in Cuenca. We live on the west side and walk to Supermaxi, Coral, and have even walk several miles downtown a couple of times a week, to the historic district and we feel safe. But keep in mind: We never walk alone; we never walk at night; we never walk with purses and fat wallets; we don’t wear expensive jewelry or dress like tourists, we dress like everyone else.
Update 2016 - In late 2015 for several months, every week on a consistent basis, we had some burglar problems but ever since we ramped up security, it's no more. Things can change at any moment. And we've learned how to plug some of the holes that were making us vulnerable.
Some gringos never find that comfort level while living here because they came to Cuenca with rose-colored glasses on and have too high of standards about living here. For instance, they don’t buy produce from the local farmers in the outdoor markets, such as Feria Libre because they don’t like walking on dirt floors, or they don’t like the fishy smells from the fish vendors, or they don’t understand basic Spanish and therefore, can’t interact and bargain with the vendors or farmers.
Update 2016 - We don't blame them about not liking the fish and meat smells. At first Feria Libre is like a tourist attraction; its fun to go there and see all the variety of produce and negotiate but after awhile its not that neat anymore, especially after seeing you can get almost the same prices at a regular grocery store chain that is clean, no smells, no fear of pick-pockets, no gringo gouging because everything has a fixed price at the grocery store. Let's face it, it's easier and less burdensome to shop at the nicer grocery stores.
In fact, we don't think that shopping at the local Mercados is a panacea for going local!
Some gringos spend just about as much as they do in North America for their cost of living because they don’t really know any other way to live. They live in the luxury high rise condos (luxury to Ecuador standards, not North American standards) at $700 to $1,200 a month, they eat out in the International Restaurants, they buy their produce and imported favorite foods at the grocery store Supermaxi, and fill up their apartment with expensive furniture before ever seeing if they are going to want to live here!
Now, what's wrong with this picture? People really need to live here for at least 6-months, preferably a year, to really know if Ecuador is for them.
We've read some forums where the gringos living here were complaining that the cost of living was expensive just as if they were living in North America.
Surprise, surprise!
UPDATE October 2014 - We still pay $250 monthly for our rent. Update March 2016: We still live in the same house same rent.
Yes, there are two different kinds of gringos living here in Cuenca. The ones that come here with rose colored glasses and just aren’t ready for the change of pace and the different ways that things are done here. They aren't bad and they aren't ugly, they just don't know of any other way to handle their dissatisfaction. They complain a lot on the blogs and forums and that's ok. Everyone complains once in awhile.
Update 2016 - The situation becomes ugly is when expats take their frustrations out on the local people and try to change the culture. This is blatant disrespect and these type of people should not be here. We do not mean that in a bad way but how some expats behave toward locals does affect how locals see us all.
Then there are those that did their research, and can see past the different ways of doing things, which is actually pretty cool, and they just live and let live. You know, be happy and be blessed! This is a a part of what going local is: until we can "live and let live" we will not be able to go local and we will not be able to be respectful residents either. Life in Ecuador takes some adjustments and some people are more flexible than others...that's all that means. Ecuador is not for everyone.
Cuenca has some great people, a great culture, and is a beautiful city with gorgeous mountains and countryside. You can live here for far less if you take your time doing things, learn Spanish, enjoy family time at the dinner table for three hours, and live the manana (tomorrow) way of life.
If you're coming here to scope Cuenca out, or to live, you best get the DIY Cuenca Landing Guide so you can SAVE money, ENJOY your time here and RELAX. The Guide will take you where you need to go! Just go read what everyone is saying!
Until we write again, you might like to read some of our related articles about the subject of going local in a foreign country.
We're an expat family of five living frugal, healthy and happy in Cuenca Ecuador. We vlog about what its really like to live abroad. We leave out the hype and tell it like it is through our experiences. So come and join us and you will soon come to know if moving to Cuenca Ecuador or any other Latin American country is for you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)