tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45351629249676655612012-02-09T02:43:02.069-08:00Starting a business in small town Ecuador has offered up some ridiculous and funny moments. Here, I will tell stories. Since cultural adaptation is especially strong in the beginning I will only commit to writing for the next couple of months, on a weekly basis. After that, my well of inspiration may run dry. In the meantime I hope you enjoy and contribute from your own saavy perspective and stock of witticisms when inspired.U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-70103167497257605992007-06-01T12:49:00.000-07:002007-06-01T12:52:09.783-07:00

Sylvie and I just returned from a trip up the coast to Esmeraldas, the beautifully green, African influenced part of northwestern Ecuador. On our way, we stopped in Crucita, a small fishing town in the Manabi province, where monied people from Cuenca keep the coastal homes. In Crucita, we stayed at a great little hotel with the best service you can imagine. Traveling on weekdays typically gives

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-31965149425616431432007-05-18T11:48:00.001-07:002007-05-18T11:56:45.868-07:00

One thing I won’t miss about Ecuador is men pissing in the streets. When Sylvie returned from Quito after her first time here (junior year of college) she told of a shocking custom, the likes of which I’d never heard before. She told me that Ecuadorian men come on to women by showing them their members. You know, instead of whistling or making sucking noises like civilized men, these guys just

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-58167434598363788532007-05-14T12:24:00.000-07:002007-05-14T12:26:42.192-07:00

The way I found out that I would be a father is probably indicative of the unpredictable nature of the whole experience. During the month of February Sylvie and I decided to let fate work its magic in determining when we would have a child. We had come to Ecuador placing a two-year moratorium on child production. Since being here, we had modified the plan to “let’s wait til July to start trying”.

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-52757410910145454592007-05-03T09:41:00.000-07:002007-05-03T09:48:35.723-07:00

All the cities, towns and pueblos in Ecuador have festivals that mark their founding or independence. Actually, this is a common tradition in most of Latin America. The festivals typically include a combination of religious ceremony, special foods, dancing, drinking, games, sports and traditions unique to the place. They also usually last at least 2 or 3 days. This past weekend was the Fiestas de

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-33097936039189282282007-04-15T13:53:00.000-07:002007-04-15T14:01:27.306-07:00

In Ecuador, the majority of people use buses to get from here to there. It’s the cheapest, most regular and accessible form of transportation within the country. Within any town or city, a bus will cost you no more than $0.25. For travel between major cities, it is possible to catch flights throughout the day for $100. A great deal granted, but it doesn’t beat the $12, 10-hour, overnight bus ride

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-71927936965223365572007-04-06T10:49:00.000-07:002007-04-06T11:05:44.784-07:00

I’m beginning to believe that the greatest feeling a human being can have is to be surrounded by those who love and care for them. Not just being here, but time is beginning to work this idea into my head. For a while I thought maybe the greatest sensation a person could have comes from the realization of a dream. That’s certainly what I’ve been chasing for years now. But I wonder. Whenever we

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-29306071627068448802007-03-31T14:30:00.000-07:002007-03-31T14:42:24.982-07:00

I question if I am ready to have the life of a child in my hands. Sylvie and I took absolutely no precautions to prepare our cat Marguerite for the stresses of life in the subtropical countryside of Ecuador. The first week or so after arriving on the coast Marguerite seemed to be in heaven. A lazy, lethargic heaven, but heaven nonetheless. She laid on the deck of our rented house spread eagle on

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-25771503051664965262007-03-26T15:55:00.000-07:002007-03-26T16:09:30.006-07:00

Day 8 (Tuesday: God performs his Miracle in 8 days this time) We show up around 9:00 am. We go to our guy, Officer Mendez, and show him our ticket from the other day. He looks in the system and finds us there. The brilliant rookie did not let us down. However, he says with a smile that he can’t help us because we didn’t get a ticket. We say the ticket in his hand is our ticket. It says we can

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-67041225984800440672007-03-23T06:43:00.000-07:002007-03-23T06:50:02.479-07:00

Day 7 (The following following Monday: we’ve had another weekend to stew)We return to the office with our ticket from last Friday in the late morning. We make eye contact with Officer Mendez from the waiting area. We watch like hawks for 10 minutes as he serves the current foreigner. We bolt for his booth when she steps to the side to organize her papers. He takes our papers and checks the system

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-29342737677925844262007-03-20T07:31:00.000-07:002007-03-20T08:25:15.044-07:00

Day 6 (Friday) Before I begin here, let me point out that Sylvie and I are feeling pretty confident about our chances at this point. We’ve just jumped through the 3-day hoop of registering our visas. We also know we have all the paperwork required because were told so by the officer at the Registro Migratorio on Day 1. More determined than ever, we wake up at 5:15am to ensure an even

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-42966986372846569572007-03-14T13:00:00.000-07:002007-03-14T13:02:10.222-07:00

Day 2 (the Following Monday) We arrive at the Dirección de Extranjería at 8:30 in the morning. This is where we’ve been told to go in order to register our visas. We wait in line outside for a few minutes, and then are let inside. It’s a small waiting room filled with maybe 25 people. Not bad in comparison to the hundred or so at the Registro Migratorio. We wait patiently for a couple

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-37772974837053621622007-03-11T14:37:00.000-07:002007-03-11T14:46:59.574-07:00

Day 1 (Friday) Sylvie and I arrive at 6:15 am at the Registro Migratorio. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m tired right about now. As we pull up in the cab we see a line running down the block. By the time we get our ticket they've reached numbers 89 and 90. Mind you, we arrived 15 minutes earlier than we were told by the woman behind the desk (15 minutes before the office even opens) because we

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-92166985285731251612007-03-07T11:26:00.000-08:002007-03-07T11:52:27.421-08:00

The Censo fiasco was so degrading and soul crushing that I almost had the thought that maybe we had made the wrong decision to come here to Ecuador. Part of the problem was that it was very early in our time here, within the first two weeks. All the vim and vigor we arrived with was slowly drained over the 8 day ordeal. All the idealism about how wonderful things would be was promptly balanced

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-85646492527515659012007-03-05T10:51:00.000-08:002007-03-05T10:53:25.883-08:00

I hate Rod Stewart. There are people we just hate for some inexplicable reason. They never did anything to us. They never did anything generally offensive as far as we know. Yet and still, they rub us the wrong way. I think that we are genetically predisposed to not liking certain people, like the uni-brow baby and Maggie on the Simpsons. Maybe, when man first walked the earth it served as a

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-66812264836813590622007-02-23T11:20:00.000-08:002007-02-23T11:28:47.906-08:00

The beach was packed on New Year’s Day. It was perfect weather; not a cloud in the sky. We ate fish tamales, drank beer, went on a banana boat and played shark with the kids in the water. Speaking of beer, there was an interesting moment while we stood by our chairs that got me to thinking. One of the babies, a 9-month old, who will remain nameless to protect the identity of her and her parents,

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4535162924967665561.post-25239022039797291912007-02-15T13:00:00.001-08:002007-02-20T11:11:03.585-08:00

The first Friday after arriving here on the coast, I was reminded that we are now in a different place. In the morning, while out in the fields looking at the vegetables being grown by our landlord I nearly stepped on a tarantula. I saw it out of the corner of my eye about 4 feet away. It was coming in the direction I was going. Quickly, I stepped back sideways around Manuel who was showing me

U. Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10195725056089095736noreply@blogger.com0