Hola Amigos y Amigas!
We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and are eager for the Christmas Holiday. We had about 25 people over for Thanksgiving. It was fun but a lot of work. We are so please our friends John and Ann Rapson have invited us to their home for Christmas celebration and dinner.
Just the other day someone asked in an email, “are we happy”? I want to take the time to answer that today. Yes, we are happy and busy! I guess that is the short answer. The long answer starts with understanding that this is such a different lifestyle, and that it has slowed down tremendously for us. Getting into a routine is very important when relocating to a new country. Establishing a core group of friends as certainly helped from a loneliness perspective. We dearly miss our family, and it pains us greatly not to be with our grandson Ethan. After we get our permanent residency status this summer, we hope to make a trip to see him.
I would encourage everyone who is thinking of expatriating (I loathe that word) to go with a well thought out plan, but to also remain flexible. If you are not flexible, I promise this will not work for you. You should be willing to learn to cook with new and different foods, try new and different household products. All the way down to your favorite toilet paper, expect to change. While there is not much we need or long for (except for a Texas breakfast burrito). We have had some adjustments getting used to the food, but now have our favorite dishes here as well as our favorite restaurants. We are fortunate that our village of Vilcabamba has almost 40 restaurants. Many of these come and go, so there is always something new to try.
We are becoming experts at navigating the city of Loja which is just 45 minuets away. We travel there about once a week or so. Loja has much to offer on the way of shopping, eating and healthcare. We went to Solca hospital in Loja last week to see the top Dermatologist in all of Loja. I have had a rash on my leg that I needed to have looked at. The total fee was $9.00 and we were in and out in under 45 minutes, without an appointment! The language barrier is becoming less of a problem the more Spanish we learn. However, there is a healthcare advocate here in Vilcabamba that can go on appointments with you and be sure that you get the proper attention.
We spend our days working in the gardens and socializing in town. There are always new people to meet and interesting stories to hear. There is an interesting collection of people who gather in this valley, and there is never a shortage of wild tales. There are times we retreat up to our mountain when we have had our fill of people. Our dog Trudy, has become an interesting distraction and is far less political then some of the wackos who live in town.
We have started giving extra veggies that we grow to a new food bank in town that was started by our friends Philip and Mazella. They both have the mid of Christ, and hearts for the people. We also grow and can pickles for a foundation called “The Art of Reciprocity” which is run by our Ecuadorian friend Cristian. He has a heart for helping the disabled and the poor. Our pickles will be sold at the local market and restaurants with all the proceeds going to his foundation. There is much volunteer work here to do which keeps many people busy.
We hope that next year we can start to travel more. We have dreams of seeing the Galapagos Islands and Italy. We want to travel to more remote places rather than the typical tourist attractions. There is still so much we have not seen right here in Ecuador. I was feeling bad that we really have not seen many parts of Ecuador until I realized that a young man who works for me, has never even been to Mollepamba which is right down the trail from our house. He was born and raise in Vilcabamba and has not been to many of the Barrios and different areas.
We are super excited that our friends Kent & Jorgia are coming from Texas for a visit. There will be here in time for New Years and will stay with us about a week before heading for Manta on the coast of Ecuador. It should be a great trip for them, and we look forward to the visit. We are hoping that Lisa’s mother will be here sometime in January. We will have to see exactly when she is able to come.
If you are thinking of a trip to see us, please let us know has we want to be sure and save the dates for you to stay in our guest house. It has all the comforts of home and will sleep 4 people. Please let us know your plans and we will help guide you through the process of travel here in Ecuador.
Please know that we love and miss each and everyone of you and can’t wait to hear back from you. We covet your letters and your visits. I have attached a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Until next time,
Dios te Bendiga!
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