Ecuador June 2008
Hola!
We are coming back on July 17th. That will be exactly one year in Ecuador. Our plan is to be in the US for about 2 months. We don’t have our final "investor’s visa" yet but time is of the essence -- our plane tickets expire so it is use it or lose it! We will finalize all visas on our return to EC with all the papers needed to complete. Extranjeria which is the government department of visas is very disorganized and slow in processing requests. Once we get the investor’s visa we will not have to fiddle around with visa things again. Thank goodness!
It has been a very exciting year. We are looking forward to visiting with many of you when in the States.
I cannot send a message without sharing some of our observations about Ecuador. Must tell you that we love the country and the people and anything I say is not meant as a negative, just a difference.
Jim and I have decided that rules do not mean much here. For example, drivers may or may not stop for red lights. California stops work fine IF there are no pedestrians. If you hit a pedestrian, you go to jail. Seems to work as a deterrent. It gives me some comfort to know they probably won’t crash into us when we are walking. Lanes do not mean anything and neither does a "No Left Turn" sign. Even the police ride their motor scooters on the sidewalk when they want to go the wrong way on a street. Now, you need to understand this is not during an emergency...it could be just to catch up to your girlfriend to talk.
Another thing is that driving school in Quito does not include parallel parking. Jim and I have had hours of hooting and hollering watching people try to park. They do not know what the steering wheel is for! One time we witnessed this woman trying to park. She had an "assistant," a man who helps people park, directing the show and she could not get it done. The assistant finally just grabbed her steering wheel from outside the car and parked it. It was a hoot. Speaking of driving lessons, there is a company who has orange and blue cars (go Broncos) and these people drive around learning. You stay a long ways away from these folks! Unfortunately, they only know how to go straight or almost. We saw this lady who every time she turned her head to see who is in another lane turned the wheel in that direction. She was all over the road and the other cars were giving her a wide berth.
The police are many and of different types. We have not observed them doing much but walking around (or as I said before roaring up the sidewalk). There are police for tourists, transit, national police, Quito police, criminalistas and tons of security guards. Have not figured what they do because the rules don’t count??? Actually, I think the security guards at many restaurants and stores do more than the police. Of course it is somewhat disconcerting to see this security guard socializing with a friend while holding a sawed off shot gun! Out in the Oriente the police give people rides, including yours truly. They cannot do much because they do not have radios...how do they know where their buddies are that need a ride?
Other differences are the size of people. Jim and I are tall and large by EC standards. First time in my life I look over people...it is empowering! Finding clothes is hard for us. It is impossible to find a bra bigger than a 36B! (All EC women wear push up bras! Cleavage is prevalent) Jim’s size 11or12 shoes are almost impossible to buy! The clerks in the stores just laugh when they see his feet. Enough for now...I have written long lists of the differences so I do not forget. It is what makes life interesting and makes you smile!
See you soon!
Nancy and Jim
Nancy and Jim
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Nancy Wesorick
Friends of Ecuador Schools
http://friendsofecuadorschools.com/
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